2019: Zero carbon definition must not be watered down, warns Tarmac TermoDeck
April 1st 2008

Before immediately calling for a relaxation of the zero carbon definition for non domestic buildings to allow offsite renewable energy, clients, designers and engineers should seek to maximise the thermal efficiency of buildings and combine appropriate onsite renewables, says Tarmac TermoDeck.

Following the government's 2019 target for zero carbon non domestic buildings,Ministers are likely to come under increasing pressure to relax the current definition of zero carbon to allow off-site renewable energy sources to mitigate a building's energy use.

Under the current definition only energy generated onsite - through ground source heat pumps, solar panels, wind turbines or combined heat and power plants - can be used. Tarmac TermoDeck is calling on the construction industry to look more closely at the fabric of buildings and deliver more thermally-efficient premises capable of working together with proven onsite renewable technologies.

Geoff Russell-Smith, general manager,Tarmac TermoDeck states: "Any relaxation of the zero carbon definition could potentially lead to more inefficient buildings which have offsite renewables 'bolted on'.

There is also no guarantee that offsite renewable contributions will not be 'double counted' on other developments.The real solution lies in making buildings more energy efficient and encouraging the development of innovative onsite renewables which can work in tandem with other building systems.

"Critically, the selection of renewable technologies is only costeffective when they are combined in an efficient building. For example, a thermally inefficient building using photovoltaic panels will always require a higher renewables input, resulting in the need for larger and more expensive solar arrays. It is only through careful selection and sizing of renewables in an energy efficient building that capital costs will be reduced," states Russell-Smith.

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