Low carbon

Public sector clients, main contractors and Building Regulations all say that the carbon emissions performance, and therefore the energy performance, of new buildings has to keep getting better. So how can you win the work which will sustain your margins?

First, show the main contractor and the client that you ‘get’ the new regime. Times have changed, and the old approach of ticking boxes on what has been fitted (a condensing boiler here, and triple-glazed window.

Today is all about outcomes. Of course, good boilers and windows will still need to be fitted, but ticking the boxes is no longer enough.

To win more work, you need to show your knowledge or get learning fast. Quick test: what relates kgCO2/ sq m/year to kWh/sq m/year? Answer below. For an advanced test, what is your company’s carbon footprint? To protect your margins, make sure you know how to do better with less.

Secondly, have you got a weatherproof camera? There is growing evidence that the quality of construction can determine almost half of the energy performance of thebuilding. But measuring building quality is difficult - you cannot weigh it or count it - but you can see it.

But the catch is that often you only see it for a day and then the plasterboard covers it over. Regular pictures showing the detail of the build quality can add great confidence to the existing client and could be the clincher in winning over the next client or main contractor.

Finally, how many of the people you employ come from the local area? How many of them were unemployed when you started them? This is basic knowledge that public sector clients value highly and costs you a minute to find out. To win more work, find out what you could do to improve these numbers, do it, and then tell the world.

Going back to that first question, the answer is that it is the type of fuel that relates kgCO2/sq m/year (carbon emissions) to kWh/sq m/year (power consumption). This is important because Building Regulations now measure the carbon emissions that the building’s energy consumption creates, and gas is much greener than
electricity for the same amount of energy used.

One kWh of gas causes 184 g of CO2, but one kWh of electricity causes 541g of CO2 to be emitted on average. So the type of fuel used makes all the difference in complying with Building Regulations.

Tony Baldwinson is a project manager at NW Construction Knowledge Hub, European Regional Development Fund.