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Regulations and Statutory

Energy/carbon strategy reports

Devising a carbon or energy strategy for planning purposes consists of a number of stages.

1) Identify Requirements

Identify statutory or planning policy requirements and incorporate them. Dialogue with planning departments at this stage will pay dividends.

Identify the client's corporate policies on carbon and energy and any aspirational targets and incorporate.

2) Set an initial carbon/energy target

There are several ways of stating a target

  • Self defined baseline with a percentage reduction
  • NCM (Building Regulations) baseline one with a percentage reduction most common
  • Energy Performance Certificate rating

3) Evaluate compliance

Using the most up to date details of the planned development evaluate the cost of achieving the target. The available options need to be defined and the high performance built environment hierarchy considered.

Consider whether achieving the target will result in equivalent reductions in actual operation.

4) Target revision

If the cost of compliance is too high or the measures required will not have sufficient impact on real world performance then the target may need to be revised.

5) Documentation for Submission

Document the plan and supporting evidence for submission.

MC Building Physics can also assist in the development of corporate plans for energy and carbon, in their application and in the verification of their effect.

Building Regulations Part L2A & L2B

The procedure for Part L compliance introduced in 2006 is now well established. This year those procedures are being revised[16].

MC Building Physics can provide advice on compliance and produce submissions for the most complex of buildings.

We have produced a 1 page quick guide to Part L 2010.

Energy Performance Certificates Plus

MC Building Physics can provide plain EPCs to Level 5 complexity.

In addition to this MC Building Physics can offer a professionally produced recommendations report produced at the same time.

This could be a Zero level package or look at options in more detail.

Sample EPC

Carbon Reduction Commitment Plus

This is a scheme to encourage businesses to reduce carbon emissions.[15]

It is intended to work by requiring the offsetting of carbon emissions by purchased allowances.

Revenue from purchases will be redistributed according to success in reducing carbon emissions.

MC Building Physics can answer the following questions

  • Are you affected? – Possibly if electricity bill > £3/4M/annum (in total – all sites combined)
  • Likely cost? - Currently £12/ tonneCO2, so £30,000 minimum.
  • How much can be saved by improving building performance?

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