Governing for Sustainable Urban Development by Yvonne Rydin

Author:Yvonne Rydin [Rydin, Yvonne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Development, Public Policy, City Planning & Urban Development, Political Science, Sustainable Development, Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781849775083
Google: ihOI9D6qRRoC
Goodreads: 17547118
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2010-06-04T00:00:00+00:00

In relation to non-domestic buildings, the issue is even more complex given the high usage of appliances, equipment and other machinery within the buildings. In 2007 the UK Green Building Council (UK GBC) issued a report for the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) on carbon reductions on non-domestic buildings (UK GBC, 2007). In the course of its preparation, it specifically requested from CLG a definition of a zero-carbon building (UK GBC, 2007, p21). The resulting definition included the use of electronic equipment in offices and the use of refrigeration in supermarkets (which accounts for 40–50 per cent of their electricity demand). The following were excluded: energy used for industrial processes (other than district heating schemes); the lifetime carbon impact of the manufacture of technologies; transport emissions; a full consideration of embodied carbon; green tariffs and offsetting by reducing energy consumption in another building. Interestingly the ‘actual behaviour of people’ and the ‘actual use of appliances’ within the buildings were also excluded, recognizing that the kind of abstract definition that was being sought might well not reflect the performance of a building once it was occupied and used by real rather than modelled people.

The 2008 UK GBC report also argued for a scheme that allowed off-site generation to count towards the definition of a zero-carbon building. It found that:

For the range of technological options considered, net zero-carbon was not achieved in any of the generic buildings. The principal obstacle was in defining sufficient on-site generating capacity that would meet (not match) the electrical demand of the buildings. Even if the thermal comfort and desired air quality of the building could be met by zero carbon routes, insufficient low or zero carbon electricity could be generated on-site to offset the large energy consumption of the buildings. (p32)

It further stated that: ‘Any attempts to satisfy the requirements of the building in a net zero-carbon way are likely to require the overproduction of energy – both electrical and thermal’ (p33). This throws the emphasis onto community-scale solutions, beyond the curtilage of the individual building, to balance energy supply and demand and manage heat flows.

The government issued a consultation document on the definition of zero-carbon homes and non-domestic buildings in December 2008. This substantial document amounted to over one hundred pages. In relation to homes it recommended:

• high levels of energy efficiency as standard;

• a minimum level of carbon reductions to be achieved through a combination of energy efficiency, on-site energy supply and/or directly connected low carbon or renewable heat, known as carbon compliance;

• the ability to choose from a range of mainly off-site solutions for tackling remaining carbon emissions (known as residual emissions).

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