GI Energy is helping developers to meet London Mayor Boris Johnson’s strict new rules that are designed to make sure new buildings in the capital are far more energy efficient than current national building regulations require.
Until October 2013 all new builds in the capital – whether housing or commercial – had to produce carbon savings which were 25% greater than those stipulated in Part L of the current building regulations 2010.
However, in line with the Mayor’s published aim of making London a “world leader in improving the environment”, the target has now been raised and new buildings have to be 40% more energy efficient.
The result is a real challenge to builders and developers – and one which will only increase with time: there are already plans published to ensure all new homes are zero carbon in London from 2016. Commercial developments will get a reprieve of a few more years beyond that, but will eventually have to hit the target.
“These are truly ambitious targets that you cannot meet just by changing a few light bulbs or turning down the heating by one degree,” said Chris Davidson, Development Director at GI Energy, the leading renewable energy solutions company. “The game has changed.
“They require a step change in the whole approach to how buildings are designed right from the outset, with careful consideration given to heating, cooling and lighting from the very beginning, rather than being after-thoughts.
“The new guidance requires large developments to have district heating schemes if possible, and to explore the use of Combined Heat and Power to generate electricity and heat locally.
“Of course there are a host of factors and new technologies to consider, from carefully positioning buildings to maximise natural daylight, to selecting truly renewable forms of heating and cooling such as Ground Source Energy Systems.
“The pressure to reduce carbon emissions even further will only increase – and what London does today, the rest of the country will be doing tomorrow."
GI Energy can offer renewable energy heating and cooling solutions across a range of technologies including Ground Source Energy Systems, Air Source Heat Pumps, Combined Heat and Power, Biomass, Solar Photovoltaic and Thermal, Demand Reduction and Power Conditioning.
One of its innovations is to make Combined Heat and Power even more energy efficient by finding a way to store the excess heat produced during warmer weather. The solution is to divert excess heat into the ground via the Ground Source Energy System so that it can be recovered later in cooler weather and used to heat the building.
The market leader in Ground Source Energy Systems, which exploit the ability of the earth to store heat from the sun naturally underground, GI Energy has completed more than 200MW of installations in the UK to date.
Landmark projects in London include the iconic One New Change building in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral; the luxurious Bulgari Hotel in Knightsbridge; the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in Kensington Gardens and London Bridge station.
At One New Change, for example, performance data monitored over an entire year showed that for every kilowatt of power required to run the Ground Source Energy System, 4.1 kilowatts of heating and/or cooling were provided.
GI Energy is also expert at remote monitoring and control, enabling it to optimise renewable energy heating and cooling systems and then to demonstrate to customers the very real carbon savings which they are achieving.
This expertise could make the difference between a building meeting carbon reduction targets or falling slightly short. GI Energy’s control units are sophisticated and can be used to control the back-up heating and cooling as well the renewable energy technologies.
Through its GI Managed Services division the company offers a range of maintenance and monitoring packages, with skilled engineers available around the clock to ensure optimal energy efficiency.