EWS IN BRIEF FMs optimistic despite clients cutting down on space Most FM professionals believe the market for their services will improve in the next 12 months, despite concerns over how the pandemic has changed the way commercial buildings spaces will be used in the future, according to the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM). Its Market Outlook 2021 report revealed that many organisations are radically changing the way they use their premises in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, but this could to lead to greater demand for FM expertise with specialists playing a key role as agents of change. Most clients (84%) who responded to the IWFM survey said their organisation had changed its flexible working strategy in the past year and 58% said they were reducing the space they occupied. Smaller firms key to solving housing crisis A new report from the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) has urged the government to take advantage of a proposed new Planning Bill to help small and medium-sized builders solve the countrys housingsupply problems. Trying to fix the crisis by increasing the number of planning permissions had failed repeatedly, the report said, and had simply boosted the value of the land without forcing developers to build. It added that the UKs biggest housebuilders had created a huge bottleneck by sitting on around one million plots in their landbanks. The CPS report advises government to give priority in planning to smaller firms when public sector land is sold. Second year for lift award The annual Alex MacDonald award for MSc lift engineering students at the University of Northampton is now in its second year. Launched in 2020 by LECS (UK), in memory of a highly respected former colleague, the award recognises the highest-quality and most innovative dissertation produced by the universitys lift engineering students. For more details, visit www.lecsuk.co.uk or www.northampton.ac.uk New target requires switch from fossil-fuel heating Electric systems offer the largest emissions savings, says CCC The UK government has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 78% by 2035, compared with 1990 levels, as it prepares to host the UNs COP26 climate summit later this year. The new target contained in the sixth Carbon Budget is in line with the recommendations made by the Climate Change Committee (CCC). changes to the way buildings are heated and insulated and is expected to see the government to decarbonise the existing building stock. In the buildings sector, the CCC said opportunities to reduce emissions exist in four main areas: behaviour change, fabric energy previous position of a 68% reduction by 2030. The target will be enshrined in law by the end of June 2021. The sixth Carbon Budget limits the volume electric systems now delivers the largest readily available emissions savings, which it said would grow steadily as the power sector continues to rapidly decarbonise. Carbon Budget will incorporate the UKs share of international aviation and shipping emissions. by 2050. CIBSE said the government needs to be more ambitious with its Future Buildings Standard plans for the UK to hit this target. Wind power made up 39% of the UKs energy mix on Easter Monday Greenest ever Grid over sunny and windy Easter bank holiday The UK electricity system was the greenest it has ever been at lunchtime on Easter Monday (5 April), according to the National Grid Electricity System Operator. Sunny and windy weather, coupled with low demand for power, meant low carbon energy sources made up almost 80% of the countrys power for several hours. There was no coal generation on the Grid and just 10% of power was from gas plants, the operator added. at 1pm on Monday of the bank holiday weekend. Wind power made up 39% of the energy mix, with solar at 21% and nuclear at 16%. The following day, the mix was 24.8% from fossil fuels, most of which was gas (combined cycle), while 45.2% came from renewables. The new Easter record was the culmination of a steady drop in dependence on fossil fuels, which has been gathering pace since last year. In March, just 37% of Grid power was generated by gas and, the UKs greenest day was set on 24 May 2020, under lockdown conditions. 6 May 2021 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE May 21 pp06-07 News.indd 6 23/04/2021 17:59