The energy and cost-of-living crisis is an issue for all businesses across the UK, with commercial premise owners seeing a 300-400% rise in gas and electricity according to the FSB. When tasked with installing building services for your new project, therefore, it’s more important than ever to consider how energy-efficient solutions can be incorporated.
So how has the energy crisis affected how we’re engineering building services?
Quicker adoption of net zero methods
When working with clients, efficiency always plays its part. However, the topic of achieving net zero is at the forefront of our minds more than ever. Before, clients would hope to achieve a net zero building within 5-10 years. Now, people are bringing that forward as much as possible.
Creating net zero buildings includes optimising for passive design, reducing operational energy demand and energy consumption, eliminating fossil fuels, considering carbon emissions at every stage, using carbon offset schemes where appropriate, and utilising renewable technologies on-site such as electric vehicles, to name a few.
Alternative energy sources
More people are starting to consider alternative energy sources, such as air-source and ground-source heat pumps, solar panels, and hydrogen heating systems.
Due to the initial investment and area of unshaded land required for ground-source pumps to work as intended, new builds – whether commercial or domestic – are best placed to take advantage, as the technology can be accommodated from the start. Conversely, air-source heat pumps and solar panels may be more accessible for a wider range of buildings.
Whatever way you look at it, the energy crisis has accelerated the way we view our energy consumption and the technologies we use to get it.
Efficiency-first approaches
As building services engineers, we are used to balancing efficiency with beauty and functionality on any project. But an efficiency-first approach is paramount in today’s climate.
We’ve covered building for net zero and the sources of our energy, but the tech that supports long-term efficiency is also key. In a commercial setting where such outputs are on a larger scale, it’s even more crucial. This means smart control and monitoring systems for building services such as heating, air conditioning, and lighting.
Additionally, all new regulations are based on a ‘fabric first’ approach, which ensures that you’re not putting excess demand on heating through ‘leaky’ materials (which let heat escape). Improvements to how we insulate buildings through materials used, and windows and roof guidelines will also help many businesses save energy in years to come.
What we choose to put inside our buildings is just as important as the building services themselves. Plant owners, for example, can use inverter driven motors, so that they are not running the plant flat out all the time when it’s not needed. More generally, moving to LED lighting and using A-plus rated appliances is something that energy-efficient people have been doing for years, but that we must now see as standard.
It is also useful to use an energy broker to get the most cost-effective tariff for your business. Commercial energy brokers help you assess the market and stay in contract – something which pays off significantly when in an energy crisis.
Changing supply chains
With suppliers hit just as hard when it comes to soaring energy costs, this has had a ripple effect on pricing for everything in the building process – an issue exacerbated by Brexit.
Many building service providers are broadening their scope of suppliers to account for rising costs of materials, and delays as some manufacturers choose to produce less in order to maintain operation. Manufacturers which have already made efforts to maximise their own energy efficiencies will ultimately be better equipped to deal with the energy crisis. So whilst some companies won’t make it through the cold winter, in a literal and metaphorical sense, it leaves opportunities for others to step into the gaps.
How has the energy crisis changed building services?
Whilst the principles of building services engineering are always re-aligning with changing consumer needs, the focus on creating more energy-efficient buildings has taken centre stage. In turn, the energy crisis has highlighted the true importance of building services engineering – employing specialists who can optimise spaces for efficiency whilst still creating beautiful and functional environments has never been more needed.
Get in touch with the building services engineers at GLD Consulting today and discuss your next project.
