scholarly journals How can UK Housing Projects be Brought in Line With Net-Zero Carbon Emission Targets?

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ljubomir Jankovic ◽  
Purvesh Bharadwaj ◽  
Silvio Carta
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Simulation ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Simulation Modelling ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Zero Carbon ◽  
Carbon Performance

Numerous local authorities are committed to constructing buildings to net-zero carbon emissions performance, and have declared carbon emergency, striving to reach carbon neutrality well before 2050. However, buildings in the UK are currently being designed and constructed to current building regulations which do not require net-zero performance, and these buildings will last well beyond 2050. This paper presents a case study of a housing development in Hertfordshire, UK, where a structured approach for achieving net-zero carbon performance homes was developed. The methodology was based on dynamic simulation modelling to design buildings which achieve net-zero operational emissions, and an industry standard inventory of carbon and energy database was used to evaluate embodied emissions in building materials. The approach comprised of developing dynamic simulation models to investigate the improvement in energy performance of the development through fabric-first approach, focusing on building envelope design prior to introducing renewable energy systems, in order to achieve operational net-zero carbon performance. Carbon emissions (operational and embodied) were investigated to assess the appropriateness of the deployed strategies. Dynamic simulation results combined with embodied emissions analysis illustrated that, by combining embodied and operational emissions, a net-zero carbon performance would be achievable by the 2050 target only if alternative building materials based on photosynthetic bio-composites are used. This analysis also highlighted the limitations of conventional retrofit interventions carried out 10 years after the construction as they resulted in increased embodied carbon emissions, thus lengthening the time period well beyond the 2050 target for achieving net-zero carbon performance. As the use of conventional materials appeared to delay the achievement of net-zero emissions by several decades, the only way to achieve net-zero targets before 2050 is to design new buildings to be carbon negative from the operational point of view and to use photosynthetic materials for their construction.

Net zero carbon: Energy performance targets for offices

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-369
Author(s):  
Robert Cohen ◽  
Karl Desai ◽  
Jennifer Elias ◽  
Richard Twinn
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Minimum Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Consultation Process ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Extensive Consultation ◽  
Operational Energy ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
Zero Carbon ◽  
The Uk

The UKGBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework was published in April 2019 following an industry task group and extensive consultation process. The framework acts as guidance for achieving net zero carbon for operational energy and construction emissions, with a whole life carbon approach to be developed in the future. In consultation with industry, further detail and stricter requirements are being developed over time. In October 2019, proposals were set out for industry consultation on minimum energy efficiency targets for new and existing commercial office buildings seeking to achieve net zero carbon status for operational energy today, based on the performance levels that all buildings will be required to achieve by 2050. This was complemented by modelling work undertaken by the LETI network looking into net zero carbon requirements for new buildings. In January 2020 UKGBC published its guidance on the levels of energy performance that offices should target to achieve net zero and a trajectory for getting there by 2035. This paper describes the methodology behind and industry perspectives on UKGBC’s proposals which aim to predict the reduction in building energy intensity required if the UK’s economy is to be fully-powered by zero carbon energy in 2050. Practical application: Many developers and investors seeking to procure new commercial offices or undertake major refurbishments of existing offices are engaging with the ‘net zero carbon’ agenda, now intrinsic to the legislative framework for economic activity in the UK. A UKGBC initiative effectively filled a vacuum by defining a set of requirements including energy efficiency thresholds for commercial offices in the UK to be considered ‘net zero carbon’. This paper provides all stakeholders with a detailed justification for the level of these thresholds and what might be done to achieve them. A worked example details one possible solution for a new office.

A qualitative assessment of the impact of smart homes and environmentally beneficial technologies on the UK 2050 net-zero carbon emission target

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghasson Shabha ◽  
Francesca Barber ◽  
Paul Laycock
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Smart Home ◽  
Smart Homes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Zero Carbon ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Home Technology ◽  
Smart Home Technology

