Impartiality, quality and the best proposals are some of the values implicit in contracting specialised energy consulting.
Institutional promotion of sustainable building, the European Green Deal, the European Union's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Green and Sustainable Financing, sustainable certifications, etc. All of these are relatively new indicators and concepts that we often do not know how to address.
That is why the involvement of a sustainability consulting firm in the design and construction process of the building is favourable to know all the relevant sustainable indicators, assess their measures and implement them in each project.
What is consulting in building sustainability?
It is a company that provides environmental, social and economic advice through a holistic assessment of the technical aspects of buildings (building location, building materials, building use and management of the building and installations) with the aim of proposing measures and strategies to reduce environmental impact and improve its energy efficiency.
The application of integrated design in the pre-design phases allows for the identification of environmental aspects and their potential for improvement at an early stage of the project:
Through the study of the interconnection between the disciplines and the constructive solutions of the project, it is possible:
- Reducing the carbon footprint through analysis of embodied and operational carbon.
- Reduce the energy demand of the project by applying netZero strategies and energy efficiency solutions.
- Measure and reinforce the triple bottom line of the project, improving project quality without increasing costs.
Five basic reasons for hiring energy consulting
- Most companies involved in the construction of buildings do not have an in-house environmental manager.
- The specialists in technical aspects such as engineering and architecture firms prioritize their own agendas without incorporating the holistic analysis necessary for the evaluation of the sustainability of the project.
- Achieve the environmental objectives dictated by the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the regulations related to the energy efficiency of buildings, without interacting with the interests of the construction company.
- To provide an external and neutral view during the design and execution of the construction project that can argue and defend the measures incorporated to improve the sustainability of the building.
- Having an expert, who has worked on many projects in the field, to spend time analysing sustainability strategies aligned with the interests of the contracting company.
The main responsibilities of external consulting in sustainability
- Identifying the parameters that influence the energy performance of the building (adjoining geometry, connections and interactions of the interior space with the exterior, envelope openings, facilities, building use, typology of users, materials used, building management, among others)
- Analysing existing building proposals through specific studies (natural lighting, thermal comfort, envelope optimisation, life cycle analysis of materials)
- Limiting the energy demand of the building, consider measures to improve energy efficiency and propose low-carbon technologies, always analysing the cost-benefit ratio
- Bringing the value of sustainability in an objective and unbiased way, providing a neutral view during all stages of the construction project.
- Providing information relevant to the energy performance of the building and communicate it in a clear and understandable way
- Expanding the practical knowledge acquired
