A lesson in retrofit

Under the Climate Change Act, the government is obligated to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050. Buildings currently account for 44% of UK carbon emissions and since 70% of the 2050 stock has already been built, the drive to improve existing buildings will only continue to gather momentum.

There are almost 34,000 schools in the UK and collectively the education sector’s energy use produces approximately 5.45 million tonnes of CO2 per year; improving this stock could therefore be a significant step towards meeting the government’s ambitious targets.

Numerous funding avenues are available for the purposes of improving energy efficiency: the 2009 Budget (£375 million allocated to support energy and resource efficiency in business, public buildings and households over the next two years), the Building Schools for the Future investment programme, and the £4 billion reserved for UK energy projects.

To assist the sector in tackling this challenge, multi-disciplinary consultancy Stroma has developed a new strategy for reducing both CO2 emissions and running costs across multiple property portfolios. Stroma’s is a phased approach, which involves carrying out a stock analysis of the whole property portfolio utilising energy league tables, before evaluating buildings individually to formulate bespoke improvement plans. This process is carried out in conjunction with a financial appraisal of proposed schemes with full funding stream analysis. This approach utilises interest free loan schemes such as that of the Carbon Trust, which allows loans to be repaid by the savings in running costs. Use of smart metering and AM&T software tools (which Stroma provides) can play a vital role in the initial, and ongoing, comparative analysis of buildings’ energy performance.

The strategy prioritises reducing energy wastage through building fabric improvements such as remedial air sealing or insulation. Only then are system improvements, including any renewable energy technologies considered as potential supplements. Thereafter, better utilisation of controls, behavioural change, building management and the aforementioned ongoing monitoring and targeting become the focus. Subsequent savings can then be reinvested, enabling a rolling programme of improvement.

Stroma recently piloted the approach as part of a joint initiative with the Isle of Man Department of Education (DoE) and the Department for Local Government and the Environment (DLGE). Focusing on a number of schools across the island, Stroma completed various assessments to determine current energy performance and carried out benchmarking before formulating individual strategies for those showing the most scope for improvement. Stroma is now working with the DoE and DLGE to implement these plans and already significant progress has been made in terms of both carbon reductions and annual utility savings.

For further information, call 0845 621 11 11 or email info@stroma.com.