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Low-carbon Consultancy and Design
The construction and property industries face an enormous challenge in the coming decades. As the UK Government commits to a 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, those involved in the development and refurbishment of all types of buildings will face a sustained and accelerating stream of legislation aimed at reducing the energy consumption and carbon emissions of buildings.
LowC offers a range of consultancy services designed to integrate seamlessly with existing design strategies and planning procedures, enabling these challenges to be met.
Services include:
Project Masterplanning
Planning and strategy development are vital components of any project, and can be directly attributable to its success or failure. LowC has extensive experience in developing effective carbon reduction strategies, and is able to guide clients through the legislative and planning processes, avoiding the common pitfalls and ensuring that the most suitable approach is adopted.
LowC supports organisations in the development and delivery of low carbon strategies, providing integrated, sustainable, low carbon community masterplans. From research and development to process management for sustainable construction projects, LowC offers the skills and experience needed.
Our strategy development programmes are based on the following fundamental principles:
- Stakeholder Involvement - actively engaging with senior staff and stakeholders
- Strategic Visioning - developing a pragmatic but inspiring vision with a clear delivery plan
- Change Management - developing consensus and implementing change
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Low Carbon Building Design
In response to rising energy prices, building regulations and user health and comfort concerns, low carbon buildings require a rigorous approach to design, services and operation. This will deliver a building that maintains its value, costs less to run and provides a healthy and productive working environment for its occupants.
Understanding where and how a building consumes energy is fundamental not only to its overall efficiency but also to a low carbon energy supply system, which is increasingly being demanded as part of the planning process. LowC is an originator and facilitator of low carbon design by bringing fresh expertise to a project team, together with an understanding of how to facilitate an existing team's resources towards a common goal.
Services include:
- Integration of energy efficiency measures into the concept and design of a development
- Building Energy Management Systems setup to control energy usage and occupant comfort
- Balancing energy demand with renewable energy supply to minimise CO2 emissions and reduce utility bills.
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Energy System Design
Centralised grid power generation is extremely carbon intensive and has a substantial impact on a development carbon footprint. Onsite decentralised generation is increasingly being demanded in response to both planning and regulatory drivers. This is essential for zero and near-zero carbon developments and presents real opportunities to reduce carbon intensity as well as provide additional operational revenues. Investment in onsite generation must ultimately represent a cost effective strategy to provide the long term heating and power requirements of both new and existing buildings.
LowC have an in-depth understanding of both the construction and energy markets and understand the technologies available to facilitate decentralised generation, together with their operational context.
Services include:
- Renewable energy technology selection and feasibility
- Financing and incentives for renewable energy
- Operational and life cycle financial modelling for renewable energy assets
- Renewable energy system optimisation and interface design
- Heating distribution systems
- Fuel strategy
- Grid connection and export arrangements
- Financing and operational management of onsite generation
- ESCo concepts
- District Heating Networks
- Private wire networks
For more information see the Energy Services section.
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Asset Management
LowC supports asset owners and investors in delivering sustained improvements to the management of energy and carbon performance of existing built assets. We seek to improve returns and enhance shareholder value by reducing costs and fostering an understanding of forthcoming regulatory requirements in the context of our clients' businesses. We help organisations proactively respond to market demands for improved environmental performance and incorporate an understanding of climate change impacts on building stock into design and maintenance decisions.
Services include:
- Building regulations compliance and standards, benchmarking of energy performance
- Building energy audits, performance modelling, surveys and monitoring
- Post occupancy studies and user interaction
- Energy Performance and Display Energy certificates (EPC/DEC)
- Multi-site refurbishment specification modelling
- Energy and environmental awareness campaigning and training
- Whole life costing, financing of efficiency improvements and business plans
- LowC follows six stage Asset Management process of continuous improvement that enhances the energy and carbon performance of existing assets.
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