Energy efficiency initiatives should focus on retrofitting existing stock, senior building industry expert argues

The UK’s energy efficiency efforts should focus on retrofitting its existing stock rather than imposing regulations for new builds, a senior building industry executive has claimed in a recent interview.

Chris Tinker, an executive board director at housebuilding company Crest Nicholson, believes that new builds are already very energy efficient due to the use of modern materials, designs and building techniques.

For this reason, it makes sense to focus energy efficiency efforts on the existing, mostly poorly energy efficient housing stock, especially since buildings are responsible for almost 37% of all UK carbon emissions.

“I think you need to look at what your payback is for every pound you invest”, Tinker said. “New homes are a long way up the curve already and as a country we would arguable get a higher degree of payback from investing in existing housing stock.

“You’d be better to take the same pound and invest in more insulation, more double-glazing and so on.

HeatingSave – the perfect energy efficiency system for retrofit projects

Energy management systems might represent a sizeable investment for any company, but the rapidly rising energy prices can actually deliver a very rapid return on investment, experts in the field have argued.

A recent paper on this topic has argued that over half of firms have appointed a senior director to manage energy spending and implement energy efficiency measures.

The range of energy saving programmes directors can vary largely, depending on the available funding, the company’s size, premises, site specifics.

However, regardless of the particular approach, directors who are serious about slashing their energy bills will need to consider retrofitting their premises in some way, whether we’re talking about putting in renewable energy measures or more complex Building Energy Management Systems.

An energy management and monitoring system can help companies stay on top of their energy usage and reduce their overall bills by running their light/heating systems in an optimum manner.

If you’d like to find out just how easy it is for your company to cut carbon emissions and save in excess of 30% on your energy bills, then contact us, and we’ll be more than happy to provide you all the necessary information.