L'atelier

L'atelier make history at first Carbon Neutral football match

The L'atelier directors were pleased and honoured to be invited to the first totally Carbon Neutral football match which took place in Plymouth on 19th April 2010.

As partners of Carbon Life, our Technical team were invited down to cast their knowledgeable eyes over the Plymouth stadium as part of the Green Army's Energy and Carbon Reduction plan. With VIP tickets to the match thrown in, they were hardly going to resist!

To read the full story about the match, click here.

CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme Launched

1st April marks the launch of the UK's first official carbon dioxide emissions management system. The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme has been introduced to track the CO₂ produced by companies over a certain size. Existing company processes and procedures will be analysed with a view to improve those that currently aren't sustainable.

L’atelier has introduced a range of services designed to assist Clients in implementing change and thereby reducing both energy bills and carbon emissions. L’atelier’s 5P approach divides the tasks of measuring, managing, modelling and reporting on all energy usage and focuses on individual & corporate attitudes to create a long term and sustainable approach.

For information or advice on what you need to do to comply with the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, call us on 020 33 880 880.
 

Principal's seminar sells out at Ecobuild

Attendees were turned away from the seminar L'atelier's Principal, Patrick Bellew, was speaking at last Wednesday at Ecobuild after it filled up in record time.

Entitled "Passive cooling and ventilation for non domestic buildings", the seminar took place from 10.30am to 12 noon on the second day of the popular conference. Chaired by Bill Watts, Senior Partner at Max Fordham LLP, the session looked at the principles behind taking energy out of buildings, and how they can operate successfully using passive cooling and ventilation methods, a particular specialism of Atelier Ten's.

The full programme is shown below:

10.30- 11.00 Mixed mode cooling in hot coutries- Bill Watts, Senior Partner, Max Fordham LLP

11.00-11.20 Thermal mass and its relevance in low energy design- Tom de Saulles, Senior Manager, Building Sustainability, The Concrete Centre

11.20- 11.40 Applying ground coupled ventilation for cooling in non domestic buildings- Patrick Bellew, Principal, Atelier Ten

11.40- 12.00 Case studies on two buildings achieving LEED Platinum- Ryan Wilson, Associate Director, Arup

UKGBC launch Green Building Manifesto

The UK Green Building Council today launches their 'Green Building Manifesto' at the Ecobuild exhibition.  The manifesto is an action plan to tackle climate change, cut energy use and give the industry and the economy a shot in the arm.  Paul King presents the manifesto to the industry and is joined by Greg Clark MP, Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, Paul Morrell, government Chief Construction Advisor and Simon Hughes, Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Energy & Climate Change.

To read and download the manifesto, click here.

Government to consult on extension of Display Energy Certificates

The announcement by the Government that it is to publish a consultation paper setting out proposals for extending Display Energy Certificates to the private sector has been welcomed by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. The Government is also to carry out a detailed analysis of the costs and benefits of requiring all non-domestic buildings to have an Energy Performance Certificate by 2018 and requiring all such buildings to have an EPC rating of at least F by 2020.

CIBSE points out that leading private landlords such as Land Securities already exhibit DECs and that the Confederation of British Industry has also expressed support for the idea.

The Government response to the first annual ‘Progress report of the Committee on Climate Change’ expresses agreement with the CCC that a step change is needed in the pace of emissions reductions and stresses that Britain is the first country in the world to have a detailed plan [a target of 34% reduction in emissions over 1990 levels by 2020], allied with statutory requirements for deep cuts.

DECs help make energy costs more explicit for financial officers and demonstrate the opportunities for cost and carbon savings. The CIBSE statement says, ‘The simple energy and area data needed for a DEC ought to be readily accessible in commercial premises. Where it isn’t, then it needs to be so, so DECs provide a ready route to improving current data availability.’

L'atelier Director Keith Hearnshaw commented:

“It is clear that an extension to the current legislation requiring DECs for properties in the private sector will dramatically improve the energy efficiency of commercial buildings and assist the Government achieve their carbon reduction targets for 2020 and beyond. As owners and tenants see clear data on the amount of energy consumed and the carbon emissions produced from their buildings we hope behaviours will change.

Land Securities is leading the way in educating their building occupiers and implementing measurement and monitoring tools to ensure energy and carbon levels fall across their estate and we hope many other landlords follow suit!"

Source: www.modbs.co.uk

Government must send a clear signal on energy efficiency to property sector

The UK Green Building Council today urged government to phase out the least energy efficient buildings by 2020 and to roll out Display Energy Certificates (DECs), which give an A-G rating on energy use, to all commercial buildings immediately. Government recently announced it would examine the possibility of requiring all buildings to have a minimum F rating by 2020. It has also said it will consult on the roll out of DECs.

