Energy Efficiency - Why measuring ‘performance in use’ is the key to energy efficiency in buildings

Guest Article from Professor George Martin, Low Impact Building Centre, Coventry University

With approximately 80% of the properties that exist today still being in existence in 2050, the key issue for landlords in the run-up to the 2018 change is that they understand the scale, nature and cost of the various interventions that will be needed to update properties now

Source: www.sustainablecommercialsolutions.co.u

For the past 10 years or more I have been driven by the mantra - If you can’t measure it you can’t manage it. This applies to each and every key performance indicator linked to the built environment sector with energy arguably being the most important. It is for this reason that I consider it essential that the Government mandates the use of Display Energy Certificates (DECs) for all buildings as a vital first step to cutting carbon emissions.

The Display Energy Certificate (DEC) provides an up to date snapshot of how well a particular building is performing, based on actual energy consumption unlike its poor relation the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) that only provides a theoretical rating based on assumed patterns of use and occupation and can be up to10 years old!  The DEC also reveals what the rating score was in previous years. Consequently it is possible to see at a glance the progress in making that building more energy efficient and less costly to run.  There is now considerable evidence (initially anecdotal, increasingly academic) that requiring energy usage to be professionally monitored and the results made visible, delivers enormous improvements in performance.

Landlords need to be aware that the Energy Act 2011 proposes to make it unlawful to lease residential or commercial buildings with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of F or G from April 2018.  In addition, there is a requirement for all new build domestic to be 'zero carbon' from 2016 and for new build non-domestic to be ‘zero carbon’ from 2019.  However, the biggest challenge, especially for landlords, relates in particular to the UK's ageing property stock, not built for a world of high energy prices and carbon reduction targets, and lacking in investment in low carbon retrofit over time.

Source: http://valentemike.blogspot.co.uk

With approximately 80% of the properties that exist today still being in existence in 2050, the key issue for landlords in the run-up to the 2018 change is that they understand the scale, nature and cost of the various interventions that will be needed to update properties now. And that means learning in more detail about how properties actually perform in use.  A one-size-fits-all approach will not work and landlords will need to develop an evidence based approach, backed up with a robust whole life cost database for their properties.  Smart landlords will be using sensors to monitor energy use against temperature and other indicators such as relative humidity in order to identify more specific issues – so that they can identify whether the source of any inefficiencies is due to the building fabric, the equipment, the maintenance regime or indeed the behaviour of occupiers.

Property developers and landlords also need to ensure that their design, delivery and maintenance teams do not have a blinkered approach to energy efficiency and carbon reduction - as it is vitally important to ensure that the health of the fabric and the occupants are also considered. The existing stock of ‘leaky’ properties, whilst bad for energy efficiency, is good in terms of ventilation and here there is some distressing news from recent research that is showing that many - if not most - of the Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery units installed in recent times are underperforming, which is seriously bad news for the occupants.

It is most certainly not right to assume that all 'modern' property will achieve a good performance in use just because it has a good EPC rating or indeed an ‘high’ BREEAM design rating.   Even the highest spec builds with energy efficiency in mind may not be performing as expected. The limited performance gap research available has demonstrated that design targets (and we must remember that EPC is a design tool) are missed by between 20% and an astronomical 500%. We must stop assuming that sustainability-minded design and construction methods are the whole story. Buildings need to be monitored and evaluated for performance once occupied.  Only then is it possible to gain a clear picture of the performance in use and capture the learning for future designs.

The property sector needs to move from making procurement decisions based on design tools (e.g. EPCs), capital cost and payback time to making primary decisions based on the performance in use (DECs)  and 'whole life costs', backed up by an assessment of the return on investment.  

In turn, as attitudes and understanding begins to evolve around performance  in use and whole life costs, the construction industry and here I include clients, designers and constructors, will become more focused on delivering buildings that perform sustainably i.e., environmentally, socially and economically.

Professor George Martin, Low Impact Building Centre, Coventry University

http://www.coventry.ac.uk/business/supporting-your-business/sustainable-building-futures/

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Information/opinions posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright notice at the end of the blog.

