specifying low carbon buildings: recognising and reducing risks
DESCRIPTION
Will Ray, technology acceleration manager, The Carbon TrustTRANSCRIPT
Specifying Low Carbon Buildings
Recognising and reducing the risks
Will Ray
Specifying Low Carbon Buildings Conference
7/10/2010
Agenda
Building the Future, Today - the big picture
Low Carbon Building Accelerators – background
What we found
Doing it better
Building The Future, TodayTransforming the carbon and economic performance of the buildings we work in
Building the future, today
“What would a carbon reduction target of at least 80% mean for non-domestic buildings in the UK?”
The average building in 2050 needs to be 4 DEC ratings better than today
Source: DCLG, Carbon Trust analysis
Big opportunity, big challenge
A transformation of the buildings industry is required, along with government policies to overcome the large number of barriers to more low carbon buildings
We need better buildings, used better
Agenda
Building the Future, Today - the big picture
Low Carbon Building Accelerators – background
What we found
Doing it better
Accelerate take-up & impact of low-carbon technologies & approaches in new non-domestic buildings & refurbishments by:
– Raising awareness of & demonstrating thebusiness case for developing low carbon buildings
– Identifying barriers preventing low-carbon outcomes & presenting evidence-based options for overcoming them
– Reducing the quantitative data gap in non-domestic buildings energy research & policy
Objective
Insights from real projects
– Project team experiences, modelled & measured data
– Monitoring operational performance vs predicted
9 low carbon refurbishments running since 2005
– Encouraging take-up of low-carbon measures
19 low carbon new build running since 2006
– projects going beyond Part L (2006) from “large” stream of DECC LCBP funding
Background
Examples
Largest operational building study since PROBE
– 8 projects complete, 18 still in monitoring
Key piece of Carbon Trust research
– Influential for our design advice service
– Basis of our refurbishment guide
Engaging with industry & clients
Where are we now?
Agenda
Building the Future, Today - the big picture
Low Carbon Building Accelerators – background
What we found
Doing it better
Refurbishments deliver carbon savings, but….
10-20% for lighter „refresh‟ refurbishments
30-50% for „deep‟ refurbishments
Activity changes can increase energy use & offset savings
Building Refurb type CO2
savingData type
Small Retail Refresh 1% Monitored
Large Retail 1 Refresh 18% Monitored
Large Retail 2 Refresh 12% Monitored
Bank Branch Refresh -1% Monitored
Pub Refresh -12% Estimated
Accommodation Deep 41% Monitored
Office 1 Deep 51% Estimated*
Office 2 Deep 43% Estimated*
Leisure Centre Deep -41% Estimated*Source: Carbon Trust analysis (preliminary) * - Monitoring in progress
Key wins - Chillers
45% saving
New build can perform, but…
Performance data still being collected
Early evidence suggests many projects are not performing as intended
Performance appears to be unrelated to cost
Cost data is still to be compiled.
– Preliminary evidence suggests cost of low carbon often “lost in the noise” of building costs OR
– You can build a cheap low carbon building or an expensive one
Example: 2 adjacent office buildings, near identical design & size
– One building was cost-engineered by different contractor, dropping cost by >25%
– Operational energy data shows cheaper building performs significantly better
Carbon performance prediction doesn’t account for risks
> 50% of projects monitored significantly underperformed compared to design stage predictions
Initial data suggests the gap is around 40%
There is a lack of available benchmark & performance data to bridge the gap
Source: Carbon Trust analysis, RIBA
There are many sources of risk, including
Procurement methods, contracts & project management
Commissioning
Energy metering & monitoring processes
“Unregulated” loads
Missed opportunities
BMS & control systems
Renewable heat technologies
System complexity
A skilled & engaged party, with a long-term interest, is key to success
Example 1: Office building owner-occupier with in-house technical team
– Knowledge built from previous smaller projects
– Tight process control
Example 2: Client with deep green brand
– Combined with a planning obligation that included energy performance target for year 3
Example 3: Biomass ESCO for a community heating system
– Contractual interest in technology performance
– Long-term experience imported from Europe
Commissioning is critical for low carbon buildings
> 40% of projects did not properly commission all building systems
All new building projects required extended
bedding-in periods (typically > 1 year)
– to improve operation & realise benefits of low carbon technologies
Typical impact currently being quantified
Relationships between commissioning & energy efficiency measures
Source: LBNL Commissioning report
The tools of good operational energy management are often forgotten
> 50% of projects had energy metering problems making energy management and fault diagnosis difficult.
– Combination of equipment and ICT issues related to issues in design, installation & operation that go beyond the scope of the existing Part L requirements
> 80% of new buildings did not receive log books as required in Part L
Regular detailed checks of performance data particularly energy were not done by FM staff for most projects
Increases in “un-regulated” loads present a major risk
Most projects (% to be confirmed) had large “un-regulated loads” (e.g. office or catering equipment)
Increases in expected “un-regulated loads” offset carbon saving made in the building design or with low carbon technologies for many projects
90%
10%
50%
50%
Regula
ted
Un-R
egula
ted
New Unregulated loads
71%
29% 15%
kgCO
2/m
2/y
r
Post refurb opportunity
is in regulated
loads
1%
Bank Branch
Source: Carbon Trust analysis
Even with a focus on carbon, opportunities are being missed
>50% of refurbishments didn‟t improve building fabric
All refurbishments left some energy saving opportunities remaining after refurbishment
Example: large retail store
Source: Carbon Trust analysis
Agenda
Building the Future, Today - the big picture
Low Carbon Building Accelerators – background
What we found
Doing it better
Low Carbon Refurbishment Guide
The key intervention points for a low carbon approach to refurbishment
Film case studies
Refurbishment– MoD
– Whitbread
– Hampshire County Council
New build– Royal Horticultural Society
– Stoke Local Service Centre
– Pembrokeshire College
– Edge Hill University
– Fairglen Eco-community
– Woodbrook housing development
Further resources to come
GSHP
PV
Natural ventilation
Biomass & community heating
BMS & Controls
Metering & monitoring
Retrofitting renewables
Commissioning
Managing Risk
Design to performance gap (Carbon Buzz collaboration)
Procurement (WRAP collaboration)
Building performance & carbon (PROBE lite)
Data archive
The Carbon Trust is grant funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and Invest Northern Ireland. Whilst reasonable steps have been taken to ensure that the information contained within this presentation is correct Will Ray, the Carbon Trust, its agents, contractors and sub-contractors and the Government give no warranty and make no representation as to its accuracy and accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The contents of this presentation are the copyright of the Carbon Trust and may not be copied or republished without the prior written consent of the Carbon Trust. The trademarks, service marks and logo used in this presentation are the property of the Carbon Trust and no licence or right is granted to use any such marks or logo.© The Carbon Trust 2010. All rights reserved.The Carbon Trust is a company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales under Company Number 4190230 with its Registered Office at: 8th Floor, 3 Clement‟s Inn, London, WC2A 2AZ.