Dr Iain Reid
Dame Ellen MacArthur
Monday, 31 March 2008
Watch Dr Iain Reid and Dame Ellen MacArthur speaking at the CIBSE Low Carbon Performance Awards
While our Low Carbon Performance Awards 2008 recedes into our corporate memory just to say that you can be re-invigorated by seeing Dame Ellen MacArthur and Dr Iain Reid speaking at the ceremony in February (just click on the video links below).
Dr Iain Reid
Dr Iain Reid
CIBSE Energy Assessors
Finally the month the industry has been building up to – April 2008, the month when the EPBD legislation comes into force which means that new buildings, major refurbishments and large public buildings throughout England and Wales must have an energy certificate to rate the energy performance of the building. As you will all know by now, from 6th April, Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) will be compulsory for all commercial buildings of more than 10,000 sq m whenever they are purchased or rented.
The build up to this implementation has been impossible to escape from and for much of last year and the beginning of this year, CIBSE and the industry in general have been frantically laying the foundations for the schemes which will make these certificates a reality. The people behind the certificates are the ones who will bring the legislation to life, without accredited energy assessors there would be no EPCs. It hasn’t been an easy road to setting up and gaining approval for the CIBSE Low Carbon Energy Assessor scheme but we are finally there and all the hard work has been worth it.
So, despite the various challenges along the way, we feel that the CIBSE Low Energy Assessor scheme has made a positive start and will respond well to the growing demand for assessors that will build during the coming months. There will be a lot of questions directed at CLG and the accredited training schemes, and there will always be those who criticize and bring up the flaws of other initiatives such as Home Information Packs but the point is that CIBSE, and the industry, are rising to the challenge and will do everything possible to meet the expectations of the government, of clients and of the general public.
Meanwhile CIBSE Flexible Learning has been launched; aimed at the corporate training requirement, at least to begin with. The teaching material is broadly based upon our own publications and subject matter experts, we anticipate delivering at least twelve modules on applications such as ducts, cables, drains, low energy design – on-demand web based training to the highest standard with the intention of creating best practice, a reference library and case studies. We held two briefing sessions one to the academic community and one to industry and are looking to have early adopters who will help guide and inform this learning. Already we have four companies committed to the scheme with another twelve very interested. If you would like to know more about the opportunities and benefits of getting involved with the programme, please do feel free to contact me. In the longer term I believe we shall create a “knowledge network” on line, hopefully, for all. We start in September and we are all very excited about it.
Stephen Matthews
CIBSE Chief Executive
The build up to this implementation has been impossible to escape from and for much of last year and the beginning of this year, CIBSE and the industry in general have been frantically laying the foundations for the schemes which will make these certificates a reality. The people behind the certificates are the ones who will bring the legislation to life, without accredited energy assessors there would be no EPCs. It hasn’t been an easy road to setting up and gaining approval for the CIBSE Low Carbon Energy Assessor scheme but we are finally there and all the hard work has been worth it.
So, despite the various challenges along the way, we feel that the CIBSE Low Energy Assessor scheme has made a positive start and will respond well to the growing demand for assessors that will build during the coming months. There will be a lot of questions directed at CLG and the accredited training schemes, and there will always be those who criticize and bring up the flaws of other initiatives such as Home Information Packs but the point is that CIBSE, and the industry, are rising to the challenge and will do everything possible to meet the expectations of the government, of clients and of the general public.
Meanwhile CIBSE Flexible Learning has been launched; aimed at the corporate training requirement, at least to begin with. The teaching material is broadly based upon our own publications and subject matter experts, we anticipate delivering at least twelve modules on applications such as ducts, cables, drains, low energy design – on-demand web based training to the highest standard with the intention of creating best practice, a reference library and case studies. We held two briefing sessions one to the academic community and one to industry and are looking to have early adopters who will help guide and inform this learning. Already we have four companies committed to the scheme with another twelve very interested. If you would like to know more about the opportunities and benefits of getting involved with the programme, please do feel free to contact me. In the longer term I believe we shall create a “knowledge network” on line, hopefully, for all. We start in September and we are all very excited about it.
Stephen Matthews
CIBSE Chief Executive
Friday, 7 March 2008
Low Carbon Performance rewarded at CIBSE annual dinner
Last month saw the launch of the first annual Low Carbon Performance Awards, organised by CIBSE in association with E.ON. The evening was a great success, with almost 800 guests including CIBSE members, clients, members of the Low Carbon Consultants (LCC) Register and participants of the 100 Days of Carbon Clean Up Campaign.
