Building an Electric Future – Challenges and Opportunities

Jordan Brompton, co-founder and CMO of myenergi, discusses the government’s recent electric vehicle charging point legislation announcement and explains what this means for both housebuilders and property developers.

In September, Transport Minister Rachel Maclean announced plans for the introduction of new legislation, which will see all new build properties (both homes and offices) fitted with mandatory electric vehicle (EV) charging points. Set to come into force in 2022, the bill will prove a defining moment in our transition to electrification and further expand our rapidly growing national charging infrastructure.

With all devices required to feature ‘smart’ functionality (i.e. capable of communicating with the car about when is best to plug into the grid), consideration has clearly been given to preventing the energy network from being overloaded. If we get it right, the move will help to further boost confidence in EVs for those who are still concerned about range implications and personal access to charging points.

However, with hundreds of different charging options and often few ways to distinguish between them, how can housebuilders and property developers be sure of choosing the right products for their requirements? What’s more, how do we prevent the market from being flooded by opportunist companies and cheap, unsuitable units? Unfortunately, these questions are yet to be answered.

Driving sustainable progress

It’s important to reiterate that this announcement is hugely positive news – a truly defining moment in our national transition to electrification. Indeed, rather than just another headache when buying your next car, charging your EV at home will soon become as easy and routine as turning on your central heating or setting your house alarm.

This said, as with any legislation, it comes with its own set of challenges. Indeed, the home charge market has experienced significant growth in recent years, with numerous brands entering the sector and introducing their innovative new technologies. Some are truly pioneering home charge solutions – others not so.

The resulting challenge for property developers is to be aware of the differences and be able to easily identify the future-proof solutions that will add significant value. After all, the last thing homeowners need is the pressure to swap out a dated and incompatible charging device less than a few years after purchasing their new property.

Personally, I believe that the government should take the guesswork out of its legislation, by publishing impartial guidance surrounding the most suitable products for installation, including their differences, their features and their applicability for both new build and commercial settings. This would help to ensure the smooth implementation and lasting success of the new bill – important for many in the construction market who, understandably, have limited experience with EV charging technologies.

What does ‘good’ look like?

While limiting the bill to ‘smart’ models will go some distance to preventing the installation of unsuitable units (after all, smart technology is far more complex to develop and will dissuade many opportunist companies), it isn’t a fail-safe solution. It’s likely that new housing estates will be fitted with a bulk number or similar devices, so it’s important to ensure that these are well-built, easy to install, safe and future-proof.

As an example, zappi – our next generation eco-smart EV charger, has already proven its suitability and longevity at thousands of properties worldwide. Alongside standard charging modes, it’s the first device on the market capable of harnessing power from renewable energy micro-generation technologies, such as PV panels and small-scale wind turbines.

In result, this means that zappi users have the opportunity to charge for free. What’s more, by using their own self-generated renewable energy, the risk of overloading the grid is effectively eliminated and our customers can boast an impressively low carbon footprint. Smart charging points like zappi therefore offer numerous benefits to house builders and property developers. Indeed, their future-proof characteristics will ensure suitability for years to come – an important requirement for the homeowner or property manager.

Getting it right from the outset

While the planned introduction of legislation regarding mandated EV charging point installation should prove an important catalyst to our smooth national transition to electrification, education and guidance is critical to long-term success. To ensure that the right devices are installed, property developers need a quick and simple way to check that the home charge solutions that they specify are fit-for-purpose and can be used by homeowners for years to come.

As an industry, we need the government to drive this initiative – on an impartial basis. It can’t be left to chance. If we get this right, we’ll be seen as the global leaders in electrification. If we get it wrong, we could damage the trust we’ve built with the general public about the suitability and daily practicality of both driving and charging electric vehicles.

Let’s not take one step forward and two steps backward. We need to get it right from the outset.

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Flood Prevention Yields 20% Cost Saving

A new flood prevention programme in Great Yarmouth built on behalf of Anglian Water is set to use an innovation-led approach to help protect properties. It will deliver over 20% cost savings on traditional approaches and will also minimise distruption.

As a partner in the @one Alliance (the collaboration set up to deliver Anglian Water’s capital investment programme), civil engineering and infrastructure specialist Barhale has been appointed principal contractor to carry out the work at Burgh Road, Gorleston.