PurposeThere are 29 million homes in the UK, accounting for 14% of the UK's energy consumption. This is given that UK has one of the highest water and energy demands in Europe which needs to be addressed according to the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). Smart homes technology holds a current perception that it is principally used by “tech-savvy” users with larger budgets. However, smart home technology can be used to control water, heat and energy in the entire house. This paper investigates how smart home technology could be effectively utilised to aid the UK government in meeting climate change targets and to mitigate the environmental impact of a home in use towards reducing carbon emissions.Design/methodology/approachBoth primary and secondary data were sought to gain insight into the research problem. An epistemological approach to this research is to use interpretivism to analyse data gathered via a semi-structured survey. Two groups of participants were approached: (1) professionals who are deemed knowledgeable about smart home development and implementation and (2) users of smart home technology. A variety of open-ended questions were formulated, allowing participants to elaborate by exploring issues and providing detailed qualitative responses based on their experience in this area which were interpreted quantitatively for clearer analysis.FindingsWith fossil fuel reserves depleting, there is an urgency for renewable, low carbon energy sources to reduce the 5 tonnes annual carbon emissions from a UK household. This requires a multi-faceted and a multimethod approach, relying on the involvement of both the general public and the government in order to be effective. By advancing energy grids to make them more efficient and reliable, concomitant necessitates a drastic change in the way of life and philosophy of homeowners when contemplating a reduction of carbon emissions. If both parties are able to do so, the UK is more likely to reach its 2050 net-zero carbon goal. The presence of a smart meter within the household is equally pivotal. It has a positive effect of reducing the amount of carbon emissions and hence more need to be installed.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research is needed using a larger study sample to achieve more accurate and acceptable generalisations about any future course of action. Further investigation on the specifics of smart technology within the UK household is also needed to reduce the energy consumption in order to meet net-zero carbon 2050 targets due to failures of legislation.Practical implicationsFor smart homes manufacturers and suppliers, more emphasis should be placed to enhance compatibility and interoperability of appliances and devices using different platform and creating more user's friendly manuals supported by step-by-step visual to support homeowners in the light of the wealth of knowledge base generated over the past few years. For homeowners, more emphasis should be placed on creating online knowledge management platform easily accessible which provide virtual support and technical advice to home owners to deal with any operational and technical issues or IT glitches. Developing technical design online platform for built environment professionals on incorporating smart sensors and environmentally beneficial technology during early design and construction stages towards achieving low to zero carbon homes.Originality/valueThis paper bridges a significant gap in the body of knowledge in term of its scope, theoretical validity and practical applicability, highlighting the impact of using smart home technology on the environment. It provides an insight into how the UK government could utilise smart home technology in order to reduce its carbon emission by identifying the potential link between using smart home technology and environmental sustainability in tackling and mitigating climate change. The findings can be applied to other building types and has the potential to employ aspects of smart home technology in order to manage energy and water usage including but not limited to healthcare, commercial and industrial buildings.

Aqueous phase conversion of CO2 into acetic acid over thermally transformed MIL-88B

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waqar Ahmad ◽  
Paramita Koley ◽  
Swarit Dwivedi ◽  
Abhijit Shrotri ◽  
Akshat Tanksale
Keyword(s):  
Acetic Acid ◽  
Aqueous Phase ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Active Sites ◽  
Catalyst Recycling ◽  
Efficient Catalyst ◽  
Co Catalyst ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Zero Carbon

Abstract Sustainable production of acetic acid (AA) is a high priority due to its high global manufacturing capacity and numerous applications. Currently it is predominantly synthesized via carbonylation of methanol, in which both the reactants are fossil-derived. CO2 transformation into AA is highly desirable to achieve net zero carbon emissions, but significant challenges remain to achieve this efficiently. Herein, we report a heterogeneous catalyst, thermally transformed MIL-88B with Fe0 and Fe3O4 dual active sites, for highly selective AA formation via methanol hydrocarboxylation. This efficient catalyst showed high AA yield (590.1 mmol/gcat.L) with 81.7% selectivity at 150°C in aqueous phase using LiI as a co-catalyst. The reaction is believed to proceed via formic acid intermediate. No significant difference in AA yield and selectivity was noticed during catalyst recycling study up to five cycles. This work scalable and industrially relevant for CO2 utilisation to reduce carbon emissions, especially if green methanol and green hydrogen are used.

scholarly journals Energy performance of single family houses in Serbia: Analysis of calculation procedures

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (Suppl. 5) ◽  
pp. 1695-1705
Author(s):  
Dimitrije Manic ◽  
Mirko Komatina ◽  
Biljana Vucicevic ◽  
Marina Jovanovic
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Dynamic Simulation ◽  
Simulation Method ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Existing Buildings ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Steady State Method

