The CCC’s June 2020 Emissions Progress Report
The Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) most recent update on how the UK is progressing towards the achievement of emissions-based targets, such as net zero by 2050 and the carbon budgets, has certainly been listened to. There is no doubt that it influenced the Chancellor's recent Summer Economic Update and the decision to target a green recovery from the Covid-19 crisis.
So, what does the CCC see as the future of construction and what can be done to prepare for the changes this will make to HVAC specification?
We have summarised key industry insights in our 196-page report, structured by most commonly asked questions
Our report covers :
- How has lockdown affected the UK’s emissions progress?
- Has investment in low carbon solutions been shown to be commercially beneficial?
- Is the carbon tax scheme in London going to be applied to the whole of the UK? What does this mean for the development of upcoming regulation changes?
- Will Government address the cost difference between electricity and gas?
Our range of HVAC solutions aim to provide future proof technologies to building projects over various sectors.
What is COP and EER?
The Coefficient of Performance (COP) and Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) are measures of a heat pump or heating and cooling solution’s efficiency. They indicate a ratio of useful heating or cooling produced by the unit against the energy it consumes. For example, the COP of a heat pump that can provide 3kW of heat against the input of 1kW of electricity is 3. The EER that generates a cooling effect of 12BTU against the input of 1kW of electricity is 12.
How to correctly size an ambient loop heat network using diversity factors
As their name suggests, ambient loops operate at significantly lower temperatures than traditional communal high temperature heating systems. This means that a different approach is required when sizing the ambient loop distribution system. Calculation of such systems follows a procedure where diversity is used to determine the design flowrate for a development. It also determines the sizing of pipework and circulation pumps for an ambient communal network solution such as the Zeroth Energy System. The in-apartment flowrates required for the selected size of the Zeroth Heat Pumps can then be calculated.
Will the outcomes of COP26 significantly speed up the uptake of low carbon technologies?
We are all waiting to see what the real impact will be from the climate summit COP26 for the construction sector, specifically with regard to the decarbonisation of heat. One of the insights that came out of the second day of the summit, which featured a session on clean technology and innovation, was delivered by UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson:
‘By making clean technology the most affordable, accessible and attractive choice, the default go-to in what are currently the most polluting sectors, we can cut emissions right around the world’.