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WPD LEADS CONSORTIUM TO CREATE COMBINED FUTURE ENERGY PLANNING APPROACH FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND UTILITY COMPANIES
Western Power Distribution (WPD), the electricity distribution network operator (DNO) for the Midlands, South West and South Wales, has launched a project that works together with local authorities in south west England and other energy network companies to lower carbon/ achieve net zero carbon emissions and protect the environment. Its Energy Planning Integrated with Councils (EPIC) project will explore whether a combined approach to energy planning can provide greater benefits for local authorities and utility companies. The £540,000 Network Innovation Allowance funded project, will see WPD, gas company Wales & West Utilities, local authorities in the South West, Power Systems Consultants (PSC), energy consultants Regen and EA Technology work together to develop a tool to allow the investment plans for energy networks and the local authorities to be jointly analysed to identify potential synergies.
In the current process to create Distribution Future Energy Scenarios (DFES), utility companies consult local authorities who provide input into the process. However, DFES are based on national scenarios and do not wholly adopt or incorporate local authorities’ longer term strategic plans. This can lead to different expectations for future energy requirements between the local authority and utility companies. EPIC is seeking to develop a standardised process and tool that can be used with different local authorities to create a more accurate, local energy plan.
The project will look to develop an agreed process for identifying and analysing energy plans in relation to increased uptake in electric vehicles, small scale renewable generation, the decarbonisation of heat. Three areas in the South West of England will trial the process and supported tool. Experts on regional local authorities are providing expertise to help ensure that the planning process developed during the project can be applied more generally across local authorities. Energy consultants Regen will lead on determining how the different planning processes can be aligned so that local authorities and utilities plans are based on a common view.
Having agreed on a future energy scenario, the impact on utility networks will then be modelled to identify the location and timings of required network investments to support the predicted energy consumption. These investments will be assessed to optimise the potential benefits to all parties and will be further assessed on whether the combined plans will deliver additional benefits versus the separate processes currently used.
PSC will be providing a new tool for automated high voltage network assessment while EA Technology will be adapting their Network Investment Forecasting Tool to analyse the low voltage networks in the trial areas. While strategic network planning, including stakeholder engagement, is routine for the net-works operating at or over 33kV, it is hoped that modelling the high and low voltage networks will pro-vide results that reflect changes at a local neighbourhood level that are easier for local authorities to relate to their own plans.
The tool is expected to assess the long-term cost to the consumer and support regional strategic development goals, such as decarbonisation and supporting local jobs. The project is expected to last for 20 months. www.westernpower.co.uk
BCIA releases new Technical Guide: Control Sensor Selection and Installation
The Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) has released a new Technical Guide to add to its portfolio of online Guides available to download.
The new Guide, entitled “Good Practice Guide – Control Sensor Selection and Installation”, sets out to describe good selection of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) sensors used in Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS).
A BEMS is only as good as the sensor used to measure the controlled variable (temperature, humidity, pressure etc.) and transmit it as a measured value to the controller. It is crucial that the sensor should provide an accurate measurement of the controlled variable at the reference point in the control loop. Failure to meet the desired conditions satisfactorily can lead to poor control, energy wastage and occupant complaints.
Terry Sharp, President of the BCIA, said: “Good sensor selection and installation is key to better control. Often there are conflicts of interest in the location of sensors – architects want them out of sight, control engineers ask they be located central to the controlled space. This document will show best practice and help resolve such issues.”
The BCIA’s Technical Guides are designed to help members and those in the building controls and BEMS industry work more effectively. All Technical Guides can be downloaded from the “Resources” section of the BCIA website: https://bcia.co.uk/resources/
Baxi Heating releases white paper on urgent need for UK school heating refurbishment to set buildings on the path to net zero
Taking immediate action to refurbish ageing school heating systems is vital to put ‘hard-to-tackle’ educational buildings on the road to the future of heating, according to a new report by Baxi Heating.
The ‘Refurbishment of School Heating Systems’ white paper caomes on the heels of the UK government’s announcement that it will legislate a new target to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035, as part of a new Sixth Carbon Budget.
The report: • identifies drivers for improvement • encourages holistic systems thinking • outlines the benefits of modern heating technologies and techniques • ims to deliver optimal efficiencies for improved outcomes and progress towards net zero.
The urgent need to reduce emissions from heat in UK buildings is particularly pressing in the education sector. Many of our schools are ageing and their heating and hot water systems have seen better days. The report reveals that around 65% of school buildings were constructed before 1976, 46% were built before 1966 and the rate of new school construction is low. The existing stock will therefore continue to overshadow the sector for many years to come.
The UK government has recognised the issues with a tenyear school rebuilding programme. It has also included schools in the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to help them install energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures.
But schools embarking on a heating refurbishment programme often face a range of challenges – from poor insulation to overheating – that make use of some alternative technologies very difficult.