Energy Supply – Is ‘fracking’ just a short term distraction?

It is clear that fracking carries a number of risks, environmentally it will still result in large quantities of CO2 emissions and for the UK it has an extremely limited lifespan.  Perhaps the Government should consider investing the time and money that they plan to invest in fracking, into renewable energy?  

Source: http://occupydenver.org/

A few years ago very few had even heard of the term Fracking, let alone understand what it actually is.  Nowadays with the amount of publicity relating to our over dependence on fossil fuels (a depleting resource), together with the negative impact on the environment due to greenhouse gas emissions when fossil fuels are burnt, there has been a realisation that we need to find alternative ways of providing our energy to meet our increasing demand. 

In the UK our need to find alternative ways of creating energy is critical. In June 2013 MSN News highlighted the urgency of the problem in respect of our electrical supply: ‘The UK's ability to produce enough electricity for the nation has been declining. Ofgem predicts that the amount of spare electricity production capacity could fall to as little as 2% by 2015. This will mean more likelihood of supplies running low enough to cause blackouts’. In May 2013 The Guardian reported similar issues in respect of our gas supply: ‘Some of Britain's biggest energy suppliers were holding back gas in storage tanks at a time when the market ran into an acute shortage two months ago, triggering a doubling of wholesale prices. The revelations came after claims the UK was within six hours of running out of gas completely on 22 March and will feed rising public and political anger over soaring power bills and previous allegations of market manipulation’. Make no mistake the problem is serious, and although we can import to supplement any shortfalls, this will come at a cost, a cost that we have little control over.  If we want to keep our country ‘running’ and as numerous politicians have put it ‘ ensure that the lights do not go out’, we need to find alternative ways of creating energy and find them quickly.  

Fracking is a method of extracting natural gas and oil from shale, which is a technique that has been used for decades in the United States.  ‘Horizontal drilling (along with traditional vertical drilling) allows for the injection of highly pressurized fracking fluids into the shale area. This creates new channels within the rock from which natural gas is extracted at higher than traditional rates. This drilling process can take up to a month, while the drilling teams delve more than a mile into the Earth’s surface. After which, the well is cased with cement to ensure groundwater protection, and the shale is hydraulically fractured with water and other fracking fluids. – Source:  http://www.what-is-fracking.com/   The video below provides an animated demonstration of the fracking process:         

So how much shale gas could we expect to extract in the UK? The answer appears to be inconsistent depending on what you read, with estimates suggesting that shale gas could meet demand in the UK for anything between 25 and 40 years – According to the Guardian in June 2013:

‘Britain is sitting on shale gas deposits that could supply the UK for 25 years, suggests an independent report that ramps up previous estimates for the controversial energy source. New figures published on Thursday by the British Geological Survey (BGS) indicated that the amount of shale resources, mainly sitting under the north of England, will trigger a new dash for gas. BGS published a long-awaited report that suggested an area stretching from Lancashire to Yorkshire and down to Lincolnshire could hold at least 1,300 trillion cubic feet of gas.’ 

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment

Energy Minister, Michael Fallon, has stated it would be "irresponsible" not to take advantage of this resource, which has transformed the US and could provide energy security, if not cheap prices, for Britain.  This view however is extremely short term.  The US is far larger than the UK and has a much greater capacity to produce shale gas over a longer period of time. Estimates suggest that shale gas in the US and Canada could meet demand for nearly 100 years!  In the UK, even if we were to produce 40 years worth of energy from shale gas (which is at the top end of estimates) then this will not solve our problem once this resource has been exhausted.  It is a little disconcerting that our own Energy Minister cannot look at the issue from a more sustainable and long term point of view and focus our strategy and resources on renewable energy.  No doubt the Government will argue that they are already doing this, however, it is clear that our dependence of fossil fuels is far too great and something that we cannot sustain and must address much more rapidly.  Focussing on extracting shale gas through fracking is a short term distraction which is avoiding the real issues of providing energy in a renewable and sustainable way and is just papering over the cracks.