However, opposed to undertaking a large-scale works programme, Barhale will bring back several redundant assets into use and will reconfigure the existing network with a small number of specific, smaller-scale interventions. This will produce faster-to-deliver, less expensive solutions with a lower impact on the community.

These works will also mobilise a nearby box culvert including the associated pipework, pipework modifications, chambers, actuated valve, level monitor and telemetry.

Project manager Dan Ledger explained that the programme follows the Anglian Water strategy of seeking innovative, ‘Tech not Tank’ approaches that make the most of current infrastructure, rather than simply defaulting to expensive build programmes to increase overall physical capacity.

“The typical approach in this situation would be to look to build new capacity into the system, which usually entails significant works to install new tanks and sewers,” he said. “That can mean long build programmes and disruption for local communities.”

He continued: “We worked closely with Anglian to find a smarter solution which uses existing, unused headroom within the existing infrastructure to minimise intervention and to protect the vulnerable properties from flooding.”

The programme of works is expected to be completed in mid 2022.

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Plans to Drive Down Cost of Clean Heat

New plans have been announced by the UK Government to lower the cost of clean heating. Low-carbon, more efficient heating systems are set to be no more expensive, and in many cases could end up being cheaper, to buy under the new plans.

Through the Heat and Buildings Strategy, the Government has set out its plans to incentivise people to install low-carbon heating systems in a simple, fair and cheap way as they start to replace their old boilers over the next decade. This will also significantly reduce the UK’s dependency on fossil fuels and exposure to global price spikes while also supporting around 240,000 new jobs by 2035.

New grants of £5k will be available from April 2022 to help encourage homeowners to install more efficient, low-carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps, through a new £450 million three-year Boiler Upgrade Scheme. These new grants mean people who choose to install a heat pump will pay a similar amount as if they were installing a traditional gas boiler.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is part of more than £3.9 billion of new funding being announced by the Government for decarbonising heat and buildings. This will fund the next three years of investment through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, the Home Upgrade Grant scheme, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and the Heat Networks Transformation Programme and reducing carbon emissions from public buildings through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “As we clean up the way we heat our homes over the next decade, we are backing our brilliant innovators to make clean technology like heat pumps as cheap to buy and run as gas boilers – supporting thousands of green jobs.

“Our new grants will help homeowners make the switch sooner, without costing them extra, so that going green is the better choice when their boiler needs an upgrade.”

Government and industry will also work together to help meet the aim of heat pumps costing the same to buy and run as fossil fuel boilers by 2030, with big cost reductions of between a quarter and a half by 2025 expected as the market expands and technology develops.

This will support the Government’s new target for all new heating systems installed in UK homes by 2035 to be either using low-carbon technologies, such as electric heat pumps, or supporting new technologies like hydrogen-ready boilers, where we are confident we can supply clean, green fuel.

No-one will be forced to remove their existing fossil fuel boilers, with the transition over the next 14 years seeing the UK’s households gradually move away from fossil fuel boilers in an affordable, practical and fair way, enabling homeowners to easily make these green choices when the time comes to replace their old boiler.

Active Building Centre CEO Ron Cowley commented: “We welcome the Government’s support for investment in homes and help to equip buildings with energy-saving heat pumps. Reducing the amount of energy we need to keep our homes warm is a vital step in our efforts to reach the UK’s target of net zero by 2050.

“All homes would benefit from needing less energy, but by using renewable energy to heat them we can drive down the harmful carbon emissions and pollution produced by burning gas.

“Forty per cent of emissions come from buildings, and they need a wholesale upgrade with higher standards for newbuilds and better insulation for existing housing.

“The Active Building Centre’s team is working hard to develop the technology and expertise to help make these changes cheaper and easier, and to ensure the vital challenge of decarbonising our housing can be met across the country.”

In response to the Government’s Net Zero Strategy, David Wright, Chief Engineer at National Grid, said: “In the lead-up to COP26, the UK has certainly raised the bar on ambition to tackle climate change – and we now need to see what this means in practice. Today’s strategy builds on the Ten Point Plan, the energy white paper and a number of strategies that have been published in recent months, outlining what is needed to deliver a net zero future.

