Fully decarbonising the electricity system by 2035 is central to delivering Net Zero in the UK. With buildings responsible for over 60% of the UK’s national electricity demand, the built environment industry has a critical role to play in achieving this target, and the way electricity is procured for our buildings can accelerate our transition to a reliable, resilient, and zero carbon grid.  

This guidance from UKGBC on Renewable Energy Procurement seeks to empower stakeholders tasked with procuring energy in the built environment to do so in a way that enables them to realise their climate ambition, while supporting the continued decarbonisation of the electricity supply sector. Across a suite of guidance documents, UKGBC’s series of reports gives industry the tools to make more informed procurement decisions.

Download the Summary Report

All Reports

Summary Report

The summary report brings together the key conclusions, guidance, and recommendations from the other reports. It gives an overview of the information to help users identify which documents will be most useful and relevant for them.

Download Now

Report 1 – What stakeholders need to do

Report 1 outlines what stakeholders need to do, providing both general recommendations to secure procurement that aligns with the principles for quality renewable electricity procurement. It also identifies actions different consumer types can take today and in future to help support the market evolution needed to enable the electricity system’s decarbonisation.

Download Now

Report 2 – Options available in market

There are many routes through which built environment stakeholders can procure their electricity. The accessibility of these routes to different consumers varies substantially, and each contributes differently to decarbonising the grid. Report 2 summarises the various procurement routes available in the market and the factors that may affect a built environment stakeholder’s ability to engage in them. It also describes the range of Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) variants available and introduces relevant guidance when considering a direct contract with a renewable generator.

Download Now

Report 3 – Determining the performance of your electricity strategy

Report 3 introduces tools for engaging energy suppliers to enable better assessment of the options available in the market. It also defines a methodology for scoring the performance of a building’s electricity strategy, including procurement as well as onsite generation and demand management. This enables all stakeholders to benchmark their current strategy, assess prospective strategies, and understand the incremental changes they can make to secure procurement and manage their buildings in a way that accelerates our transition to a resilient, decarbonised electricity system.

Download Now

Report 4 – Rationale behind the guidance

Report 4 outlines why decarbonising the electricity system is critical in delivering against our national Net Zero target, and explores the challenges in doing so as we move to electrify heat and transport and transition from fossil fuels to intermittent renewable power. It summarises the energy markets, the principles of good quality procurement that can help drive this transition, and the evolution in approaches to energy management and the energy products being offered that are required to enable a resilient, decarbonised electricity grid. It describes the sources of emissions that result from the consumption of electricity and covers approaches to account for these emissions.

Download Now

Advancing Net Zero Partners

Our climate change mitigation work is made possible thanks to the generous support of our Advancing Net Zero Programme Partners

Project partners

With thanks to our Embodied Carbon Project Partners who make this work possible.

The post Renewable Energy Procurement Part 2 appeared first on UKGBC.

Fully decarbonising the electricity system by 2035 is central to delivering Net Zero in the UK.[1] With buildings responsible for over 60% of the UK’s national electricity demand[2], the built environment industry has a critical role to play in achieving this target, and the way electricity is procured for our buildings can accelerate our transition to a reliable, resilient, and zero carbon grid.

Launched today, new guidance from UKGBC on Renewable Energy Procurement seeks to empower stakeholders tasked with procuring energy in the built environment to do so in a way that enables them to realise their climate ambition, while supporting the continued decarbonisation of the electricity supply sector. Across a suite of guidance documents, UKGBC’s new series of reports gives industry the tools to make more informed procurement decisions. Key aspects within the guidance include:

• Three principles for good quality renewable electricity procurement – Renewable, Additionality and Time-matched – along with actions to meet these principles. The best electricity procurement approaches will seek to maximise the extent to which they respond to these three principles.
• A toolkit to better engage with your energy supplier and source the information needed to compare the procurement routes available to you in the market.
• A rating system for assessing the performance of a building or organisation’s overall electricity strategy, including electricity procured from off site, as well as any onsite generation, demand management, and storage.
• A summary of procurement routes available in the market, with more detailed information on many of the Power Purchase Agreement variants, as well as some of the factors that may affect an organisation’s ability to engage with certain procurement options.

