Sustainability Flashcards
What is the definition of sustainability?
a. Meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
What are the key principles of sustainability?
a. Social
b. Economical
c. Environmental
What are the most common environmental issues experienced within the property industry?
a. Land degradation
b. Risk to flora and fauna
c. Water pollution
d. Air pollution
e. Land contamination
f. Noise and vibrations
g. High energy usage and emissions of CO2
h. Wastage and landfill contributions
i. Release of dangerous gases / materials – Asbestos
What procedures does your firm implement to promote sustainability?
a. Recycling of cardboard, paper and plastics
b. Use of energy efficient lighting and Equipment – LEDs and motion sensor systems
c. Electronic company vehicles i.e Hybrid Mini Countryman
d. Cycle to work scheme
e. Charitable contributions sustainable organisations i.e tree planting / environmental programmes
f. Green initiatives and codes of practice i.e using office space with high EPC / BREEAM ratings
What are some methods of measuring sustainability?
a. BREEAM (Life Cycle Assessment) & EPCs
b. SKA Rating – Commercial property fit-outs
d. Whole Life Carbon Assessments
What is LEED?
a. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
b. It is a life cycle assessment
c. It is a USA equivalent of BREEAM
d. The ratings are silver, gold and platinum
What is BREEAM?
a. Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method
What are the benefits of a BREEAM certified building?
a. Lower running costs
b. Minimised environmental impact
c. Greater marketability
d. Increased building value (Green premium)
When is BREEAM used?
a. Sets out the best practice standards for the environmental performance of buildings through specification, design, construction and operation.
b. Assessments need to be undertaken by a licensed assessor.
c. Based on energy, land and ecology, water, health and wellbeing, pollution, materials, waste and management.
d. Applies to new and refurbished projects, domestic and non-domestic
When do you require an EPC?
a. New built property
b. The sale of a property
c. The letting of a property
d. All commercial premises over 50m2
How long is an EPC valid for?
a. 10 years
What EPC requirements for private rented properties are set out in the Heat in Buildings Strategy 2022 update?
Scottish Government plan to introduce regulations in 2025 whereby private rented properties will require an EPC rating of C by 2028 (where feasible to do so).
What is the Paris Agreement?
a. A legally binding international treaty concerning climate change
b. Adopted by a majority of nations and came into affect in 2016
c. The main objective of the Paris Agreement is to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius while targeting levels below 1.5 degrees Celsius when compared to pre-industrial levels by 2025. A decline is require by 2030.
Name some sustainable building methods
a. Use of recycled materials such as reclaimed timber, recycled tiles and plastics
b. Installation of renewable energy sources i.e solar
v. Rain water harvesting
vi. Green roofs
vii. Automatic building systems i.e light sensors
What is a Green Roof and what benefits do they offer?
a. A covering that is made of vegetation that is placed over a waterproof membrane
b. Benefits include absorption of rainwater, additional insulation, increases biodiversity and provide habitats for wildlife as well as being aesthetically pleasing and reducing urban air temperatures
What are Photovoltaics and how do they work?
a. Allow the conversion of sunlight (photons) into electricity
b. When photons hit the solar modules within the solar panel they causes electrons to flow through the bottom layer
c. The movement of electrons generates electricity which flow to an inverter which converts DC electricity into AC.
What is a soakaway and how do they work?
a. A means of controlling the drainage of excess water within the surrounding soil
b. Consists of a large pit or hole which receives water from drainage pipes and diverts it to a drainage location (preferably a reasonable distance away from the property to prevent ground heave / slip)
Can you explain your understanding of the term carbon neutral?
a. Means to have a balance between carbon emitted and carbon absorbed from the atmosphere.
b. It is an important measure of the impact that a business and project has on the environment
What is meant by the term “solar gain”?
a. The increase in temperature of a space, object or structure due to solar radiation.
b. A building can retain solar gain by having high thermal mass or avoid it by using reflective materials and insulation.
