World Green Building Week: Energy Efficient Futures
The fast-approaching 2050 Deadline
As we come closer to the 2050 deadline of reducing carbon emissions and achieving net zero, focus has been placed on the construction industry to help create a more energy efficient future. Sustainable construction has come to the forefront of discussion in industry in a bid to educate the wider workforce and also encourage new projects to have a sustainable approach to building and design.
Our four-pronged approach to Sustainability in Construction
Our Sustainability Strategy focuses on four things;
- Carbon footprint; We actively consider ways to reduce our carbon impact. This begins with measuring our current expenditure, not just internally, but also externally amongst our suppliers and subcontractors.
- Waste; Waste accrued during live projects remains one of the biggest costs to a project, both financially and to the environment.
- Environmental impact; We strive to involve ourselves in all stages of a project – from tender through to live on site. We monitor the environmental impact of projects through our sustainability software systems including SustainIQ and Procore.
- Procurement; We go beyond internally ensuring a project meets sustainability standards and look towards our external partners, from subcontractors to suppliers and ensure that materials are responsibly sourced. We ensure our supply chain is sustainable, down to the miles recorded during transit from warehouse to site and method of transport used.
New regulations forcing industry-wide change
“EPCs – they are already impacting our live projects”. “I think demand will increase for enquiries surrounding improving the EPC ratings of buildings – not just by improving building efficiency but also looking towards integrating renewable energy”. “Since April this year, commercial and residential properties should target and EPC rating of C. In the next 2 years, it is likely that this will be legislation”.
“The live projects at ODGroup – they are designed in a way that they target a higher EPC rating than what is legislation, so we are already a step ahead of what will become law”.
Education and Integration at the forefront
Education remains the most important element to build the transition to a more energy efficient and sustainable future. “Spreading awareness to others and being tangible in my approach to sustainable construction is the key. I personally apply myself to every department to make myself aware of all aspects of a project, from tender to the project being live on site”
“All of our departments have a part to play in being sustainable. We first need to educate them about how to do so, and therefore it is essential that sustainability teams communicate with on-site teams and across departments to ensure transparency and understanding of sustainable practices.” – Osama Morad, Sustainability Assistant
