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Behemoth
Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds
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 Posted: Thu Feb 02, 06 10:35 am Post subject: Consultation on future sustainable construction |
 
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Thursday 2 February 2006 10:01
Department of Trade and Industry (National)
NEW CONSULTATION LAYS FOUNDATIONS FOR GOVERNMENT'S FUTURE SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION STRATEGY
A new consultation that aims to provide the Government with a framework to guide future progress in the construction industry was launched today by the Rt. Hon Alun Michael, Minister of State for Industry and the Regions. The draft Strategy for Sustainable Construction Report 2006 consultation will seek views from key construction stakeholders on the direction they think the industry should take with a view to developing and maintaining a more sustainable future.
The review will look at aspects such as:
* building design and the code for sustainable homes;
* new construction methods and best practice;
* improved embedded energy systems;
* waste minimisation;
* enhancement of biodiversity; and
* greater efficiency in carbon emissions and thorough assessment of the impact of climate change.
Alun Michael said:
"This consultation shows where we think the industry should go in terms of its future development as well as indicating where businesses believe their efforts should be concentrated. I hope that the Strategy will encourage industry to propose a positive response to some of the big questions it faces.
"The purpose of the review is to create a framework within which the industry can continue to make a strong contribution to improving the quality of our lives and take account of the dynamics of the modern built environment."
The consultation is an update of the existing 'Building a better quality of life' produced by the then DETR. It focuses on the principle of Sustainable Development to which the Government as whole is signed up to.
The Government produced a strategy document Building a better quality of life - a strategy for more sustainable construction in April 2000, (as part of a suite of guidance spanning across many sectors of industry and society generally).
Due to the major developments which have occurred both in Government policy and within industry it is widely believed that a review of the existing construction strategy and update is now appropriate.
The timing is right for this review, since it follows on from the publication, in March 2005 of the UK Sustainable Development Strategy which reinforces Government's overall commitment to work with the industry sectors to strengthen business. And, in a similar vein, the European Union is currently re-appraising its Sustainable Development Strategy.
Notes to editors:
1. Sustainable Development involves balancing and integrating the economic, social and environmental considerations that are relevant to any policy or decision.
2. The review will indicate how, under this umbrella of sustainable development, Government and industry are responding to the challenges of sustainable construction through a sustainable, innovative and productive economy that delivers high levels of employment; and a just society that promotes social inclusion, sustainable communities and personal wellbeing.
3. It will also set out how this is being done in ways that protect and enhance the physical and natural environment, and use resources and energy as efficiently as possible.
4. The revised Strategy for Sustainable Construction will be cross-Whitehall and the main Departments to be engaged will be ODPM, Defra, DCMS, OGC, DfES and WAG. There will be consultation through a Stakeholder event on 7 March to gauge the industry focus on the process and it is hoped that the review will be completed by the early Summer of 2006.
Department of Trade and Industry
7th Floor
1 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0ET |
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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
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Blue Peter
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes
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| Posted: Thu Feb 02, 06 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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This (?press release) from the Association of Environmentally Conscious Builders seems relevant:
| AECB wrote: |
ODPM overlooks energy savings in buildings
The Association for Environment Conscious Building has disclosed strong evidence that demonstrates the urgency for the UK Government to adopt more rigorous building standards more quickly in the effort to combat climate change.
The evidence shows that higher standards and more rigorous design and construction techniques could save nine million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2020, 21 million tonnes a year by 2030 and 45 million tonnes a year by 2050.
The research, carried out by a team of energy experts, shows current energy performance measurement tools are inaccurate, causing the UK to substantially under predict CO2 reductions from building new homes with improved thermal envelope and energy efficiency standards.
The study reveals that for Government to make rational decisions about where Building Regulations and the Code for Sustainable Homes should head - with respect to energy use and climate change - the UK must agree a realistic �base case� against which building energy performance standards are expressed. Additionally, the UK must resolve the flaws in the main methodology for assessing buildings� energy consumption, BREDEM (BRE Domestic Energy Model), to more accurately describe the physical reality of building related CO2 emissions.
The AECB also states that SAP 2005 (Standard Assessment Procedure) worksheets need to expand their coverage of energy efficiency technologies in order to give realistic results for the UK�s currently proposed set of advanced energy performance standards.
AECB is concerned that ODPM is inadvertently overestimating potential savings from improvements to the building regulations Approved Document L1, while at the same time underestimating the much higher level of savings which could be achieved by using other advanced UK energy performance standards already developed.
AECB Executive Officer and member of the AECB Energy Standards Working Group, Andrew Simmonds says: �We have looked at the basic BREDEM and SAP tools and they have a number of significant flaws.�
When AECB examined the inherent flaws in the procedures, backed up in a research paper and using a semi-detached home for the analysis, the research shows it is possible that space heating energy use for dwellings built under Approved Document L1 2002 could be more than double what is currently calculated using SAP/BREDEM, meaning these buildings are performing twice as badly as currently assumed.
The research project looked at the assumptions which underlie the computer model as well as figures from other European countries where monitoring of buildings has been carried out over a longer period of time.
It takes into account assumptions of how high a temperature level people heat their rooms, as well as workmanship issues on installing insulation and construction details that lead to increased heat loss.
AECB claims the flaws it has identified and the over-reliance on the �outdated� computer models are distorting policy.
�The problem is we are not monitoring homes and we don�t actually know with adequate certainty what level of CO2 savings successive revisions to the Building Regulations have made,� Simmonds says.
The AECB has submitted its report and proposals to the Energy Saving Trust and hopes that EST will adopt AECB�s new Silver and Gold energy standards in its Energy Efficiency Best Practice for Homes Programme, currently under review. Simmonds is optimistic: �We have been engaging with EST on the principles and with BRE on the technical details of the proposed new standards. This is an ongoing process towards developing a joint set of robust standards designed to help the UK achieve its CO2 reduction targets.�
With the support of these two key organisations the AECB wants to persuade the ODPM to adopt the Silver and Gold standards in its Code for Sustainable Homes. AECB Silver and Gold are required to deliver around 70 per cent and 95 per cent CO2 reductions versus the average dwelling stock. The AECB is currently assessing the CO2 reductions from building to the proposed 2006 regulations.
At present the proposed Code for Sustainable Homes does not include a �bottom line� for advanced energy performance. Under CO2 emissions it only contains Building Regulations up to 2006 standards.
Simmonds says the AECB is making attempts to harmonise standards across the board and that one strong set of energy performance standards could be adequately resourced. The organisation believes that following on from the standards there has to be consistent support, training and guidance in order to realise the full CO2 savings possible.
�We have to prioritise reducing CO2 emissions associated with buildings. At the end of the day we will build our way to disaster if even �green� buildings continue to squander energy.�
For more information about the AECB�s research contact Andrew Simmonds via the AECB web site www.aecb.net
Footnote:
Many of the latest sustainable construction products and services will be on display at Ecobuild 2006, 22-23 February at London�s Earls Court 2 Exhibition Centre. An address on �Delivering Sustainable Building in the Current Regulatory Environment� and other closely related issues will be made during the conference. Visit www.ecobuild.co.uk/visit to register and for access to over 20 seminar programmes free for visitors to Ecobuild.
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I hope that this review will be better,
Peter. |
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