Speaking at a breakfast meeting for the property and construction sector, UK-GBC chief executive Paul King said that radical action is needed to ensure the UK meets its carbon reduction targets and to allow the UK companies benefit from lower energy bills and better buildings.

Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council said:

“The UK Green Building Council and many in the industry have been calling for the roll out of Display Energy Certificates to commercial buildings for some time, so Government’s recent announcement is hugely welcome. DECs can provide essential data on which to base decisions – if we don’t know how energy inefficient our buildings are, how can we properly manage and improve them?

“But we need to go further. Phasing out the worst performing buildings by setting minimum energy standards is essential if we’re to send a clear signal to the industry on what should be expected over the next few years. It is this clarity of policy direction that will spur innovation and enable the investment required in our leaky building stock.

“There comes a point when you have to say that a building cannot be leased or sold without major improvements. It appears government is willing to look at this, which would be a major step forward. Industry needs this certainty, regardless of the political weather.”

Non-domestic buildings (such as supermarkets, offices, hotels and factories) in the UK are currently responsible for 18 per cent of CO₂ emissions. In total, buildings account for 40 per cent of global energy use.

The measures would mean major upgrades for thousands of buildings in the UK. G-rated public buildings include a number of key London landmarks such as the Palace of Westminster, Portcullis House and the Bank of England. Many buildings in the commercial sector are likely to perform just as badly, but DECs, which give an A-G rating based on actual energy use, are currently only required of public buildings, not all commercial buildings.

Some UK-GBC member companies have committed to voluntary roll-out of DECs throughout their portfolios.

The UK is committed to cutting its carbon use by 34 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020 under the Climate Change Act. The UK-GBC has called for a cut in carbon from the built environment by 50 per cent in the next decade.

Source: www.ukgbc.org.uk

UK Government unveils feed-in tariffs for microgeneration

The UK Government today announced the details of its Clean Energy Cashback Scheme – or feed-in tariff – for small-scale low-carbon electricity generation and plans to introduce similar incentives for low-carbon heating.

From April 1, households and communities with renewable energy installations such as solar panels or wind turbines up to 5 MW will be entitled to claim payment for the electricity they produce, even if they use it themselves. A typical 2.5 KW photovoltaic installation could generate a homeowner as much as £900 in income, as well as £140 a year on their electricity bill.

“The feed-in tariff will change the way householders and communities think about their future energy needs, making the payback for investment far shorter than in the past,” said Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband.

The tariff levels, which cover anaerobic digestion and hydro, as well as solar and wind, aim to provide a 5-8% return on initial investment. Payments will be made for 25 years on solar installations and 20 years for the rest. A limited number of micro-combined heat and power (microCHP) installations will also be eligible for feed-in tariffs for 10 years.

Energy regulator Ofgem will manage the feed-in tariff scheme, energy suppliers will be responsible for payments for electricity generation.

The table below shows the revised tariffs for PV and Wind power (in pence per kilowatt hour p/kWh):

For a more detailed breakdown of how this news could generate additional income for UK homeowners, click here.

RICS Renewable Energy Conference

This conference will give an overview of the current developments in the renewable energy arena and look at some of the key technologies.

The UK is committed to producing 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.  This is equivalent to around 35% of its electricity usage. To help achieve this target, we need to increase our use of renewable technologies and this conference focuses on some of the leading technologies in this field.

The aspects that will be covered include:

- Wind power
- Bio energy
- Solar energy
- Geothermal

The Government's proposal for a Feed-in Tariff for renewable energy in the UK will also be covered, explaining what it is, how it will work, and the financial opportunity it represents for property owners and investors.

Keep your eyes peeled for L'atelier's Technical Director Richard's feedback and highlights from the conference!

The Guardian joins the feed-in tariff debate

The article below was featured in today's Guardian:

Disappointment at the outcome of climate talks in Copenhagen must not distract from the urgent job of building a low-carbon economy in the UK. We believe the generation of small-scale renewable energy can make a substantial contribution to this objective, but are concerned by the lack of ambition of the government's proposed feed-in tariff scheme. This currently aims to generate just 2% of the UK's electricity from small-scale renewable sources by 2020.

Local, decentralised renewable electricity generation has advantages beyond cutting carbon emissions. Businesses generating their own clean electricity will reduce their energy bills, increase their competitiveness and reduce their vulnerability to future fossil energy price rises. Communities can gain an income and a stake in the creation of a low-carbon economy, and households, social and private landlords and local authorities can cut energy bills and tackle fuel poverty. It will also generate many jobs.

