Sustainability Flashcards
What is the UK’s NZC target ?
Achieve NZC by 2050 (this was enshrined in law in 2019, when the 2008 Climate Act was amended)
What is a carbon budget?
A cap on the amount of greenhouse gases a country can emit over a five year period. This forms part of the legal framework used to work towards NZC in line with the 2008 Climate Act
What interim sustainability targets did the UK govt. introduce in 2021?
Reduce carbon emissions by 78% by 2035
Decarbonise the electricity grid
What is sustainability?
Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future
How is your company contributing to the UK’s sustainability targets?
It is a signatory of the Better Building Partnership’s Climate Commitment.
The signatories have over £400bn of real estate AUM and have to publish a net zero pathway upon signing. They also have to disclose annual progress against this pathway and the energy performance of their assets, where they have permission to do so.
The commitment aims to deliver NZC buildings by 2050
Are you aware of any bodies in the UK working towards improving sustainability in the built environment?
UK Green Building Council (member-led body focused on transforming the way the built environment is planned, designed, constructed, maintained, repurposed and operated
What are the five actions set out in the UK GBC’s framework for addressing sustainability?
- Establish NZC scope for whole life cycle of building
- Reduce construction impact (i.e. developers must consider which materials they use
- Reduce operational energy use
- Increase renewable energy supply (i.e. PV panels)
- Offset any remaining carbon
When are EPCs currently required for commercial property in the UK?
Required for all commercial property in the UK with a useful floor area > 50m2 when:
The building is newly developed/sold/let for a term greater than 6 months and less than 99 years (includes sub-lettings/assignments)
Any of the heating/AC/ventilation services are altered as a result of a refurb
When a commercial building be exempt from having an EPC certificate?
Has a useful floor area of < 50m2/temporary building/religious building/due to be redeveloped or demolished/has no heating
What are the current MEES requirements in England and Wales?
As of 2018, all new commercial property has to have a minimum E rating in order to be let. As of 2023, this has applied to all existing leases too.
What are some of the exemptions for MEES?
If the building does not require an EPC (e.g. place of worship)
The landlord/tenant/planning authority refuses to give consent for the necessary improvement works
When it is not possible to get a minimum E despite having made all improvement works with a payback period of 7 years of less
When it is proven that making the necessary improvement works would devalue the property by more than 5%
Who polices non compliance with MEES?
The relevant Local Authority
What are the penalties for non-compliance with MEES?
Breach of less than 3 months: greater of £5k or 10% of RV (up to £50k)
More than 3 months: greater of £10k or 20% of RV (up to £150k)
For how long is an EPC valid?
10 years unless the building is altered during this period
What is contained on an EPC?
The address and floor areas
EPC reference number
Energy performance rating from an A+ to a G
Technical information on the property’s energy provision
Estimation of energy running costs
What are the EPC requirements when marketing a commercial property?
The energy performance rating must be featured on marketing materials
Any online marketing materials must include a link to the EPC
What are the penalties for non-display of EPC information on marketing materials?
Fine of 12.5% of property’s RV (min £500; max £5,000)
This is policed by the relevant local authority’s Trading Standards team
What is the latest status on potential changes to MEES ?
It was announced in 2023 that plans to raise MEES to C for new tenancies by 2024 and for all tenancies by 2027 were shelved.
Currently, there is a proposal to make all new tenancies a B by 2030, but there are no further details on the govt.’s plan for implementation
/Who does the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) apply to>
Large UK businesses with over 250 employees/annual turnover over £44m/ balance sheet assets of over £38m
The ESOS audit is designed to identify tailored and cost-effective measures to allow participating businesses to save energy and achieve carbon and cost savings. The audit costs are estimated to be significantly outweighed by the savings from implementing the recommendations.
What are the requirements of the ESOS?
- Measure energy consumption of buildings, transport and industrial activities on a 4-yearly basis
- Conduct energy audits to identify cost-effective energy efficiency measures that can be adopted
- Report compliance to the Environmental Agency
What is embodied carbon?
The CO2 emissions associated with the construction processes and materials used in the construction of a building
How can you reduce embodied carbon in real estate construction?
Using more resilient materials which will last longer and are often produced via a more efficient construction process - e.g mass timber (Bywater Properties); construction of Paradise SE11 (Vauxhall) produced 59% less CO2 than current best practice in construction
Sourcing building materials locally
Re-using building materials where possible
What do the Heat Network (Billing and Metering) Regulations 2014 set out?
They cover the provision of communal heating systems in multi-let commercial buildings and set out that the final consumer must receive accurate bill information and meter readings and competitive pricing
What is the Climate Change Levy (CCL)?
A tax on energy delivered to non-domestic users in the UK.
Renewable energies are exempt.
Currently generates c. £1.9bn in tax p.a.