Natural gas when burned produces half the CO2 that coal does when burned (http://blogs.reuters.com) Therefore gas produced through fracking may reduce our need to burn coal, however it will still produce large quantities of CO2, something that does not happen with renewable technologies.  If we focus our strategy on renewable energy then this will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the UK and help us reach or 2050 emissions targets.  Why waste time and money in extracting shale gas through fracking when surely it would be better to invest this time and money in renewable energy?

There are also concerns particularly in the US about the amount of water used in the fracking process as well as the possibility of contamination of water supplies due to the chemicals used in the process.  Recently in the UK fracking has also been attributed to be the cause of a number of small earthquakes.  The British Geological Survey reported: ‘On 1 April and 27 May 2011, two earthquakes with magnitudes of 2.3 ML and 1.5 ML were detected in the Blackpool area. These earthquakes were immediately suspected to be linked to hydraulic fracture injections at the Preese Hall well, operated by Cuadrilla Resources Ltd. This well was hydraulically fractured during exploration of a shale gas reservoir in the Bowland basin. As a result of the earthquakes, operations were suspended at PH1 and Cuadrilla Resources commissioned a number of studies into the relationship between the earthquakes and their operations’

It is clear that fracking carries a number of risks, environmentally it will still result in large quantities of CO2 emissions and it has an extremely limited lifespan.  Perhaps the Government should consider investing the time and money that they plan to invest in fracking, into renewable energy?  Our reliance on fossil fuels has to be addressed urgently.  Focussing on extracting shale gas, which is still a fossil fuel, is really a way of avoiding the main issue, something which many politicians appear to be extremely good at!   

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you think would be interested

Information/opinions posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright notice at the end of the blog.

‘Greening Buildings’ – Achieving emissions reduction targets will be impossible without significant up-skilling

Guest Article from Professor George Martin, Low Impact Building Centre, Coventry University

Smaller firms are reluctant to make any investment in new approaches and up skilling when budgets are tight; large contracts remain out of reach, and potential partners are put off by their lack of green technology know-how

Source: http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/

The urgent task of 'greening' the world's buildings is going to mean big business for those firms with the right skills and knowledge. This does not just mean builders but the whole supply chain: plumbers, electricians, architects, building product designers, product manufacturers, lawyers, agents, building services engineers, facilities managers and of course clients and the users of the buildings.

A combination of tough targets and legislation at government level along with rising energy prices makes low impact building inevitable, and a long-term source of growth for firms. For example, the UK has a target of reducing its carbon emissions by 34% by 2020 from a 1990 base.  Fast forward another 30 years and the requirement is to reduce carbon emissions by 80% from that 1990 base. From 2016 all new housing needs to achieve the latest definition of what is ambitiously know as 'zero carbon, and from 2018 the Energy Act makes it unlawful for landlords to lease residential or commercial buildings with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of an F or G - and that's a lot of leaky old houses, flats, offices and factories that will need upgrading. Take a look at the short video below to see Coventry University's Low Impact Building Grand Challenge Initiative: 

The Global Green Building Trends Report in 2012 confirmed this picture. It's not just seen as the 'right thing to do' or a niche market. Clients increasingly want it, and construction firms can see the benefits from lower operating costs and improved reputation. 63% of firms surveyed internationally have green work planned in new commercial projects and 45% in new institutional projects by 2015; 50% have plans for green renovation work. The market for low carbon building technologies in our region alone (in the West Midlands) is estimated to be £1.7bn.

With the on-going recession in construction you'd expect firms of all sizes to be chasing the new opportunities. Instead smaller firms are reluctant to make any investment in new approaches and up skilling when budgets are tight; large contracts remain out of reach, and potential partners are put off by their lack of green technology know-how. But the opportunities remain huge for those firms willing to commit themselves to the low impact buildings market. More specifically these will be in addressing the need for retrofitting existing properties with energy efficient technologies; supplying new technologies to new building developments to improve their efficiency standards, monitoring on building performance when occupied, and then acting on those reports.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) aren't in a position to even bid for the largest contracts from the public sector or overseas, but they can make themselves an important part of the supply chain and partners to the large firms. Essentially they will achieve this by increasing their knowledge and ability to use the technologies becoming available, developing niche areas of expertise in sustainability and by up skilling their staff. Smaller businesses will also need to be open-minded and flexible when it comes to identifying and participating in opportunities for collaboration, contributing to open innovation and even sharing opportunities with competitors in order to develop their profile in the eyes of the industry giants.

