Landlords could meet new EPC B target with controls they already have, says BCIA
With larger commercial buildings required to reach EPC B by 2031, the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) says better use of existing building controls is the most cost-effective place to start, and the only way to make sure buildings perform in practice, not just on paper.
Privately rented non-domestic buildings over 10,764 sq ft in England and Wales will need an EPC rating of B by 2031 under plans confirmed by the government in June. Upgrades will only be required where they pay back within seven years, and government modelling suggests tenants could save up to £360 million a year.
The BCIA says many owners are overlooking the measure most likely to pass that test - making full use of the building management systems they already have.
Ron Purcell, Vice President of the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) and Product Manager Siemens Infrastructure - Buildings said: "Most commercial buildings already have a building management system of some kind. The problem is that too many are set up at handover and then left alone. Settings drift, systems don't talk to each other, and the data they collect is never looked at. That is where the gap between how a building was designed to perform and how it actually performs opens up.
"For many landlords, the biggest energy and carbon saving they can make is already installed. Properly integrated, maintained and optimised controls can cut energy use without major capital spend, which is exactly what a seven-year payback test rewards."
He added: "An EPC rates how a building is designed, not how it is run. A building can reach EPC B on paper and still waste energy every day if its controls aren't working as they should. If the aim is lower bills and lower carbon, not just a better certificate, controls have to be part of the plan."
The gap between design and real-world performance was the focus of a BCIA panel at Smart Buildings Show earlier this month, chaired by Ron Purcell. He was joined by Snigdha Jain, Director and Head of ESG at Turley; George Ablett, Head of Sustainability at EQUANS; Netza Jack, Technical Services Lead at JLL; and Ben Jenkins, Managing Director of 1 Control and Chair of the BCIA's Technical Working Group.
The panel identified three key priorities for closing the performance gap - integrating systems so they work as one, optimising them throughout a building's life, and using data to find where performance is slipping.
The BCIA also hosted a roundtable with cross-sector representatives on enabling energy flexibility in non-domestic buildings. The discussion covered the commercial case for flexibility, the gap between today's market, policy and future grid needs, and the role of smart controls, energy management systems, heat pumps, solar and batteries.
Ron said: "Policy is rightly pushing non-domestic buildings to be more flexible in how they use energy. None of that works without good controls. Controls are what turn a collection of kit into a building that performs, and that's the case the BCIA will keep making to government and industry."