“Now the focus needs to be on implementation and investment in infrastructure and technologies. We’re at a critical stage in the journey where net zero is possible with the technologies and opportunities we have today and, in order to deliver on this, we have to accelerate and ramp up efforts to deploy long-term solutions at scale.”

Commenting on the announcement, Mike Foster, CEO of the Energy and Utilities Alliance, cautioned: “The grant hardly sets the world alight and is insufficient to the scale of the challenge we face in terms of reaching net zero.

“It subsidises 30,000 heat pumps being installed each year and is well short of the support needed to get to 600,000 heat pumps installed each year by 2028. My suspicion is that the Chancellor is putting the brakes on the Prime Minister’s flight of green fantasy.

“I suspect hydrogen-ready boiler installations will be far greater than that number by 2028, suggesting that consumers have made their choice. But that choice, between heat pumps or hydrogen-ready boilers, is one they should have.

Mr Foster also expressed concern with the plight of those in fuel poverty. “For the 4.5 million households currently in fuel poverty, faced with rocketing bills and cuts to their universal credit, they must wonder what they have done wrong.

“The £5k grant only pays half the cost of a heat pump, so those in fuel poverty will see no warmth from the Government’s generosity; instead, it is a middle-class bung for people who were probably going to fit a heat pump anyway.

“For the same amount of money, £150 million a year, half a million homes could have loft insulation fitted, saving each household £135 a year, and removing 290,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year. Instead, removing 45,000 gas boilers, replacing them with the subsidised heat pumps, will remove only 71,000 tonnes of carbon each year. This is hardly the COP figure the Prime Minister wants to read.”

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Sustainable Material Trailed at Manchester’s Mayfield

Manchester’s Mayfield regeneration made history last week when the location used a pioneering piece of structural engineering, a new low-emissions concrete which has the potential to transform the global construction sector.

Concretene uses graphene to significantly improve the mechanical performance of concrete, allowing for reductions in the amount of material used and the need for steel reinforcement. This can in turn reduce CO₂ emissions by around 30% and can also drive down costs, meaning Concretene is both greener and cheaper for developers.

It will be used at Mayfield to create a new 54×14 metre mezzanine floor; this will become a roller disco at the hugely popular Escape the Freight Island attraction within Depot Mayfield.

This is the first time Concretene has been used commercially in a suspended slab, and also marks a huge step toward testing and developing it as a widely used building material, which allows it to be used as a substitute for concrete on an industrial scale.

This innovative material has been developed by the University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) and Nationwide Engineering.

Alex McDermott, co-founder of Nationwide Engineering, said: “Today is a huge milestone for the team, as not only is this our first commercial use of Concretene, but also the first suspended slab as used in high-rise developments.

“As world leaders in Graphene Enhanced Concrete technology, the interest from the international building industry has been beyond expectations, as looming legislation is forcing significant carbon reductions throughout construction.”

Nationwide Engineering co-founder Rob Hibberd added: “Our partnership with the University has fast-tracked the development of Concretene, going from lab to product in 18 months.”

Concretene has huge potential to address the construction industry’s need to lower emissions, by reducing the amount of concrete required in construction projects by as much as 30%. It also offers efficiency savings by slashing drying time from 28 days to just 12 hours.

James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Manchester at Manchester University, commented: “We’re delighted to play a part in this exciting project at Mayfield, showcasing how our research can translate into real-world outcomes for sustainability that can be adopted by business and make a major contribution to the city region’s ambitions for net zero by 2038.

“This Manchester-based technology can also contribute to levelling up by positioning our region as a global R&D centre for sustainable materials for the construction industry – attracting investment, creating new businesses and offering high-wage jobs.”

Production of cement for concrete is one of the leading causes of global CO₂ emissions, producing around 8% of total global emissions.

Amid ever-increasing global industrialisation, concrete is the most widely used substance on Earth after water. Its environmental impact is high, however; for every 1 tonne of cement, 1.25 tonnes of CO₂ is produced. In context, global CO₂ from cement production fills a space the size of London’s O2 Arena every 23 seconds.

