On the stump
April 2015

As I write, the UK general election campaign is entering its final stages. The need for investment in energy efficient buildings has featured in several of the political manifestos and a number of recent reports and initiatives have highlighted the potential benefits from installing energy efficient glazing, as well as the complex nature of the issue. The building sector in Europe is responsible for more than one third of the energy consumption and a similar share of the CO2 emissions associated with human activities. Meanwhile Britain has some of the oldest housing stock in the world; it is thought that more than 8.5 million properties are over 60 years old. There is no question that something needs to be done.

The National Energy Foundation (NEF), with the support of the glazing supply chain including CAB, has recently reported on the operational energy reduction potential in the existing building stock, driven by accelerated uptake of energy efficient glazing. The study looked at several scenarios and even assuming a relatively modest increase in the uptake of enhanced glazing products, by 2050 energy consumption could be some 15,000 GWh lower compared with there being no change in the current rate of renewal. To put this in context, it is roughly equivalent to the energy generated by two Sizewell B nuclear power stations. It was also estimated that another Sizewell B nuclear power station could be saved if energy leakage around windows could be reduced through improved installation practices and by adopting a more holistic approach to buildings, considering the interaction between relevant components. A website has been set up to promote the report (http://www.glazingsupplychaingroup.co.uk/) and Luke Smith from NEF will be presenting the findings in more detail at our Technical Conference on 14 May.

In a similar vein, Building Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) has recently carried out a review of residential building regulations in eight EU Member States (http://bpie.eu/indoor.html). This report stresses the importance of having appropriate requirements for thermal comfort, ventilation and daylight conditions. All told, we spend some 60-90% of our time indoors, so indoor air quality plays a vital role in our health and wellbeing. Improving the air tightness of buildings is identified as an important factor, as well as the need for ventilation control and air exchange. Energy efficiency should not be regulated in isolation from the other indoor comfort parameters in building codes. Will it be possible for building regulations to evolve from requirements for energy performance to requirements that also ensure a holistic approach to thermal comfort, indoor air quality and daylighting?