SUSTAINABILITY Flashcards
What does the NPPF say about sustainable development?
Sets out a presumption in favour of sustainable development.
Economic, social and environmental
What are the most recent EU / UK targets relating to sustainability?
European Green Deal (2019) - to make the EU the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
UK Net Zero by 2050 (Climate Change Act 2008 Amendment 2019).
What is the Paris Agreement?
Paris Agreement COP21 - to limit global warming to well below 2°C (preferably 1.5) compared to pre-industrial levels.
What was the Kyoto Protocol and what were its targets?
Kyoto Protocol 1997 - targets to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5% below 1990 levels
Explain your understanding of COP26.
Conference of parties.
Commitment to phase down coal
Countries agreed to keep the 1.5°C global warming target alive.
Over 100 countries pledged to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030
What did the UK Climate Change Act 2008 do?
To reduce the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels.
Amendment 2019 net zero 2050.
What does Net Zero mean? When does the UK need to achieve this by?
Net Zero means balancing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted with the amount removed from the atmosphere, effectively resulting in no net increase in emissions.
The UK aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
What are carbon budgets?
Limits (budgets) on the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted over a specific period.
Set to keep global warming within a certain temperature threshold, like 1.5°C or 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
What is the renewable heat incentive?
(RHI) was a UK government scheme that provided financial incentives to households and businesses for using renewable heating technologies
Can you explain your understanding of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES)?
What are the key dates for MEES?
What falls outside of MEES?
Regulation designed to improve the energy efficiency of privately rented properties.
2020 all commercial properties had to have a minimum of E.
2025 all new leases will need to be C
2028 all existing leases to C
Falls outside:
Listed buildings
Temporary buildings
Where its not possible without exceeding cost cap of £3,500
What is included in an EPC?
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Energy costs
What is a DEC?
When is a DEC required?
Display Energy Certificate (DEC) shows the actual energy usage of a building and its operational efficiency over time. It is based on the actual energy consumption
What is BREEAM/SKArating/LEED/Passivhaus?
Building Research Establishment Environmental assessment method.
SKA rating similar to BREEAM
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Passivhaus is a certification for energy efficiency. Airtightness, insulation MVHR
What is ESOS?
Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme.
Energy assessment scheme designed to help large organisations identify energy savings opportunities
What is the Climate Change Levy?
A tax on energy use for businesses to encourage energy efficiency.
How did Climate Change Levy CCL rates change?
Climate Change Levy (CCL)
Rates evolve as part of broader climate and energy strategies, including potential adjustments to align with net-zero targets.
What RICS guidance relates to sustainability? Tell me about WLCA.
RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment for the Built Environment:
Guidance on assessing the carbon footprint of buildings over their entire lifecycle, promoting low-carbon design and construction practices.
Promoting consistency in terms of measurement of carbon emissions from buildings.
What are the UN Sustainable Development Goals?
17 global goals established in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
e.g. Clean Water, No Poverty, Gender equality, Climate Action
Explain the proposals under the Future Homes Standard and Future Buildings Standard.
Key Proposals:
Reduced Carbon Emissions
Energy Efficiency
Low-Carbon Heating:
Zero Carbon Ready - Homes will be designed to be “zero carbon ready,” meaning they can achieve zero carbon emissions with the addition of renewable energy technologies.
Explain a key theme discussed in the RICS and World Built Environment Forum Sustainability Report 2021
RICS and World Built Environment Forum Sustainability Report 2021 is the urgent need for a holistic approach to sustainability in the built environment
How have you carried out capital cost and value engineering exercises to determine the impact of sustainability issues on design and construction processes?
In whole plan viability appraisals I have tested the impact on varying degree of construction costs to improve sustainability.
Many councils are proposing policies to enforce higher standards.
In Coventry - we used a 5% uplift for houses and 7% for apartments. This was for over the Future Homes standard to be net zero in operation.
How have you carried out life cycle cost exercises which take account of sustainability issues?
We build in to our general advice - the significance of long term savings on using technology.
Explain your understanding the measures undertaken by governments and international bodies to encourage the reduction of the environmental impact of development.
Future Homes Standard 2025 to enforce the improvement of sustainability in buildings through building regs.
MEES enforcing commercial buildings to be C rated by 2025.
NPPF presumption in favour of sustainable development.
St Cuthberts, Carlisle
Explain your understanding of the current and future requirements of building regulations in terms of sustainability features.
How do you build this into advice to clients?
Current building regulations require a certain amount of insulation and EPC rating of E.
2025 future homes standard incoming.
This currently forms part of an uplift to build costs in appraisals in this time frame.
