NEWS & ANALYSIS FMJ.CO.UK
ENVIRONMENTAL VIEW
6 SEPTEMBER 2021
BESA BACKS UNIONS’ CALL FOR
URGENT ACTION OVER VENTILATION
IN SCHOOLS
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has put its weight behind a
call from six trade unions to take urgent action over ventilation in schools. In a letter
to the Education Secretary, the unions have warned that there will be a steep rise in
COVID19
cases when children return to school next month without improvements to
airflows and filtration in classrooms and communal areas.
They say there should be government funding for carbon dioxide monitors to
measure the eƒ ectiveness of ventilation, and filtration to remove harmful airborne
particles.
The National Education Union (NEU), NASUWT, the Association of School and
College Leaders (ASCL), the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), GMB,
Unison and Unite have joined forces to push for a more strategic approach to school
ventilation.
“Government action on ventilation in schools and colleges amounts to little more
than recommending that windows are kept open,” said ASCL General Secretary Geoƒ
Barton. “This is not sustainable in providing a comfortable learning environment in
the depths of a British winter.
“If the government is serious about bringing to an end the educational disruption
of the past 18 months, then it must provide funding for highquality
ventilation
systems as a matter of urgency.”
The CEO of a primary school trust told a recent BESA webinar that lack of
funding prevented schools from addressing the problem. Garry Ratcliƒ e said that
despite greater awareness of the risk of transmitting airborne infections during the
pandemic, mechanical ventilation remained a low priority for most headteachers.
BESA has produced two pieces of guidance this year to help building managers
set up indoor air quality (IAQ) strategies and identify the main threats to health
and wellbeing from airborne pollutants. Using mechanical ventilation systems and
targeted filtration is recognised as the most eƒ ective way to reduce the risk of disease
transmission, but no specific government funding has been allocated to help schools
address this issue.
HYBRID SET TO BE FUTURE WORKING
MODEL, WHILE EMPLOYERS RELUCTANT
TO MANDATE VACCINATION
Just three in 10 employers expect to have their workforce fully back onsite in two
years’ time, according to a study by Willis Towers Watson. While the vast majority (85
per cent) of businesses anticipate a return to the workplace for most employees who
want to by the end of 2021, employers do not anticipate a return to prepandemic
working practices.
Employers think about a quarter of the workforce (23 per cent) will work remotely on
a fulltime
basis in two years’ time, and almost half (41 per cent) will embrace hybrid
working.
Lucie McGrath, Director, Health and Benefits GB, Willis Towers Watson, said: “While
some uncertainty remains about exactly what the journey towards the ‘new normal’
looks like, one thing’s for sure: hybrid working is here to stay. We’ve all weathered
a huge amount of change over the last two years. Employers should think carefully
about how to support their employees’ mental health as we adjust to the new working
world.”
In terms of vaccines, one in five employers have encouraged employees to get
vaccinated through communications campaigns, with another 18 per cent considering
this approach. However, most employers have not gone so far as to incentivise people
to get vaccinated. One in seven are giving people time oƒ or cash as a thank you for
getting vaccinated, but they seem likely to remain in the minority. The majority of
employers (60 per cent) are not planning to use incentives.
None of the organisations surveyed currently ask their employees to get vaccinated
in order to return to the workplace. Two in three companies have no intention of doing
so. A mere 12 per cent are considering requiring employees to get vaccinated before
they can return to the workplace.
BY Clare Jackson, Head of
Innovation and founder of the
Hydrogen Taskforce, Gemserv Ltd
The UK’s fi rst-ever Hydrogen
Strategy has been published by the
Department for Business, Energy
and Industrial Strategy (BEIS),
with plans to unlock £4 billion
of investment in blue and green
generation storage and usage.
Setting the foundation for how the UK Government will create
a world-leading hydrogen economy, the strategy builds on the
Prime Minister’s plans to ignite a green industrial revolution,
outlined last year in his 10 Point Plan. This set a target for 5GW
of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030, replacing
natural gas in powering around three million UK homes each
year whilst powering transport and businesses.
Business and Energy Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng described
the publication as ‘the start of the UK’s hydrogen revolution,’
commenting on how the energy source has the ‘potential to
transform the way we power our lives’.
The Strategy is set to support over 9,000 UK jobs, with £105
million of government funding provided to support polluting
industries in signifi cantly reducing their emissions.
A consultation looking at ways to overcome the cost gap
between low carbon hydrogen and fossil fuels through a
‘Contract for Diff erence’ (CfD) support mechanism has also
been launched. This aims to ensure a predictable price for
hydrogen whilst ensuring good value for money for consumers.
CfDs have had notable success in ramping up off shore wind
power generation capacity and signifi cantly bringing down
costs, with off shore wind brought online from 2020-2030
forecasted to produce power at an average cost per megawatthour,
vs. the levelised cost of energy for new gas production
forecasted to reach £82 per megawatt-hour by 2030 .
With the United Nationals Climate COP26 Climate Talks due to
take place in Glasgow this November, the launch of the Strategy
comes at an important moment for global leaders. Now more
than ever, it is critical that we see the right eff orts made and
decisions taken to create a greener and cleaner future.
The publication ‘fi res the starting gun’ on the scaling up
of hydrogen solutions in the UK. This is great news for the
industry, but it is the fi rst step in a very long journey to
establishing hydrogen as a key part of our future energy
systems and enable the UK to cost-eff ectively deliver net zero.
Hydrogen will play an important role in the UK’s transition to
a Net Zero economy by 2050 and is highly eff ective at reaching
hard-to-decarbonise sectors and industries. The Government’s
policies will enable this cross-sectoral deployment; however,
as is often the case with new low carbon solutions still in the
early stages of deployment, hydrogen faces operational cost
challenges and will need to compete with low-cost, highcarbon
alternatives such as natural gas. Leadership and support
will therefore be essential to its success.
By being at the forefront of innovation and technological
advancement, the UK has a unique opportunity to establish
itself as a world leader in developing and exporting its hydrogen
capabilities, with hydrogen expected to fi nd signifi cant uses
across a broad range of sectors.
A booming hydrogen economy would deliver economic, social
and environmental benefi ts, whilst positioning the UK as a
leader in action against climate change during a critical moment
in history.
www.hydrogentaskforce.co.uk
www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-hydrogen-strategy
/www.hydrogentaskforce.co.uk
/uk-hydrogen-strategy