Setting higher feed-in tariffs for small-scale renewable generators could treble the amount of renewable electricity generation by 2020 compared with the proposed scheme. This additional generating capacity is the equivalent of the output of Drax coal power station or two-and-a-half times the output of Sizewell B nuclear plant.

Public buildings performing poorly....still!

Public buildings, you may think, exist to serve the greater good: places we hope will protect, cure and educate us. But an audit of emissions from hospitals, prisons, police offices and museums has laid bare the toll they are taking on the environment.

The government survey of greenhouse gases emitted by the public estate in England and Wales shines a spotlight on the emissions of some of the country's most famous buildings – with embarrassing results. It also finds that hospitals and prisons are, in general, the worst offenders.

In all, 28,000 buildings in public ownership emit almost 14m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, the audit of emissions from public buildings in England and Wales found. Scotland Yard, Tate Modern and the Palace of Westminster are among the high-profile buildings with the worst environmental records.

The findings come from the most comprehensive assessment yet of the role of the public sector in contributing to global warming, and the total emissions represents a 27% increase on previous estimates of the impact of the public estate.

"Our public building stock is leaking like a sieve, with an enormous carbon footprint and energy bills to match," said Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, which campaigns for more efficient architecture. "Government, as the biggest user and procurer of buildings in the UK, needs to lead by example and roll out a massive programme of refurbishment. We have the technology and we know this can be done cost-effectively, we just need to get on with it."

Paul's sentiments are echoed by our Director, Keith Hearnshaw, who had the following comment on this report:

"As always with legislation of this type (EPCs/DECs) Central Government has pushed the responsibility directly onto the various departments and Local Government offices without specifically allocating a budget for improvements and without recommendations for how each project should be approached.

In our experience very few public buildings have appointed an Energy Manager to specifically oversee energy and carbon reduction projects within their site. The key to success in any commercial building is to have an achievable plan for change and to encourage full participation by all users of that building. Only by working together can energy and carbon levels be reduced through a programme of modification in the workplace and by encouraging changes in behaviour of all staff. 

The starting point for any project has to be with implementing measurement tools to understand where the energy in a building is being used. Once you have the core data then a management plan can be created and sensible building controls put in place to ensure continued success. Implementing sub-meters and auditing energy use will highlight trends and pinpoint areas of wastage. Once you can identify, for example, that lights and boilers are running overnight and at weekends, even when the building is not occupied, then you can take the appropriate steps."

Since October 2008, the occupants of all public buildings have been obliged under law to display a certificate of their carbon dioxide emissions which places them in a colour-coded band ranking from A to G with A being the best and G, the worst. Only 151 public buildings are ranked A while more than 5,000 are ranked G.

Campaigners say government is not acting fast enough to tackle energy waste which leads to the public sector spending £4bn a year on energy bills, according to the Carbon Trust. Ed Miliband, the energy and climate change secretary, has set government departments a target of a 30% reduction in estate and operations emissions by 2020 from 1999 levels.

The Prison Service said it was spending £4.5m on initiatives such as automatic meter reading, insulation, voltage correction and more efficient boilers in a bid to shave 3% a year off emissions for the next five years. David Pencheon, director of the Department of Health's sustainability unit, admitted emissions from hospitals were rising but said work was under way to reverse the trend.

Source: guardian.co.uk

Atelier Ten win Sustainable Consultant of the Year

Congratulations to our sister company Atelier Ten who won Sustainable Consultant of the Year at 2009's Sustainability Awards.

To read the full story, click here.

Final Agreement on EPBD II released

The EU have released the latest amendments to the European Performance of Buildings Directive II. The changes are summarised below.

Introduction

• The final text represents a compromise position between the ambitious approach taken by the Parliament and the Council position, which was for a more flexible, less binding framework.
• In the end a lot of flexibility is left to the Member States and this means that national implementation will be very important.
• The Directive requires Member States to set minimum requirements on the energy performance of new buildings and building units, as well as for existing buildings which undergo major renovations and for building components when they are retrofitted or replaced
• Also sets a deadline for new buildings to be ‘nearly zero energy’ and for national roadmaps to be developed to increase the number of existing buildings which are ‘nearly zero energy’
• Member States must introduce dissuasive penalties for non‐compliance.

EPCs

• Member States must ensure that an energy performance certificate is issued for all buildings or building units which are constructed, sold or rented out to a new tenant and that a copy of the certificate is shown to the prospective new tenant or buyer
• Where a building is sold or rented out in advance of construction the seller may provide an assessment of its future energy performance.
• Minimum energy performance requirements will also be applied to components which form part of the building which have a significant impact on the energy performance of the building envelope, when these are retrofitted or replaced.

Display of Certificates

• Under the Directive a shopping centres would be obliged to clearly display its energy performance certificate
• The Directive also states that buildings frequently visited by the public should set an example and should be subject to energy certification on a regular basis.

