Retrofit - an opportunity for achieving Net Zero Carbon

As more local authorities and public bodies declare climate emergencies and commit to net zero carbon targets, the challenges of decarbonising existing buildings continue to emerge.

To meet these net zero carbon targets, many organizations will need to radically change their estate management strategy to make the reduction of carbon emissions one of the key drivers when investing in ongoing life cycle maintenance and upgrade works. 

The challenge for existing buildings 

Existing buildings are essential assets within any local authority, or public body’s estate, allowing them to function and deliver vital public services within their community. However, these buildings are usually the most intensive carbon sources within an authority’s asset inventory, hence addressing carbon emissions from these buildings will be a vital role to achieve net zero. 

While there are many options to achieve zero carbon in new buildings from the conception stage, existing buildings are now required to meet targets that they were not intended to achieve when originally designed. Retrofit projects provide a route to net zero by reducing the carbon burden of existing buildings, while also improving the quality of the building stock as part of estate improvement works. 

What is retrofit? 

Retrofitting existing stock is a hot, in line with the Scottish Government’s ambition to reach net zero emissions of all Greenhouse gases by 2045. This target includes incorporating modern, sustainable and energy efficient techniques into existing buildings, and is equally as important as constructing new buildings with energy efficient technologies - such strategies can range from simply switching to energy efficient light fittings to replacing gas boilers to air source heat pumps. However, this comes with great challenges in relation to costs and acceptance of change from the public and existing estate owners. Considering that 278,000, just 11%, of the 2.5 million homes in Scotland currently use renewable or low emission heating systems, it is important for further investment in retrofitting. 

Why should we do it? 

National and local governments have set ambitious Net Zero Carbon targets and there is momentum to lead by example in the public sector. The Scottish Government will allocate a minimum of £1.8Bn over the next five years within the “Heat in Buildings Strategy" published in October 2021 in recognition of the need to decarbonise heating to support the statutory climate targets. 

The Scottish Government also highlights the importance of retrofitting through announcing the need to accelerate the pace of retrofitting to reduce heat emissions from buildings by 68% between 2020 and 2030. 

This is a huge task to meet these targets and requires organizations to put sustainability at the top of their agenda as part of their continuous estate improvement plans. Ageing public sector or large organization estates typically require frequent maintenance, making up a large proportion of operational expenditure. Government incentives provide an opportunity to add value and invest in these estates to reduce life cycle costs, effectively improving the quality of these estates and the built environment as a whole. 

Why is it beneficial? 

There are both technical and social benefits to be gained from retrofitting. Technical benefits can be achieved with increased insulation and airtightness of buildings, improved thermal comfort, reduced condensation, and controlled moisture levels .For instance, the renovation of two multifamily blocks resulted in a significant fall in demand for energy from 290kWh/m2/a to 17kWh/m2/a.  

As the demand for retrofitting increases, the construction industry must respond by upskilling the labour market to keep pace with technical advances, creating new job opportunities and robust supply chains. 

Investing in retrofitting will not only reduce carbon emissions but add value to existing estates which can attract future investment. Essentially “future proofing” will lead to buildings that are more comfortable, easily maintained and cost effective due to a reduction in energy bills, resulting in reducing fuel poverty. 

How can we help you? 

AtkinsRéalis work with organizations to achieve decarbonization targets by analysing existing building stocks, establishing a baseline to measure future improvement against, and recommend how carbon emissions should be reported. Using our methodology, we create carbon modelling profiles, including digital twins of buildings to test building fabric and intelligent building management systems before committing investment to construction projects. This analysis informs robust financial modelling to forecast whole life costs, typically over 30-60 years. The process of capturing the ‘whole picture’ allows organizations to create a shopping list of options to best fit their needs and budgets, future proofing their investments. 

Decarbonizing existing buildings will be integral to achieving net zero and retrofitting will form an ever-increasing part in this process. Our rich benchmarking data and experience has already provided clients with technical solutions and delivery strategies to achieve their goals. As more and more data is collected, the easier the journey to net zero will become. 

Links – references 

https://www.passivhaustrust.org.uk/UserFiles/File/Melissa%20Taylor-%20Ecobuild%20EnerPHit%20presentation.pdf 

https://netzeroedinburgh.org/backing-better-buildings/ 

https://www.gov.scot/policies/climate-change/#:~:text=Scotland's%20world%2Dleading%20climate%20change,%2C%20definitively%2C%20within%20one%20generation. 

https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/sustainability/scotland-must-build-its-retrofit-skills-to-reach-net-zero-03-08-2021/ 

https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-local-government-housing-and-planning/correspondence/2022/retrofitting-housing-for-net-zero-january-2022#:~:text=As%20your%20letter%20indicates%2C%20we,the%20Scottish%20Parliament%20in%202019