Ian Elmer Technical Services Manager AMTECH Group

1. What Drives a Green Specification? Ian Elmer Technical Services Manager AMTECH Group

2. The Impact of Climate Change “Scientific evidence points to increasing risks of serious, irreversible impacts from climate change [that] threatens the basic elements of life for people around the world” Stern N., 2006: ‘The Economics of Climate Change – The Stern Review’. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

3. International Context • The Kyoto Protocol (1997) • Sets out commitments to reduce Global Warming Gas emissions, including a commitment for the UK to reduce emissions by 12.5% between 2008 and 2012, below 1990 levels. • UN Climate Change Conference (Copenhagen 2009) • Held to agree a framework for climate change mitigation beyond 2012. • Copenhagen Accord drafted by the US, China, India, Brazil and South Africa as a ‘Meaningful Agreement’ with further discussions to follow in 2010.

4. Drivers for Change • The main drivers for climate change and sustainability: • Legislation • Performance Standards • Financial Incentives

5. Drivers for Change • Legislative Measures

6. European • Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) • Requires member states to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, through minimum energy performance standards and certification and requirements for plant inspection. • All buildings that are constructed, sold or rented are required to have an Energy Performance Certificate.

7. National The construction industry constitutes a significant portion of UK economic output and employment, while its output has a major impact on the environment. • 40% of total UK CO2 emissions are from buildings, of which: • 78MtCO2 from public sector and commercial buildings* • 149MtCO2 from residential buildings* *2008 figures

8. National UK Legislation in place: • The Climate Change Act 2008 • Aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 • Includes and interim target of reducing emissions by 34% by 2020 • The Energy Act • Implemented at the same time as the Climate Change Act • Allows the introduction of a feed-in tariff for small scale, low carbon electricity generation up to 5MW scale

9. National • Part L of the Building Regulations. Updates to include: • 25% improvement in regulated emissions from 2010 • 44% improvement in regulated emissions by 2013 • Potentially 70% improvement in regulated emissions by 2019 (according to Definition of Zero Carbon) • Other ambitions such as new homes to be zero carbon by 2016 have also been announced

10. National The ‘Definition of Zero Carbon’ approach: • Building Regulations to be underpinned by a very high minimum standard of energy efficiency • Minimum standard of carbon compliance to be achieved through energy efficiency, LZC technologies and directly connected heat. • Solutions for dealing with residual emissions resulting from applying these standards (e.g. Upgrading the efficiency of neighbouring buildings)

11. National The F-Gas Regulations • Framework for reducing emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F Gases). • Sets out prescribed offences and penalties relating to fluorinated greenhouse gases covering subjects such as use, recovery, reporting, labelling and certification.

12. National Strategy for Sustainable Construction • Joint industry and Government initiative intended to promote leadership and behavioural change in construction • Includes a number of key targets such as: • Reduce per capita consumption of water in the home to an average of 130 l/p/day by 2030 • 50% reduction of construction, demolition and excavation waste to landfill by 2012 when compared to 2008. • Reduce CO2 emissions (UK total) by at least 60% by 2050 (based on 1990 levels).

13. Drivers for Change • Performance Standards

14. Performance Standards Main methods for providing performance standards: • BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) - UK • Code for Sustainable Homes - UK • LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) - US

15. Performance Standards BREEAM: • Most widely used assessment method in the UK • Sets standards for best practice in sustainable design and uses a points scoring system describe a building's environmental performance • Covers a number of topics with points associated to them that combine to give a building a BREEAM credit rating

16. Performance Standards The main topics are as follows: • Management • Health and Well Being • Energy • Water • Materials and Waste • Pollution

17. Performance Standards There are mandatory minimum standards within BREEAM and these can be used as an indication of whether it is possible to achieve a desired rating for a building: • For example, for a building to achieve an ‘Excellent’ rating it must have excelled in every environmental category within BREEAM. • Government departments require BREEAM ratings of all their buildings; most local authorities require BREEAM as part of planning approval for developments over a certain size.

18. Performance Standards There are a number of versions of the BREEAM scheme tailored to a variety of buildings, among them: • BREEAM Offices • BREEAM Healthcare • BREEAM Education • BREEAM Retail • BREEAM Other Buildings

19. Performance Standards Code for Sustainable Homes: • National standard for the sustainable design and construction of new homes • Provides a single framework for house builders to establish environmental standards • Measures the sustainability of a new home against nine categories of sustainable design, rating the 'whole home' as a complete package

20. Performance Standards Uses a one to six star rating system to communicate the overall sustainability performance of a new home • All new publicly funded housing must be rated against the code. • Voluntary for new private sector homes, unless there is a local planning requirement. • Publicly funded housing required to reach at least code 3.

21. Performance Standards LEED: • United States based code for Leadership in Energy and Environmental design launched by the US Green Building Council • Shares common components and goals with BREEAM in driving improvement in building design • In the UK, interest in LEED is growing with 66 LEED Accredited Professionals in the UK.

22. Performance Standards Main difference between LEED and BREEAM is method of assessment: • BREEAM uses trained assessors who report to the BRE to validate the evidence and issue a certificate • LEED does not require trained assessors, though further credit is given if accredited professional (AP) is used. • Client provides evidence (with assistance of AP) then submits to US-GBC for evaluation.

