Reasons to be positive

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 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.

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

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.

6. PAS 2035 framework

The wholesale change of approach utilising PAS2035 is now taking place and from June/July this year all ECO installations must use the new framework. This approach was the answer to the Each Home Counts review from many years ago, analysing why previous retrofit policies didn’t work as well as they should have. Unfortunately it is only ECO policy at moment, but Government suggests all new polices associated with energy efficiency retrofit will use it. PAS2038 is also currently being developed covering the retrofit of non-domestic buildings.

7. Lenders to consider climate resilience

If you didn't know, banks and building societies are now being forced to consider climate resilience in their lending decisions and as the expression goes ‘money makes the world go around’. This will no doubt have an impact on linking mortgages and financial products to the energy efficiency of the buildings in question, which will certainly raise the stakes!

8. Calls for Evidence

Lots and lots of consultations and calls for evidence from various Government departments around the regions surround energy in buildings, as you know we at Elmhurst attempt to respond to them all. We always seek our members’ thoughts and ask others to respond with their own too. The more knowledgeable people who respond the better, as I was once quoted “If you don’t respond, then don’t moan if the government suggest something which you don’t agree with!” Admittedly they take time and effort to respond, but we keep trying our best.

At Elmhurst, we keep stating the obvious: we must firstly understand our buildings to be able to manage them effectively; we must move towards understanding the asset (the building), occupation (the people in it) and metered energy (used) for all buildings; this will solve all the energy dilemmas! Display all the metrics on all the outputs, as people are driven by different goals e.g. lower fuel bill, warmer home, less carbon, or less energy. All these opportunities exist and they just need to be brought together and used by expert Energy Assessors like our members.

The future is bright and we will ensure that we keep our members up to date with all consultations and opportunities that come through this very exciting year. Watch this space!