Helping Buildings Secure BREAAM Excellent Ratings

We are a big supporter of the Building Research Establishments Environmental Assessment Method, the standard bearers for sustainable buildings in the UK. BREEAM (as it is known for short) is essentially the rating system for businesses and their sustainability, with energy efficiency and low carbon technologies rewarded by the organisation.

If you work in the industrial section, you’ll be aware that the importance of energy efficiency in warehouses is growing in importance with each passing year, particularly due to the updated Energy Act 2011, as the UK government (whether it be Conservative, Labour, or a coalition government) is always actively looking to ensure that businesses are as “green” as possible to help protect the environment and help save money and resources. Businesses are therefore looking to ensure that they pass the Energy Act, and a BREAAM excellent rating is a ‘seal of approval’ that a building is both cost-effective to operate, which in turn drastically increases the saleability of a warehouse.

Aside from changes such as solar panels, which people tend to think of when discussing sustainable buildings, there are much more practical (and highly recommended) improvements to create a greener workplace and make substantial savings. For example, it is still surprising to see businesses that have yet to invest in LED lighting and a condensing boiler, which are two mainstays of good environmental management, and drastically cuts bills over the long-term.

Furthermore, CCPD highly recommend using materials that have little or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with small specification changes in large quantity materials can result in significant VOC savings. It is also important to remove waste from business premises, as this can have an extremely negative impact on the environment. We process waste carrier licences – ensuring that the management and removal of any waste can be handled quickly and efficiently. It goes without saying that companies need to be responsible with industrial waste management, particularly hazardous waste, to protect their employees and the local environment.

Our team care passionately about minimising carbon impact, and offering advice to industrial businesses about how to save money. We specifically keep tabs on how much waste is sent to landfills, actively promote the recycling of recyclable products and materials, as well as e courage the motto “reduce, reuse, recycle” is respected throughout our business processes and employee attitudes.

In respect of the new build construction market the smallest differences are the critical factors beween ‘good’ ‘very good’ ‘excellent’ and ‘outstanding’ rated buildings. Clients are now aware of these factors and are accepting higher up front capital costs to reap the long term economic benefits. From a painting perspective manufacturers such as Johnstones Paints who have launched their EcoLabel and Ecological paints and Dulux Trade who have launched their Ecosure range have reacted to the increasing demand for paints containing the lowest possible degree of VOC’s.

If you’d like to find out more about BREAAM and the financial benefits of sustainable buildings, visit the organisation’s website here: http://www.breeam.org.