Carbon offsetting through ‘off-site’ retrofitting seriously considered by ministers
In a bid to make it easier for residential developers to comply with their set carbon targets, the Government is considering a scheme that would enable said developers to carry out energy efficiency improvements to existing properties and count these towards zero carbon targets for new house building projects.
Following the announcement regarding the more demanding energy standards for new buildings, the Government, through the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), is now proposing a series if measures as part of a consultation that forms the next step in the Government’s policy to ensure all new homes are built to zero carbon standards by 2016.
Carbon offsetting through ‘off-site’ retrofit installations is one of the measures proposed for public consultation, and is designed to help developers achieve the tough zero carbon targets more flexibly.
Instead of undertaking 100 per cent of carbon abatement ‘on site’, the DCLG is also proposing that developers could invest in ‘off-site’ renewable heat or energy schemes or even build new homes to a higher energy efficiency standard than currently required under Part L before 2016 and ‘bank’ the difference.
Implementing specific smart control solutions designed to improve the level of heating efficiency across both domestic and commercial buildings is yet another factor that could help reduce energy consumption (and, with it, carbon generation), and that’s specifically where Building Energy Management Systems come into play.
Building Energy Management Systems are capable of delivering extensive monitoring and control options, compared to basic controls. They typically employ data from a variety of sources (boiler flow and return sensors, internal and external temperature sensors, occupancy sensors, humidity sensors, etc.), and enable the perfect optimization of a building’s boiler-based central heating system.
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