Modern Building Services

12 MODERN BUILDING SERVICES OCTOBER 2022 FEATURE NET ZERO Process, people and partners are the key to the success of Net Zero Stephen Flood , Quality Safety Health & Environmental Manag- er at Nuaire, says many British buildings are some of the oldest and leakiest in Europe, and with 80% of the UK’s 2050 building stock having already been built there remains a major priority to decarbonise existing stock to meet climate targets. T he UK Built Environment is responsible for 25% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions based on buildings and infrastructure, alone. The industry is on the cusp of significant change. As part of the UK Government’s net zero strategy and Ten-point Plan, the country will unlock £90 billion in investment to reach “net zero” emissions by 2050. As part of these measures, all publicly funded buildings must be carbon neutral. Amends to the building regulations (Part L and Part F) will enforce stricter building and infrastructure standards to ensure that both older and new buildings will not contribute to climate change and be fit for future generations. Yet as mentioned many British buildings are some of the oldest and leakiest in Europe, and with 80% of the UK’s 2050 building stock having already been built, there remains a major priority to decarbonise existing stock to meet climate targets. Organisations will be encouraged to assess the carbon impact of their spending, especially capital spend. They will be required to publish details on the overall carbon impact of their budget and major investment, including infrastructure decisions. Yet, a truly successful net zero strategy is dependent on the combined efforts of companies across the supply chain. Most of all, it is reliant on people across industries and cultures to share the aim of completely negating the number of greenhouse gases produced by human activity. In business, a net zero strategy is very dependent on staff engagement and making progress to address barriers such as cost, guidance, control, policing, and the rate of technological development to support the infrastructure. The industry needs to move away from a price-driven mentality, to ensure that buildings are designed, developed, and maintained to be the most energy efficient possible as standard. New buildings will already be halfway through their lifespan by 2050 and must therefore be equipped to deliver the energy performance levels required for net zero. The implementation of a national retrofit programme, now, has the potential to not only remove the need for future retrofitting, but can also provide affordable housing by reducing energy bills, and delivering on the health benefits that are linked to improved air quality.