Further Reading

Energy Usage

A building’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) may have recommendations for how to improve its energy efficiency. (1)

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The PAS 2050:2011 Specification for the Assessment of the Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Goods and Services (2) is a publicly available specification from the British Standards Institution. It is a good starting point for understanding how to assess the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services.

General Websites

There are many useful websites which describe in more detail the technologies discussed in this Guidebook. Some independent UK sites include the Energy Saving Trust (3) and Renewable Energy Hub UK (4). Although they are UK-centric and contain much relevant content, the focus of these websites is on domestic rather than commercial use, so be careful.

The Whole Building Design Guide (5) website is run by The National Institute of Building Sciences. This is an American non-governmental organisation which works with various United States Government federal agencies. The Whole Building Design Guide’s aim is to assist knowledge sharing between the US Government, industry, and academia of building design best practice. As such the website contains detailed information on many applicable technologies, but keep in mind it is an American site so not all knowledge is directly transferrable. Importantly, the Whole Building Design Guide focusses on buildings as an integrated system rather than separate unrelated components, which is something this Guidebook aims to do also.

The Emerging Technologies (6) website was run by the Washington State University Energy Program. It is now no longer being updated but contains a very comprehensive database of about 300 technologies related to electrical energy efficiency. This means it has detailed information on many applicable technologies, although again it is an American site. It aimed to facilitate the use of innovative and valuable electrical energy efficiency technologies which are not presently widespread in the US Pacific Northwest.

Guides to Specific Technologies

Photovoltaics and solar water heating: The Building Research Establishment’s National Solar Centre website has a number of detailed publications (7), including design and installation guides, and works on commercial scale photovoltaics, coupling photovoltaics with battery storage, building-integrated photovoltaics, carport solar systems, solar water heating (solar thermal).

Hydroelectric systems: The British Hydropower Association, the professional trade body for the UK hydropower industry, has A Guide to UK Mini-Hydro Developments (8) which elucidates on all the steps required for such a development.

Biogas and biomethane: The International Energy Agency prepared a technical brochure on small-scale anaerobic digestion (9). This discusses different technologies for biogas production, the capital and operating costs associated with different options, such as upgrading biogas to biomethane, direct heating with biogas, or using biogas for combined heat and power.

Water source heat pumps: The UK Government’s Department of Energy & Climate Change commissioned an Atkins report as part of the National Heat Map, the Water Source Heat Map Layer (10), looking into the most suitable locations in England for water source heat pumps.

Product, Supplier & Installer Databases

To comply with building regulations many kinds of building installation work must be carried out by someone on the UK Government’s Competent Persons Register (11). The website can be used to find or check the credentials of a Competent Person. If a Competent Person is not used, a full planning application must be submitted and the work has to be inspected by a Building Control Body at the expense of those responsible for the work.

The Energy Saving Trust run the Energy Saving Trust Register (12), which is a database of energy efficiency products which have had their performance verified or endorsed by the Energy Saving Trust.

The Renewable Energy Hub UK have a Trusted Renewable Energy Installer (13) database, which covers installers almost all the technologies discussed in this Guidebook.

For hydroelectric generation specifically, the British Hydropower Association has a listing database (14) of product suppliers and installers, as well as engineers, consultants, developers, investors, and insurers.

For wood-fuelled biomass generation specifically, the UK Government has a Biomass Suppliers List (15) for finding suppliers of sustainably source wood-based biomass fuel.

Installation Notifications  

For technologies including photovoltaics, wind turbines, hydroelectric systems, battery storage, and electric vehicle charging points, there are several bodies which may require notifying. These are the electricity relevant distribution network operator, Ofgem (the Office for Gas and Electricity Markets) and the relevant local authority. Which bodies require notification depends on the technology, the size of the installation, and local procedures.

(1) Energy Saving Trust, Energy at Home, Guide to Energy Performance Certificates. Available from: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/guide-to-energy-performance-certificates-epcs/ [Accessed 26^th January 2021].

(2) British Standards Institution (BSI), PAS 2050:2011, Specification for the Assessment of the Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Goods and Services. London: BSI; 2011. Available from: https://shop.bsigroup.com/en/forms/PASs/PAS-2050/ [Accessed 26^th January 2021].

(3) Energy Saving Trust, Home. Available from: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/ [Accessed 26^th January 2021].

(4) The Renewable Energy Hub UK, Home. Available from: https://www.renewableenergyhub.co.uk/ [Accessed 26^th January 2021].

(5) Whole Building Design Guide, Home. Available from: https://www.wbdg.org/ [Accessed 26^th January 2021].

(6) Emerging Technologies, Home. Available from: http://e3tnw.org/Home.aspx [Accessed 26^th January 2021].

(7) Building Research Establishment, BRE Publications. Available from: https://www.bre.co.uk/nsc/page.jsp?id=3435 [Accessed 16^th March 2021].

(8) British Hydropower Association, A Guide to UK Mini-Hydro Developments. Available at: http://www.british-hydro.org/search-our-database/ [Accessed 26^th January 2021].

(9) C. Lukehurst and A. Bywater, International Energy Agency (IEA) Bioenergy, Exploring The Viability of Small Scale Anaerobic Digesters In Livestock Farming. Paris: IEA Bioenergy; 2015. Available from: http://www.iea-biogas.net/files/daten-redaktion/download/Technical%20Brochures/Small_Scale_RZ_web1.pdf [Accessed 16th March 2021].

(10) Department of Energy and Climate Change and Atkins, National Heat Map: Water Source Heat Map Layer. London: UK Government; 2015. Available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416660/water_source_heat_map.PDF [Accessed 26^th January 2021].

(11) Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Competent Persons Register, Home. Available at: https://www.competentperson.co.uk/default.aspx [Accessed 26^th January 2021].

(12) Energy Saving Trust, Energy Saving Trust Register. Available from: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/listing/est-register/ [Accessed 26^th January 2021].

(13) The Renewable Energy Hub UK, Find a Trusted Renewable Energy Installer. Available from: https://www.renewableenergyhub.co.uk/search-installers [Accessed 26^th January 2021].

(14) British Hydropower Association, Search. Available at: http://www.british-hydro.org/search-our-database/ [Accessed 26^th January 2021].

(15) Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Gemserv, Biomass Suppliers List, Find A Fuel. Available at: https://biomass-suppliers-list.service.gov.uk/find-a-fuel [Accessed 26^th January 2021].