Harmonised Approach

• The Member States opposed any efforts to harmonise the calculation of the energy performance and of the energy performance certificates.
• Energy performance will therefore be calculated on the basis of a methodology, which may be differentiated at national and regional level
• Member States have the right to set minimum requirements which are more energy efficient than cost‐optimal efficiency levels

Zero Energy Buildings

• As a compromise between the zero energy buildings proposed by the Parliament and the low energy buildings proposed by Council, the Directive refers to ‘nearly zero’ energy buildings
• All new buildings must be nearly zero energy by 2020, with roadmaps being put in place to increase the number of existing buildings which met these criteria
• This is defined as ‘a building that has a ‘very high energy performance’ and where the energy used comes to a ‘very significant extent’ from renewable sources. These concepts are left deliberately vague and will be determined in reality at the national level.

Major Renovations

• A major renovation is defined as the renovation of a building where either a) the total cost is higher than 25 % of the value of the building, or b) where more than 25 % of the surface of the building envelope undergoes renovation;
• Member States may choose to apply option (a) or (b).

Exchanging Information

• Based on the amendment submitted by ICSC the Directive states that ‘Owners and tenants of commercial buildings should also be encouraged to exchange information regarding actual energy consumption, in order to ensure that all the data is available to make informed decisions about necessary improvements.’

Cost Optimal

• By June 2011, The Commission will elaborate a comparative methodology framework for calculating cost‐optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements for buildings.
• After that date Member State will be obliged to compare their minimum standards with the Commission methodology and if their requirement are less stringent they must seek to reduce the gap.

Building Types

• The Directive allows the Member State to differentiate between new and existing buildings and between different categories of buildings when setting performance requirements.
• They should also take account of indoor climate conditions, in order to avoid possible negative effects such as inadequate ventilation, as well as the designated function and the age of the building.

Voluntary EU scheme

• In the absence of a harmonised system of EPC across Europe, the Directive introduces a voluntary common European Union certification scheme to be developed by 2011.
• Although Member States are encouraged to recognise or use the scheme, it will be an addition, not an alternative, to the national schemes.
  
   

Atelier Ten in Green Source (again!)

Once again Atelier Ten have graced the pages of Green Source Magazine. The September issue featured an article on their second predicted LEED Platinum building on the Yale University campus, Kroon Hall- the new home of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. 

To read the full article, click here.  

Businesses face £370bn bill for climate change

British business faces a £370 billion bill by 2020 to meet the cost of fighting climate change, according to estimates to be published ahead of December’s Copenhagen climate-change summit. 

The amount would mainly cover the cost of building renewable-energy capacity, smart grids and high-speed rail links. About £40 billion would finance upgrades to Britain’s water distribution and treatment networks. 

This is only part of the picture, said the report’s author, Andrew Raingold of Aldersgate Group, a coalition of business and environmental groups. “These are conservative estimates and don’t include the costs attached to deploying low-carbon vehicles and supporting infrastructure such as charging stations. This could add another few billion to businesses’ total liability,” he said. Raingold points to a recent analysis by the Policy Exchange, a think tank, which estimates that the UK will need to spend £50 billion every year for 10 years on low-carbon energy and transport to curb greenhouse-gas emissions. This is more than twice the amount Ofgem, the energy regulator, has said is necessary to meet the government’s target of cutting emissions 34% by 2020. 

Various estimates on the costs of cutting carbon out of the economy have been published recently. The reports are being deployed by industry on one side and governments on the other as they attempt to hammer out a new pollution-cutting agreement at the Copenhagen summit. All sides agree it will be monumentally expensive. They differ on who should pay for it.

Raingold said: “Businesses will end up footing the vast majority of the costs of combating climate change because the Treasury doesn’t have the money.” Governments and many experts argue that the economic impact of a warmer climate and the costs industry will bear if the carbon price increases will be much greater if businesses do nothing. “There is actually a big opportunity to make money if we don’t drag our feet,” said Sir Brian Hoskins of the Committee on Climate Change, the government’s green watchdog. It estimates that climate change will cost the UK economy 1% of GDP by 2050. 

Last week the Worldwide Fund for Nature said global investment of $1 trillion a year was needed across a range of low-carbon technologies, at least for the next decade, and that it would largely have to come from the private sector. “The upside of flooding the market with so much capital is you cut the cost of green technology, so clean energy becomes competitively priced with fossil fuels,” said Karl Mallon, lead researcher on the Worldwide Fund for Nature report. 

