Achieving Net Zero Carbon in listed buildings within the higher education estate

New building regulations, new pressures from the student body, the malevolence of the energy market, the densification of the estate and the post Covid-19 wave of operational ambiguity - change is rapidly becoming our new constant in the higher education sector writes Henry Mayes.

It’s a question of priorities...

Many higher education (HE) estates include listed buildings. They make a cultural statement about where we have come from, and their historical context is often from a time when ‘coal was king’. However, addressing the climate and ecological emergencies are today’s priorities. Net zero carbon (NZC) retrofitting of listed buildings is necessary to meet carbon targets. Action is required and is possible with a considered and sensitive approach which respects the history of these important buildings.

A recent roundtable discussion of HE estate professionals saw a wide range in target dates for operational NZC ranging from 2030 to 2050. It may be that these target dates were based on Roadmaps to Net Zero, which combine long-term programs of well-designed interventions with Estates Development Plans and life-cycle replacement programs, as part of an integrated Asset Management Plan. Alternatively, could it be that they reflect the ambition of the HE institution and ‘educated guesses’ of what could be achieved by when?

Listed buildings need special consideration and a long lead-in period to deliver net zero (NZ) retrofit measures. Guesswork needs to be replaced by robust options appraisals based on detailed, technical analysis and consultation with stakeholders. The golden thread runs from the client’s brief, through surveys and evaluation of improvement options to completion of the retrofit measures, followed by ongoing measurement and verification.

Carbon considerations

Currently, there is no consistent method for demonstrating the embodied carbon, operational carbon, and whole life carbon performance of an estate that is as universally understood as profit and loss on a balance sheet. That said, this is not an effective representation of performance.

Regulations are not as flexible as they need to be when we consider a typical higher education estate. Estates directors are battling with listed and heritage buildings as well as some of the most modern and efficient structures built. The estates have a whole mix of asset types including residential, retail, commercial, and leisure, which all need separate consideration. A one size fits all approach to the measurement of carbon efficiency is not going to work here.

Understanding and applying carbon efficiencies through scopes 1 and 2 of the carbon cycle seem well understood but scope 3 is much harder to get a grip with – especially with such a huge supply chain and so many service providers. This is an exercise that could take years to properly administer and may not actually prove to be 100% possible.

New Standards

PAS 2038 was published by BEIS (now the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero) in 2021. Uptake has been slow, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic - remember those lockdowns?

It applies to all retrofit projects but has special sections for ‘Traditional and Protected Buildings’.  We are applying this new standard on a NZ program comprising hundreds of buildings, some of which are listed. The experience has been eye-opening, with the condition, air tightness and moisture issues coming to the fore. Engineers and building surveyors who specialize in listed buildings have had to learn each other’s language. But the results have filled a gap in knowledge; the client now has a clear idea of what can be achieved by when and at what cost. Budgets and programs of work can now be adjusted to meet the agreed intended outcomes.

'Difficult to treat’ can no longer be used as a reason for avoiding net zero carbon retrofit on listed buildings. PAS 2038 sets out a process that protects the golden thread from aspiration to delivery. It is not easy to apply, and it needs an open-minded approach from HE clients, built-environment professionals and heritage and consenting bodies.

If our priority is to address the climate emergency now, including decarbonization of listed buildings, there is a way forward and it needs to be embraced urgently.