VOICES | HYWEL DAVIES Emergency response? With increasing concern about the pace and scale of climate change, there are growing calls for radical changes to the energy efficiency requirements of building regulations. Hywel Davies considers the challenges of seeking deeper and faster emissions reductions T DR HYWEL DAVIES is technical director at CIBSE www.cibse.org here is a widespread view that the changing climate demands more urgent action than ever, with many local authorities declaring climate emergencies. Many observers are calling for deep and radical cuts in the energy use and carbon emissions of buildings to start almost immediately, and the Committee on Climate Change is increasingly concerned about the slow rate of change. In England, a major consultation on the future direction of energy efficiency requirements for new homes closed recently, and further consultation on proposals for new non-domestic buildings and refurbishment of existing buildings is awaited. Governments response to parliamentary calls for regulations to address overheating is also keenly awaited. This all seems obvious. The relationship between carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and global temperatures have been known since the work of Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius in the late 19th century. His calculation of the warming effect of higher CO2 levels is remarkably close to the observed data collected from the late 1950s onwards. Increased average temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events are occurring around the globe. It seems so simple to seek immediate and drastic improvements to the energy efficiency standards for new buildings. But, in reality, it is a more complex problem. Carbon emissions from buildings are not the only concern for building regulators right now. Since the Grenfell Tower disaster, which claimed 72 lives and changed many more forever, it has become clear that far too many buildings in England are inappropriately clad, and that those buildings do not comply with Requirement B4 of the Building Regulations, which addresses external fire spread. Tenants and leaseholders are living in buildings that do not provide acceptable A fundamental duty of government is to ensure the homes we build are safe, and that residents feel safe in them levels of fire safety, while some freeholders wrangle over what they can, legally, be required to do. Many of those who have leases find they cannot sell their property because of concerns about the external faade construction and the inability to either mortgage or insure the dwelling. These people consider that the fire safety of those buildings is much more of an emergency than anything else right now. Putting an end to the lethargy, inaction or sheer evasion of responsibility of those wrangling building owners and making these buildings safe to occupy is, understandably, the top priority for building regulations ministers right now. This is reflected by the commitments in the Queens Speech to a Fire Safety Bill and a Building Safety Bill. The former will clarify legal responsibilities for the external walls of multi-occupied residential buildings under the Fire Safety Order. Meanwhile, at least one leading housebuilder is urgently assessing its recently completed homes for their compliance with aspects of the regulations. A growing body of evidence over the past two decades shows The industry must address quality concerns over new homes 26 March 2020 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Mar20 pp26-27 Hywel Davies.indd 26 21/02/2020 14:49