Sustainable Technologies

Justine CooperSustainable Buildings Research Group

University of Greenwich

Sustainable Technologies

Global Warming Other Environmental Issues Connected with Buildings ‘Green’ Energy Generation Energy Conservation Water ConservationCase Studies

Climate Change Climate change is already happening.

Globally, the ten hottest years on record have all occurred since the beginning of the 1990s.

Current climate models predict that global temperatures could warm from between 1.4 to 5.8ºC over the next 100 years, depending on the amounts of greenhouse gases emitted and the sensitivity of the climate system.

Caused by Greenhouse Gases e.g. CO2, Methane, NOx, HFC’s, CFC’s etc

Global Warming

Greenhouse Gases

The Greenhouse Effect

Pollution

Ozone Hole Acid Rain

Material Use

1,200m3 Spoil 156,842 Blocks

694,500 Bricks14,811m2 Plasterboard

2,700m2 Glass

300m3 Mortar

5,200m Roadway2,600m Reinforced Beams

7,500ltrs Paint

What it takes to build 100 houses

576m3 Timber

Energy Generation

Community Generation

Micro-generation

Macro-generation

Carbon Footprint of Electricity Generation Carbon footprint – gCO2eq/kWh (grams of CO2 per

kilowatt hour of generation Coal = >1000 gCO2eq/kWh

Oil = approx. 650 gCO2eq/kWh

Gas = approx. 500 gCO2eq/kWh

Biomass = 25 – 93 gCO2eq/kWh (dependant upon fuel)

PV = 58 gCO2eq/kWh

Marine = 25 – 50 gCO2eq/kWh

Hydro = 10 – 30 gCO2eq/kWh

Wind = 4.46 – 5.25 gCO2eq/kWh (onshore / offshore)

Nuclear = 5 gCO2eq/kWh

Hydro, Biomass, Wood Pellet Boiler

Hydro

Wood Pellet Boiler

Biomass

Source: NEF

Source: NEF

Source: EST

Tidal, Wave, Current

Marine CurrentTurbine

Stingray Tidal Stream Generator

Wave - LIMPET Wave - AquaBuOY Wave – Pelamis

Source: British Wind Energy Association

Tidal Barrage

Source: (ACRE) Australian CRC for Renewable Energy LTD

Fuel Cell

Energy Conservation – Why?

UK Energy Consumption 1995

52%

5%

9%

1%

6%

5%

22% Buildings

Industry - Building materials

Other Industry

Agriculture

Transport - other freight

Transport - building materials

Transport - People

Source: DEFRA

Energy Conservation- Why?

CO2 Emissions by use - house built to 2002 Regulations

39%

17%

38%

6%

HeatingHot WaterLights and AppliancesCooking

Energy Conservation

No Cost Measures?

Energy Conservation

No Cost Measures Switch off appliances rather than leave on standby Close curtains to retain heat Always turn lights off when you leave a room Turn down thermostat by 1°C Shower instead of bath Only heat the water required (in a kettle)

Energy Conservation

Low Cost Measures (£50 or less)?

Medium Cost Measure (less than £500)?

Energy Conservation

Low Cost Measures (£50 or less) Fit energy saving light bulbs Insulate hot water tanks Install chimney balloons Draught proof windows and doors

Medium Cost Measure (less than £500) Insulate loft Install cavity wall insulation Replace old appliances

Energy Conservation

Measures that cost over £500?

Energy Conservation

Measures that cost over £500 Replace boilers older than 15 years with new condensing

boilers Install double glazing Renewables?

Water ConservationWHY?

Water ConservationWHY? Increasingly scarce resource Essential to life Increasing water charges

Water ConservationHOW? (In the home)

Water ConservationHOW? (In the home) Wash fruit and vegetables in a bowl rather than under

running water Use minimum amount of water in saucepans and kettles Run washing and dishwashing machines fully loaded Don’t leave the tap running while cleaning teeth Shower instead of bath Use a ‘save-a-flush’ of ‘hippo’ in old style toilet cisterns Fix all dripping taps Lag all external taps and pipes to guard against winter

damage

Water ConservationHOW? (In the Garden)

Water ConservationHOW? (In the Garden) Water the garden during the morning or evening Don’t water shrubs and plants too often, wait for signs of

wilting Collect rainwater Weed regularly Plant flowers and shrubs which thrive in hot dry conditions Mulches prevent water evaporation and suppress weeds Don’t cut lawn grass short Don’t use a sprinkler

Materials HOW?

Materials The 3 R’s – REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE Certified timber Non-ozone and global warming potential materials Natural paints and stains Plant fibres Non-PVC Locally sourced materials

Materials

Source; The Green Guide To Specification

Case Studies

General Lessons learnt

Early consultation with consultants and key supply chain members to integrate sustainability early in the design is key!

All sub-contractors need to identify with aims of sustainable construction so that necessary care and attention is given to the design and construction process

EcoHomes should not be used as a tick box exercise!

General Difficulties

Sourcing sustainable, slightly unusual materials, sourcing high performance elements locally, such as joinery, ventilation and sanitary goods

Procuring sustainably sourced timber. There is a lack of competitive sources of certified timber products in the UK which doesn’t make it cost effective to use such materials. Using only certified materials can add up to an extra £1,239 per unit. (FSC timber generally carries a 10% surcharge)

Case Studies Woking Borough Council 93,000 residents, businesses from local firms and leading international

companies It has an Environmental Charter and Energy Efficiency Policy through which a

number of ground-breaking measures to protect the environment and reduce pollution have been made.

Council owned buildings and public places have adopted various water and energy saving techniques and the revenue saved (on resource consumption) has been reinvested in other environmental measures to further increase energy efficiency.

Targets - Council buildings reduce energy consumption by 40% from 1991/2 to 2001

Improve efficiency of boroughs public and private housing sector by 30% by 2006.

Examples of energy saving (1/4/2001) PV used off-grid to power pay and display machines PV and CHP used to provide all year round heating, hot water and electricity

to sheltered housing scheme. CHP generating sites around the borough produce local electricity which is

distributed via a ‘private-wire’ network to local residents. The council sells the electricity for a fair price, meaning both increased profits and saving for the customers.

Fuel cell CHP which not only produces green electricity but its also estimated to produce 633,000 of 100% pure water as a by-product.

Further Reading www.bre.co.uk www.sustainablehomes.co.uk www.greenstreets www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/home (grant detail www.woking.gov.uk/environment/Greeninitiatives/

sustainablewoking www.nef.org.uk www.aecb.net/about.php www.gallionsecopark.co.uk www.ewea.org http://aquaenergygroup.com www.cat.org.uk

Further Reading www.est.org.uk www.dti.gov.uk www.bwea.com www.logpile.co.uk www.wwf.org.uk www.stopclimatechaos.org www.eci.ox.ac.uk www.breeam.org www.fsc-uk.info www.emas.org.uk/aboutemas/mainframe.htm Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology

postnote

Any Questions?

This presentation is available for download:

From Dr. Jones’ website

Slides 10 – 51 courtesy of Southampton University, Sustainable Energy Research Group.