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22
dTZ | In Situ
Sustainability
Are you prepared?
The uK has a number of initiatives to help
occupiers increase efficiency and reduce
costs — this article explains some of these,
but it is important to note that similar
initiatives are available in other countries.
enerGy
• reduce energy costs
— energy costs are one of the few
remaining areas where occupiers can still make significant
savings to reduce operational costs; we all know that energy
costs are rising and it is anticipated that the cost of energy
will double within the next 5-10 years
• Take advantage of government incentives
— A number of
government backed allowances are available to support
organisations to install energy efficient plant and equipment;
for example in the uK enhanced capital allowances provide
100% tax allowance in the first year, for approved equipment,
whilst the ‘Green deal’ financing scheme allows for capital
investment to be repaid through energy bills
• Commission an energy survey
— energy savings of 5-10%
can typically be achieved through making quick and low-
cost changes to the way you operate your business; an
energy survey can provide a more detailed and calculated
assessment of energy efficiency measures to help you plan
and finance longer term alterations to plant and equipment
• Apply for voluntary certification schemes
— There are
different certification schemes in operation across europe,
with the four predominant ones being: BreeAm (The Building
research establishment’s environmental Assessment
method), hqe (The haute qualité environmentale), Leed
(Leadership in energy and environmental design) and dGnB.
enerGy COMplIAnCe
• Make sure you have an epC
— The ePc (energy Performace
certificate) is mandatory in most european countries for any
sale or leasing of buildings; these documents rate the energy
performance of your building from A-G, and the rating must
be included in any materials produced to market the property;
an ePc is valid for 10 years; the ePBd (energy Performance
of Buildings directive), first published in 2002, requires all
eu countries to enhance their building standards and roll out
ePcs; the categories covered by the ePc vary from country to
country — across most of europe energy performance includes
energy used for hot water, heating, cooling, fans and lighting
• Improve energy performance
— In the uK, from April 2018
you will not be able to let space that does not meet minimum
ePc rating; the minimum threshold is likely to be set at e, so
any property rated F or G will be un-lettable unless you take
‘approved’ steps to improve energy performance
• Check your air-conditioning
— In the uK, all air-conditioning
systems over 12KW are required to be independently checked
by a qualified inspector at least every five years; records of
these checks are stored on a national register
• Check for F gases
— Air-conditioning and some fire
suppression systems may contain gases (called F gases) that
contribute to global warming; all systems that contain F gases
must be assessed and checked to ensure that they are not
allowed to leak into the atmosphere.
