Options for Nergy Efficiency Measures in Buildings and Their Impact on CO2 Reduction in the UK

Panel: Panel 4: Environmental Perspective (externalities and life cycle approaches, local and global impacts and incentatives)

Authors:
S.R. Samo, Quaid-e-Awan University, Pakistan
K.M. Letherman, UMIST, UK

Abstract

Energy use for space heating in buildings is a major sources of emission of carbon dioxide CO2, the most important greenhouse gas. Domestic buildings are responsible for approximately a quarter of the UK total energy consumption and a similar proportion of energy-related CO2 emissions. In the UK, four revisions of the national building regulations have been introduced since 1965 at intervals of about 10 years. Each successive revision has improved the U-values of construction elements to reduce the energy use and its related impact on the environment. Older dwellings in the UK (which were not affected by the building regulations, since they were already built) produce about 73% of CO2 emissions in the domestic sector.

The UK government has now a commitment with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions to 20% below the 1990 levels by 2010. This study has analysed different options to achieve the contribution of the domestic sector to the UK government's target. The effect of modulating the U-values of construction elements on energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the UK dwellings was analysed. It was found that a 40% decrease in wall U-values of the pre-1965 dwellings can reduce the CO2 emissions by 30% in those dwellings and give a 23% reduction in the total domestic sector. This measure will be enough to achieve the contribution of the domestic sector to the government's target. This paper present data on the percentage of dwelling stock, the energy consumption and CO2 emission in different types of dwellings, which satisfy different revisions of the UK building regulations from 1965 to 1995.