Coventry University's brand new Engineering and Computer Building

To make this happen firms need to get advice and support to make the change. For example, in the West Midlands - where construction and related firms have seen the biggest decline - Coventry University is running the Sustainable Building Futures (SBF) Project for small to medium sized businesses to help them make themselves competitive for the future (until June 2015). Co-financing from the University and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) means the help is all provided free for eligible organisations. There are the general knowledge-building training workshops and seminars on what the opportunities are, for example, new technologies and services that are now available and also specific up-skilling in subjects as Passivhaus, Lean and Building Information Modelling (BIM).  The European Regional Development fund (ERDF) have also provided funding for a state of the art Environmental Chamber, housed within the University’s brand new Engineering and Computer Building, where products can be tested.  One specific initiative involves the up-skilling of window manufacturers in the West Midlands in how they can learn how to produce high performance windows and then to test prototypes in the Environmental Chamber.

The recession hasn't helped the construction industry in its transition to low cost and low carbon buildings that perform in use. But now, low impact building offers the clearest and strongest way forward, in lower costs, new sources of business and jobs, and it will be the forward-looking businesses that are already up skilling who'll secure their place in the new supply chains.

Professor George Martin, Low Impact Building Centre, Coventry University 

http://www.coventry.ac.uk/business/supporting-your-business/sustainable-building-futures/

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you think would be interested

Information/opinions posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright notice at the end of the blog.

What is BIM?

Guest article from Danny McGough BSc (Hons)  ACIAT – Assistant Lecturer at Coventry University

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a design methodology, which enables all of the design details, decisions and characteristics to be held within a collaborative digital model and information package. Having all of the information centralised in one core model will inevitably lead to improved design and document efficiency. It is this added value that takes BIM beyond that of a simple 3D visual model.

I’m going to open with a few statistics but don’t be too frightened, 4 stats and I’m done!

Designed by and Property of Danny McGough

The knowledge of BIM within the construction industry is on the rise, the recent NBS National BIM Report 2013 states that only ‘6% of the industry were neither aware nor using BIM’ in 2012, compare this to previous years of 21% and 43% in 2011 and 2010 respectively it is clear that the awareness of BIM amongst construction professionals is rising. Looking at these particular statistics it does paint a promising future for BIM.  However following on from this, in the same NBS BIM Report 2013, the statistic that ‘74% of the industry is not clear enough on what BIM is yet’. Does this mean that we are not completely past the ‘What’ stage just yet for all construction professionals? It is with this in mind that has led me to write this week’s article, ‘What is BIM?’

In the context of Architecture, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a design methodology, which enables all of the design details, decisions and characteristics to be held within a collaborative digital model and information package.  For the wider range of parties involved the concentration may be more on the 'Information' sharing aspects of BIM.  A predominate aspect of BIM which continually needs to be expressed and driven home is that the 'Information' side of BIM is just as important as any design model. Working within a BIM environment, adopting BIM information sharing protocols, collating the data in an interoperable format, and utilising documents such as BuildingSMART's 'Project Execution Plan' into a project, aims to improve how information is shared amongst all varying parties involved in an efficient interoperable manner, regardless of whether you’re the Architect or the Contractor.

A core feature of working within a BIM environment is the drive towards encouraging multi-disciplinary collaboration from the very outset of a project. The benefits of all disciplines working together within one core BIM environment are multiple. A major issue that is experienced within non BIM design processes is the matter of conflicting design issues. The ethos of having a core central BIM model is to facilitate a smoother transition through these issues by identifying conflicts as early as possible in the project stages, thus reducing the negative effects on schedule and costs. From an early stage projects can be visualised allowing the Client and Designer alike to gain an appreciation of how the design is going to materialise. This allows for important design decisions and alterations to be made at an early stage where the cost repercussions are minimal or sometimes even zero. The efficiency of the effects of changes within documentation or design is greatly improved as any changes made which are linked to the main BIM package will be carried through and updated to all corresponding linked documents and models automatically.