Today Britain’s low-carbon market is worth £100 billion, with green manufacturing accounting for 30% of that. The government has forecast the market will grow to £150 billion in five years. Even if that forecast is accurate, the UK could still face a substantial funding gap up to 2020. By then, there must be a fivefold increase in renewable electricity, and 10% of all energy used for road transport must come from renewable sources. 

DECs for all non-domestic buildings

The Government has been urged by an influential panel to force all non-residential buildings to have display energy certificates. 

The Committee on Climate Change, an independent advisory body established under the Climate Change Act, included the measure in it's Meeting Carbon Budgets report last week. It advised a plan to "roll out DECs to all non-residential buildings by the end of the second budget period 2011-12". 

Current Government proposals involve requiring an Energy Performance Certificate, which gives a theoretical idea of performance rather than a true picture. Requiring DECs would put pressure on owners to make buildings more energy efficient, boosting demand for building work, particularly for M&E contractors. 

Professor David Strong, Chief Executive of consultancy Inbuilt, welcomed the recommendation, saying it could signal a "major change in Government policy". Professor Strong has argued in the past that the Government's policy on EPCs and DECs is muddled. Requiring EPCs is "easy" he said, since they are needed when a building is sold or let. "But it's pointless from a market transformation point of view. Company directors only sit up and take notice when DECs come into play," he said. 

The report contained a host of recommendations to improve the energy performance of the UK's building stock, such as replacing 12 million boilers with more efficient condensing boilers or other efficient new technologies by 2022. It also recommended that energy companies help implement schemes to improve existing housing stock, and that there should be statutory instruments to encourage local authorities to participate. In recommending a street-by-street plan, t cast doubt on individual house plans and initiatives led by energy companies. Research suggested that many would be unwilling to take up the loans involved with individual plans, while the public's low level of trust in energy firms offering efficiency improvements made that approach unattractive.

Sustainability Awards Shortlist Announced

The shortlist has been announced for this year's Sustainability Awards. Our sister company, Atelier Ten, have been shortlisted for Sustainable Consultancy of the Year.

Sustainable Client or Developer of the Year

• igloo Regeneration
• Land Securities
• Lend Lease
• Olympic Delivery Authority
• South West Regional Development Agency
• British Land

Sustainable Consultant of the Year

• Aecom
• Atelier Ten
• Atkins / Faithful+Gould
• BDP
• Davis Langdon
• Hilson Moran
• Jones Lang LaSalle
• WSP

Other categories include:

• Sustainable Contractor of the Year (Main or Specialist)
• Sustainable Designer of the Year (Architect or Engineer)
• Sustainable House Builder / Housing Provider of the Year
• Sustainable Manufacturer or Supplier of the Year
• Sustainable Project of the Year (Projects over £2 million)
• Sustainable Project of the Year (Projects under £2 million)

Read more: http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=3150117&newstype=A§ioncode=754#ixzz0UZAMMHKa
 

Government publish response to CRC Consultation

Earlier in the year the Government held a 12 week consultation with the aim of clarifying how the CRC scheme will be implemented while addressing some outstanding policy issues on recent proposals. Over 250 responses were received from stakeholders which were carefully reviewed and a formal response has now been issued, together with revised guidance on the CRC. The full documents are available to download from the DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) website www.decc.gov.uk.

We have summarised the changes to the policy as a result of the consultation below:

Title

The Carbon Reduction Commitment will now be known as the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC). The title has been adapted to better reflect the primary objective of the scheme which is the achievement of carbon emission reductions through increased energy efficiency.

Fees

Participants fees have been announced at £950 for registration and £1,290 annual fee. There may be additional fees for other transactions.

Cash flow

The first sale of allowances in April 2011 will now only require participants to purchase allowances for the year ahead and no longer for the previous year as well. This comes after stakeholder concern regarding the impact of a double sale on their cash flow. As a result, the first year of the Introductory Phase will therefore become a monitoring period. See our timeline diagram here.

Landlord/Tenant arrangements

This has been clarified as some Landlords objected on the basis that they have no control over how their tenants use their energy. The new guidance states “Where the tenant is responsible for the supply, it or it’s parent organisation will be responsible for those emissions in CRC. Where a landlord is responsible for the energy supply used by tenants, the landlord will be responsible for that energy use & the emissions in CRC, and Government will not allow transfer of responsibility from the landlord to the tenant”. Government aims to encourage landlord organisations to work collaboratively with their tenants to influence the way tenants use energy. The intention is that CRC will also encourage good practice such as sub-metering so that costs and benefits can be fairly distributed. 

Principal Subsidiaries

Large subsidiaries that would qualify in their own right can now choose whether to disaggregate themselves from their organisational group and participate independently. To reflect these changes, Principal Subsidiaries are now referred to as Significant Group Undertakings.

