EDITORIAL Editorial Editor: Alex Smith Tel: 01223 378034 Email: asmith@cibsejournal.com Deputy editor: Liza Young Tel: 01223 378048 Email: lyoung@cibsejournal.com Technical editor: Tim Dwyer Designer: James Baldwin CIBSE Journal is written and produced by CPL (Cambridge Publishers Ltd) Tel: +44 (0)1223 378000. www.cpl.co.uk 1 Cambridge Technopark, Newmarket Road, Cambridge CB5 8PB. Editorial copy deadline: First day of the month preceding the publication month The opinions expressed in editorial material do not necessarily represent the views of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). Unless specically stated, goods or services mentioned in editorial or advertisements are not formally endorsed by CIBSE, which does not guarantee or endorse or accept any liability for any goods and/or services featured in this publication. Advertisement sales Display and sponsorship Jim Folley jim.folley@redactive.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 20 7324 2786 Products & services Jonathan Adebayo jonathan.adebayo@redactive.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 20 7880 6217 Recruitment advertising cibsejournaljobs@redactive.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 20 7880 6215 Advertising production Jane Easterman jane.easterman@redactive.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 20 7880 6248 Time for action Now is a good time for engineers to put their names to the Building Services Engineers Climate and Biodiversity Declaration. With Joe Biden becoming US President, there is now a global political will to reduce CO2 emissions and, in the UK, there are legally binding net-zero targets that no company can ignore. There is momentum for change private and public organisations are setting themselves challenging net-zero carbon targets, and its up to engineers to help them achieve these goals when it comes to the built environment. Some clients and supply chains may take more persuading than others that urgent action is needed to avert a climate and biodiversity crisis, but building services engineers have the professional duty to do so especially when you consider that the construction industry accounts for nearly 40% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. On page 22, seven signatories of the declaration discuss the role engineers have in inspiring others to change. As Method Consultings Natasha Fox explains, the time for talking has long passed: to meet climate goals, zero carbon buildings need to be designed now. Embodied energy of MEP equipment is one area that needs to be tackled in 2021. With building becoming more efficient and operational energy use falling, emissions generated during the lifetime of a MEP system component become more significant. Until now, it has been very hard to calculate the embodied energy in building services products. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are a standardised way of expressing embodied carbon, but there are few for MEP materials not just because of their complexity, but also because neither the market nor regulators offer an incentive to provide this information. This year, CIBSE is launching TM65 Embodied energy in building services equipment, which includes a methodology for calculating embodied carbon in MEP products. The idea, according is not to replace EPDs, but to provide a method of estimating embodied carbon for products until EPDs arrive. Our round-up of Build2Perform (page 18) touches on some of the other big issues that will be at the top of the agenda in 2021, including building safety, Brexit and Covid-19. We also have an interview with Tom Hopton (page 20), CIBSEs reigning Engineer of the Year, who explains how data can unlock the potential of buildings, not only in terms of carbon and cost savings, but also in ways that will benefit the health and wellbeing of society at large. ALEX SMITH, EDITOR asmith@cibsejournal.com CONTRIBUTORS Hywel Davies What the Construction Playbook says about how government should procure and deliver public works Louise Hamot The new TM65 includes a methodology on calculating embodied energy in MEP products John Palmer How LETIs new retrot guidance will set out an energy use intensity target for retrot buildings Tim Dwyer This months CPD is on distributed residential heat pumps integrated with communal heat networks www.cibsejournal.com January 2021 3 CIBSE Jan21 pp03 Editorial.indd 3 18/12/2020 16:56