How to Achieve a Net Zero Energy Building
Wednesday, 8th June 2022
Achieving a ‘net zero’ office building may sound like an impossible task. After all, workspaces are incredibly energy-hungry places. Think of all that lighting, heating, ventilation, appliances, and maintenance. It’s no wonder that 39% of global energy-related carbon dioxide comes from buildings and construction combined.
Of course, we know that businesses must be proactive about the climate crisis. In the UK, mandatory ESG reporting is in the pipeline. To avoid catastrophic global warming, the IPCC states that a major reduction in greenhouse emissions will be needed by 2030 and the whole world’s economy will need to be net zero in terms of carbon emissions by 2050.
Here, we outline how you can set things into motion and reap the rewards of a net-zero energy building.
What is a net-zero building?
A net zero building has no overall carbon emissions. Typically, this is achieved by three steps:
using low carbon energy sources, such as those provided by renewables
drastically lowering energy consumption by using highly energy-efficient systems
offsetting any remaining carbon.
To begin with, to achieve net zero, you need to take into account the carbon emissions of both the construction and the operation of the building, through what’s known as a ‘whole life carbon’ perspective. For example, we’re seeing the carbon footprint of things like building materials and labour accounted for in the initial design phase of new buildings.
However, the key focus for FMs and workplace managers is reducing their building's operational energy—the carbon emissions associated with the day to day running of a workplace: lighting, HVAC systems, maintenance etc. Rather than just relying on carbon offsetting, managers need to focus on lowering their building’s carbon output in the first place.
Drastically lowering your commercial building’s carbon emissions doesn’t just help combat climate change, it has material benefits for your working environment too. As such, perhaps it’s not surprising that we’re seeing a huge shift towards net-zero spaces globally.
Here are just some of the ways that lowering your carbon footprint can benefit your business:
What are the benefits of a net-zero office building?
ESG. Monitoring and disclosing your environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance should be top of your agenda. Not only is mandatory ESG reporting in the pipeline for the UK, but 90% of the biggest US businesses are now reporting on sustainability metrics. Meanwhile, in 2020, 85% of investors considered ESG factors, in which your company’s carbon emissions and energy efficiency play a crucial role.
Employee recruitment and retention. According to research carried out by Infogrid, 40 percent of UK employees say they would be more likely to apply to work at a company that proposed or adopted a net-zero strategy. With more and more companies adopting green building initiatives, you can’t afford to fall behind. Demonstrably lowering your carbon emissions can help you attract and retain the very best talent.
Customer satisfaction. The tide is changing: customers are now willing to pay more for sustainability. Now, more than ever, companies must be proactive and transparent about their sustainability practices to stay competitive.
What are the challenges in achieving net zero for commercial buildings?
The case for net zero is irrefutable. But for businesses trying to reach this goal, it’s not always easy. Here are some of the key challenges workplaces face when trying to lower their carbon output:
Source of energy. We know that burning fossil fuels to generate energy dumps colossal amounts of carbon into our atmosphere. To achieve net zero, businesses need to look for low-carbon, renewable energy alternatives. These can include energy provided by solar panels and wind, or local solutions such as heat pumps.
Inefficient systems and appliances. The energy wasted in using inefficient, legacy systems and appliances all adds up—especially when considering energy use over the long term.
Building design. Lack of natural light, inadequate natural ventilation and poor insulation can affect old and new buildings alike. Poor building design, with increased demand for artificial light, heat, and ventilation dramatically drives up your carbon footprint.
Bad management of resources. To achieve a net-zero energy building, you need to effectively manage the resources and space that you have. Poorly managed buildings, with overcrowded and underused spaces, wasted heating and lighting, will have significantly higher greenhouse gas emissions. Employee wellbeing and productivity will be negatively impacted too.
Over-reliance on offsetting. A common trap is to think that we can simply reabsorb all the carbon we emit using offsetting schemes, such as tree planting. Whilst it’s great to focus on these strategies for the carbon we do emit, we should be focused, first and foremost, on lowering the amount of energy we use in the first place.
Some things are easier to change than others when working towards net-zero energy consumption. But no matter what your building’s age, style, or industry, there are steps you can start to take now to reduce your carbon footprint.
How to achieve a net zero building, the smart way
Here’s the good news: there is a smart way forward.
Infogrid has examined all of the challenges businesses face and have built a suite of integrated products that target the most costly inputs, both from a carbon and financial perspective.
Here are just some of the ways that Infogrid’s smart systems can be used to lower the carbon output of your building:
Our smart, best in class IoT sensors can be used to continually monitor temperature, ventilation, humidity, occupancy and more. Discreet and effortless to install, our sensors require zero maintenance once up and running.
Our central dashboard and proprietary AI platform do all the hard work for you—collecting and integrating data from our smart sensors across your whole portfolio, 24/7. Our AI technology uses all of that data to generate actionable insights on things like temperature, air quality, and occupancy, so resources can be targeted and substantially less energy is wasted.
Automated maintenance means fewer breakdowns and fewer call outs, reducing the number of cars that need to visit your site each day. Reduce your building’s running costs and energy usage whilst extending the life of your equipment.
We’re not about smart tricks with short term benefits. Here at Infogrid, we’ve designed our smart building system to be intelligent—to provide you with joined-up, site-wide data across the whole of your portfolio. The result? Relevant, actionable insights that make a real difference for your business and the planet, both now and in the long term.
Other factors to consider when working towards net zero
Driving efficiency and better managing your resources are crucial when working towards net zero. But there are other important factors to consider too. As an FM, landlord or workplace manager, you need to think about:
Making the most of natural resources by using passive building design. Design your workspaces so that they use natural light whenever possible and avoid glare. Make the most of natural ventilation to avoid reliance on artificial heating, ventilation, and lighting systems.
Securing renewable sources of energy for your building. If you can, avoid fossil fuels and ensure that your energy is supplied from renewable resources. Cut carbon emissions even further by utilising on-site renewables wherever possible, such as heat pumps and solar panels.
Take a big picture view by thinking about your embodied and whole life carbon. Construction, building materials, deconstruction, refurbishments—they all have a carbon cost. Consider using alternative building materials with a lower carbon footprint, alternative construction methods, and strategies to limit waste.
Disclose your performance. Get ahead of the game by publicly disclosing your carbon credentials to investors, customers and your workforce and get certified using programs such as LEED and ILFI.
The key outcomes working towards net zero
Achieving a net-zero-energy building is a journey. Our smart systems empower your business to make a difference from day one—no matter where you are on your road to carbon neutrality.
Infogrid’s automated cold storage sensors helped NHS Oxford save energy, reduce maintenance call outs and improve compliance. We helped them meet their energy efficiency and waste prevention goals, all with an ROI of less than 3 months.
Here are other ways our smart systems have helped:
Infogrid saved one retail company 800 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year on its HVAC system alone.
We saved a housing trust 69% on maintenance and legal fees.
We enabled one bank to save $1 million a year on their water bill.
We helped a national theatre save over 2,000 hours of labour a year on compliance.
Let us help you on your journey to net-zero carbon, the smart way. Try our demo, here.