Seminar: Noel Cass, 12th November 2015

SR+ seminars: exploring new research and related action in environmental sustainability and responsibility

Thursday 12th November, 12.-1.30pm, Charles Carter C37/40 Lancaster University Management School

Dr Noel Cass, DEMAND Centre (Dynamics of Energy, Mobility and Demand), FASS

Abstract
The non-domestic building sector has been estimated to be responsible for up to 20% of the UK’s GHG emissions. Office buildings are one area where wasteful and unnecessary ‘over-specification’ has long been identified as a potential area for energy efficiency savings and emissions reductions. The principles of low energy design, particularly the need to avoid mechanical heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems where possible, are not a new technical area, and a number of forms of ‘standards’ in the building development sector have been hoped to promote low energy buildings. Despite these varied ‘standards’ being in operation – from planning and building regulations through Energy Performance Certificates and BREAAM sustainability assessments – it still seems that at least in London, buildings with high environmental credentials may be no more energy efficient than average. This seminar reports on research into office buildings built and refurbished in the last 5 years across London, revealing that ‘standards’ that should have put a ceiling on services provision and energy waste may actually have perverse effects – unsurprisingly due to a large extent to the nature of the property market, in which exchange value trumps use value at every turn.

Please let Dermot O’ Reilly (d.oreilly@lancaster.ac.uk) know if you plan to attend.

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