The guidance highlights the urgent need for greater collaboration between customers and their energy suppliers, as well as for more transparency and better-quality information from suppliers about their products, to enable customers to make informed decisions about how and where they source their electricity. UKGBC also outlines why market evolution is needed to incentivise building owners to operate their assets with greater flexibility, to minimise operational emissions whilst supporting a grid increasingly powered by intermittent wind and solar.

Ultimately, the guidance provides the tools stakeholders need to effectively navigate the electricity procurement landscape and ensure the way they buy their power meaningfully supports the essential decarbonisation needed from our energy supply sector.

UKGBC’s Head of Climate Action, Yetunde Abdul said:

Decarbonising the electricity system is a top priority for achieving Net Zero. Critical to enabling this, is understanding the active role our buildings and the way we procure energy must play. However, distinguishing the high-quality products that are supporting the energy system’s transition from the other ‘green’ offerings in the market is currently challenging.

Our guidance provides industry with the much-needed tools to better understand their procurement options, benchmark the performance of their building’s electricity strategy, and effectively engage with energy suppliers to make more informed decisions. We strongly believe the collective voice of built environment stakeholders demanding more from their energy suppliers will be a powerful mechanism for driving change in the energy procurement sector and improve the product offering for the entire industry.

CBRE’s Associate Director – Renewable Energy, Rebekah Needham said:

This fantastic new guidance brings long-needed clarity and transparency to the electricity market and CBRE is pleased to have supported this important work. Moving towards a decarbonised electricity system and the procurement of renewable energy is a collective responsibility, since the procurement decisions made by one party – such as a landlord or occupier – can directly impact the decarbonisation progress made by the other. All those within real estate must be aligned and working towards the same net zero goal if we are to guarantee a successful transition.”

This guidance is primarily intended to support those procuring energy on behalf of businesses or commercial buildings, rather than domestic customers (i.e., corporate procurement). It can also be applicable to anyone involved in the design, delivery, or operation of a building and will be useful for energy systems designers, renewable energy generators, and energy brokers/suppliers.

This project forms part of UKGBC’s Advancing Net Zero Programme, which has been made possible this year thanks to the generous support of our Programme Partners: BAM Construct UK, Berkeley Group, Buro Happold, CBRE, Grosvenor Property UK, Hoare Lea, ISG, JLL, Lloyds Bank, ROCKWOOL UK, Turner & Townsend, and Project Partners: Ampersand, Landsec, Low Carbon Alliance, Macfarlanes and Stanhope.

[1] Climate Change Committee (2023), Delivering a reliable decarbonised power system. Available here: https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/delivering-a-reliable-decarbonised-power-system/

[2] National Grid ESO’s Future Energy Scenarios 2022

The post Energy procurement is a critical factor in achieving Net Zero in the UK appeared first on UKGBC.

As the Net Zero Solutions Forum takes continues to take shape throughout 2023, it will have four topics as its focus: Organisational Commitments (Race to Zero, World GBC etc), Retrofit, Finance + Value, and Whole Life Carbon implementation.

Forum meetings take place roughly every six weeks, alternating between in-person and online events. In line with our ambition to create a national UKGBC network, our in-person meetings will rotate around several locations:

• • 13th September, Manchester

• • 18th October, Online

• • 6th December, London

 

2024 dates coming soon

Each event, both online and in-person, will follow the same base structure:

1. Opening presentation and group discussion

• A UKGBC member has the opportunity to bring forward either a successful implemented solution or a challenge that they’d like to work on with the forum.
• 30 minutes to present, go into depth, and have a group wide discussion.