Early Action Metric

Organisations which have demonstrated commitment to reducing their emissions either by achieving the Carbon Trust Standard, or accreditation from an equivalent scheme can use this to be counted towards the Early Action metric. The relative weighting of this metric in the overall performance score, compared to the Absolute reduction and Growth metrics, will be reduced more gradually to better recognise early action taken, from 100% in the first year, 40% in the second year and 20% in the third year. 

Treatment of Renewables

The CRC will treat electricity which receives a Feed In Tariff in the same way as electricity which is issued a Renewable Obligation Certificate, and has simplified the approach to reporting and accounting for renewably generated electricity. As an energy efficiency mechanism, CRC will not provide additional incentives for renewable generation. We will, however, publish alongside the performance league table, the organisations increase in onsite renewable generation together with energy efficiency savings. This will allow organisations to gain reputational credit for their investment in onsite renewables.

Public Sector Organisations

The definition of a public sector organisation has been simplified to create better clarity for participants in the CRC. Organisations designated as a “public authority” in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information Act (Scotland) 2002 will participate in CRC on the basis of their individual FOI/FOI (S) listing, unless they are legally part of another body, in which case they would participate as part of that parent body.

Should you require any further guidance on CRC, or you would like us to handle your CRC Strategy, call our offices on 020 33 880 880.

Lessons from Nature Podcast now available

"Lessons from Nature: from termites to labyrinths" features Atelier Ten & L'atelier Chairman Patrick Bellew, and senior environmental designer Emma Marchant. The podcast is available to watch at the following link:

Incandescent and halogen bulbs to be phased out by 2012

EU regulations kicked in today that will see incandescent and halogen light bulbs phased out of the market by 2012.

Conventional clear (transparent) bulbs will be phased out progressively, starting with the highest wattage, 100W conventional incandescent bulbs and above. All conventional frosted (non-transparent) light bulbs will be phased out as from today.

The European Commission believes that the legislation will encourage the uptake of more energy efficient bulbs. The energy efficient bulbs could save money for consumers and reduce carbon emissions.

The most commonly used bulbs, the clear 60W bulbs, will remain available until September 2011. 40 and 25W bulbs will remain until September 2012.

The legislation also introduces a requirement for the approximate lifetime of the bulb to be stated on the packaging. The regulation is aimed at household light bulbs. Coloured lamps are not affected by the new regulation and retailers will have until 2012 to sell their existing stock.

Read more: http://www.bsdlive.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=3147769#ixzz0Q9Hch0Fd

L'atelier Sister Company Achieve LEED Platinum in NYC

We offer our congratulations to the New York arm of our sister company, Atelier Ten, as their building "The Visionaire" in Battery Park City is awarded LEED Platinum- the first condominium block to achieve such a high rating.

Read the full story here:

http://www.bsdlive.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=93&storycode=3146735&c=2

Trading Standards take action on non-compliant Agents

L’atelier has been informed by a contact at Trading Standards that a campaign targeting Property Agents and Property Management companies who are wilfully ignoring the current legislation on Commercial Energy Performance Certificates is well underway.

In Bedfordshire, action has been taken against a prominent Property Agent when they were unable to provide EPCs for any of the commercial properties they were marketing, of which there were over 1000. Similarly several visits have been made to Commercial Agents across Hampshire on the basis that very few Commercial EPCs were available for inspection by Trading Standards Officers of the thousands of commercial properties in their portfolios.

Charges are looking to be brought under the “Duty of Care” legislation- that the Agent is responsible for informing any Clients that an EPC is required when marketing a commercial property for sale or rent. Up until now it has been widely assumed that it is the responsibility of the Owner/Landlord of the property to obtain a Commercial EPC and that any action would be taken against them rather than the Agent. Trading Standards are now suggesting that both parties could be prosecuted for failure to have an EPC available for any property that is perceived to be on the market through any marketing means.

Up until now less than 110,000 commercial EPCs have been lodged on the Government-sponsored Landmark database against an estimated 2.6 million commercial properties on the market throughout the UK. Under guidance from the Department of Communities and Local Government, local Trading Standard Officers will be on the lookout for anyone marketing a commercial property without the necessary certificates that are required under the current legislation.

If you've had any similar experiences or have any comments on this story, let us know at office@l-atelier.co.uk

Chairman offered Professorship at Yale University

We offer our congratulations to our Chairman, Patrick Bellew who has been offered a Professorship at Yale University's School of Architecture.

The full title of the Professorship is "Eero Saarinen Professor of Architecture", after the Finnish American Architect who designed such beauties as the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis and the famous "Tulip" furniture.

Patrick's Professorship commences in January.

The Carbon Reduction Commitment – work starts now!

