Engineers have long been aware of the energy efficiency opportunities to be gained by working with a developer from a scheme’s outset. In most instances their involvement comes too late in the scheme’s design to make a significant difference. Now, thanks to the ODPM and environmental initiatives by local planning authorities this situation is set to change.

A few pioneering local boroughs have already started to make it uncomfortable for developers by using strong-arm planning tactics to compel schemes to incorporate green technologies. The London Borough of Merton, for example, has made it a requirement for new buildings constructed on their patch to provide at least 10% of their energy needs from on-site renewables – not easy on a limited budget as our feature on page 24 reveals. And with Planning Policy Statement 22 calling on authorities to “encourage” developers to consider renewable energy to meet at least part of their energy demands, it cannot be too long before all schemes have some renewable energy component – an initiative recognised by Jeremy Leggett from photovoltaic supplier Solar Century (profile page 102)

Successful developers are old hands at playing the planning game; they know how to barter construction of a new community centre for a reduction in a scheme’s affordable housing component. However, they are on unfamiliar territory deciding on the most cost effective way to meet a renewables requirement.

All this is good news for services engineers. In the future, developers will need to rely on engineers to advise on the most economical solution to meet planning demands and their insistence on ever more onerous environmental criteria. On environmentally sensitive schemes, such as the redevelopment of Stratford in East London, engineers have been invited to work with the developer from the outset.

However, if this new relationship is to flourish, engineers must make it their business to talk the language of developers; they must be as comfortable talking return on capital as they are U-values. After all, opportunities such as this don’t come that often.

Andy Pearson, editor

Source

Building Sustainable Design