Raising the bar on retrofit: Supporting sustainability through standards
Climate change and its devastating effects have led to a greater emphasis on energy efficiency in the built environment.
Last June the UK government committed to a new plan for the environment: net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The EU objective is to achieve Near Zero Energy Buildings throughout Europe.
Ensuring homes are energy efficient plays a significant part in this.
Making existing homes more energy efficient is important, but there are many examples of poorly designed and implemented retrofit work that has had unintended consequences, from encouraging mould and condensation to increased fire risk. Some retrofit work has made buildings less sustainable and, in some cases, less energy-efficient, generating more carbon than has been saved.
A more informed and professional approach is therefore necessary.
To read more on the topic of achieving net zero in the built environment, click here.
How Do Standards Support Retrofit Work?
Retrofit standards support those objectives by promoting and defining technically robust and responsible whole-building domestic retrofit work.
PAS 2030:2023 Installation of energy efficiency measures in existing dwellings. Specification and PAS 2035:2023 Retrofitting dwellings for improved energy efficiency. Specification and guidance
Sponsored by the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), PAS 2030 and PAS 2035 on retrofitting dwellings are key documents in a framework of new and existing standards on how to conduct effective energy retrofits of existing buildings.
For organizations conducting energy efficiency work, the PAS 2030 and PAS 2035 standards provides vital guidance on the industry best practices for retrofit of dwellings.
BS 40101 Building performance evaluation of occupied and operational buildings (using data gathered from tests, measurements, observation and user experience). Specification
They say if you can measure it, you can manage it. This is why it’s so important to evaluate the performance of buildings in a systematic and standardized way.
BS 40101 is the standard that provides guidance on the approaches used to evaluate actual building performance, the identification of performance parameters that warrant attention in specific circumstances, and the expertise required of individuals undertaking different degrees of building performance evaluation.
The endgame is that evaluations generate information that can help close the performance gap between the intended and actual performance of buildings.
The benefits of BS 40101 to your retrofit work include:
Make quicker progress towards net-zero
Reduce waste and running costs
Improve the health and well-being of building occupants
Drive improvements in how building fabric and structure perform long-term
Improve the efficiency and expertise of individuals engaged in building performance evaluation
BS 40101 and over 100,000 more internationally recognized standards are available for simple and flexible access with a BSI Knowledge subscription. The flexibility and visibility it provides of the best practice guidance enables you and your team to get the most from standards before, during, and after your retrofitting activities. Request to learn more.
PAS 2030 and PAS 2030: A Deep Dive
PAS 2030 specifies requirements for installing energy efficiency measures in existing homes and residential park homes. It includes requirements on installation processes, process management, and service provision. It also deals with criteria on installation methods, equipment, tools, and product or system and material suitability. It covers how to commission “installed measures”, and the training, skills, and vocational qualifications of the people who do these installations.
Whereas PAS 2035 is the over-arching document in the retrofit standards framework introduced following the recommendations of the Each Home Counts Review. PAS 2035 essentially provides a specification for the energy retrofit of domestic buildings and details best practice guidance for domestic retrofit projects.
To underline, the significant difference is that PAS 2030 is a deep dive into retrofit installations themselves, whereas PAS 2035 takes a more end-to-end look at the assessment, design, and evaluation of domestic retrofits.
What are the Benefits of PAS 2030 & PAS 2035 to Organizations?
Organizations that trade using the government’s Trustmark quality scheme, including commercial contractors, specialist installers, and local builders and tradespeople, will need to comply with the requirements of PAS 2035.
In addition, PAS 2035 should also be used when installers want to work under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) – a scheme where medium and large energy suppliers fund the installation of energy efficiency measures in British households.
But as well, PAS 2035 in tandem with PAS 2030, is designed to be a highly useful and inspiring document. It gives guidance on retrofit building physics, covering building pathology and thermal models and calculation. It gives practical guidance on approaches to retrofit via medium-term improvement plans or at scale. It looks at retrofit coordination, risk management, whole building appraisal, and at retrofit monitoring and evaluation on three levels: basic, intermediate, and advanced.
It also sets out how to advise building occupants about improvement options appropriate to their homes and the efficient and appropriate use and maintenance of their retrofitted homes. It even covers how to feedback lessons learned to all parts of the supply chain, including building occupants.