An office in Guildford has been awarded the first Low Carbon Workplace Standard.
Investec Wealth and Investment Management achieved the Standard by making a 33 per cent reduction in carbon emissions per person at its office. The scheme required Investec to sign a charter where it pledged an on-going commitment to minimise carbon emissions while it occupies the premises.
Certification for the scheme and advice is provided by Low Carbon Workplace Ltd, a subsidiary of the Carbon Trust and aims to deliver refurbished low carbon buildings.
Carbon Trust research has found that a 35 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020 from non-domestic buildings can be achieved using cost-effective measures. However, emissions from non-domestic buildings have remained roughly constant over the past two decades.
It has identified barriers to the reduction of CO2, including a divide between landlords and tenants, poor knowledge on how to develop and operate low carbon buildings, and capability gaps within the supply chain.
As well as providing advice before occupation in terms of optimal use of space and energy, the Low Carbon Workplace gives post-occupation advice on building operations and staff engagement to help Investec and future companies manage energy consumption throughout their tenancy.
Landlord and tenant co-operation on a carbon management strategy is a key requirement of the standard. Occupiers are also required to maintain the base-build energy efficient design; meet qualitative criteria relating to embodied carbon, sustainable transportation, and waste and employee satisfaction.
The Billings, Guildford
The lighting scheme at The Billings uses the Cascade fittings by Whitecroft Lighting and a Simmtronic SPECS3 control system.
Bruno Gardner, managing director of Low Carbon Workplace Ltd said: “As part of the Low Carbon Workplace refurbishment of Investec’s office, it was key to specify a flexible and efficient lighting system. The new open plan areas are lit with ceiling recessed single lamp (TC-L) fittings, providing more efficient and even light than the previous T8 fittings and providing both indirect and direct lighting. All lighting in the open plan areas is controlled by PIR motion detectors with integrated daylight control to allow dimming when sufficient natural light is available.
“To optimise the control of the lighting, half-hourly occupancy data, collected as part of the energy monitoring system, is compared to the energy consumption recorded by the lighting submeters. This has allowed actual occupancy profiles to be matched to the operation of the lighting control system and the identification of opportunities for recomissioning and closer control to further enhance energy efficiency.”
