Image credits Croxley Park
Project: Increase EPC Score
Market: Energy Efficiency
Location: CroxleyPark, Watford
The Challenge
Led by a desire to increase energy efficiency, enhance EPC ratings, align with net zero pathways and to ensure that the property exceed the 2030 governmental requirements for carbon emissions, Watford Borough Council reached out to Low Carbon Alliance for guidance.
They sought to understand how much energy Croxley Park’s Building 1 was consuming, how much carbon was being emitted, and how both of these could be improved.
Building 1 was previously rated EPC B, however the Council had a desire to increase this to an A. They had set aside a significant budget for a renovation to achieve this.
The Solution
Low Carbon Alliance conducted a survey and review of the building, then provided recommendations which ensured Watford Borough Council exceeded their objectives, while staying well under their planned budget.
Building 1’s EPC assessment was initially done using standard practices, including the use of ‘default data’. This is the data that assessment software inputs automatically based on assumptions about a building when facts are unavailable to the assessor and its use can result in inaccurate EPC ratings.
Our team re-conducted the EPC assessment, providing forensic research into every relevant aspect of the building and eliminating as much default data as possible.
The result of our research and thorough assessment was an improvement to an EPC A, without requiring any costly building works.
The Outcome
The process of improvement by our team has resulted in a positive outcome for Watford Borough Council.
The Council has:
• Achieved their goal of an EPC A rating
• Saved capital expenditure on unnecessary refurbishments following our EPC reassessment and forensic building research
• Saved on the inconvenience, disruption and potential tenant dissatisfaction of performing building works on an occupied commercial property
The work at Building 1 demonstrates how our team, used a high level of collaboration with the client Management Team, and their engineering experience, to accurately calculate the buildings operational energy performance for certification.