Andrew Kemp, an Energy and Programme Manager at Salix Finance.
Whilst popular visions of the future are dominated by depictions of space exploration, Black Mirror gadgetry and AI droids, energy saving technologies rarely get much recognition from Hollywood directors or sci-fi fanatics. Operating quietly in the background, however, smart buildings offer a glimpse of a future that is greener, cheaper and more comfortable… and even better, it’s a future that is happening now.
Smart buildings are already an important link in the Net Zero chain, not least because they bridge the gap between the long-term interests of the planet, and the immediate needs of people’s lives.
Operating through an ecosystem of sensors, meters and controls, smart buildings run more efficiently, with lower energy demands cutting bills as well as emissions. This quiet revolution started many years ago, with simple technologies like motion-sensing lights and the steady adoption of thermostats, but it has advanced to the point that buildings are increasingly self-monitoring and refining.
In practice, subtle changes to the operations and systems in a building can have snowballing effects, both positive and negative. Just as undesirable habits like leaving lights on or windows open can dramatically increase wastage, automated lighting and zonal heating systems can massively improve a building’s efficiency, and that’s good news for energy managers and inhabitants alike. Across the public sector, as in many residential properties, reduction in unnecessary consumption is not simply an environmental priority, but an economic necessity. In the context of a cost-of-living crisis and volatile energy markets, we simply do not have energy to waste.
When the government set up the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in October 2020, the goal was clear: to reduce emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037 if compared to a 2017 baseline. But whilst the focus of this programme is on delivering widespread improvements to heating systems, up to 58% of a Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme grant can be spent on energy efficiency measures, illustrating the importance attached to future-proofing buildings as part of the scheme. With 40% of the UK’s emissions linked to the built environment, it is clear that such technologies will form an important part of the overarching Net Zero campaign.
At Salix Finance, where the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is managed and delivered, it is our opinion that the best designed projects are those that invest in what we call the ‘whole building’ approach, whereby energy efficiency measures like insulation, double glazing and Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) reduce the energy demand of the building before any new heating system is sized. With less peak load required of the new heating system, both capital costs and bills can be significantly reduced.
Let’s take the example of a school, for instance. Basic fabric upgrades like insulation, draught proofing and double glazing will reduce the heat that is lost unnecessarily through the fabric of the building, and that means less heat is needed to keep students warm through those cold winter months. If the heating system in place uses fossil fuel, then these measures save carbon directly, but even if the heating system in place is a heat pump, these measures still reduce the school’s emissions by reducing the electricity demand on the grid.
Taking the example another step further, what happens if we introduce a Building Management System to regulate the building’s energy consumption? After all, a Tuesday night sports club doesn’t require the maths block to be heated, just as a Wednesday night maths session doesn’t require toasty changing rooms for the swimming pool. Programmable energy systems can allow us to dictate which parts of a building are heated and when, just as motion sensing lights can cut down on the utility costs of brightly lit empty rooms.
The positive effects of such measures are not just financial, however. Whilst the importance of insulation during the winter has been an emotive political subject over the last few years, record-breaking high temperatures mean there is a creeping need for our buildings to be cooled in summer. Insulation measures can help with this too, reducing the heat flow to ensure that less of the heat outside gets in, and less cool air from air conditioning gets out. But smart technologies can take another step forward, allowing the likes of sun shades, blinds and reversible heat pumps to make buildings safe havens from rising temperatures outside.
With ever greater incorporation of technologies that can both save and create energy, buildings are not just becoming more sustainable, but more comfortable, more responsive, and cheaper for their inhabitants. That is a vision of the future that we can all get behind.
Salix Finance is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB). We help drive the transition to a low-carbon future by delivering and administering grant and loan funding on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Education (DfE) and the Scottish and Welsh Governments. The schemes we manage finance energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation projects within public sector buildings in England, enabling the public sector to reduce carbon emissions in line with the UK Government’s commitment to become net zero by 2050.