Below you can see a graphical example of an 'Independent Separated Design Environment'. This simple graphical representation expresses the chaos when all parties are working independently of the others:

Designed by Danny McGough

Having the design process completed within a BIM environment using 3D BIM models with a core 3D BIM model at the centre of the project leads to multiple benefits post model creation. The models can be analysed allowing for a multitude of model interrogations to take place including; energy analysis, structural analysis, accurate schedules and quantity take-offs to name a few. It is argued that by using BIM processes for building projects it will improve the energy efficiency, improve the scheduling, and facilitate a reduction of waste and possibly paramount to this, a reduction in costs.

The diagram to the right  is another graphical representation , of a  'BIM Collaborative Design Environment' showing how a BIM core model and digital information package can assist the project team to deliver a fluid fully collaborative project.

BIM for Architectural Design and Modelling

As many are aware BIM models can be used to allow the designer to present and communicate 3D designs in a clear, easily accessible way for all to see. BIM models and information analysis packages provides a platform for multiple discipline teams to analyse, interrogate and navigate the project further, beyond the limitations of 2D design. Once the information is data dropped to the core model further clash detection analysis can take place, reducing issues and conflicts. As discussed earlier having all of the information centralised in one core model will inevitably lead to improved design and document efficiency. It is these added values that take BIM beyond that of a simple 3D visual model.

BIM for Structural Modelling and Analysis

BIM software can assist the Structural Designer in their analysis of the structural performance of a structure. Employing one core structural model means that there is no need for multiple models to be created for each different structural analysis that is needed. Time is saved through not having to continually transcribe information from one design package to another. All the related information to the project can then be easily shared and accessed by multiple project disciplines.

BIM for MEP Modelling, Detailing and Energy Analysis

Creating MEP details in a BIM model allows Building Service Engineers' and Architectural Designers alike to be able to visually appreciate how the services within a design relate to the building as a whole, ensuring that clashes and issues are identified early on. Using MEP and energy analysis software many analytical programmes can be run to test the overall efficiency of the design. This should result in a circle of design – analysis – redesign, with an aim at establishing the most energy efficient design at as early stage as possible.

BIM for Programming and Scheduling (4D BIM)

BIM 3D models can be utilised to assist Contractors in the programming and scheduling of BIM projects. This is achieved by adding programming and time data to a BIM project, once the data is married to the building project then the 4D programming schedule can be established. The 4D programme can then be used to assist Contractors and Designers to improve and refine the schedule of the project.

BIM for Quantity Schedules and Costing Information (5D BIM)

Quantity Surveyors and Designers are able to produce accurate quantity schedules and cost information for building projects. Standardised data can also be integrated into BIM models ensuring that all the building components meet the required Building Regulations. You are probably picking up on the theme here.... all of this information can then be stored and accessed within the BIM core model by all those involved in the project.

BIM for Facilities and Asset Management (6D BIM)

The management processes and time that it takes for a Facilities Management Team to continually assess and maintain their asset stock can be considerable.  For instance if you think of a University Estates Team, with tens of buildings to manage trying to find a detailed specification of a fixture or fitting in a building that was built 40 years previously, you can imagine this being a tough task. Having all of the information available within one core model could be invaluable, at the click of a button the details, manufacturer, performance criteria and cost could be accessed almost instantaneously.

In summary, through carrying out all of this pre-construction design analysis and interrogation the result will be a reduction in conflicts and changes made during the construction phase which usually will have a detrimental effect on a project in terms of wastage, quality, time and costs. At the same time the stringent energy analysis that can take place in the early stages of a BIM project aims to improve the performance of a project in regards to low impact design. And finally post project completion, the BIM model can continue to be utilised by the FM team to assist in the management of their assets in an environmentally conscious manner.

For more BIM and Architectural Design articles you can visit Danny’s personal blog; Architecture, Technology & BIM - http://architecturetechnologybim.blogspot.co.uk/

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you think would be interested

Information/opinions posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright notice at the end of the blog.