2. Breakout groups for the four main topics

• The forum then splits into five groups, one for the four main topics (Commitments, Retrofit, Finance, and WLC implementation), and a “free-for-all” space where members can bring items that don’t fit into the other four.
• Each group will have a UKGBC member as Chair, who can facilitate and support the consistency of conversation across multiple forum meetings.

3. Reconvene as an overall group to overview and discuss any topics to work on before the next forum meeting.

The forum is founded on the following broad principles:

• Solutions focused: the forum should actively create, promote, and share solutions to delivering net zero carbon buildings at scale.
• Peer-to-peer learning: the forum should encourage the sharing of strategies to help deliver net zero, including organisational net zero commitments.
• Advocate: the forum should use its collective strength to demonstrate leadership on net zero in the construction and property sector

For more information please email alex.benstead@ukgbc.org or emily.dodkin@ukgbc.org

Advancing Net Zero Partners

Our climate change mitigation work is made possible thanks to the generous support of our Advancing Net Zero Programme Partners

The post Net Zero Solutions Forum – London appeared first on UKGBC.

As the Net Zero Solutions Forum takes continues to take shape throughout 2023, it will have four topics as its focus: Organisational Commitments (Race to Zero, World GBC etc), Retrofit, Finance + Value, and Whole Life Carbon implementation.

Forum meetings take place roughly every six weeks, alternating between in-person and online events. In line with our ambition to create a national UKGBC network, our in-person meetings will rotate around several locations:

• • 13th September, Manchester

• • 18th October, Online

• • 6th December, London

 

2024 dates coming soon

Each event, both online and in-person, will follow the same base structure:

1. Opening presentation and group discussion

• A UKGBC member has the opportunity to bring forward either a successful implemented solution or a challenge that they’d like to work on with the forum.
• 30 minutes to present, go into depth, and have a group wide discussion.

2. Breakout groups for the four main topics

• The forum then splits into five groups, one for the four main topics (Commitments, Retrofit, Finance, and WLC implementation), and a “free-for-all” space where members can bring items that don’t fit into the other four.
• Each group will have a UKGBC member as Chair, who can facilitate and support the consistency of conversation across multiple forum meetings.

3. Reconvene as an overall group to overview and discuss any topics to work on before the next forum meeting.

The forum is founded on the following broad principles:

• Solutions focused: the forum should actively create, promote, and share solutions to delivering net zero carbon buildings at scale.
• Peer-to-peer learning: the forum should encourage the sharing of strategies to help deliver net zero, including organisational net zero commitments.
• Advocate: the forum should use its collective strength to demonstrate leadership on net zero in the construction and property sector

For more information please email alex.benstead@ukgbc.org or emily.dodkin@ukgbc.org

Advancing Net Zero Partners

Our climate change mitigation work is made possible thanks to the generous support of our Advancing Net Zero Programme Partners

The post Net Zero Solutions Forum – Online appeared first on UKGBC.

As the Net Zero Solutions Forum takes continues to take shape throughout 2023, it will have four topics as its focus: Organisational Commitments (Race to Zero, World GBC etc), Retrofit, Finance + Value, and Whole Life Carbon implementation.

Forum meetings take place roughly every six weeks, alternating between in-person and online events. In line with our ambition to create a national UKGBC network, our in-person meetings will rotate around several locations:

• • 13th September, Manchester

• • 18th October, Online

• • 6th December, London

 

2024 dates coming soon

Each event, both online and in-person, will follow the same base structure:

1. Opening presentation and group discussion

• A UKGBC member has the opportunity to bring forward either a successful implemented solution or a challenge that they’d like to work on with the forum.
• 30 minutes to present, go into depth, and have a group wide discussion.

2. Breakout groups for the four main topics

• The forum then splits into five groups, one for the four main topics (Commitments, Retrofit, Finance, and WLC implementation), and a “free-for-all” space where members can bring items that don’t fit into the other four.
• Each group will have a UKGBC member as Chair, who can facilitate and support the consistency of conversation across multiple forum meetings.