Holding it at the Grosvenor House Hotel, as part of the traditional CIBSE Annual Dinner, added to the atmosphere of the event and opened up the awards to a wider range of guests. Ok, the Review of the Year was loud but if you needed a measure of how far the institution has come in 12 months then here you have it. Dame Ellen MacArthur and Dr Iain Stewart both made the point that we are embarked on a serious business but actually it is still important to enjoy the evening. The word I would use is confidence, CIBSE has come of age and now we are delivering. It is fun too...
It was nice to see the winners receive the recognition they deserve for the work they did in either rolling out the 100 Days campaign within their workplace, or in using their role as a registered Low Carbon Consultant to full effect. One positive outcome was the variety in building types and sizes – shortlisted entries included hospitals, museums, football clubs, universities and offices – helping to show that the energy efficiency of a building can be improved no matter its type or size.
Aside from the categories for the 100 days campaign and the LCC register was an award dedicated to the work of ‘Low Carbon Pioneers’, people who have furthered the cause of sustainability in the UK and beyond and who provide a constant source of inspiration for others working towards a sustainable future. The shortlist, voted for by CIBSE members, included high profile names such as Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Stuart Rose and Bill Gething but it was Bill Bordass who received the honour. Bill’s energy performance work has led to many publications including Energy Consumption Guide 19 and laid the foundations for CIBSE TM22. In the 1990s he became active in integrating human, technical and environmental factors and was a key member of the Probe team, with its pioneering series of building performance studies in the BSJ. More recently he has been working on building energy certification and helped to set up the Usable Buildings Trust.
Some people may feel that there are too many industry award events, that perhaps they are losing their relevance but I would argue that the industry needs the positivity and the recognition that awards tend to bring. The main aim of the Low Carbon Performance Awards is to reward performance rather than promise – to highlight success stories and ensure that results are being noticed. It was also wonderful to see so many of the “end users” and the value they put on the Institution and our members. We are even more determined to build on this success. With EPB and EPC almost upon us we are busy preparing our first batch of certificates.
Certainly 2008 has started with a bang. So I have no doubt, that over the coming months we hope to hear about many more successes and to draw attention to new projects and innovations in time for next year’s awards. Can we break the 1000 attendance figure; why not come and join us next year at The Grosvenor House – it promises to be an even better party. Wednesday 4th February 2009 is the date for your diary.
Stephen Matthews
CIBSE Chief Executive
Holding it at the Grosvenor House Hotel, as part of the traditional CIBSE Annual Dinner, added to the atmosphere of the event and opened up the awards to a wider range of guests. Ok, the Review of the Year was loud but if you needed a measure of how far the institution has come in 12 months then here you have it. Dame Ellen MacArthur and Dr Iain Stewart both made the point that we are embarked on a serious business but actually it is still important to enjoy the evening. The word I would use is confidence, CIBSE has come of age and now we are delivering. It is fun too...
It was nice to see the winners receive the recognition they deserve for the work they did in either rolling out the 100 Days campaign within their workplace, or in using their role as a registered Low Carbon Consultant to full effect. One positive outcome was the variety in building types and sizes – shortlisted entries included hospitals, museums, football clubs, universities and offices – helping to show that the energy efficiency of a building can be improved no matter its type or size.
Aside from the categories for the 100 days campaign and the LCC register was an award dedicated to the work of ‘Low Carbon Pioneers’, people who have furthered the cause of sustainability in the UK and beyond and who provide a constant source of inspiration for others working towards a sustainable future. The shortlist, voted for by CIBSE members, included high profile names such as Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Stuart Rose and Bill Gething but it was Bill Bordass who received the honour. Bill’s energy performance work has led to many publications including Energy Consumption Guide 19 and laid the foundations for CIBSE TM22. In the 1990s he became active in integrating human, technical and environmental factors and was a key member of the Probe team, with its pioneering series of building performance studies in the BSJ. More recently he has been working on building energy certification and helped to set up the Usable Buildings Trust.
Some people may feel that there are too many industry award events, that perhaps they are losing their relevance but I would argue that the industry needs the positivity and the recognition that awards tend to bring. The main aim of the Low Carbon Performance Awards is to reward performance rather than promise – to highlight success stories and ensure that results are being noticed. It was also wonderful to see so many of the “end users” and the value they put on the Institution and our members. We are even more determined to build on this success. With EPB and EPC almost upon us we are busy preparing our first batch of certificates.
Certainly 2008 has started with a bang. So I have no doubt, that over the coming months we hope to hear about many more successes and to draw attention to new projects and innovations in time for next year’s awards. Can we break the 1000 attendance figure; why not come and join us next year at The Grosvenor House – it promises to be an even better party. Wednesday 4th February 2009 is the date for your diary.
Stephen Matthews
CIBSE Chief Executive
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