The opportunities of refurbishment
Simply replacing lighting fittings is a very cost-effective method of reducing energy consumption. This is the Prince Charles Hospital of the North Glamorgan NHS Trust.
Refurbishment work is affected by the Building Regulations more than ever before. It can be a minefield, but IAN ADAMS explains how to chart a safe path.With adherence to current Building Regulations comprising 10% of the cost of refurbishment, it is no surprise that many organisations are turning to the expertise of an outsourced facilities manager to overcome the bureaucratic minefield. And, indeed, a provider of technical facilities management provider can ease the workload.
Support The burgeoning number of regulatory measures faced by the building or facilities professional can often present a real obstacle in the form of paperwork and expensive measures to ensure compliance. Support in the form of understanding and an experienced handle on the implications during the preparation for legislation and implementation of compliant measures can make a real difference to the organisation in question. The main benefits are in time and material cost savings. The development of a tactical approach to preparing for legislation is one of the most valuable tools in the building-services armoury. There comes a time for almost every organisation to renew and make good. Old building stock, tired interiors and outmoded processes require rejuvenating in order to remain a sustainable support system for productivity in the present and also for future years. Depending on the work required, from a superficial interior facelift to a full building refurbishment, the building-services manager must ensure that the measures put in place comply with the current Building Regulations, with a view to any which are on the horizon — negating the need to revisit this exercise too soon in the future. Refurbishment work will inevitably involve an aspect of building services, from lighting to HVAC and fire and security measures. It is the responsibility of the project manager to ensure that any new products and services comply with the necessary regulations. Parts L and F are two such pieces of legislation that have been put in place in the last 12 months to implement the regulatory requirements of the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive (EPBD).
Improve performance Part L, the measure for regulating the emissions of carbon dioxide from all buildings as a result of heating, hot water and lighting is expected to radically improve the energy performance of most commercial buildings. Meanwhile part F is also linked to the EPBD and is required to address efficient ventilation in buildings with reference to their energy efficiency. Ensuring that refurbishment work complies with such measures is a job ideally undertaken by a dedicated resource that understands the requirements. Energy and its efficient use within and around a building is typically the responsibility of more than one person, often working across a whole range of different departments depending on the size of the organisation. One example might be the procurement department (which arranges and buys the energy), the building-services department (which implements the use of that energy around a building) and then the individual departments within a company (such as IT and maintenance) which need to use the energy, usually in the form of electricity, every day. As a result, departmental silos tend to exist with the responsibilities not clearly defined and important elements slipping between the voids. By involving a facilities-management company, the additional strain is lifted from those who would not otherwise deal with the issue as a fundamental part of their everyday roles — enabling the process to run far more productively.
Fresh outlook Bringing an outsourced company on board will also have the benefit of a fresh outlook at the operational elements of a building, even at the early design stages of a new build — linking with architects, engineers as part of the commissioning process, delivering new ways of improving energy efficiency and ensuring compliance. An outsourced company’s tactical responses to the quirks of a particular building can be developed on the basis of experience gleaned from similar situations. Having dealt with lots of buildings, of differing ages, uses, needs and styles, a company taking an objective stance can apply past experience to the problems faced.
Refurbishment work must now comply with the Building Regulations. These before-and-after shots show a project managed by Dalkia to convert a canteen into a state-of-the-art, fully compliant office.
It is not only large refurbishment projects that can present an energy challenge to building-services operatives. A simple audit by a company such as Dalkia will determine where changes can be made for short-term gains, presenting opportunities for instant energy savings. For example, workplace lighting accounts for a staggering 30% of the overall energy consumption of a building. The older T12 lamps are still commonplace in many environments, despite manufacturers trying to make them obsolete. A well-planned re-lamping programme, replacing T12s with more energy efficient T8 or T5 lamps and high-frequency control systems can result in significant short-term wins for an organisation. When plant needs to be replaced during refurbishment, the true cost of installing energy-efficient plant is only the over-cost compared to the minimum required for regulatory compliance — for example, the extra cost of a high-efficiency condensing boiler compared with a conventional boiler. This approach substantially reduces payback periods and increases the cost effectiveness of energy efficiency measures.
Benefit The most obvious benefit of legislation compliance and implementing energy efficiency is lower running costs, amounting to large savings over the life of the building. A better building, with a greater level of comfort is a better working environment for staff and operatives — while more satisfied tenants can have spin-off benefits such as greater workplace productivity.
Ian Adams is marketing communications manager with Dalkia.
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