3. Reconvene as an overall group to overview and discuss any topics to work on before the next forum meeting.

The forum is founded on the following broad principles:

• Solutions focused: the forum should actively create, promote, and share solutions to delivering net zero carbon buildings at scale.
• Peer-to-peer learning: the forum should encourage the sharing of strategies to help deliver net zero, including organisational net zero commitments.
• Advocate: the forum should use its collective strength to demonstrate leadership on net zero in the construction and property sector

For more information please email alex.benstead@ukgbc.org or emily.dodkin@ukgbc.org

Advancing Net Zero Partners

Our climate change mitigation work is made possible thanks to the generous support of our Advancing Net Zero Programme Partners

The post Net Zero Solutions Forum – Online appeared first on UKGBC.

UKGBC’s Advancing Net Zero (ANZ) programme has a mission to lead the UK’s transition to a net zero built environment. Now in its sixth year, and with many achievements behind it including the Net Zero Carbon Framework Definition, the precursor to and catalyst for developing the forthcoming UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings standard.

 

UKGBC is hosting a showcase event for built environment professionals to learn more about our latest work. With a focus on how far we have come in meeting the challenge, we will also be diving into what comes next for our industry and how we continue to collaborate and innovate together to ensure the UK meets our 2050 net zero target.

This event will showcase this year’s projects and activities including:

Retrofit (Domestic)

Retrofit (Non-domestic)

Embodied Carbon Measurement and Reporting

Renewable Energy Procurement

Carbon Offsetting

System Enablers for a Circular Economy

The latest innovations in the Net Zero space

Spaces are limited, so please sign up as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. We look forward to seeing you there. As a member benefit, we are offering UKGBC members a chance to book first and will release non-member tickets closer to the date. Please note, there will be a fee for registered participants that do not attend.

Advancing Net Zero Partners

Our climate change mitigation work is made possible thanks to the generous support of our Advancing Net Zero Programme Partners

The post Advancing Net Zero Showcase – London appeared first on UKGBC.

UKGBC’s Advancing Net Zero (ANZ) programme has a mission to lead the UK’s transition to a net zero built environment. Now in its sixth year, and with many achievements behind it including the Net Zero Carbon Framework Definition, the precursor to and catalyst for developing the forthcoming UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings standard.

 

UKGBC is hosting a showcase event for built environment professionals to learn more about our latest work. With a focus on how far we have come in meeting the challenge, we will also be diving into what comes next for our industry and how we continue to collaborate and innovate together to ensure the UK meets our 2050 net zero target.

This event will showcase this year’s projects and activities including:

Retrofit (Domestic)

Retrofit (Non-domestic)

Embodied Carbon Measurement and Reporting

Renewable Energy Procurement

Carbon Offsetting

System Enablers for a Circular Economy

The latest innovations in the Net Zero space

Spaces are limited, so please sign up as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. We look forward to seeing you there. As a member benefit, we are offering UKGBC members a chance to book first and will release non-member tickets closer to the date. Please note, there will be a fee for registered participants that do not attend.

Advancing Net Zero Partners

Our climate change mitigation work is made possible thanks to the generous support of our Advancing Net Zero Programme Partners

The post Advancing Net Zero Showcase – Leeds appeared first on UKGBC.

UKGBC’s Biodiversity and Environmental Net Gain Project has developed a suite of resources and information to enable industry professionals to meet and exceed the minimum standards set out in this legislation and ensure the BNG/ENG strategies that are being used on sites align with the Government Policy changes to support long-term authentic net positive change.

At this in person event, UKGBC and programme partners will showcase the project’s achievements and detail all resources and their intended use. We will also hear from our panel of project experts with a Q&A and interactive activity, followed by networking.

Why attend?

• Better understand Biodiversity Net Gain requirements and what it means for your organisation and projects
• Develop knowledge and confidence to take practical action on Biodiversity Net Gain implementation
• Connect with built environment peers

Who should attend?

