How to prepare for your energy assessment.

The big voices in society are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact our actions are all having. 

As a Sustainability Consultant who is passionate about reducing our collective carbon footprint – one build at a time – this news is music to my ears.

One of the current energy requirements that is continuously developing comes from the GLA (Greater London Authority) and the London Plan. It requires – as detailed in Policy 5.2 – that all major development proposals must submit a detailed energy assessment.

Planning applications are encouraged to use updated (SAP 10) carbon emission factors to adequately assess the anticipated carbon performance of their development. This means electrical heating has become much more feasibile

So, what is an energy assessment?

The primary purpose of an energy assessment is to demonstrate that climate change mitigation measures have been fully integrated into a scheme’s design and evolution, and that they are appropriately designed based on the context of the development.

Essentially, you need to be able to prove that you are adhering to the London Plan energy policies and that your development is conscious of its environmental impact and is designed in a way to minimise this as much as possible.

Why is this important?

The London Plan has a major vision, and sets out an economic, environmental, transport and social framework for development so that this vision can turn into a reality.

As a thriving, busy city, London poses a great deal of challenges; from toxic air, noise pollution, threats to green spaces and the effects of climate change, there is a lot to tackle.

By having a structured energy assessment that all major developments in our capital city need to adhere to, we can lay the paving stones for the rest of the country to follow suit.

Policy 5.2 is continuously evolving. It’s important to stay up to date with its changes.

You can access guidance from the GLA on how to prepare for your energy assessment as an accompaniment to a strategic planning application. You’ll need to demonstrate how your development will match the targets for regulated CO2 emission reduction over and above 2013 Building Regulations.

The most recent updates to the policy also highlight:

• Planning applications are encouraged to use updated (SAP 10) carbon emission factors to adequately assess the anticipated carbon performance of their development.
  The latest CIBSE TM59 overheating guidance should be used for all residential planning applications.
• There are updated information requirements for those proposing to install heat pumps and CHP. This includes clarification on when CHP is appropriate.
• There is now also an appendix containing the current emission limits for heating and energy plant.

Ultimately it all comes down to their three key goals for the London community; to be lean (use less energy), clean (supply energy efficiently) and green (use renewable energy).

Which sounds pretty nifty to us.

We know that navigating these assessments can be confusing; that’s why we’re here to help. Get in touch if you are looking for support on developing your build in the most sustainable way possible.