“Change will require a systemic approach to modify policies and markets in a synchronized way.”

David Glew and his team in the UK conduct research projects on building performance assessment at the Leeds Sustainability Institute (LSI). His work, based on field trials, has been decisive in advancing knowledge of real building performance, and thus encouraging changes in behavior and in how owners and industry can make more sustainable decisions.

What opportunities do you see for the construction sector in terms of the energy transition?

An exciting opportunity right now is to be able to help owners understand whether their buildings are performing as expected or showing a performance gap, and whether they offer a healthy indoor environment. Sensors, which are becoming increasingly affordable, collect this real data, making occupants more aware of their energy consumption and thus more committed to energy retrofitting projects.

Access to real data from buildings paves the way for innovative financial and energy models.

This data also paves the way for innovative financial models: if mortgage suppliers could measure the improvements brought about by energy-efficient housing, they could develop specific green financing products and other support measures for their customers. As experts in building performance assessment, we are fortunate to be able to help validate and develop many of the new technologies that are making progress in this direction. However, as with the introduction and rapid expansion of any technology, there is a period of adjustment before the market fully understands all the issues.

Also Read/Listen: How can funding support the development of sustainable construction?

What barriers are slowing down the sector’s energy transition?

One of the most popular actions in the race towards net zero carbon is the decarbonization of electricity and the electrification of heating in buildings, i.e. replacing gas-fired boilers with heat pumps. However, the fundamental problem in achieving this is the demand for heat during peak periods. On a winter morning, the demand could be five to ten times greater than what the current electrical grids can supply. This is particularly true in countries that have historically used gas to heat buildings, where energy infrastructure and legacy policies are barriers to achieving this goal.

This problem of peak heat demand could be overcome by increasing the electricity supply (by building more power plants and renewable sources) or by reducing peak demand: by installing heat pumps, retrofitting buildings and using load shifting and battery storage.

However, these solutions are not straightforward, and would probably take decades to implement, and they require greater infrastructure investment than is currently planned.

This is often compounded by pricing policies that can make electricity three times more expensive than gas. Achieving price parity between fuels is one step towards making the transition more acceptable and achievable, but the prospect of increasing bills for millions of homeowners currently using gas is a politically sensitive proposition. This change will require a systemic approach to modify policies and markets in a synchronized way, as one cannot move forward without the other.

Achieving price parity between electricity and gas is one step towards making the transition more acceptable and achievable.

In terms of energy performance, what exemplary initiatives have you seen in the construction sector in recent years?

The Demonstration of Energy Efficiency Potential (DEEP) research project, launched in 2019 with £3m funding from the UK government. It is an in-depth study of how solid-walled houses can be retrofitted to bring them up to energy efficiency standards. The project is funded by the UK Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, and is led by academics at the Leeds Sustainability Institute, based at Leeds Beckett University.

To go further:

https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/events/inaugural-lectures/professor-david-glew

DEEP Project Research | Leeds Sustainability Institute 

Demonstration of Energy Efficiency Potential (DEEP) – GOV.UK