This event is open to UKGBC members only. For more information on the benefits of membership, please see this page.

Biodiversity and Environmental Net Gain Project Partners

Our work on Biodiversity Net Gain and Environmental Gain is generously supported by the following organisations.

The post Biodiversity and Environmental Net Gain Showcase appeared first on UKGBC.

Simon brings cross-sector leadership experience to the Hub’s goals of creating retrofit infrastructure and developing the UK’s marketplace while representing UKGBC at the heart of our shared mission to upgrade homes across the UK.  

Reflecting on his appointment, Simon said: 

“UKGBC’s members and partners know that retrofitting our homes at scale and speed is absolutely critical to delivering on our net zero future while permanently slashing bills and stimulating the UK’s green economy. The National Retrofit Hub will fill a longstanding missing piece of the puzzle of solving our national housing retrofit crisis. 

“From the heart of this crucial national endeavour, I’m looking forward to championing what UKGBC members want and need from the Hub and helping to unlock the full-speed action on retrofit that is so urgently needed across the UK.”

Lynne Sullivan, Chair of the National Retrofit Hub Board, shared her thoughts on this development:  

Simon’s active engagement across the industry mirrors the collaborative ethos that defines our mission at the Hub.  This appointment comes at an instrumental time as we are rapidly building progress at the Hub; our working group activity is in full swing with our first outputs due in the Autumn, a new website and branding will soon to be unveiled, and we have a growing group of partners and sponsors. We are actively seeking to consolidate expertise across all retrofit sectors within our board, to ensure we cover all areas that require focus.  

Drawing from Simon’s experience within groups like the Scottish Government’s Green Heat Finance Task Force, the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Future Homes Taskforce and the UK government’s Energy Efficiency Task Force will help us to ensure that we consider the conditions needed to scale retrofit from the many different local contexts that exist throughout the length and breadth of the UK. This appointment will also help us make stronger connections with the work of the UKGBC, where Simon plays a leading role. We look forward to sharing where we have got to so far with Simon and gaining his advice and guidance on the routes forward.” 

More information about the National Retrofit Hub is available here.  

Home Retrofit

With time running out to keep global temperatures to 1.5 degrees, upgrading the nation’s homes is one of the biggest opportunities the UK has to reduce carbon emissions whilst tackling the cost-of-living crisis, energy security and levelling up.

View more

The post Simon McWhirter joins National Retrofit Hub as Board member  appeared first on UKGBC.

What is a carbon handprint and how does it differ from a carbon footprint?

Simply put, a carbon handprint measures the positive impact of a product on the environment, while a carbon footprint measures the negative impact (absolute greenhouse gas emissions) of a product on the environment.

Simply put, a carbon handprint measures the positive impact of a product on the environment, while a carbon footprint measures the negative impact (absolute greenhouse gas emissions) of a product on the environment.

You might think that a carbon handprint is just “the opposite” of a carbon footprint, but their distinction is a bit more complex. One of the core differences is that a carbon footprint focuses on the absolute emissions associated with an organisation’s product or activity, whereas a carbon handprint refers to the positive impact (emission reductions) that said organisation’s product has on the carbon footprint of others.

VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland, defines both handprint and carbon handprint separately:

“A handprint refers to the beneficial environmental impacts that organisations can achieve and communicate by offering products and services that reduce the footprints of others.”

“A carbon handprint is the reduction of the carbon footprint of others.”

It’s also important to note that a carbon handprint is not an absolute value and cannot be directly evaluated against a carbon footprint. A carbon handprint is a relative value measured by comparing the impact of the baseline product to that of a new alternative, i.e. the emissions resulting from the current product or system compared to a different one. Such a comparison tells us how much better one product or service can be for the climate over another.

Why focus on carbon handprint?

Understanding your carbon handprint offers you a different perspective on the environmental impact of your company. For example, while it’s true that electronics manufacturers rely on a complex, resource-intensive supply chain to create their products, it’s also true that many of these companies are creating truly impactful solutions that contribute to sustainable development.

