einsidetrack : Building Construction News - Sustainability, The Power of Five.... by Ewen Rose

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) September 22, 2009 -- There are five key areas of major business opportunity opening up for building services contractors, according to sustainability experts.

M&E Sustainability, the joint venture between the ECA and the HVCA, is urging contractors to seize the opportunities presented by five fast changing areas of potential business linked to sustainability: waste/resource management; the carbon reduction commitment (CRC); the review of Part L of the Building Regulations; the roll out of smart meters; and the expanding influence of building energy certificates.

The first is an opportunity for contractors to cut their own operating costs while also advising clients on how to tackle theirs. M&E Sustainability has produced guidance on waste management strategies, which highlights the fact that there are big profits to be made.

"Winning an extra £5,000 business at five per cent profit margin will deliver a benefit to your bottom line of just £250. Finding that new business in the current economic environment is not going to be easy, but shaving £250 from your costs by targeting material waste is a realistic aim," the guidance explains.

Water saving

Companies with practical resource management skills are well placed, according to M&E Sustainability's chairman Jim O'Neil. "For example, we need to be more focused on water use and rainwater harvesting. Waste of all kinds is central to the sustainability agenda - it is not just about energy efficiency and low carbon," he says.

The Government agency Envirowise estimates that UK businesses are wasting up to £10 million a day by failing to monitor their water use. Two thirds of respondents to a survey on the subject said they do not measure their water consumption and 85 per cent do not have water reduction targets. This is an area where m&e experts can step in.

Smart meters

The Government also plans to put a 'smart meter' in every home by 2020 to improve energy management across the existing building stock. Many M&E contractors have the skills to take a large share of the installation work as this programme is rolled out. They will also need to install the improved heating and lighting controls that will be needed if users are to make the best use of the extra energy consumption information they will receive from their smart meter.

CRC
Carbon trading is also set to become an important battleground in the bid to cut emissions and, form next April, 5,000 organisations are expected to be included in the carbon reduction commitment (CRC) mandatory scheme. All of these are potential clients of m&e firms as they seek to reduce their carbon emissions, primarily through energy efficiency and the use of renewables, to reclaim the money they will be forced to spend on carbon credits.

This initiative marks a big step change as it captures medium-sized energy users like supermarkets, hotels, schools, and public bodies. It places a direct financial incentive and penalty on carbon emissions.

"Currently, confusion reigns with some clients being unaware of the implications and of their potential actions. There is an opportunity now for m&e contractors to inform their clients and put themselves in pole position to provide expertise," says Mr O'Neil.

Part L

Also, with a new version of Part L of the Building Regulations due to come into force next year, there is a scramble on to make sure the industry knows what is going on. M&E contractors will be expected to implement the measures contained in the draft regulations that will raise energy efficiency performance by 25 per cent compared with the 2006 version.

"Commissioning will be a key consideration because design teams will be instructed to submit commissioning plans at the same time as their initial designs," says Mr O'Neil. "This will serve to place commissioning at the heart of the process and should mean more time is allowed for this essential activity as well as making it easier to keep buildings operating as designed."

M&E Sustainability is publishing regular updates on the new Part L so that members are prepared for working to much tougher targets.

"We will also continue to encourage members to join competent person schemes so they are able to self-certificate that their work complies with the regulations. This is a significant selling point to clients as it reassures them that their project will comply without them having to jump through various bureaucratic hoops," explains Mr O'Neil.

Certificates
Energy Performance and Display Energy Certificates (EPCs and DECs) will prove increasingly influential a some of the teething problems are resolved. Around 80,000 EPCs have already been issued for commercial buildings and about 3,000 are being produced every week for homes.

The key element for M&E Sustainability is that the certificates are accompanied by a report outlining potential energy efficiency improvements the building owner can make to improve his rating. The property sector has woken up to the possible financial benefits of this in the shape of reduced running costs and better marketability of their built assets.

"Building owners are actively seeking expert advice and support and our sector must be in a position to deliver," says Mr O'Neil.

More information can be found online at http://www.einsidetrack.co.uk

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