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Saving money through the L2 Building Regulations-invest now and reap the rewards.
Building regulations are notoriously complex and present
challenges to all in the industry. However, whilst the L2
directive may seem like just another added burden, it
should be embraced as an opportunity to reduce the
whole life costing of buildings, giving them a higher
capital value. With energy costs likely to continue rising, it makes
sense to implement an effective automatic Monitoring and
Targeting (aM&T) strategy.
The legislation, which will be implemented as law from 4 January
2006, is intended to meet targets based on the Government’s
Climate Change Programme and the Energy Policy White Paper
requiring a 20 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2010. It
pertains to all new and existing dwellings and non-dwellings and
each category will have to comply with specific benchmarks and
provide an energy performance certificate demonstrating
compliance.
All new buildings over 1000 m sq must incorporate Automatic
Meter Reading (AMR), based on the current meter requirements, to
provide detailed information on energy performance. This
encompasses the total consumption of gas, electricity, oil and
liquid petroleum gas. These figures will be measured against
published benchmarks based on a notional building of comparable
size, occupancy, lighting and temperature.
Part of the legislation states that new air-conditioned buildings
will have a target of improving energy/carbon performance by 28
percent. The installation of aM&T can provide a five percent
allowance together with further allowances for maintaining an
efficient power factor. The incentives are there - an aM&T system is
the most efficient way to capture accurate data while satisfying the
legal requirements.
The changes are a positive move toward the conservation of fuel
and power and are essential for maximum energy efficiency. Not
only does aM&T improve the accuracy of the data generated,
exception reporting provides all relevant parties with instantaneous
alerts of fluctuations in consumption, pinpointing the location for
building engineers to rectify problems quickly and easily. Data can
also be used to reveal variations on a 24/7 basis leading to
quantifiable energy savings.
There are several ways to gather data from remote sites for quick
and easy analysis but the emerging favourite is seen to be via IP
(internet protocol). This method uses the internet as an existing
network that is easily extended to a site capable of transferring
large amounts of data at minimal cost.
Before investing in an energy monitoring system it is important
to evaluate the needs of a building to determine what kind of
system will be suitable. It’s not enough to opt for a system
that enables you to meet the legislation without considering
other features that could bring added benefits. Look for a scalable
model that is suitable for your site and offers a cost effective
solution. Appropriately selected meters or current transformers
(CTs) that are installed correctly provide the precise information
for monitoring and targeting processes for effective energy
management. A good supplier will be able to discuss all the
options and make recommendations for your specific
circumstances.
To maximise results, all relevant parties should be involved from
the outset. It is important to clearly define the energy monitoring
strategy which includes how the meters operate including gas and
water and how to properly analyse the data. The targeting of
information, such as exception reports, to the correct people needs
careful thought. Identifying and resolving a problem before it gets
out of control ensures savings and increases the long term return
on investment.
The regulations stipulate that 90 percent of the estimated annual
energy consumption of each fuel must be accounted for. Therefore,
it is recommended that sufficient sub-metering is installed to
provide detailed information on each area where possible savings
could be made. The likelihood is there will be a number of factors
affecting energy usage throughout the day as well as seasonal
variations, site occupancy and process throughput. All the energy
data should be measured at half hour intervals where possible to
reflect an holistic usage figure and build a real picture of site
activity. It is very important to quantify savings so that specific
projects can be analysed for cost justification.
If you haven’t got accurate figures you can’t monitor energy
effectively. The data derived from energy monitors will not only help
building operators run more energy efficient buildings; it can drive
certain business decisions which will benefit a company’s bottom
line and significantly impact the payback period of the system. The
long term goal is ongoing savings and with the right solution, an
initial outlay could be recuperated several times over. Not only can
you save energy today but by working with the regulations you can
introduce and implement systems, with accurate life cycle costings,
that will ensure better run buildings for the future.
