Refurbishment again takes second place 18/03/2008

To date, Building journals and Building Control have focussed primarily on the impact of the new Energy Performance Regulations (2006-7) for New Build. However it is only now, some months later, that there is a realisation that there are also substantial changes to the Regulations that affect the refurbishment of buildings and, just as in 2002, the industry is scrambling to get to grips with the significance of this.

Existing building stock far outweighs the amount of new build, and refurbishment unquestionably forms a major part of the construction market. For example, data from the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) indicates that central government departments alone spent £1.35 billion on large scale refurbishment projects costing over £2 million in 2005-6, compared with £0.92 billion on new construction projects of the same value or more.

It is self-evident that no matter how energy efficient our new buildings are becoming, the existing building stock will still be a major source of energy consumption, and we have to deal with that issue if we are to have any serious impact on CO₂ emissions.

Taking Action

It is estimated that space heating currently accounts for around 60% of the energy used in commercial building. Meanwhile that other great consumer of energy - air conditioning - is also becoming more of an issue as we seek to maintain a comfortable ambient temperature in our places of work and leisure. By making our building envelopes more thermally efficient we can reduce the amount of energy needed to run these services.

This capacity for energy saving is reflected in the Refurbishment Sections for England and Wales (AD-L2B); Northern Ireland (Part F) and Scotland (Section 6). Each of the amendments introduces much tighter requirements than the initial 2002 regulations. All the main types of refurbishment are covered by the Regulations.

• Extensions
• Material change of use
• Material alterations
• Consequential improvements
• The provision or extension of a controlled service or fitting
• The replacement or renovation of a thermal element.

With the exception of the fifth point, each of the above activities triggers an assessment of and requires an improvement to the building fabric. This means that it is the responsibility of the building owner to meet the fabric standards for the refurbishment work in accordance with the new regulations or else show that it is not economically or practically feasible to do so.

The main points to consider

In the first place most refurbishment work now requires the submission of Building Notice, Building Warrant or full plans to the Local Authority. Extensions require roof and wall U-Values respectively of 0.2 W/m².K and 0.3 W/m².K* (*0.27 W/m².K in Scotland). However, where projects are over 100 m² and greater than 25% of the total useful floor area of the existing building, the work falls under the requirements for new build.

Full replacement of roofs and/or walls requires U-Values of 0.25 W/m².K for roofs and 0.35 W/m².K for walls, whilst consequential improvements to the whole building following material change of use, material alterations, changes to building services and extensions demand cost effective energy efficiency improvements up to 10% of the original project value.

In terms of actual renovation, where 25% or more of a thermal element (i.e. roof or walls) is being upgraded, then the thermal performance of that element must also be upgraded in line with the standards set out in the table below:

As the legislation currently stands, if the area being upgraded is less than 25% then no action is required. Where the requirement is in place, the upgrade to the above standards should be technically and functionally feasible, and achieve a payback of 15 years or less; otherwise the best achievable standards within those criteria should be met.

Insulated panels in refurbishment

Fortunately the use of insulated panels has proved to be a relatively straightforward and cost effective solution to improve both the appearance and the thermal performance of energy hungry non-domestic buildings. For example, simply replacing elements such as single skin or poorly insulated roofs or walls can lead to dramatic reductions in energy consumption, providing a clear payback in investment terms as well as all the peripheral benefits of a more comfortable, aesthetically pleasing, durable and sustainable environment.

For instance, if you were to take a twenty to thirty year-old factory roof, with little or no effective insulation in place, there would be rapid heat loss resulting in heightened energy costs. To put a purely financial complexion on this scenario, assuming an internal temperature of 16°C for a building with a floor area of 5000m², then the cost of heat losses could add up £41,000 in just one year.

Now replace the old roof construction with a thermally efficient, airtight insulated panel system and as much as £38,000 can be saved in a year, together with the potential to reduce costs of elements such as fiscal energy taxation as well as a substantial contribution in terms of reduced carbon emissions.

Building Energy Performance Certificates

The beauty of making improvements such as this is that insulated panels systems are also extremely durable, so the savings will continue year in, year out for a considerable period of time. This aspect is particularly important in light of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which not only demands a minimum level of energy efficiency in new buildings, but also that existing buildings are assessed and given an Energy Performance Certificate indicating their level of thermal efficiency whenever an existing building is let or sold.

The implementation of Performance Certificates and labelling of buildings based on their operational rating introduces a new focus on the building envelope. Any deterioration in performance will become evident in this process and will potentially impact on the value or saleability of a property. These Performance Certificates have special significance for large public buildings, which are required to openly display their EPC, allowing local tax payers to see which buildings are wasteful of the energy that they are essentially funding. Alternatively, any improvement in performance following refurbishment will be monitored and made public through the EPC system. Insulated panel systems lend themselves particularly well to many of these kinds of applications.

The Last Word

For too many years refurbishment has come a poor second to the improved standards that are becoming a feature of our new buildings. The time has come to seriously review attitudes and approaches to upgrading our existing stock, and to take advantage of the construction solutions that are already easily available.

EPIC (Engineered Panels in Construction) has produced a dedicated guide to the New Building Regulations (2006) with specific sections on refurbishment and "shell and fit out" of buildings, highlighting when and how the Regulations apply, and offering guidance on compliance using insulated panel systems. In line with sustainable practice and to ensure that information is easily updated, the guide is in electronic format only, available to download from the EPIC website at:

http://www.epic.uk.com/assets/EPIC_ADL2_2006_REFURBISHMENT.pdf

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