Energy Matters | Issue 6 | 2021
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Reasons to be positive in 2021 Stuart Fairlie, Technical and Operations Director
In a world which continues to deal with the effects of COVID, this is a big year for climate change. Just to confirm that it is slap bang and centre of Government thinking. If you haven’t noticed, they frequently say we should ‘build back a greener brighter, better future’ for us all.
1. COP Conference At the end of the year there will be a major focus on the delayed UN Climate Change (CoP) conference in Glasgow, which the UK will chair for the first time. Make no mistake, the event is of huge importance; the heads of all nations will visit, along with thousands of advisors and journalists - COVID permitting! The UK will no doubt want to make a great statement of how we lead the way in climate change and will need new policies and ambitions to present to the world. The Government is very keen on building back greener and they know that the buildings we live
3. Change to SAP and SBEM methodologies There is the first major change to the SAP and SBEM methodologies for 10 years, which provides the first meaningful steps toward the Future Homes and Building Standards in 2025. They are long overdue, and start to plan a route map for new build homes throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with planned updates to existing dwellings and conversion now in full consultation mode too.
4. Complementary regulations and policies
and work in are a very real issue when it comes to the use of energy throughout the UK.
2. A shift in attitudes There has been a seismic shift in attitudes to a cleaner future for heating, be it the very lively debate between electricity and hydrogen which is currently dominating current thinking; but thrown into the mix is batteries, on site energy generation, electric vehicles, heat networks etc. Certainly great effort and research is required and no doubt lots of heated debate about what is good and not so good will come throughout the years to come.
We are delighted to see that energy conservation and ventilation regulation and guidance will be working together, not fighting each other! Build tight and ventilate right is the correct approach. Overheating in buildings is being taken seriously, and there are more proposals for onsite testing. A huge effort is taking place around the so called ‘performance gap’, of why properties do not use the energy they are designed to in the real world. All this will result in better standards and more importantly better buildings in the future.
5. Online EPC register We welcome the new online EPC register (E&W and NI), giving much more flexibility to change and adapt and push people towards different policies and grants, giving a life beyond the physical pdf documents.
