Energy use in buildings is responsible for more than a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve net zero by 2050, we will need to upgrade or retrofit hundreds of millions of buildings to be more energy efficient and operate without fossil fuels.  This is particularly true in the UK, thanks to the vast estate of historic buildings which shape our built environment like no other.  

 

The New London Awards' Retrofit category celebrates what can be achieved when old buildings are adapted and repurposed to demonstrate sustainability, efficiency, and viability across any sector, where efficient use is made of embodied energy and the existing fabric, restoring historic buildings and giving them a new lease of life.  

 

Now, more than ever, managing energy and carbon is paramount. Deepki’s recent survey of 250 European commercial real estate asset managers* highlights the pressure caused by  the energy crisis as they tackle soaring energy bills.  However, the good news is that the majority (80%) are accelerating plans to improve energy efficiency across their property portfolios to help deal with rising energy costs.  In theory, this additional pressure should encourage more asset owners and managers to tackle the retrofitting challenge.

 

Accurate assessment of the scale of the problem, a willingness to embrace the circular economy and collaboration will be key success factors.

 

Data is critical to getting to grips with each building to inform the most appropriate retrofit project.  However, the ability to collect good quality information and analyse it effectively varies hugely.  At present, this is a disparate process and very much dependent on the resources available and, as you would expect, larger corporates have the edge over smaller organisations.

 

Retrofitting must also be entirely complementary to the circular economy ethos. Businesses and projects need to adopt this as a core principle - it cannot be a “design as usual and then think about what we can incorporate a few circular materials” approach. Its adoption must be driven and focused.

 

Although 90-95% of building materials today can be recycled or reused, we are currently only recycling and reusing around 25%, with reuse sitting at a dismal 1%.  This is a shocking statistic and one which can only be addressed by a full-scale change to the way we design, construct, manage, and deconstruct buildings.

 

Success is an ongoing process.  Every asset needs to monitored and the data evaluated to verify the effectiveness of retrofit measures.  It is vital that the sector uses this information to collaborate and share best practice, if we are ramp up the speed and scale of energy efficiency retrofit upgrades to stand any chance of achieving the 2050 net zero goals.

Awards like the New London Awards offer inspiration for others and provide proof that old buildings can be given new life with sustainability built in.