Understand the value that renewable energy consultants can bring to your sustainable build
Sophie Williams
As energy consultants, we provide ideas for how a company might make their use of energy more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. As the built environment (residential and commercial) is putting more focus on renewables and better ways of building, the role of an energy consultant is changing too.
We now incorporate building physics into our work, utilising simulation modelling and data to understand how a building behaves. This goes some way to helping manage comfortable temperatures in the property throughout the summer and winter months, and in some cases, assess the daylight levels within the building to ensure the user is benefitting from sufficient daylight exposure. All of these building physics elements help to improve the well-being of the occupants whilst simultaneously reducing the energy demand of the building, and ultimately its carbon footprint too.
How do you work with an energy consultant?
An energy consultant will join the process in the early RIBA stages – ideally RIBA 2. At this stage, they will advise on various risks inherent to the design of the building. They will also work with the architect to optimise the design, and improve areas that could decrease comfort, increase energy demand and push up operational costs.
A particular area that we concentrate on at Mesh is passive design analysis. This is where we can deliver real value in helping our clients to mitigate the risk of overheating and is a good example of simulation modelling. The analysis is typically repeated in an iterative process as we ‘design out’ the issues.
We will also work with our clients on the building’s floor plan to ensure there is adequate space to house the electrical and mechanical energy services. This could be anything from batteries to heating manifolds, and even ductwork. If a client has opted for solar, which is often the case, we work with them to optimise and maximise their photovoltaic array in terms of positioning and potential energy storage.
What difficulties might you encounter without a consultant?
There are several hurdles that you’ll encounter during your planning and build process, and perhaps during ongoing maintenance too. Of course, we are a little biased here, but we think it’s imperative that you involve a renewable energy consultant. Not only to ensure that your building is sustainable and high-performing but also to ensure that you have someone in your corner to manage the stringent requirements around planning and compliance, and mechanical and electrical.
Without a renewable energy consultant:
- You may struggle to pass your local planning application
- You may encounter compliance issues, specifically with ‘Part L’ or ‘Part O’
- Your building could be at risk of overheating, which is damaging to the environment and costly
- You may find yourself proposing a renewable energy system that is not feasible or suitable
- You may miss key opportunities to reduce your long-term running costs
- You may not get the full picture of energy systems specifically suitable for your project
- Your solar may be inefficient, with energy lost to the grid with little benefit to the occupant
Who is Mesh and how do we work?
Mesh began by offering renewable energy feasibility studies to homeowners – a quickfire way of feasible routes to reduce their energy bills. Over the years, Mesh has grown into a multi-disciplinary consultancy, offering energy consultancy, building performance consultancy and mechanical services design to architects and developers, from residential self-builders to large commercial outfits.
At Mesh, we work as two core teams; the Building Performance team and the MEP team. These teams initially work together to assess a building at an engineering level and then at a building services level. The building physics team works to reduce the size of the services required, and they do this through smart and passive design. The engineering team then comes in to action the feasibility work and brings these ideas to life.
The early bird catches the worm
By contacting a renewable energy consultant early, they can have maximum impact in optimising the design of your building, guaranteeing that your building services are as small as possible (reducing your capital cost) and that your building retains and reuses as much energy as possible (again, reducing costs). All of this is done with what’s widely known as green technology or renewable technology, which works hard to reduce overall carbon emissions now and forever more.
If you’re a house builder, architect or commercial property developer, talk to us today about how Mesh can vastly improve the health, sustainability and performance of your building and its occupants. Let’s build better.
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