Trial / Demo
The IES team are delighted to have contributed to the pilot version of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, launched this week as part of an industry-wide initiative, and spearheaded by leading organisations BBP, BRE, the Carbon Trust, CIBSE, IStructE, LETI, RIBA, RICS, and UKGBC.
The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard is the first cross-industry standard for net zero carbon aligned buildings and offers a free-to-access technical standard that will enable the built environment to robustly prove that built assets align with the UK’s carbon and energy budgets. Until this point, there has been no single, agreed methodology for defining what ‘net zero carbon’ means for buildings in the UK and consequently, the area has seen spurious claims around the topic. The standard provides a set of consistent rules to create a level playing field around such claims.
IES is proud to have been represented amongst the 350+ industry experts that supported the Technical Steering Group during the standard’s development phase, serving across multiple task groups. The development of this standard has been a truly collaborative effort between built environment organisations and industry leaders, with architects, engineers, energy modellers, carbon assessors, developers, and many other stakeholders joining forces to help drive forward the UK’s net zero carbon transition.
The standard is for anyone who wants to fund, procure, design, or specify a net zero carbon building, and for anyone who wishes to definitively demonstrate that their building is net zero carbon aligned. As a robust industry-backed initiative, the standard should be useful to policymakers as it outlines what is needed to support the UK’s net zero carbon transition.
Performance targets set by this new standard will align with science-based trajectories needed to achieve net zero by 2050 and a 78% reduction by 2035 in the UK. It will also align with the energy demand reductions projected to be required to enable a net zero carbon energy supply sector.
Colin Rees, Associate Director, VE Consultancy, at IES, who contributed to both the operational energy task group and the healthcare sector group, for the new standard, commented:
“The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard Pilot Version provides a unified and much anticipated industry approach to defining net zero carbon aligned buildings. I am honoured to have contributed in this collaborative effort alongside so many industry peers, in particular sharing my experience and expertise in building physics and energy modelling for the technical content of this important standard.
The standard’s mandatory requirements for building performance set an ambitious but achievable platform for our industry to ensure net zero carbon buildings can truly be realised.
I would strongly encourage stakeholders from across the built environment to engage and consider implementing the pilot version of the standard within their projects. Having worked extensively on net zero carbon building projects over the years, we at IES understand the scale and complexity of the task at hand and we look forward to continuing our client support as we move forward in implementing this new standard.”
To find out more, download the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard Pilot Version and register for the launch webinar on 31st October.
For further information on how IES Consulting can support you in implementing the standard on your projects, please get in touch with our team.
