EcoDuct Market Update - 24 August 2023

The serious new implications of Net Zero for commercial planning applications – how EcoDuct can help

Summary:

  • New planning applications need to seriously consider CO2 reduction strategy as part of the drive to Net Zero

  • This strategy needs to go beyond traditional building materials and identify opportunities in mechanical services, especially HVAC

  • Purchasing carbon offsets is at best a partial, expensive and far less desirable strategy – better to reduce the CO2 in the construction process

  • The use of EcoDuct, a transformative ductwork technology, can reduce the embodied carbon of an HVAC system by up to 75% and the operational carbon (through energy savings) by up to 45% (up to 13.5% of the overall energy costs of a building)   

    There’s growing evidence that costly planning disasters may become more commonplace as Net Zero considerations increase in importance in the minds of the planning authorities.

     

    The well-publicised setback for the Marks & Spencer flagship development in Marble Arch is a case in point as after a major investment in design, planning permission has been refused.

     

    The calculation that the new build programme will generate “40,000 tonnes of CO2 in immediate impact” is the reason. On the embodied carbon impact, Gove said the construction of the new-build replacement would ‘impede the UK’s transition to a zero-carbon economy’, despite his acceptance that some of the impact would be mitigated by carbon offset payments secured under the project’s section 106 agreement. It is a conclusion which could threaten every new build application, especially, but not only, those that involve demolition.

     

    To counter the destructive potential of the ‘immediate impact’ calculation, developers and architects must prepare the counter arguments based on effective management of ‘Whole Life Carbon’ (WLC) – the combined total of embodied and operational emissions over the whole life cycle of a building.  This involves materials sourcing, manufacture, construction, operational use over a given period, demolition and disposal – a challenging task.

     

    At the construction stage, equal emphasis must be given to core construction materials and mechanical services and here EcoDuct has a major contribution to make with transformative ductwork technology. 

     

    EcoDuct is an innovative, high performance, non-metallic, pre-insulated phenolic ductwork system, available in all shapes, sizes and colours.  This revolutionary approach saves energy, cuts costs, reduces environmental impact and enhances the delivery of clean, uncontaminated air.  It is up to 85% lighter than GSS ductwork and, with single fit installation, can save up to 70% of installation time.

     

    Long regarded as a standard commodity made from traditional materials and hidden in the roof, ductwork becomes a major influencing factor in the new planning environment.  With HVAC accounting for up to 25% of lifetime building costs, every opportunity to build reductions in WLC into initial design and planning applications must be taken and so, for all new projects, EcoDuct raises the bar for ductwork specification. 

     

    It’s time for every specifier in the construction industry to step back and assess the potential impact of their ductwork choice.  And don’t be afraid to enlist one of the international business compliance standards as an ally.  EcoDuct is fully compliant with BREEAM, LEED, The International WELL Standard and NABERS Design for Performance. The message is simple – ensure that ductwork specifications are the highest available