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Bold But Balanced to Reach 2030 Carbon Target

There is no single challenge facing the construction industry – and arguably the world – that is bigger than reducing carbon emissions. The UN Sustainability Goals target carbon neutrality by 2030, but with the built environment being one of the most problematic for emissions and the stark economic realities of hitting that goal increasingly apparent, how can the industry hold up its end of the bargain? Lee Marshall, managing director at Viridis Building Services, believes the answer lies in boldly balancing environmental and economic viability.

“When it comes to sustainability there is a constant struggle between environmental techniques and making it fit within the budget. Businesses can have the best intentions regarding carbon neutrality, but if the proposed solutions aren’t economically viable, the most financially appropriate option will win out every time.

“However, we must start taking a different approach and understand that green solutions don’t have to cost the earth.

“The balance is found in the early-stage assessment of what works for clients across three different critical factors – technical, environmental and economic justification. It is from this basis that the strongest and most sustainable solutions are built. A building can have all the environmental bells and whistles, but if it doesn’t meet the brief and serve its purpose, there’s a good chance the client will be looking at other options fairly quickly.

“First up we look for a solution that meets the technical needs of the client, then we consider the environmental elements. Finally, we then look at the economic aspect – cost against benefit – and work out where the sweet spot is.

“This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Adopting the principles of Passivhaus – where buildings are created to rigorous energy efficient design standards such as being airtight and using high-quality insulation –can work for certain situations for example. But it isn’t a panacea, especially when certification is sought at the detriment of the underlying economics and justifications.

“With new projects, it’s crucial to get ahead in the design phase and look at the environmental versus economic elements. However, existing buildings are also a very real issue. The key to reaching minimal carbon output is to start from the bottom and identify the essentials. We all need light and warmth, but we can do without lots of lighting and big boilers.

“Finding the right way to reduce a company’s carbon footprint can be a minefield but establishing the true carbon baseline is a great place to start. We recently completed a feasibility study for transitioning the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National

“Park to net zero. We identified the park’s direct energy usage across the entire estate and produced a best in class/challenger roadmap to reduce reaching the net zero target from 2030 to 2025.

“We all want to ensure that we design and build in the most environmentally efficient way. By incorporating sustainable building methods as well as technology into the brief is where real change will come, and the strongest and most sustainable solutions are built.”

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CSIC Showcases Built Environment’s Role

The Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) is ready to put the built environment at the heart of addressing climate change by hosting an international showcase which will run alongside the COP26 summit from 1-12 November 2021.

Through an extensive programme of activity at its Innovation Factory in Hamilton, the CSIC will demonstrate the low and zero-carbon alternatives available to the construction sector and the emerging opportunities to build more sustainably.

For the duration of COP26, which is taking place in Glasgow, the Innovation Factory will host some of the UK’s most innovative prototypes and exhibits which could pave the way for a more sustainable built environment. CSIC will be welcoming visitors to come along and learn more.

Stephen Good, CEO of CSIC, said: “Climate change is at the top of the global agenda and, with COP26 arriving in Glasgow next month, the eyes of the world will turn to what Scotland is doing to achieve net zero. The construction sector shapes the built environment around us and must decarbonise at pace. COP26 can be the catalyst for change. We need to start looking at sustainable alternatives to today’s solutions, and how emerging innovation can be adopted at scale.

“The idea behind the two-week built environment showcase – BE@COP26 – is to highlight the progress already being made towards a zero-carbon future, with leading demonstrators and exhibits to inspire and educate people on the opportunities and possibilities to do things differently. Cutting-edge materials, processes and next-generation skills already exist across the industry, but the real challenge lies in making these the norm.”

Among the range of exhibits are the UK’s first two-storey modular home manufactured from homegrown cross-laminated timber – part of the wider Transforming Timber initiative; and a NearHome prototype, part of the Scottish Government’s 20 Minute Neighbourhoods initiative, which shows how disused spaces can be transformed into sustainable, local work hubs.

MultiPly, a carbon-neutral, modular wooden pavilion made entirely of American tulipwood that was the star of the London Design Festival, will also be on display, along with sustainable building materials such as Kenoteq’s K-Briq made from 90% recycled construction waste.

With construction and the built environment accounting for as much as 47% of UK carbon emissions, CSIC has recognised the major role it must play in transitioning to zero carbon, with innovation critical to making meaningful and long-lasting change.