Starting in April 2010, the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) is the UK's first mandatory carbon trading scheme. The initial phase of the CRC will be compulsory for Organisations that consume over 6,000 Mega Watt Hours (6,000,000 kWh) of half-hourly metered electricity during the period from January 2008 to December 2008. At today's prices, this is roughly equivalent to total half hourly electricity bills of approximately £500,000 per year. The CRC covers both public and private sector Organisations. At present, the carbon reduction scheme is expected to affect approximately 5,000 UK Organisations and is anticipated to affect 25% of total business sector emissions within the UK.

Whilst the scheme doesn't officially start until April 2010, many Organisations need to start making preparations now to ensure that they comply with all legal requirements and fully participate in the scheme.

L’atelier are working with Clients to provide advice and guidance to ensure they comply with the requirements of the Carbon Reduction Commitment.
 

L'atelier host first successful Workshop Event

L’atelier received excellent feedback from the attendees of the first Energy Assessment workshop held in Central London on Friday 31st July 2009.

There were 16 attendees from a variety of disciplines including Environmental and Sustainability Managers, Engineers, Surveyors and Estate and Building Management.

The workshop analysed the findings from the first 12 months of providing EPCs and DECs across a diverse portfolio of commercial property. The workshop offered delegates a chance to work in teams to identify the impact of typical office refurbishments on the EPC rating of a typical building as well as the costs and reductions in CO₂.

In the feedback from the session attendees responded that the workshop had allowed them to understand the substantial benefits that EPCs could provide when looking to modify older properties.

If you are interested in attending the next event or having a workshop held at your offices please contact us at: office@l-atelier.co.uk

Commercial Property Update

The commercial property market is showing some encouraging signs of an upturn from the second quarter statistics available from Property Week and CoStar Group. The April to June 2009 period will show transaction values of around £4.5 billion with particular confidence in the London office market due to substantial new investment from foreign buyers. Of particular significance is the fact that June showed more than 50% of the transaction value from the quarter culminating in a ten percent uplift on the first quarter figures.

To put these numbers in perspective, the commercial market peaked in Spring/Summer 07 with average property transactions per quarter at £8 billion, and hit a low in Autumn/Winter 08 at £3 billion per quarter. 

Fingers crossed for further improving figures over the next few months.
 

Government to unveil Renewable Energy Strategy

The Government will today outline plans for a major expansion in renewable energy, including measures to boost green investment in homes and commercial property.

The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan White Paper will also set out plans for low-carbon transport and for ensuring that the UK benefits from thousands of potential “green jobs”.

Among the schemes to reduce climate emissions will be a programme for homeowners to receive loans to insulate their homes, and incentives to encourage people to also install small-scale renewable systems, such as solar panels or wind turbines.

There are also plans to increase large-scale renewable energy, in particular wind – with proposals for some 4,000 new onshore turbines and a further 3,000 offshore.

The announcement is part of the Government’s strategy to slash the UK’s carbon emissions in the coming decade. The UK has a series of challenging legally-binding ‘carbon budgets’, which require a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 34% by 2020 and at least 80% by 2050, and a EU target of meeting 15% of all energy needs from renewables by 2020.

L'atelier launch new website!

L'atelier are proud to announce the launch of our new website! Our tired little old website has finally been laid to rest & we have a shiny new one to replace it. I think we all agree it was long overdue! We are all chuffed to bits with our new website, courtesy of the Web Gurus at Plug & Play Design. Feel free to have a browse around and see all the exciting new stuff.

A key improvement is that we now have the ability to add information as and when it is necessary, allowing for a far more interactive and informative site for our clients. Meet the L'atelier team here, take a look at some of our recent projects, and of course keep an eye on the News and Resources pages for updates on the requirements for Commercial EPCs and DECs, as well as general advice on the EPBD legislation.

A big thank you to the boys at P&P for their hard work on this project and we hope all of our visitors enjoy it! Feel free to let us know what you think of our website, drop us a line at office@l-atelier.co.uk

Commercial EPCs under the spotlight

An article in the latest edition of Building Sustainable Design magazine suggests that commercial property agents are failing to comply with regulations by not providing Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).

Between 27 April and 22 May, EPC accreditation body National Energy Services (NES) contacted 108 agents on the pretext of acting for clients interested in buying or renting a typical high street office or shop. Agents were given until 1 June to respond and 88 of the agents failed to produce an EPC. Almost half of those said the certificate wasn’t necessary or could offer no explanation as to why no EPC was available.

A spokesman for Communities and Local Government (CLG) claimed that of the 2.6 million commercial property sales since the implementation of EPCs, only a small percentage did not have one, suggesting that NES had been “unlucky with some dodgy estate agents” in its sample. He said it was the responsibility of Trading Standards to enforce compliance and was surprised at the disparity between CLG’s figures for sales (rental figures were not available) and the findings of NES.

