Green technology marketing company says: top end office refit signals new era in buildings energy efficiency

Energy PR and comms consultancy Content Coms welcomes news that the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has begun to refit its London office, seeking to show leadership in an exemplar move to energy efficiency.

Julie Hirigoyen, CEO of the UK Green Building Council, said: “We’ve set some stretching targets for our small office upgrade, in keeping with the ambitious nature of our mission – to radically improve the sustainability of the built environment.”

Among the criteria, the refit will reduce energy per employee for lighting and small power by 40% by 2020 compared to a 2013 baseline. An ‘outstanding’ resource, energy efficiency and low carbon approach are other overarching targets.

The carbon cost (£/m2) of the project seeks to achieve the lowest measured fit-out carbon footprint in the entire UK.

Why does UKGBC want to lead the energy-efficient buildings revolution?

Delivering better energy efficiency is key, not only for company profits and staff comfort, but for the UK’s wider goals of mitigating carbon and protecting against energy blackouts.

By setting this sustainable exemplar, UKGBC seeks to illustrate the ease with which energy efficient retrofits can be installed, and the myriad, long lasting benefits they deliver.

UKGBC also wants to get a strong lobbying hand in the door, just as the UK 5th Carbon Budget is announced. “To fulfil our carbon commitments, and just as importantly, to make the most of global market opportunities, we need to put strong and stable Government policy on energy efficiency centre stage,” Hirigoyen said.

“The Carbon Plan later this year must provide businesses with the confidence to invest in low carbon technologies and new business models which can deliver a low carbon built environment.”

The Carbon Budget, covering the period 2028-2032, will require emissions reductions of 57% compared to 1990 levels and will leave the UK on track to meet the Climate Change Act target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050.

But to meet it, a great deal of new policy measures are needed. Chief among them will be new ways to deliver energy efficiency in the UK’s corporate building stock. Further, public sector hospitals and schools should consider how energy efficient refits deliver cash and carbon solutions.

Every UK business stands to benefit from the right energy efficient tech. Expanding low carbon incentives and programmes to drive uptake is one option the Government could take, to hit the Carbon Budget goals.

“Energy efficient building solutions are part of the overall path to more sustainable UK buildings,” says Giles Crosse, green-tech expert at Content Coms. “We welcome any new Government policy that drives low carbon higher up the priority list.”


 

Content Coms is one of the UK’s leading B2B communications consultancies specialising in the energy, low carbon and technology sectors. If you’ve enjoyed our article, how about reading more of our energy news and analysis?

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