Charles Begley, Chief Executive of London Property Alliance, explores the harmony between tech and retrofitting in Locale's 'Tech Equity in real estate'. If the UK is to meet its 2050 net zero emissions goal, our built environment will need to be almost completely decarbonised, despite the capital having the lowest level of emissions per capita of any UK city due to its high population density and wide use of public transport.
Yet, due to the sheer scale of economic activity, central London boroughs are among the highest emitters in the country, with Westminster alone emitting approximately 2.6 million tonnes. The governing authorities of two of the biggest emitting districts in the UK have pledged to achieve either net zero carbon (the City) or carbon neutrality (Westminster) by 2040. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has gone even further, targeting 2030 for London to be a net zero carbon city.
Reducing energy use in buildings is a fundamental component in central London’s carbon reduction strategy, with new development required to adhere to the stringent energy and carbon requirements of the Mayor’s London Plan. But 80% of London’s 2050 stock is likely to be comprised of buildings already standing today, highlighting the need for substantial improvements on a massive scale.
This is a huge challenge and while the industry is putting in place strategies to decarbonise their portfolios, there is work to do to dramatically bring down emissions generated from the way we use our commercial buildings (operational carbon). While there is still a lack of clarity in national policy to drive net zero in the built environment sector, the industry is forging ahead with energy efficiency improvements and phasing out fossil fuel-based heating systems.
Game-changing new and smart technologies and innovations are being integrated and harnessed to shift the dial dramatically. Not least to change occupier behaviour to optimise building energy performance levels and ensure buildings are being used sustainably.
In our recent report, Retrofit First, Not Retrofit Only: A Focus On The Retrofit And Redevelopment Of 20th Century Commercial Buildings, landlords such as Derwent London at Tea Building in Shoreditch are actively deploying a mix of the latest technology in energy monitoring and analysis and greater occupier/landlord collaboration, including setting energy targets together.
British Land has introduced BL:Connect, an occupancy-based smart building management tool which collects data from thousands of energy-consuming and monitoring devices to provide data on how spaces are being used and in what conditions, to identify opportunities to increase efficiency. Others are utilising smart metering in accordance with NABERs, connected to the BMS. Despite this, many of London’s energy-intensive buildings are poor performers and will require further intervention via retrofit or redevelopment to reduce the carbon they emit sufficiently.
Our report shows that around 74% of buildings in the City or Westminster will require this level of intervention prior to 2030 to meet evolving MEES regulations alone. And while the industry is increasingly taking a retrofit-first approach to decarbonise its assets, retaining an existing building will not always be the right decision.
In some cases, more sustainable outcomes can be achieved by mitigating embodied carbon through careful dismantling and maximising the reuse of building materials and replacing it with a more energy-efficient building with lower operational carbon emissions over its lifecycle. Here, technology has a significant role to play, including the use of technology applications to help streamline and reduce the energy and carbon used via construction.
Innovations in new design and construction methods combined with the driving forward of circular economy principles at pace can ensure our built environment meets both the climate challenge and the needs of generations to come. These improvements in technology and ideas are rapidly evolving at such a rate that it is no exaggeration to say that the speed of innovation in the sector is unprecedented. Technology, along with ideas and collaboration, will continue to play a critical role in ensuring we meet the net zero challenge.