However the Government's own EPC database, managed by Landmark Information Group, shows that to date, fewer than 100,000 commercial properties have an EPC lodged against them, and less than 30,000 public buildings have a valid Display Energy Certificate (DEC). Here at L'atelier we've had a play with our calculators and something clearly doesn't add up!

Since the implementation of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in January, it is a legal requirement that all commercial buildings being marketed for sale or rent have an EPC available to inform prospective buyers or tenants about the property’s energy performance.

L'atelier Director features in Green Source Magazine!

L'atelier's very own Technical Director Richard Nussey has made his debut in Green Source Magazine. The Amercian magazine reports on Sustainable Design, Green Building, LEED Projects and Green & Sustainable Products. This article takes a look at the European Performance of Buildings Directive and how it has been put into practice in the UK. Read the full article here:

http://greensource.construction.com/features/policywatch/2009/05_EuropeanDirective.asp

Feel free to send your comments to office@l-atelier.co.uk

L’atelier and Carbon Life Ltd sign joint Agreement

L’atelier Ltd and Carbon Life Limited have agreed terms to work on an exclusive basis within their respective spheres of expertise. Keith Hearnshaw, Sales & Marketing Director commented:

“Carbon Life have a unique offering that provides a number of valuable benefits that we are happy to recommend to our Clients and Partners alike. Carbon offsetting and the whole issue of carbon credits continues to be a significant area of growth and with Carbon Life we were immediately able to see the value of their carbon investment strategy and most importantly the environmental benefits this can bring for the future. L’atelier have always been committed to a strategy of working with Organisations that have a similar philosophy to our own and we hope to be making future partnership announcements soon”.
 

Design Builder announce the launch of version 2.0

After much anticipation, the L’atelier modelling team are pleased to hear that there is a definite release date for Design Builder v2.0.

Up until now L’atelier have been using the previous release of Design Builder, version 1.8.1.001 coupled with v3.2b of the SBEM calculation engine. The official ‘Go Live’ date for DB v2.0 is 10 May 2009, which is to be fully functional with the latest version of the SBEM engine, v3.4, being released at the same time.

One major benefit of v2.0 from v1.8.1.001 is the ability to produce multiple EPCs from one 3D model, by way of excluding certain parts of the model from the calculation. Matthew Nussey, a modeller for L’atelier commented “This will prove to be useful if there are multiple tenants in a building each requiring a separate EPC”.

Keep an eye out for our review of the software coming next month!
 

L’atelier lodge EPCs for Metropolitan Police

L’atelier have successfully completed two major projects on buildings occupied by the Metropolitan Police, New Scotland Yard in Victoria and the Empress State Building in Earls Court. Both buildings provided a considerable challenge as they were both over 50,000m² with a diverse array of unusual office facilities such as press rooms, gymnasiums and double story lecture theatres. One of the major obstacles was the significant security arrangements meaning that our assessors were escorted everywhere, including the toilets!

L'atelier achieve 5,000,000 sq ft target

L’atelier are proud to announce that we have achieved our target of lodging certificates for over  5,000,000 square feet of Commercial Property within our first year of trading. The experience of the past twelve months encompasses small individual retail units at one end of the scale to complex multi-storey office blocks and sprawling industrial estates both old and new.

Sales & Marketing Director Keith Hearnshaw had these words to say on the achievements of the first year:

“This has been a significant milestone in the development of the L’atelier business in a less than buoyant market. Our technical teams have done an impressive job in completing hundreds of transactions ranging from 30 floor tower blocks to small high street premises  and all with the same high quality output and attention to detail for all of our Clients”.

Onwards & upwards team!

L’atelier sister company win International Scheme of the Year award

We offer our congratulations to our sister company Atelier Ten for winning a Building Services Award at this year’s awards held at the Dorchester Hotel, London. These awards recognised sustainability in all types of buildings and developments across the world.

Atelier Ten won the International Scheme of the Year award for their work on Yale Sculpture School, New Haven. The judges said “A real example of what can be achieved with the commitment to apply existing knowledge and expertise with a real passion for the outcome.” Yet another award for the cabinet, well done guys!

Read the full article here:

http://www.bsdlive.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=774&storycode=3127394&featurecode=12368&c=1

L’atelier move into new purpose built offices!

We are very excited to announce that as of 1st September 2008 50% of the L’atelier team will be flying the coop and settling down further south. New offices have been built for L’atelier in the quiet town of Brookwood, a 5 minute walk away from the main train line into London Waterloo. This move will allow our assessors to provide their services over a much wider area. Come and visit us soon!