CB07 (archived) Energy efficiency in refurbishment (2003) (pdf)

This CIBSE Briefing has been archived, and should not be used on current projects.

There is a general consensus in the building services industry that the energy efficiency of the existing building stock could be significantly improved. EU figures suggest that cost-effective savings of around 20% of present energy consumption can be achieved in buildings by 2010. The recently published Energy White Paper has set out ambitious targets for improvements in the energy efficiency of the existing stock, to deliver additional reductions of approximately 8 to 12 MtC by 2020. Achievement of these targets will only be possible by significantly improving energy efficiency during building refurbishment, when there is opportunity to implement a number of measures that are unlikely to be considered during normal operation of the building.

Recent changes to the Building Regulations have already brought a number of refurbishment activities within the scope of the regulations, so that they require building control approval (see CIBSE Briefing 1). The White Paper has announced a further review of the Building Regulations covering energy efficiency, promising more revisions in 2005. The recently adopted EU Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings will require certification of energy consumption in all publicly accessible buildings and upgrading of the energy efficiency of buildings over 1000 m2 when they are refurbished (see CIBSE Briefing 6). For all these reasons the energy efficiency of refurbishment schemes will be of increasing importance to services engineers and their clients.

Refurbishment provides excellent opportunities for improving energy efficiency, although it can sometimes increase energy consumption where services are enhanced, e.g. by the introduction of air conditioning. Major refurbishment will involve a significant amount of design. For guidance on the energy efficiency aspects of design see sections 2 to 13 of CIBSE Guide F: Energy efficiency in buildings. Action Energy also provides guidance, which is listed below in the ‘Where can I find out more’ section. Minor refurbishment may also present opportunities for introducing specific energy saving measures.