Modern Building Services

10 MODERN BUILDING SERVICES OCTOBER 2022 FEATURE NET ZERO E nergy has arguably never been a hotter topic. As we head into autumn, organisations will be seeking every available opportunity tomitigate rocketing energy costs to protect their operations. But as the summer heatwaves reminded us, even in these difficult times, the drive for greater sustainability cannot be allowed to wane. Heat is one of the prime sectors to target. It accounts for around a third of the UK’s annual carbon footprint, making near full decarbonisation in existing buildings necessary if we are to achieve our 2050 net zero ambition. Put simply, howwe heat our buildings must change. Ultimately, the aim is to transition to low carbon heating technology such as heat pumps. Reflecting this, government funding is mostly limited to full electrification of heat – helping scale up the heat pump market and meet its ambitious target of 600,000 units a year by 2028. The merits of heat pumps like our Remeha E-HP AWAir Source Heat Pump (ASHP) range are well established in new and well-insulated buildings. But, realistically, not all projects and budgets can be engineered fully with just heat pumps at present. In existing buildings, the transition to low carbon heating and hot water provision is more complex. On every refurbishment project, there will be a number of constraints, including time, budget, available power and physical space, to name but a few. If a solution is simply tailored around the heat pump rather than the retrofit challenges in the building, the anticipated result will not be achieved. And what no one wants is a poorly performing heat pump that will result in high running costs, an inadequately heated building, and unreliable heating and hot water. With this in mind, how can building services engineers and heat experts help organisations improve the efficiency of their heating service, protect their operations during the energy crisis and continue to make progress towards net zero? Plotting pathways The reality is that most existing buildings will not achieve full heat decarbonisation overnight. Instead, they will need a series of adaptations before they are heat-pump ready. A good starting point is to encourage customers to identify their immediate, mediumand long-term goals. Having a clear understanding of their targets, the available time to complete the work, the budget and any funding opportunities, will make it possible to plan out and design the various stages of work. Defining a phased approach to decarbonisation has the advantage of enabling organisations to budget ahead while ensuring good practice design for maximum energy, carbon and cost reductions at each stage. Step one - maximise energy efficiency In the UK’s notoriously poorly insulated buildings, the initial focus should be on increasing energy efficiency. Energy efficiency is absolutely critical to reducing emissions andwill have an immediate impact on a building’s energy consumption and heating bills. Implementing passive measures such as roof and wall insulation, draught-proofing and improving the thermal performance of windows and doors will reduce heat losses and energy demand, helping mitigate rising energy prices. Investing in energy efficiency measures will also help prepare the building fabric for the transition to low carbon heating. Step two – more efficient system In buildings where heat pumps are not currently an option, it’s important to seize any achievable opportunities within the project parameters to use the energy source more efficiently and lower energy consumption. One example is to install a more efficient system. Rob Erwood , Sales & Specification Director at Baxi Commercial Solutions, discusses the challenges and opportunities for organisations as they tackle heat decarbonisation amid the continued energy crisis. Making progress towards net zero by tackling heat decarbonisation