The white paper reveals that 57% of England’s schools have faulty boilers or heaters that add an unnecessary financial burden for this sector. The Carbon Trust Whole School Approach to Energy Savings report estimates that UK schools could save £60 million annually through improved energy management, including upgraded heating and hot water systems – often the most significant energy users in school buildings. The report aims to deliver better outcomes for students and teachers, with reduced operational costs, through a focus on systems thinking from design to installation – and to make important strides towards the UK’s emissions reduction target. The ‘Refurbishment of School Heating Systems’ white paper is available for free download from: www. baxiheating.co.uk/schools
ULTRAFLO U1000MKII RANGE
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NEWS
THE NHS STANDARD CONTRACT 2021/22 AND SUSTAINABILITY – WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOUR TRUST?
Following a recent consultation with Trusts, NHS England has recently confirmed the new Standard Contract for 2021/22 which includes a greater focus on sustainability in order to deliver the ‘Net Zero’ health system goals outlined in October 2020. Inenco Group, energy management and sustainability consultants, explain what this means for your Trust.
The standard contract is used by Clinical Commissioning Groups and NHS England to contract for all healthcare services bar primary care. It’s likely the next 12 months will be another challenging year for the NHS given the continued impact of COVID 19. However, the new contract indicates a willingness to push on regardless with other key NHS priorities.
One of those key priorities is to address the NHS’s carbon footprint. The report published in October, ‘Delivering a Net Zero National Health Service’ outlined the steps Trusts must take to achieve the net zero carbon goals set for 2040 and 2045 but the document had no legal standing to make its recommendations mandatory. Section 18 of the new contract – ‘Green NHS and Sustainability’ includes stronger targets and other changes to the previous years’ contracts.
We have found that the impact of the standard contract can be overlooked when a Trust is considering its sustainability measures. However, section 18 should now be addressed when setting your goals and writing your green plan to ensure compliance. A stronger focus in this year’s contract
We’re going to highlight some of the key conditions outlined in the new standard contract and discuss their potential impact on your Trust…. 18.2 The Provider must maintain and deliver a Green Plan, approved by its Governing Body, in accordance with Green Plan Guidance and must: 18.2.1 provide an annual summary of progress on delivery of that plan to the Coordinating Commissioner; and 18.2.2 nominate a Net Zero Lead and ensure that the Co-ordinating Commissioner is kept informed at all times of the person holding this position.
The development of a Green Plan was included in last year’s contract however in a recent survey of NHS Trusts conducted by Inenco 40% of respondents stated they do not have a Green Plan in place. Each Trust is mandated to have a plan which is approved by the board; with a summary of progress against the targets provided to the Coordinating Commissioner.
New to this year’s contract is the requirement to appoint a Net Zero lead for your Trust and then notify the Commissioner of who that is. Does your Trust currently have a nominated Net Zero Lead? 18.4 As part of its Green Plan the Provider must have in place clear, detailed plans as to how it will contribute towards a ‘Green NHS’ with regard to Delivering a ‘Net Zero’ National Health Service commitments
Section 18.4 describes in further detail the actions each Trust needs to take in relation to air pollution, climate change and single-use plastics & waste. The following updates have been made to section 18.4 in this year’s contract: • Your targets must now be aligned to those set in the ‘Delivering a Net Zero
National Health Service’ document. • Reduce the proportion of desflurane to sevoflurane used in surgery to less than 10% by volume, instead of the 20% target in last years contract.
Nitrous Oxide has also been added to the list of environmentally damaging gasses which must be addressed.
In our recent survey 47% of Trusts who responded stated they did not know what their current carbon footprint is. Data collection and analysis is crucial to not only knowing what your Trusts carbon footprint is but also to set realistic goals and be able to measure against those goals in accordance with the updated contract. Even those who do have a green plan in place will need to review the targets they’ve set and update them to ensure they comply with the standards outlined in section 18.4. 18.5 The Provider must ensure that with effect from the earliest practicable date (having regard to the terms and duration of and any rights to terminate existing supply agreements) all electricity it purchases is from Renewable Sources.
New to this year’s contract is the requirement of Trusts to procure green energy, which is a necessity from April 2021. Is your Trust procuring 100% REGO back renewable energy?
Section 18.6 covers the requirement of Trusts to set broader sustainabilitybased targets that take the local community into consideration, these will also need to be agreed upon with the Coordinating Commissioner. For a full overview of what is required of your Trust moving forward, the standard contract for 2021/22 can be viewed here. Driving the agenda forwards
The message is clear that despite the current challenges facing the NHS, environmental sustainability is increasingly a key priority for NHS England and this is likely to be just the beginning of contractually required processes each Trust must undertake to be fully compliant going forward. Ensuring you have a comprehensive Green Plan in place will help to focus your Trust on the steps required to ensure you meet the targets outlined in the ‘Delivering a Net Zero National Health Service’ document.
For more on how Inenco Group are working with NHS Trusts to develop strategies for a net zero future contact them on 01253 785294 or go to www.inenco.com/nhs.
