Sustainability Flashcards
How does the built environment contribute to carbon emissions?
40% of carbon emissions come from the built environment:
1. Energy consumption: high energy use in buildings often from fossils fuels which emits CO2 + other GHG
2. Construction materials and Processes: embodied carbon materials onstruction materials like cement, steel, and glass is highly energy-intensive. For example, the production of cement (8% of global CO2 emmisions). Raw materials e,g timbre = deforestation + biodiversity loss
3. Urban Heat Island Effect: dense clusters of buildings, roads, and concrete surfaces, absorb and retain more heat than natural landscapes. This leads to higher local temperatures
4. Loss of Green Space: urban areas expand, forests and natural landscapes are often cleared to make room for new developments. This reduces the Earth’s ability to absorb CO₂ and disrupts local ecosystems.
How can energy efficiency and carbon reduction be improved design, construction and refurbishment of residential buildings?
Design Stage:
1. Passive design: orientation (natural light/heat), budling shape and size (compact buildings reduce surface area therefore conserves energy)
2. Insulation: double or triple glazing (minimiaze heat transfer)
3. Renewable energy: solar panels
Construction:
1. low carbon construction methods: e.g offsite construction, modular methods of consuruction
2. Rainwater harvesting
Refurbishment:
1. retrofit existing buildings: insulate, upgrade winows, airtightness improvements
2. smart technology: smart meters, smart lighting and thermostats
Use:
Energy use education: Energy efficnecy ratings
Regular maintenance: e.g HVAC systems, insulation
What did you learn if your webinar ‘Net zero sustainability’ – what are the biggest challenges?
Industry and Transport: Sectors like heavy industry (e.g., steel, cement, and chemicals) and transport (aviation, shipping, and long-haul trucking) are challenging to decarbonize because they rely heavily on fossil fuels, and current technology for alternatives is either expensive or still in development.
Financial investment barriers: Industry and Transport: Sectors like heavy industry (e.g., steel, cement, and chemicals) and transport (aviation, shipping, and long-haul trucking) are challenging to decarbonize because they rely heavily on fossil fuels, and current technology for alternatives is either expensive or still in development.
Energy Transition - Energy Storage: The issue of energy storage to manage intermittent supply (e.g., on cloudy or windless days) remains a significant hurdle. Scaling up battery storage technology is crucial for grid resilience.
Green job challenges - Workforce Transition: Moving from fossil fuel industries to green jobs requires reskilling and retraining, and this transition needs to be just and inclusive, particularly for communities reliant on fossil fuels.
What did I take aways from Cop 28 in Dubai?
Cop28 UN Climate Change Conference (Nov/dec 2023)
- an agreement to “transition away from fossil fuels” as part of the global stocktake. Increased investments in solar, wind, and battery storage technologies to meet net-zero carbon goals.
- Operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund. Helping vulnerable nations cope with the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events and rising sea levels
- Climate finance: This includes delivering on the $100 billion per year commitment and scaling up funding for green infrastructure projects.
- Green Jobs: There may have been an emphasis on the creation of green jobs and workforce training programs to prepare workers for employment in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other sectors of the green economy.
What is my Firms environmental initiatives?
At KF:
- Becoming a net zero business joined the Race to Zero and Business Ambition to 1.5°C campaign. Net zero by 2040.
- Tackling nature and biodiversity loss first real estate business to sign up to The Capitals Coalition, a global collective advocating for the protection and restoration of natural capital.
- Addressing pollution implementing resource use and waste management strategies to help reduce the need for new raw materials and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions
- Advocating for climate resilience in our sector: teamed up with Zestec Renewable Energy, a company owned by funds managed by Octopus Energy Generation, provides clean energy, reduces their energy bills, and supports their ESG objectives.
What is net zero?
Achieving a balance between the carbon emitted into the atmosphere, and the carbon removed from it.
Define sustainability/sustainable development?
meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
It involves balancing environmental, social, and economic considerations to ensure long-term viability and well-being.
What does the NPPF say about sustainable development?
- The NPPF states that its responsibility is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development
Whilst also pulling on the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental
What are the triple bottom line principles?
Environmental, Social and Economical
RICS and Sustainability
Increase sustainability measures in Bichard Review and Peter Gray review.
March 2024 – RICS participated in Buildings and Climate forum in Paris. Unique opportunity to engage with ministers leading on decarbonization in our sector worldwide and our sustainability indicatives of Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) standard.
ICMS 3 (international cost management standard) 2021 - RICS is one of 49 globally prominent organisations that have developed ICMS 3 – a world first for cost and carbon management in construction, from concept to completion and beyond.
RICS+ UN Global Compact published ‘Advancing Responsible Business Land, Construction, Real Estate Use and Investment’ 2018. – how organizations can identify and address the impact of their activities and decision making when planning, designing and constructing buildings.
RICS Professional Standard: Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) standard, effective July 2024
Measure whole-life carbon emissions, manage carbon budgets, reduce life cycle emissions and deliver a net-zero future for the built environment.
Equips members and assessors with the right skills and knowledge for completing consistent and accurate carbon measurements, used for decision making.
E.g new construction/demolition/reftroit assessments on how to reduce at life cycle stages
RICS Professional Standard: Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) standard, effective July 2024
RICS sustainability in practice?
