The UK government’s Net Zero goal outlines how the nation will unleash £90 billion of funding to reach “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050. At Eden Facades, we believe our company and our sector have a major role to play in this positive change.
Net Zero 2050: Our sector’s contribution.
The plan, which expands the government’s ten-point strategy, spells out the assistance provided to companies and consumers as they shift to green power and intelligent technologies. The government will also help cut the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels and switch to low-carbon travel such as electric cars.
Background.
What is the Ten-Point Plan?
The government’s ten-point plan, launched in November 2020, details its main focus areas for positive environmental change. The roadmap highlights areas of potential to cut greenhouse gas levels, generate new jobs and at the same time stimulate economic development.
The goals involve boosting the country’s renewable power capacity; investing in new solutions such as hydrogen, carbon capture and storage and nuclear energy fusion; transitioning the economy and transport from fossil fuel use, and enhancing the energy performance of buildings.
The plan focuses on the following areas:
- Advancing offshore wind.
- Driving the growth of low carbon hydrogen.
- Delivering new and advanced nuclear power.
- Accelerating the shift to zero-emission vehicles.
- Green public transport, cycling and walking.
- ‘Jet zero’ and green ships.
- Greener buildings.
- Investing in carbon capture.
- Protecting our natural environment.
- Green finance and innovation.
The ten-point roadmap will leverage £12 billion of public funding and possibly get three times that figure from the corporate sector whilst generating and sustaining up to 250,000 jobs in the green economy.
What is CO2nstructZero?
CO2nstructZero is the building sector’s contribution to the ten-point strategy above. It’s an outline for action written and endorsed by the Construction Leadership Council.
CO2nstructZero lays out nine priorities that constitute an agenda for action on our sector’s part and how to gauge our progress:
In transportation for construction, zero-emission vehicles are envisaged working on low-carbon worksites, which maximises the application of advanced building techniques.
Existing properties should be upgraded to enhance the energy efficiency of current housing stock. The plan also argues for strengthening the capacity of the industry to supply low-carbon heating systems in premises.
In actual building operations, businesses should undertake carbon metering to measure their performance in tackling emissions. The UK should lead the rest of the world in low-carbon building, CO2nstructZero suggests, and should encourage the emergence of pioneering low-carbon materials.
Modern methods of construction
Modern methods of construction (MMC) have a great deal to contribute to the path to net-zero. The building sector is accountable for approximately 40% of the UK’s total carbon emissions.
The only way to turn this figure around is for businesses to begin to innovate and perhaps move more towards MMC in place of traditional methods of construction. How, then, does MMC play a part in meeting sustainability objectives?
It is essential to clarify two net-zero components- embodied and operational carbon. These are very distinct and are impacted by different construction elements, but utilising both will assist in hitting your sustainability goals.
Embodied Carbon
Embodied carbon represents the carbon emissions connected to the construction process and materials throughout its construction. This is a sphere often forgotten when organisations are attempting to make a building zero-emission in operation.
Applying an MMC framework can greatly decrease the embodied carbon of a structure or facility. The production methods generate far less carbon, as 90% of the structure is produced in a different place using fewer workers.
Most of the people working in the construction would live near the site and be more inclined to use ridesharing, walking, bicycling or mass transit to get to their jobs.
There is also much less road transport compared to conventional practices. No lorries are going on and off the yard, and fewer labourers are coming back and forth. For instance, instead of bringing bags of concrete to the site, the modules can be built off-site and delivered in one go.
Most of the refuse produced by MMC is recyclable and is kept out of landfill. The wood is gathered, crushed, and used for energy at a nearby power station.
Plasterboard residues are shipped to a plasterboard recycling company, turning them into usable boards. Cardboard can be pulped for paper manufacturing.
Food scraps from building yards could be brought to an anaerobic digestion unit, where the fumes are drawn off to provide electricity, and the leftover food is used on farmland.
Operational Carbon
Net zero in the operational sense means that the facility’s operating power is zero or less than zero yearly. The operational element consists of the annual volume of energy needed for cooling, lighting and heating.
This aspect of the net-zero equation is considered in the design stages of building construction. MMC and off-site building techniques have the most significant potential to do this right from the outset.
A controlled fabrication approach can provide better quality and meet the specified performance standards of lower thermal transmittance, sound insulation and reduced air leakage with greater certainty.
Now that governments are serious about fulfilling sustainability goals, we argue that it is time to embrace innovative and sustainable building practices.
Looking at just some of the different approaches MMC is using to achieve net zero could truly transform a company’s operations and make sure we are all cooperating in the future to cut the sector’s carbon footprint.
Rainscreen cladding
Rainscreen cladding offers an effective solution for construction today, as a design option that perfectly suits the present tendencies in sustainable building, and if fitted by an experienced installer, long lasting and low maintenance.
Not only does rainscreen cladding assist in insulating structures, but it also produces a lower carbon impact, and the materials it is made from are also environmentally friendly. Aluminium cladding, for instance, can be completely recycled and turned into new products, avoiding unnecessary waste.
The cladding forms an extra layer of air which increases the thermal envelope of the inner building. It shields the primary thermal insulation against deterioration and maintains it as effectively as practicable.
Rainscreen cladding restricts excessive air infiltration, ensuring greater heating efficiency and quicker interior cooling.
As a ventilated cladding, it helps cool the structure in summer and provides greater winter heating control. This efficiency promotes comfort and utility savings, meaning energy bills cut as much as 30-40 per cent.
Looking forward
Net zero by 2050 is the right target, with intermediate energy, transportation and building targets. But think of the implications of these fair but very challenging climate pledges.
The construction industry must participate in this radical transformation towards a cleaner, greener landscape. Indeed, these bold objectives will not be accomplished if the construction sector does not do its duty.
Get in touch to find out more about how we work at Eden Facades.