Will Old Stock Survive in a New, Green World?

Older buildings face challenging times in this era of green consciousness.  A property’s poor energy performance may mean it fails to attract new tenants as occupiers come under pressure to be seen to act in a responsible and accountable manner.  Landlords with less green properties face reduced income levels compared to those with efficient buildings that have an energy performance certificate (EPC).

Under new rules which saw the introduction of EPCs in May this year, landlords and owners have a duty to reduce energy usage in old stock.  Some simple measures which don’t involve a great deal of expense but have an immediate effect on energy consumption are:

• Look at the hours heating and ventilation systems are being used. Plant is often run when not required or needed and run times should be adjusted accordingly.
• Check the condition of insulation and repair damaged areas.  Replace any missing insulation.  All will have an immediate effect on heat loss.
• Review the set temperatures at which plant runs. A reduction of 1 or 2 degrees will have an impact on energy costs over the course of a year.
• Ensure plant is properly zoned so that energy is only used where it's needed.
• Replace light bulbs with low energy lamps. Although costlier to purchase, their lifespan and reduced energy far outweigh the cost.
• Install movement activated lighting to reduce wasted energy through lights being left on unnecessarily.
• Purchase equipment without a stand-by facility to reduce wastage (this also reduces its fire risk).
• Involve any support staff in reducing wastage and review their hours of operation.
• Benchmark your buildings against buildings of a similar type, size and usage. Where there are marked differences in energy performance investigate the reasons why.
• Review any purchase policies for outsourced services particularly with regard to energy and Co2 emissions.
• Work with tenants to produce and implement systems to reduce energy usage and set targets for reduction which are regularly reviewed.

In the long term, a full review of all building systems should be carried out by a qualified energy consultant to identify the condition and estimated lifespan of existing systems. Your review should highlight why current systems are failing and identify (with costs) energy efficient replacements which can then be budgeted for years to come.

Taking no action will continue to damage our planet.  Hopefully the ‘bigger picture’ argument for change is enough but from a merely monetary point of view, lack of action in your property may render your property un-lettable as the energy performance of premises climbs higher and higher on the agenda.

For further information: jim.anderson@ryden.co.uk

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