UNRELIABLE DATA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR VARIANCES OF UP TO 2000% IN FORECASTING CARBON USAGE
The new report by the Net Zero Infrastructure Industry Coalition (NZIIC) has uncovered huge variances in the way that carbon data is measured, managed, and assessed for planning needs across the infrastructure sector. The result is a lack of understanding, meaning the true impact of infrastructure projects on carbon emissions is not clear.
The coalition believes a common industry-wide approach is essential to the availability, quality and transparency of data, underpinning initiatives to achieve net-zero carbon by 2050. It is also calling for significant change in how new assets are designed at feasibility stage.
The report, entitled ‘is our carbon wallet empty’, states that the infrastructure sector will miss legally binding carbon budgets that place restrictions on the total amount of green-house gases the UK can emit. The report makes four key recommendations: • An agreed carbon zero definition that can be clearly assessed. The industry must create a single, universally recognised, managed and constantly improving source of carbon emission factors, for the full range of construction products and building materials that are used in infrastructure projects. • Planning framework guidance for carbon assessment in line with the
Paris Agreement. We need agreed carbon data measuring if we are to break the cycle of short-term solutions resulting from short timescales, short political cycles, and reactive solutions. • A shared understanding of the sector share of UK carbon budget. The development of common, long-term sector targets and trajectories, from which individual companies and projects can be measured against. • A carbon neutral design option for every asset. If we are to achieve carbon neutral infrastructure, we must ensure that every asset solution has a carbon neutral outline design option, prior to planning and tender, by the asset owners.
“We need to create a common carbon currency that works for everyone, from government and planning authorities to customers, contractors and the supply chain,” said Chris Hayes, NZIIC board member and Skanska’s Sustainability Operations Director.
“While there is plenty of political and industry commitment to driving down carbon consumption, we lack consistent methods to achieving it. Put simply, the will is there but the tools are not.”
The NZIIC harnesses the collective expertise of those who commission, deliver and operate infrastructure at scale, to influence the industry and UK Government on how infrastructure can achieve net zero carbon by 2050.
Its latest report is the result of a thorough audit of the existing embodied carbon measurement in the infrastructure pipeline. This project-by-project approach was necessary in order to obtain a true picture, where supply chains are long and complex. The analysis and recommendations carry extra weight because they source data and represent views from across industry and academia. About the coalition
The Net-Zero Infrastructure Industry Coalition was formed in 2019 in response to the UK government’s 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions commitment. This report was led by Skanksa, with coalition members comprising Mott MacDonald, Pinsent Masons, the Carbon Trust, UKCRIC, Leeds City Council, National Grid, and Transport for London.
Other coalition members include UK Green Building Council, Anglian Water, Engie, KPMG, and Energy Systems Catapult.
Schools: COVID fears will drive deadly surge in toxic car use
As schools across the UK return following months of COVID-19enforced disruption, new research reveals that ongoing infection fears are predicted to significantly increase car usage on the daily school run, creating more traffic congestion and toxic air pollution around the school gates.
According to a nationally-representative survey of 250 school leaders, conducted by school transport technology specialist Kura, nearly one in four school leaders (23.2%) believe that infection fears are set to drive increased car usage amongst parents, rising to 35% in independent schools. Research from the Department for Transport (DfT) echoes this assertion, reporting that car usage soared to 70% of normal levels since the reopening of schools – the highest levels seen this year.
Two in five respondents (40%) also highlighted traffic congestion around their school gates as a problem, with a further 22% expressing concern around the level of toxic car fumes around their school.
Calls for schools to do more to drive an environmentally-friendly school run have been driven by in-creasing demands from pupils and parents. A separate national survey of 1,000 parents, also commissioned by Kura, revealed that over half (53%) of parents would like their child’s school to be doing more to prioritise sustainability and green initiatives, with a further 49% reporting that their children feel the same way.
More promisingly, school leaders do predict a greener future for the school run in the years to come. More than a third (36.8%) of schools across the country now believe that the coming decade will see more pupils walking and cycling to school, as pupils look to avoid public transport and the toxic impact of polluting, low-occupancy car journeys.
School leaders also predict a significant rise in electric vehicles on the daily school run over the coming decade, with nearly half (45.2%) asserting electric vehicles, such as zero-emission school buses, to be the future of school transport. This comes amidst the UK’s wider shift towards making zero-emission transport standard, with sales of new petrol and diesel-fuelled vehicles banned from 2035 onwards.
These zero-emission ambitions are already being matched by action from many forward-thinking schools, with 21.6% of schools reporting having already put in place investment plans in this area, and a further 18% planning to invest in electric vehicles for their transport fleets over the coming years. But cost and a lack of charging infrastructure remain the main barriers to change.
Only a sixth of respondents (16.4%) reported that they believed that more environmentally-friendly shared transport, such as school-managed coaches and minibuses, would rise in prominence – a concern given that one 49-seater coach equates to 31 cars taken off the roads. However, schools have also been working towards making shared transport a safer, more attractive option for their pupils, with a fifth of schools (20.8%) having invested in additional contacttracing technology to improve infection control on the daily school run.
For more information: https://ridekura. com/request-transport-guide-2021/