In the case of some industries, understanding the carbon handprint of an offering can provide the company with an additional focus area in its sustainability strategy. Ultimately, measuring carbon handprint can help to answer the question of “How is my company helping society to meet climate targets?”.

The most practical way to improve your carbon handprint is to invest in solutions that improve (energy) efficiency or reduce reliance on unsustainable practices, or, in other words, solutions that can help your end customer to reduce their carbon footprint.

Companies can also consider engaging in educational campaigns to boost the awareness and adoption of such solutions among their stakeholders, which could impact the carbon handprint of said company as well as the overall industry.

Raising awareness of the concept of a carbon handprint in general could also be highly beneficial in reaching wider climate goals. With a keener understanding of the concept, companies could better compare and assign resources to maximise their positive impact. Collaboration with other organisations, NGOs, and local communities, for example, could be a great avenue for sharing the message.

What does carbon handprint mean for Helvar?

Helvar are a UKGBC member who provide intelligent lighting solutions for customers around the world. In the smart building industry, lighting solutions can have a strong carbon handprint by improving the overall energy efficiency of a building. In fact, by combining ultra-efficient lighting components, intelligent controls and a digital services platform into an interconnected ‘end-to-end’ solution, Helvar is in a unique position to impact on the sustainability of buildings around the world.

As an example of the impact of lighting controls, we can look to Helvar’s solution for the Allander Leisure Centre in Bearsden, Scotland. Helvar’s intelligent lighting management system provided control over all lighting within the facility, ensuring efficient operation and significant energy conservation. Because the system can now adjust the lighting based on real-time occupancy and available natural light, massive savings are achieved compared to a traditional “on-off” lighting system which operates at a fixed output level. “Helvar’s solutions perfectly aligned with the project’s requirements for creating adaptable lighting environments while maximising energy efficiency” explained Raymund McGrath, Regional Manager, Helvar. 

For the end user, intelligent lighting controls vastly reduce the amount of energy that is wasted and thus their Scope 2 emissions. In other words, by implementing intelligent solutions and reducing their customers’ energy consumption and resulting carbon footprint, Helvar positively impacts the environment through a growing carbon handprint. As such, Helvar’s carbon handprint is truly a core part of the company!

Calculating carbon handprint

In practice, there is no standardised way to calculate a carbon handprint. In Helvar’s case, to evaluate their carbon handprint in the form of saved electricity, they analysed the annual sales of their dimmable drivers and sensors and the corresponding yearly energy savings at the locations where they are utilised.

It’s good to note that the main energy production methods can vary between specific countries or even regions, which can impact both foot- and handprint calculations.

In the case of the United Kingdom, where nearly 40% of energy is generated from fossil fuels, the carbon handprint of any one solution may be higher than say in Finland, where a considerable portion of the energy comes from renewable or nuclear sources. As an example, a study in Finland found that a luminaire’s carbon handprint in the use stage is 5 times greater than its footprint from the manufacturing stage, when it is equipped with a dimmable driver and uses proper lighting controls. Using these calculations it can be concluded that in the UK, because of a different energy mix, the same solution would provide a handprint that is 8 times greater than its footprint.

Conclusion

Although novel and lacking standardisation when it comes to its measurement, the concept of a carbon handprint can be a critically important factor for prioritisation in R&D and solution portfolios, helping companies to focus on opportunities where they can create the biggest positive impact on the planet (while continuing to improve their own operations).

Helvar are a UKGBC member who create intelligent and energy-saving lighting solutions. Learn more about what it means to be a UKGBC member here.

Climate Commitments

Our UKGBC members are on a journey to achieving net zero, reducing their greenhouse emissions in the face of the climate crisis. Our members have made a climate commitment, what is yours?

View more

The post What’s a carbon handprint? Understanding your organisation’s positive impact appeared first on UKGBC.