Energy charity tackles ‘scandal’ of inefficient buildings

The UK’s failure to ensure industrial and commercial buildings are comfortable and energy efficient is a ‘scandal’, according to energy charity the National Energy Foundation. The charity has launched an online knowledge portal and an expert guide, published as an e-book, to combat what it sees as the UK’s failure to produce energy-efficient non-domestic buildings. ‘The failure of many countries to produce buildings that are comfortable with excellent energy performance is a scandal,’ says Liz Reason, trustee at the foundation. The guide is designed for professionals in the construction and design sectors, including building owners, occupiers and operators. It outlines the requirements of a good-quality, low-energy building, the stakeholders that must be engaged, and ways to reduce energy use and costs. ‘Designing and building low-energy buildings is not difficult; it just needs some basic building physics and a clear, common language for talking meaningfully about energy performance with all those in the building cycle,’ said Reason. The online platform, Building Performance Exchange, is a portal where non-domestic facility managers and other building professionals can record their experiences, solutions and thoughts on building better, more energy-efficient buildings. Dr Kerry Mashford, chief executive of the National Energy Foundation, said: ‘Both the e-book and the online facility take a practical and common sense approach and provide a valuable contribution to closing the gap between the expected and actual energy performance in the built environment, as well as the knowle​dge gap that exists in the sector.’