Energy certification of buildings in Serbia was introduced in 2011 and energy label depends on energy need for heating per unit floor area of heated space, calculated by the fully prescribed monthly quasi-steady-state method defined by ISO 13790. In the Republic of Serbia, most of families live in single-family houses built before the energy certification of buildings was introduced. Therefore, the estimation of energy performance of the existing buildings is important for labeling, and evaluation of energy saving measures and energy strategies to be implemented. This paper examines the applicability of monthly method defined by National legislation on the existing buildings stock in Serbia, by comparing it to the more accurate dynamic simulation method. Typical single-family houses are taken as a test case, since they are responsible for about 76% of energy consumption for heating. The results show that the dynamic simulation method estimates 21% to 54% higher energy need for heating, compared to the monthly method. Also, the monthly method estimates up to 13% higher savings by typical building envelope energy saving measures, compared to the dynamic simulation. This paper recommends improvement in procedures for calculation of building energy performance index to better assess energy consumption, effects of energy saving measures, and create solid background for developing and implementing of energy saving strategies.

A New Metric for Net-Zero Carbon Buildings

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siir Kilkis
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Global Sustainability ◽  
Zero Energy Building ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero Energy Building ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Zero Carbon

In this study a new carbon equivalency metric was developed in order to quantify the compound carbon emissions that buildings are responsible in the built environment. This metric first analyses the rationale about the management of exergy balance among supply and demand involved in satisfying building power and energy loads. Then using the degree of the rationale found, direct carbon emissions from the building and avoidable secondary carbon emissions that the building is responsible due to exergy mismatches are calculated. Based on this metric a net-zero carbon building definition was introduced and its advantages for quantifying the actual impact of buildings on global sustainability were discussed in comparison to net-zero energy building and carbon neutral building concepts. A case study for an example net-zero energy building is presented, which reveals that the new carbon equivalency metric can indicate whether the building is actually environmentally neutral or not. Results show that the example building has negative impact on environment and global sustainability in terms of carbon emissions even though it is rated a net-zero building. This paper also discusses that although another new net-zero exergy building definition may reduce the shortcomings of the net-zero building definition, only the net-zero carbon building metric may accurately rate the environmental impact of buildings. Beyond carbon emissions from buildings, the same metric can be used for any variety of greenhouse emissions and sectors.

scholarly journals Lowering the Carbon Emissions Peak and Accelerating the Transition Towards Net Zero Carbon

2021 ◽  
pp. 2150013
Author(s):  
PAN Jiahua
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Quality Development ◽  
Ecological Civilization ◽  
High Quality ◽  
New Era ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Climate Resilience ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Zero Carbon

China’s declaration to the international community to peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060 is of great significance in advancing the objectives of the Paris Agreement, and has a positive and far-reaching impact on China’s high-quality development. This paper expounds on responsibilities and ambitions in tackling climate change, analyzes the high-quality development opportunities brought about by CO2 emissions peak and carbon neutrality, and discusses the net zero carbon emissions transformation in the new era of ecological civilization. This paper is of the view that development towards net zero carbon emissions provides a new impetus for building a Beautiful China, and promoting ecological civilization and green development. The essence of carbon neutrality should be correctly understood so that the world will work together to improve climate resilience. China should also deepen the understanding of the principles and methodologies of climate change economics.

scholarly journals Facade Design Process to Establish and Achieve Net Zero Carbon Building Targets

2021 ◽  
Vol 2069 (1) ◽  
pp. 012199
Author(s):  
Andrea Zani ◽  
Oluwateniola Ladipo ◽  
Antonio D’Aquilio ◽  
Carmelo Guido Galante ◽  
Matthew Tee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Operational Energy ◽  
Zero Carbon ◽  
Life Options ◽  
Energy Codes

Abstract As more stringent building energy codes and sustainability certification goals have become more prevalent in recent years, a focus for many building designers has been reducing the operational energy with the objective of reaching net-zero energy targets. More recently, as the efficiency in operational energy use has increased significantly, the focus is moving towards the environmental impact of building materials, primarily reflected in the embodied energy and emissions, and the potential (re)life options that allow circular material flows and reduced global warming potential. This paper investigates a methodology applied during early and advanced design development phases to assess and compare different façade typology carbon emissions. Embodied carbon is evaluated through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis, and operational carbon is analysed during the service life of the office building through energy simulation. Results show that overall carbon assessment of different facade solution can provide useful design feedback in the decision-making process.

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