How does a ground source heat pump work?
a. Fluid within a loop of pipe which is buried underground is heated by the ground via geothermal heat.
b. The fluid is passed through a compressor that raises it to a higher temperature
c. The fluid is then passed through hot water circuits within the building i.e radiators, how water cylinders etc.
d. Once passed through the system the fluid will cool where it is then passed back through ground loop to be reheated.
What are SUDS?
a. Sustainable Drainage Systems. They allow surface water to be managed as close to its source as possible by allowing surface water to infiltrate into the ground where it is collected and then managed passively.
What are the benefits of rainwater harvesting?
a. Decreases demand for water
b. Promotes both water and energy conservation
c. Improves quality and quantity of groundwater
d. Improves BREEAM compliance
e. Lowers operational costs
f. Reduces a building environmental impact
What is an EPC?
Energy Performance Certificates were introduced in Scotland in 2008 following The Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008.
Once obtained, an EPC is valid for 10 years.
EPCs are rated on a scale of A-G. A being the most energy efficient and G being the least energy efficient.
The EPC will also show the amount of CO2 emissions produced by the property in tonnes.
Why are EPCs required when selling or letting a property?
To comply with the Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008
What sustainable initiatives are you aware of for commercial properties that are implemented by the RICS?
a. SKA ratings encourage green codes of practice for commercial properties
b. RICS launched the Value of the Planet campaign
What are SKA ratings?
a. Apply to commercial fit-outs
b. This is an RICS environmental assessment method.
c. Assesses fitout projects against a set of sustainability good practice criteria
d. Used as an alternative to BREEAM.
What things do you implement to promote sustainability?
a. Print only when necessary
b. Car sharing / pooling
c. Use of energy efficient equipment
d. Recycling
e. Minimising waste
f. Avoiding use of plastic bottles where possible
g. Use of cloud-based sharing systems to avoid carbon copies of files
What are the UKs sustainability targets?
The UK introduced the Climate Change Act in 2019 (which amended the earlier 2008 act)
Achieve Net Zero greenhouse emissions by 2050
When was COP 28 held?
November 2023
What were the key takeaways form COP28?
Accelerate clean energy transition
- Triple worlds renewable energy generation by 2030
- Oil and gas companies commit to Net Zero emissions by 2050
- Tripling world nuclear capacity by 2050
Finance
- Improving support for developing countries
- More funding for sustainable initiatives i.e Green Climate Fund
People, Lives and Livelihoods
- Adapt and Build resilience to damages caused by natural disasters especially in vulnerable communities
- Building a resilient food system that adapts to climate change
When was the reform for domestic and non-domestic EPCs in Scotland published?
July 2023
When does the Scottish government intend to introduce revised legislation for EPCs?
Winter of 2023-2024
What changes are proposed for the revision of EPCs in Scotland?
Expand current metrics
Renaming metrics
Reporting on other relevant information
Reduce shelf-life from 10 years to 5 years
Introducing a web-page format
Making EPC data public
What are Scotland’s sustainability targets?
Scotland introduced the Climate Change (Emission Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019
Achieve Net Zero Greenhouse Gas emmissions by 2045
What does COP stand for and how often is it conducted?
Conference of the parties
Annually
When and where will COP 28 be held?
30th November 2023
Expo City in Dubai
What are the two types of EPC?
Domestic and Non-domestic
EPCs are calculated using a UK Government Calculation Methodology. What are the methodologies for domestic and non-domestic dwellings?
Domestic - Standard Assessment Procedure for Dwellings (SAP 2012)
Non-Domestic - Nation Calculation Method (NCM) for non-domestic buildings
By what year does the Heat in Buildings Strategy 2022 propose to prohibit all buildings from using direct emissions heating systems?
2045
How does the Scottish Government intend to transition from using direct emission heating systems in all homes?
Proposes to legislate all homes to use ZDE (Zero Direct Emissions) heating systems by 2045
What heating requirements are proposed for new build properties?
All homes built under a building warrant applied for after April 2024 will require a heating system that produces zero direct greenhouse gas emissions.
