I write this comment on the hottest day of the year so far. It is a Monday. The office has had all weekend to heat up nicely as the blinds were left open on Friday to maximise daylight and reduce our dependence on electric lighting. We are doing our bit for the planet, you see.

This morning the air conditioning has failed. It is hotter inside than out and we cannot open any windows. It is going to be a long day. Yet, had the building been designed differently, I would have no need to complain. Plenty of offices can cope with the searing heat by using tried and tested low energy design practices.

It is apt then, that this month we have several features on the energy performance of buildings. We look at how the new Part L of the Building Regulations will affect installations of ventilation and air conditioning (pages 39-40). If such systems are to be included nowadays, designers must compensate for the resultant CO2 emissions by placing extra effort elsewhere in the building fabric. Similarly, tough measures have come in to encourage greater use of more efficient electric lighting and heating equipment (pages 45-46).

Delegates out at the ECA conference in Tenerife (pages 16-18) would have been left in no doubt that legislation will get much tougher in the years ahead as governments seek to address climate change. Opportunities abound for the wily contractor. Developers like Land Securities want solutions that minimise the use of energy, waste and materials.

New skills are required to embrace renewable and low carbon technologies and there will be significant market growth for on-site electricity generation. Don't get hot under the collar, put the heat on your competitors instead by seizing the opportunities.

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor

Postscript

Andrew Brister, Editor