Evidence based research ‘sustainability rises up the agenda in the UK Facilities Management Sector’ 2021
RICS Best Practice Requirements?
RICS Rules of Conduct 2021 - 3.10
3.10 Members and firms, when advising clients about projects, encourage solutions that are sustainable in that they minimise harm and deliver balanced economic, social and environmental benefits.
RICS Red Book Global 2021 –
- VPGA 2 (Secured lending)
- VPGA 8 (Valuation of real property interests
Can you tell me about any Climate Change Conventions or Protocols you are aware of?
Climate Change Act 2008
What targets did one of these set?
Climate Change Act 2008
Aims be net zero by 2050. There was an intermin target of reducing carbon emissions by 78% by 2030.
REIT + UK Property funds have committed to achieving net zero carbon by 2050
Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) Pledge. (voluntary initiative designed to promote sustainability and energy efficiency in the real estate sector)
UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) a non-profit organization focused on advancing sustainability in the built environment. Sets out framework addressing issues with achieving net zero:
1. Establish net zero carbon scope: across whole life of building
2. reduce construction impacts: developers focus on changing materials and building designs
3. Increase renewable energy supply
4. Reduce operation energy efficency use: how best to retrofit, design performance
5. offset any remaining carbon
Carbon Budget
Climate Change 2008 Act, every 5 years there is a carbon budget
A carbon budget places a restriction on the total amount of greenhouse gases the UK can emit over a 5-year period
Recent carbon budget?
UK Government and Devolved Administrations – updated requirements to energy performance standards.
- Minimum standards for energy efficiency in new developments and major refubs.
- MEES required for existing buildings that are leased.
Key Provisions of this regime?
- higher standards of energy conservation for new and refurbed bulidngs
- calculation metholodolgy for emergy performance
- min, requirements for energy performance
- energy certification for all buildings when built
- mandatory inspections of boilers and aircons
Current EPC rules for the UK?
- EPC required for all commercial buildings with over 50 sqm of useful floorspace. (newly built and let for term of 6+ months, newly refurbed and aircon and heating systems altered)
- EPC required for Sale/lease for all resi buildings
- EPC required for subletting or assignment
Exemptions on EPC for listed buildings, religious buildings, temporary buildings, buildings due to be demolished, no occupied for more than 4 months a year.
EPC requirements for marketing?
- commissioned within 7 days of the commencement of marketing (28 day limit for procurement)
- agents responsible for producing EPC
- displayed on marketing material
- link to EPC on online marketing material
Front page of EPC must include?
- address of property and floor area
- EPC certificate number
- technical info on proeprtys energy provsions
- estimation of running costs
- Energy performance rating A-G
- benchmarking information
Expires after 10 years
EPC online register holds info on EPCS
Penalties for EPC relating to marketing?
Local Authorities Trading Standards enforces regulations:
Residential: £200 civil fixed penalty for non display
Commercial: 12.5% of RV (min £500 max. £5,000)
Downfalls of EPC?
Not fit for purpose:
- snap shit in time
- visual inspection
- therefore doesn’t capture progress or cost to run over 10 years
- not sustainability focused, doesn’t look at carbon emissions
- there is no alternative
Can you give me an example of an environmental assessment method for buildings?
BREEAM – The building research establishment environmental assessment method
Can you explain your understanding of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES)?
- MEES, 2015 required a minimum EPC rating of Level E to let a building from 1st April 2019
- New Leases from 1 April 2018
- All existing leases from 1 April 2023 for commercial properties
- 1 April 2020 for residential
How does MEES impact upon your role?
If I want to sell or let a property
How does MEES impact upon your role?
MEES impacts upon my role if a property was to be sold or let.
Are there any exemptions from MEES?
- Industrial premises with low energy demand
- Listed buildings
- Places of worship
- Tenancy less than 6 months
- Tenancy longer than 99 years
- when its not feasible to improve EPC (even when all improvements with payback of 7 years have been made.
- when improvements would devalue property more than 5%
- certain types of residential lease e.g company lets, second homes very high or low rents) and landlord (i.e public sector)
Exemptions must be pre registered on the Local Authority Private Rented Sector Exemptions Register + renewed 5 yearly.
What are the penalties for non-compliance?
Policed by Local Authority
Commercial:
* Less than 3 months – up to £5,000 or 10% of RV
* More than 3 months – up to £10,000 or 20% of RV
Residential:
* Less than 3 months - £2,000
* More than 3 months - £4,000
What do residential landlords have to do?
Spend £3,500 on improving energy efficiency where an AST was granted on or since 1st April 2019 if property is rated F or G + tenant demands improvements
What are the potential changes to MEES?
20th Sept PM (Rishi Sunak) announced proposed changes to EPC and MEES to raise MEES to EPC band C for new tenancies by 2024 and all tenancies by 2028 scrapped due to cost implications
Still proposed changes to MEES change to EPC B for all new tenancies by 2030.
Labour targets for EPC?
Energy security secretary Ed Miliband confirmed that all rental properties in England will need an EPC certificate of ‘C’ or above by 2030 - September 2024.
What is a DEC?
Display energy Certificates