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It Is Time to Get Sustainable

Sustainability and Net Zero 2050 targets weigh heavy on the minds of many a construction industry professional, from c-suite to on-site.

It’s a topic that’s only going to get hotter in years to come (excuse the pun). As such, we’ve asked a handful of industry talking heads what they feel to be the greatest green issues dictating business decisions now and in the future.

Stuart Murphy, Founder, renewable infrastructure pilot project, TPGen24:

Recent events have proven how fragile our energy infrastructure is and that, in our ambition to reach Net Zero, we’ve become too reliant on intermittent resources like wind and solar. Fundamentally, when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow, these systems cannot produce energy and inevitably lead to shortages and spikes in electricity prices, negatively affecting the consumer.

As we draw nearer to COP26, we have an opportunity to address this serious issue head on, exploring more reliable, perpetual solutions, such as woefully underexplored tidal energy solutions. The construction industry stands to massively benefit and will play a central role in whatever strategy comes out of this autumn’s discussions. Championing resources such as tidal will present the opportunity for more jobs, greater investment, urban regeneration and establishing an expertise which we can export globally.

Richard Waterhouse, spokesperson, integrated construction information platform, NBS: 

“Carbon reduction has now become a huge focus and many organisations are looking to build their green credentials to ensure they’re doing all they can to minimise their impact on the environment. What we’re already seeing is that the role of data is becoming instrumental in driving down emissions. With access to the correct data, organisations can analyse information, offering up-to-the-minute reporting and comparative statistics to record progress and identify energy and carbon inefficiencies. We should drive the use of standardised data to improve product selection, in-use performance and end of life recycling.

“For the specifier community, a more active collaboration between developers, designers, engineers, contractors, and clients is also required to reduce waste significantly. It’s as much about the work as the materials used, and sometimes this means choosing retrofit over a new build. There’s also an onus on the Government to do more to encourage the retrofit of UK buildings. We’ve seen this recently from the FMB (Federation of Master Builders), who are calling for the financial burden to be removed from residents if we’re to truly deliver greener, cleaner homes.”

Adrian Attwood, Executive Director, conservation construction contractor, DBR Ltd:

It can be tempting to view sustainability solely through an ecological prism, however that’s just one side of it. If we are to truly sustain the UK construction industry, we need to urgently address the looming skills shortage we face.

Over the next year I’d like to see all sides of the industry come together to establish a stronger, home-grown pool of talent as imported labour decreases and the existing workforce continues to age.

That’s not all, if we are going to protect and strengthen our industry in the long-term we need to encourage current practitioners to become the teachers of the future, passing their skills to the next generation. It’s a challenge but one I know the construction industry is more than capable of rising to.

Phil Cox, Director, leading structural materials trade body, Modern Masonry

There’s a lot of noise around sustainable materials and what constitutes a ‘green’ building product. However, many top line stats offered by manufacturers are deceptively superficial. As ever, it’s easier to cherry pick facts to support one’s preferred narrative rather than address inconvenient truths, however minor.

As understanding of the climate crisis grows, my hope is for even greater awareness around real steps manufacturers are taking to decarbonise, without the misleading effect of carbon credits.

Reaching Net Zero targets is something our members, comprising the majority of UK block manufacturers, take very seriously. We hope their collective efforts and transparency will set an example for others to follow, particularly in the aftermath of the upcoming COP26.

Rachel Davis, Director, structural and civil engineering practice, Perega:

Where green specification was once a nice to have, it’s becoming an integral part of the design and build brief for both new build and retrofit.

We’ve already seen evidence of this within healthcare construction, as the NHS continues its accelerated drive towards Net Zero 2050. In this space there’s a heavy emphasis on re-use over replace and we now adopt this approach with materials wherever possible.

However, where new is unavoidable, specifiers are starting to look for products manufactured within a circular model, which can be repurposed beyond their original lifespan or contain a high volume of recycled materials.

There’s plenty of food for thought ahead of COP26, particularly for senior construction industry bodies and policy makers. What’s clear is that a concerted effort is being made across the sector and this needs to be further encouraged.

As we can see the whole issue is far more complex than it superficially appears, and requires a comprehensive set of solutions to address it. Let’s hope the international discussions this Autumn give some clear direction which will help guide built environment professionals further down the path towards Net Zero 2050.

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