Energy assessments are crucial in the early planning phase. They determine the insulation, airtightness, and other energy-related aspects of a building project. These assessments also measure the predicted carbon emissions compared to building regulations and planning targets.
Unfortunately, energy assessments are often treated as a mere formality, leading to low-cost reports from non-engineering professionals. However, we believe this is a short-sighted approach. Energy assessments hold significant importance.
Here are 5 key reasons why:
1. Setting the energy strategy for the entire development
The energy assessment plays a vital role in establishing the energy performance trajectory for the entire development. It guides the selection of energy supply and usage options, ensuring a well-conceived strategy that leads to project success.
A poorly conceived strategy can result in subpar performance, making it crucial to get it right from the start.
2. Promoting the development and securing planning
A well-designed energy strategy can enhance a project's chances of securing planning permission.
It enables highlighting and promoting the positive aspects of the development, including its sustainability features. By creating visual representations of the strategy, it becomes easier to convey its benefits to planners and stakeholders.
3. Cost savings
A well-conceived energy strategy can lead to significant cost savings. By demonstrating compliance with required CO2 emissions benchmarks, it entails detailed data analysis and compliance software applications.
Choosing energy-efficient options with optimized capital costs, space requirements, and upgrade needs can result in substantial savings over the project's lifecycle.
4. Creating effective strategies
In some cases, existing energy strategies prepared by others as part of the planning process may be inadequate. Remedying these strategies often involves re-evaluating engineering feasibility, considering space and utility constraints, and conducting modelling revisions. This iterative process adds unnecessary time and cost, highlighting the importance of getting the strategy right from the beginning.
5. Identifying and capturing value
An energy strategy offers opportunities to capture additional value throughout the project lifecycle. This includes saving on capital costs, reducing energy bills, taking advantage of financial incentives, exploring new income streams, minimizing carbon taxation, future-proofing the development, and increasing asset value.
Incorporating flexible energy use, Demand Side Response (DSR), and financial analysis techniques like optioneering and discounted cash flow (DCF) can further enhance profitability.
The energy assessment, often overlooked, deserves careful attention. With new policies like the latest London Plan and Local Plans emphasizing its importance and incorporating aspects such as performance monitoring, it is clear that energy assessments are gaining the recognition they deserve.
We prioritize energy strategy reports by dedicating director-led expertise to ensure optimal outcomes.
Would like to know more? Let's chat: hello@integrationuk.com