23. Performance Standards Other differences: • Fixed to the ASHRAE standards and the US way of thinking • Credits are generally linked to the US Dollar (especially the energy credits), which means that if the exchange rate is unfavourable, then the building's rating could suffer. • Niche market in UK at present, but interest is growing

24. Drivers for Change • Financial Incentives

25. Financial Incentives Mechanisms used to provide incentives to improve the performance of buildings include: • Tax reliefs • Penalties • Grant funding • Carbon trading

26. Financial Incentives Tax relief: • Main scheme that the Government offers to provide support for business investment in low carbon technologies is the Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA scheme) • Enables businesses to claim 100% first year capital allowances on qualifying plant and machinery • Two schemes that affect the building services industry: • Energy Saving Plant and Machinery • Water Conservation Plant and Machinery

27. Financial Incentives Examples of plant and machinery that qualify for ECA: • Air-to-air energy recovery • Automatic monitoring and targeting (AMT) • Combined heat and power (CHP) • Motors and drives • Rainwater harvesting equipment • Meters and monitoring equipment • Flow controllers • High efficiency taps

28. Financial Incentives Penalties: • The legislative schemes covered previously outline penalties for non-compliance: • Building Regulations – Alteration or removal of work, financial penalties • Energy Certificates – Financial penalties for non-compliance • F-Gas regulations – Enforcement and prohibition notices as well as fines.

29. Financial Incentives • Renewables Obligation: • Government scheme introduced to incentivise electrical generation from renewable sources in the UK • Licensed electricity suppliers are obliged to source a percentage of their energy from renewable sources • Obligation achieved by surrendering required number of Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROC’s) to the regulator. • Failure to do this results in a financial penalty called a ‘buy-out’.

30. Financial Incentives Grant funding: • A number of grant funding schemes are available to promote energy efficiency: • Low Carbon Buildings Programme • Bio-energy Capital Grants Scheme • Microgeneration Strategy • Energy Act

31. Financial Incentives Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP): • Two phases to the Low Carbon Buildings Programme • Phase 1 – allowed householders, community organisations and public and non-profit sector groups to apply for grants for the installation of technology such as photovoltaics, solar thermal hot water and bio-energy. • Phase 2 – provides similar grants for public sector building owners (schools, hospitals, housing associations and local authorities) and charitable bodies to install microgeneration technology.

32. Financial Incentives Bio-energy Capital Grants Scheme: • Funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change • Promotes efficient use of Biomass for energy and heat generation • Awards capital grants toward the cost of equipment such as biomass heat boilers and CHP • Currently aimed at businesses, organisations and charities in commercial, industrial and community sectors

33. Financial Incentives Microgeneration Strategy: • Government strategy to allow electricity companies to claim for Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROC’s) • Companies that produce less than 50kW are entitled to: • Claim ROCs either monthly or annually • Appoint an agent to sell ROCs on their behalf • Use their own renewable energy without selling it first • Sell surplus electricity to energy companies

34. Financial Incentives Energy Act: • Aims to support the increase in renewables required to meet the UK carbon reduction targets set out in the Climate Change Act 2008, in particular by: • Strengthening the Renewables Obligation by supporting low carbon technologies whilst reducing the support of more established technologies such as co-firing. • Introducing ‘feed-in tariffs’ to guarantee that small scale generators will receive payment for generating electricity from low carbon electricity generation projects. • Introducing a financial mechanism to encourage the installation of renewable heat at all scales, industrial to household.

35. Financial Incentives Carbon Trading: • The EU Emissions Trading Scheme is the main carbon trading initiative at present. Main principles as follows: • Participating companies monitor and annually report their CO2 emissions • They are then obliged to return an amount of emission allowances to the government equivalent to their emissions that year. • They are allowed to buy or sell emission allowances in order that they can achieve their targets at least cost

36. Financial Incentives In the UK: • CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme: • Similar to EU Emissions scheme, organisations buy allowances equal to their annual emissions • Emissions target is achieved by placing a ‘cap’ on the total allowances available to each group of CRC participants • Individual organisations can determine the most cost-effective way to reduce their emissions, e.g. buying extra allowances, investing in ways to decrease the number of allowances they need to buy. • Comes into force in April 2010

37. Financial Incentives Other schemes: • Clean Development Mechanism: • Aimed at smaller firms not covered by the main schemes • Participants are issued with Certified Emissions Reductions certificates for every tonne of carbon they stop from being emitted into the atmosphere. • These can then be sold to governments and companies to meet their Kyoto targets and emissions allocations.

38. The Specification The role of the specification in reducing carbon emissions: • All of the drivers for change referred to previously have direct relevance in the building services industry • The specification is a key document which can impact heavily on the sustainable design of a building from project brief to detailed design. • Provision of information is extremely important to ensure what is installed matches the intention of the consultant and client so the specification is central in disseminating:

39. The Specification Technical information:

40. The Specification Performance Standards:

41. The Specification and Financial Incentives:

42. Summary In summary: • There is a commitment in the UK to reduce carbon emissions • The drivers for change are primarily driven by legislation, performance standards and financial incentives • The production of the Building Services Specification is key to the design of sustainable buildings at all stages of the project, from initial brief through to detailed design and construction

43. Thank you and Questions...