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BENEFIT OF NET ZERO AUDITS
An example of this was when a net zero audit revealed high out-of-hours cooling demand for an occupier’s communications rooms at Exchange House. British Land secured their agreement to install dedicated direct expansion chillers to meet the rooms’ cooling demand out-of-hours. By installing local cooling, British Land provided added resilience to its occupier. Equally importantly, it was able to avoid the need to run the building’s main chillers continuously, reducing the cooling system’s electricity consumption by a whopping 67 per cent with the added benefit of extending the lifespan of the main chiller.
Similarly, sharing audit data with occupiers at 201 Bishopsgate resulted in them upgrading their lighting systems to LED with smart controls, massively reducing their energy use. Here the occupiers also agreed to British Land installing service-charge funded wireless temperature and carbon dioxide sensors in their demises to improve comfort and better control temperatures.
An added challenge in undertaking many of these interventions is that the buildings are operational 24 hours a day. Engagement with the occupiers was essential at 10 Exchange Square to enable British Land to install Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) to eliminate the use of gas for space heating.
BENEFITS OF PARTNERSHIPS
Carbon savings also result from British Land partnering with experts to develop, test and roll out new and cutting edge technologies. At Broadwalk House, for instance, it piloted the first of a new size of smart control valves to enable the chilled water circuit to operate as a variable volume system to better reflect demand to help maximise energy reductions. This system is also one of the first in the UK to use the refrigerant R1234ze, because of its low global warming potential.
At 10 Exchange Square, British Land collaborated with manufacturer Daikin to develop their four-pipe ASHP to deliver heating and cooling independently. Previously the unit could only provide heating when it was simultaneously cooling.
The developer is also sharing the learning from its ASHP installations (which at the time were a relatively new technology to the UK property sector) by hosting workshops with mechanical and electrical consultants with which it collaborates. Engineering graduates and new starters from British Land and its suppliers are also encouraged to attend these events.
Sharing learning helps the sector as a whole develop new skills while giving attendees the opportunity to liaise directly with manufacturers to further grow their understanding of the emerging technology. In addition, the developer hosts monthly technical services forums and quarterly energy performance meetings to enable teams from across the organisation to share successes and learnings.
British Land’s occupiers certainly appear to be impressed with many of these energy saving initiatives, with one saying: “It has been truly refreshing to experience, British Land’s approach to sustainability and environmental performance… The changes that British Land have made have caused very little and in most cases zero disruption to our end users.”
Their impressive decarbonisation achievements have put the four buildings ahead of Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor’s science-based decarbonisation pathways, with Broadwalk house set to achieve this feat in 2026. No wonder the CIBSE judges were impressed.
