Sector Specific Issues
Different types of buildings have individual requirements in terms of energy use. Some points for consideration are listed below.
Residential
Passive systems, such as natural ventilation and daylighting are traditional solutions for domestic buildings. Passive solar design can be particularly effective, with south facing sun spaces giving free energy and pleasant living conditions (note these are not the same as glazed conservatories). These must be design appropriately to avoid excessive solar gain and overheating .
An alternative low energy approach which is emerging from the in fl uence of Scandinavian design is the construction of an extremely well insulated and air tight building with a mechanical ventilation system incorporating ef fi cient heat recovery. This building design is sometime referred to as PassivHaus.
Small scale renewables can be appropriate. Technologies which lend themselves to this particular sector include solar thermal and photovoltaic panels, and biomass boilers. Micro Combined Heat and Power (Micro CHP) units for domestic use are gradually emerging onto the market.
Historic and Listed Buildings also present specific issues and circumstances that need to be taken into account when seeking to implement energy efficient and sustainable solutions.
Listed Buildings and buildings within Conservation Areas are subject to tighter planning controls than the rest of the housing stock in regards to changes to facade and the fabric of the building. Specific guidance on how to achieve energy efficient refurbishment or renovation, and the use of sustainable solutions within historic and listed buildings can be accessed at the links below:
Construction Industry Publications - http://www.cip-books.com/product-details.aspx?productID=2061
English Heritage publication "Energy conservation in traditional buildings" available at http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/advice/advice-by-topic/climate-change/energy-conservation/
English Heritage advice on Renewable Energy in historic areas is available at http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/advice/advice-by-topic/climate-change/renewable-energy/
Commercial
Although natural ventilation is typically the preferred choice, it is not always appropriate in commercial developments. If the site is noisy, has poor air quality or high internal heat gains from intensive use of IT or other equipment, it may be more appropriate to seal the building and use a mechanical ventilation system. In this case, measures for energy ef fi ciency should be adopted, such as free cooling or heat recovery.
The use of daylight should be promoted and could be combined with control systems to switch off electric lighting when not required. This is typically a significant form of energy consumption in commercial buildings.
Atria can be particularly effective in this sector and can be used to bring natural light in and encourage air movement in deep plan spaces.
Renewable and low carbon energy technologies can be suitable, although biomass boilers for heat or Combined Heat and Power do not tend to be suitable for most commercial developments due to their intermittent occupancy and relatively low heat demand.
As mentioned previously, it can be beneficial to reduce unregulated energy consumption in operation. IT and media equipment constitutes an increasing proportion of ‘unregulated’ energy loads, particularly in IT-rich environments such as offices and schools. IT equipment requires electricity to operate and releases waste heat, which can contribute to rooms overheating and becoming uncomfortable, or lead to the use of air-conditioning that requires even more energy to be consumed.
The procurement of efficient IT equipment reduces the energy consumed to run IT devices and helps to avoid the use of air-conditioning. Efficient IT features include:
- Low-energy flat screen displays (LED displays are emerging on the market)
- Thin client devices and virtual desktop management
- Power saving measures and procedures, such as automatic hibernation mode or night-time power-down
- Behaviour change campaigns, such as stickers/posters to encourage ‘switch off your PC for lunch’
- Hosting IT server activities at an offsite ‘green data centre’, whose energy efficiency will be measured as a Power Usage Effectiveness
Education
Passive measures are typically desirable in primary and secondary schools. The activities in further and higher education buildings can require a more intensive services strategy; again efficient equipment should be specified.
Controls systems that turn lights off in unoccupied classrooms, corridors and toilets should be incorporated.
The use of renewable and low carbon energy technologies can be particularly appropriate in education buildings, to raise awareness of energy issues. There are several examples of schools with small scale wind turbines in Hertfordshire and across the UK. It should however be remembered that even educational installations should only go ahead if they will generate a meaningful quantity of energy. The educational benefits can backfire if the energy meters show that little energy is being generated for the money spent on the installation. Furthermore, the visible installation of renewable energy causes some people to consume more energy than they would do otherwise, on the premise that since it is ‘free’ green energy it can be wasted. This is one example of what is termed the ‘rebound effect’.
Health
Renewable and low carbon energy technologies can be particularly appropriate for hospital buildings. A large roof space is typically available for installations of solar thermal or photovoltaic panels.
Combined heat and power systems lend themselves to this type of building, as there is a high and constant energy demand for both electricity and heat. Ground source heating/cooling can also be effective where site conditions permit.
Industrial
The approach to energy efficiency on industrial buildings very much depends on the activities being carried out. For example, there may be processes on site which generate waste heat, which could be reclaimed and used to heat other areas of the building.
Large industrial buildings may benefit from using radiant heating rather than convective or warm air heating.
The Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme encourages businesses to invest in energy saving measures.
Further information can be found at: eca.gov.uk