“Urgent action” to reduce the carbon footprint of non-domestic buildings, including factories, warehouses and engineering facilities, is needed if the UK is to meet its carbon reduction targets.
According to a report published by the Carbon Trust today, non-domestic buildings need to slash the amount of carbon they emit by 35% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 to meet national carbon reduction targets.
In the next 40 years this equates to the entire non-domestic building stock in the UK reducing its emissions from 106MtCO2 a year to 21MtCO2 a year.
Around 18% of the UK’s total carbon emissions come from the non-domestic buildings sector, but only a small number of buildings, large public premises, are currently assessed for carbon emissions. The Carbon Trust wants the government to introduce emission certificates for buildings, similar to those found on new cars, from 2015, to cut buildings’ carbon emission.
Stuart Farmer, head of buildings strategy for the Carbon Trust, said: “Government intervention in the market so far hasn’t been enough. The government should tell us where we need to get to and take a lead in showing use how to get there.
“There is a big potential for reductions in this sector compared to other sectors, and the vast majority of opportunities could be implemented tomorrow.”
The Carbon Trust report consists of modelling work by consultancy Arup, to predict what future reductions will be required, and a survey of 70 stakeholders, such as landlords, tenants and construction firms, in the non-domestic buildings sector.
Arup’s models predict that a 35% reduction in the carbon emissions of non-domestic buildings could save the economy up to £5bn by 2020. This could be achieved by carrying out “simple” changes, such as better heating and lighting controls, and changing the behaviour of occupants.
Then up to 75% of the 2050 target could be achieved “at no net cost to the UK” using more innovative approaches, such as on-site renewables, biomass heating, more efficient heating and ventilation and triple glazed windows.
However moving slowly now, would increase the cost of hitting later targets by “tens of billions”, said Farmer.
The survey found that at company board level, carbon emissions of buildings was considered “not a strategically important issue.”
Farmer said: “Interviewees expressed utter confusion about the different policies impacting on them from the national and local levels.”
A simplified framework and policies for end users of buildings was required, he added.
Tom Jennings, strategy manager for the Carbon Trust, said: “This sector could lead the rest of the economy, but it’s very rarely looked at. The policies that affect it haven’t been designed to impact on those buildings. Just directing them better will improve things.”
He added that engineers needed to innovate not only with new products and devices, but also with manufacturing and supply chains to improve and lower the cost of the technologies.
“The starting definition is for an overall product of a building that demands less energy,” he said. “It could use, for example, materials which take in heat during the course of the day and let it out during the night. But just as important is the way that material is manufactured and installed.”
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Gateshead-based Express Engineering manufactures precision machined components and has a workforce of 140 people. The company asked the Carbon Trust to carry out a full site survey to assess the opportunities to become more environmentally friendly.
Following the survey the company took out two interest-free loans from the Carbon Trust, and installed energy efficient technology in its factory units.
Firstly, with a loan of £7,900, Express Engineering replaced its air compressor and reduced its electricity usage by 25%. The company also took out a loan of £10,400 to install a monitoring system which will deliver projected annual savings of over £4,500.
It had previously been using two compressors, a main and a backup – both of which were always on. Variable speed air compressors operate on an ‘as and when’ basis, using less energy by providing compressed air only when required.
Originally intended as a backup, the company’s new variable speed air compressor proved so efficient that it is now used as the main compressor.
The company also made savings with its product packaging. The products the company receive are usually packed in polystyrene. Instead of being disposed of, this is now cut into small pieces and reused in the company’s own packaging. This innovative idea has cut the company’s packaging costs by 50%, reducing them from £20,000 to £10,000.
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© PE Publishing, 18 December 2009
