There are several urgent reasons for making building energy efficiency a priority, not least the huge jump in energy prices. The government had already committed itself in the 2008 Climate Change Act to achieve “net zero” (greenhouse gas emissions) by 2050. Two important steps initiated by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) were to sponsor ambitious standards for retrofitting buildings to improve their efficiency, so the Building Standards Institute issued PAS 2035 and (later) 2038. The former applies mostly to private homes and the latter to larger commercial buildings of all kinds.
What is PAS?
These “Publicly Available Specifications” (PAS) prescribe some of the new technologies and construction materials that are needed but most importantly, the high standards of training, project management and quality assurance that the contractors need to deliver real benefits. Energy companies clearly have a central role to play but to attain the new certificate of conformity requires a combination of training, a successful track record and participation in a robust assessment process that examines full project lifecycle management including design, project coordination, quality assurance, environmental management, build quality and stakeholder satisfaction.
After years of fulfilling energy efficiency obligations on behalf of the big energy companies including British Gas, Scottish Power and Npower, Next Energy are therefore very proud to have received the certificate of conformity to undertake retrofits of large commercial buildings as well. It demonstrates our team’s proficiency in meeting high standards throughout the entire building improvement process – from initial assessments and retrofit designs, through stakeholder involvement and environmental management, to co-ordination of the retrofit itself and timely on-budget delivery. Our certificate of conformity will help our clients to access present and future government assistance schemes to make their buildings safer, energy efficient and future proof.
Under the scheme, a “Lead Professional” should act as the project manager, reviewing the objectives and anticipated outcomes as necessary. The team should also specify a “Lead Assessor” who takes responsibility for the initial assessment, considering the building’s use, condition and current and potential energy performance and a “Lead Designer” who devises the ideal package of improvement measures. Clear measures are available to stakeholders throughout the project (including U value calculations, condensation risk assessments, thermal bridging calculations and many other parameters).
Who can benefit?
Offices, factories, public buildings, sports arenas, entertainment venues, retail space, schools and hospitals are the main focus of the new standards initiative, but they also apply to commercial types of residential building such as hotels and student halls, and also to churches, listed buildings and castles. In short, we are now a fully approved contractor to work on any kind of building.
In addition to their role in reducing carbon emissions, whole-building retrofits deliver a multitude of benefits to our clients. Those benefits usually include;
– The improved comfort, health, fire safety and productivity of the building users
– The improved functionality, usability and durability of the building infrastructure
– Diminished environmental impacts from the building and its activities
– Access to low carbon or zero carbon energy sources
– Cost savings from reductions in fuel use
The new standards also explicitly protect the historical and architectural integrity of the buildings and their role in their local communities. If your business or public building needs improvement, please call us today.
