Energy, Sustainability and Carbon – Page 4
Energy statements, Part L, the Future Homes Standard, whole life carbon and BREEAM.
Energy, Sustainability and Carbon articles – page 4
301 articlesStandby generators and emissions in an energy statement
The emergency run is accepted as a rare event. It is the monthly test next to a bedroom window that decides the application, and the detail that answers it.
Secondary glazing in a listed building and the energy case
Reversibility is what carries the heritage balance. How to detail and document secondary glazing so consent follows, and when slim profile units can be argued for.
Timber sequestration claims in whole life carbon reporting
Sequestered carbon in timber is reported, not claimed. Where it belongs in the modules, what sourcing evidence a council expects, and the assumptions that get assessments sent back.
Post occupancy evaluation commitments in a condition
A condition requiring in-use energy data years after occupation binds whoever owns the land by then. Say who that is before the condition is imposed.
Thermal bridging assumptions officers question
A calculated set of junction values can be worth the whole of a scheme's carbon improvement margin. Officers increasingly ask to see the calculations behind them.
Airtightness commitments made at planning stage
An air permeability figure in an energy statement is a promise that gets measured two years later by someone else. Pick it so it survives the test.
Greywater and rainwater reuse in a sustainability statement
Reuse systems earn a fixed deduction in the water efficiency calculation for new dwellings. Whether that deduction is worth the maintenance burden depends on the target you are chasing.
Ground source heat pump boreholes and the consents
Closed loop systems avoid the abstraction and permitting regime, open loop systems do not. The consents, the source protection zone check and the land a horizontal array takes.
Shading losses in a rooftop solar calculation
A claimed solar output is checkable from the drawings, which is why inflated figures get found. The deductions, the shading method and the four questions reviewers always ask.
Choosing between TM52 and TM59 overheating criteria
TM59 does not replace TM52, it borrows one of its criteria and adds a night-time bedroom test. How to allocate methodologies in a mixed use building and report the weather file honestly.
Cooling hierarchy evidence for a south facing flat
Officers test the cooling hierarchy by reading model inputs, not conclusions. An iteration table showing what each measure achieved is what carries a single aspect south facing flat through review.
Unregulated energy and why planning policy excludes it
Cooking, appliances, lifts and catering sit outside the Part L compliance calculation. Energy statements in London have to report them anyway, and a growing number of adopted plans ask for a total figure.
Carbon offset shortfall calculations and fund rates
Offset payments are calculated on residual regulated emissions, not on the gap against an on-site reduction target. Check the inputs, fix the rate at the right date, and watch for double indexation.
Substitution rate assumptions in a circular economy statement
A reuse percentage means nothing without the specification clause that delivers it. Separate on-site reuse from diversion, report recycled content by stream, and calculate every figure from a pre-redevelopment audit.
Reporting modules C and D in a carbon assessment
End of life modules rest on disposal scenarios nobody can verify, and module D credits belong outside the total. State the scenario, keep reuse claims in one place, and label the module D line.
Replacement assumptions in whole life carbon module B4
Replacement carbon is the most assumption-driven part of a whole life carbon assessment. Service life data, the study period and the rounding of replacement cycles decide the number more than the design does.
Primary energy rate against emission rate in policy
Local plan carbon policies rarely say which Part L metric they mean. Emissions and primary energy diverged once grid carbon factors fell, so the baseline has to be stated before a percentage means anything.
Notional building comparison in a Part L submission
The notional building in Approved Document L generates three separate targets per plot. Fabric energy efficiency is the one renewables cannot fix, and primary energy is where all-electric designs run tight.
Landlord and communal energy use in a residential block
The dwelling emissions calculation stops at the flat's front door. Communal loads are assessed under the non-domestic methodology and paid for through the service charge.
Energy statements for a phased masterplan
Fix the approach, the infrastructure and the measurement mechanism at outline; leave plant and fabric to each phase. The condition wording matters as much as the strategy.
Energy centre siting and its effect on the street
An energy centre has a footprint, a height, a flue, a delivery requirement and an acoustic envelope. Treat it as a building from the first massing study, not as a hatched rectangle.
Thermal bridging psi values and accredited details
A psi value can come from a blanket default, a tabulated default per junction, or bespoke modelling. The route you choose moves the fabric heat loss result more than most fabric upgrades.
Carbon in demolition and site enabling works
Pre-construction demolition belongs in module A5, not C1, and haulage usually dominates the figure. What data to collect and how to present a retain or rebuild comparison.
Heat recovery ventilation in a planning submission
Councils do not assess ventilation performance, but they do assess a facade of grilles, an extra 200 mm of storey height and a noise case that depends on an undrawn system.
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