Law evolving on energy efficiency in buildings

The legal landscape for developers and building managers is rapidly shifting as the UK government continues to phase in the European Directive on Energy Performance in Buildings.


Ant Wilson, director of Faber Maunsell, spoke about the directive at the Nemex trade show this morning and edie caught up with him before his presentation.

“I’ll be looking at the European legislation and how we’re implementing it in the UK,” he said.

“It’s about policy for energy efficiency in buildings. I’ll be looking at where building regulations are currently at and what government thinking is on how things are going to change. People need to be up to speed on this and wake up to the fact that legislation is changing fast and if they don’t keep up it’s going to come back to whack them round the head.”

Buildings account for 40% of the energy consumed in Europe and the directive requires all EU countries to enhance their building regulations and to introduce energy certification schemes for buildings.

In the UK the process began with the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates and is moving on to require regular inspection of large-scale air conditioning units.

“There are a couple of government consultations out at the moment so I’ll be looking at those,” said Mr Wilson.

“I’ll mainly be looking at the non-domestic sector because the audience will mainly be environmental managers responsible for commercial sites, but I will cover all types of buildings.”

Sam Bond

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe