Sustainability Flashcards
(43 cards)
What building regulations have recently been updated / introduced?
Part F – Ventilation
Part O - Overheating
Part S - Infrastructure for Electric Vehicle Charging
Why were the changes introduced?
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DHLUC) believes the new regulations will help the UK to meet its net-zero target and marks a steppingstone towards the introduction of the Future Homes Standard in 2025.
They will require new homes to deliver CO2 savings of 31% and new non-domestic buildings to deliver CO2 savings of 27% compared to current standards, through a combination of low carbon heating and increased fabric standards.
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From 2025, the Future Homes Standard will require CO2 emissions produced by new homes to be 75-80% lower than those built to current standards [excluding the interim update].
Homes will need to be ‘zero carbon ready’, with no retrofit work required to benefit from the decarbonisation of the electricity grid and the electrification of heating.
Fossil fuel heating (such as gas boilers) will be banned in new homes, with an expected shift to reliance on heat pumps and heat networks.
What does the “fabric first” approach mean?
A ‘fabric first’ approach to building design involves maximising the performance of the components and materials that make up the building fabric itself, before considering the use of mechanical or electrical building services systems.
What has been updated in Part F?
There are new recommendations for all replacement windows to be fitted with trickle vents [unless there is an alternative form of ventilation e.g. air bricks or whole house MVHR
For renovators and extenders (extensions) is that when energy efficiency work is done in existing homes, the ventilation must not be made any worse
What has been updated in Part L?
Updated insulation requirements for new homes – which will now be assessed under a new Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) calculation called SAP10.
Increase in U-Values
The maximum flow temperatures in a central heating system is now 55°C where it was previously over 75°C. [Meaning radiators etc. are more efficient]
What has been updated in Part O?
The main intention of Part O is to limit excess solar gain in new and existing homes and remove excess heat, reducing the occurrence of high indoor temperatures.
Recommendations on the maximum glazing area allowed, so as to limit unwanted solar gains [can look at the size, orientation, g-value, and depth of a window reveal]
Shading requirements for buildings in “high-risk” locations, as defined under Approved Document O [to be adhered to by introducing shutters, external blinds, overhangs, etc].
What are the different ways of measuring overheating?
The Simplified Method [where the strategy to reduce overheating should be selected based on the location of the building) or;
Dynamic Thermal Modelling Method – more sophisticated method to demonstrate compliance.
NOTE – internal blinds, curtains, and tree coverage should not be taken into account when considering compliance.
Also, a standard is included for the maximum amount of glazing allowed in a single room.
What has been updated in Part S?
Requirement S1 relates to new residential buildings
Part S aims to futureproof homes and buildings via the installation of charging points for electric vehicles and provides technical guidance regarding charging them in our homes.
All new residential buildings with associated parking must have access to electric vehicle charging points. All parking spaces, up to the total number of dwellings, must have active charging in place. All excess associated parking spaces must have passive infrastructure in place.
Provides guidance on the location of electric vehicle car charging points
What is net-zero?
When the net amount of carbon emissions associated with a buildings embodied carbon, operational carbon, and any carbon offsets over the life of the building [including disposal] are zero or negative.
What are the three components of Net Zero Carbon?
Embodied Carbon
Operational Carbon
Carbon offsetting
What is embodied carbon?
Embodied Carbon: The amount of carbon emitted during the making of a building, which can be attributed to each constituent building element.
How can embodied carbon be reduced?
Can be lowered by:
Market research into the embodied carbon of different building materials e.g. sourcing timber from the UK to reduce the emissions associated to transport.
Optimising cost against low-carbon materials
What is operational carbon?
Operational Carbon: The amount of carbon emitted during the operational or in-use phase of a building. This includes the use, management, and maintenance of a product or structure.
How can embodied carbon be reduced?
“Fabric first” i.e. using more insulation in walls and achieving a more air-tight building to reduce the heating requirements / need of the building.
Using sustainable energy sourced rather than finite sources e.g. installing PV’s on the roof to contribute to the electricity supply or changing from a gas boiler to an electric boiler.
What is carbon off-setting?
A carbon offset is a way to compensate for your emissions by investing in an equivalent carbon dioxide saving elsewhere e.g. planting trees or buying a section of rainforest to protect it from being built on.
What are sustainable technologies?
Technology that has been designed specifically to remedy or prevent environmental issues, and technology that has been produced with sustainability in mind. Heat is transferred between the incoming and outgoing air via a heat exchanger within the MVHR unit.
How does a Heat Exchanger work?
A heat exchanger is a device that transfers heat between two or more fluids (liquids or gases) without mixing them. Here’s a basic overview of how it works:
Heat Transfer: The primary function of a heat exchanger is to transfer heat from one fluid to another. This can be done through direct contact or through a separating wall.
How do photovoltaic panels work?
The sun emits energy in the form of waves, which hits the solar panel
Solar panels are made from photovoltaic cells that convert the sun’s energy into electricity
Photovoltaic cells are sandwiched between layers of semi-conducting materials such as silicon
The electricity generated flows to the edge of the panel, and into a conductive wire.
The conductive wire brings the electricity to the inverter, where it is transformed from DC (direct current) electricity to AC (alternating current), which is used to power buildings.
The AC electricity is transported from the inverter to the electric panel on the property, which distributes the electricity throughout the building as needed.
Any electricity not needed upon generation is stored within batteries or is fed into the national grid.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of PV panels?
Advantages
Easily installed
Don’t create noise pollution
Green energy source
Disadvantages
Dependent on the sun / weather
Requires larger roof areas
Investment cost
How do MVHR systems work?
Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery systems work by extracting stale air within the apartment via extract vents, while supplying fresh air from outside of the building via supply vents
What other sustainable technologies are you aware of?
Lighting dimmers
Motion sensor lighting
Motion activated taps, dryers, etc
Heat pumps
Rainwater harvesting
