The RIBA’s 2030 Climate Challenge sets a series of targets for architectural practices to adopt in their designs for new and retrofitted buildings to reduce operational energy use, embodied carbon and water.
The targets are progressive yet realistic, and a vital first step to ensure the construction industry can deliver the significant reductions necessary by 2030 in order to have a realistic prospect of achieving net-zero carbon for the whole UK building stock by 2050.
The four Sustainable Outcome target metrics are:
• Reduce operational energy demand by at least 75%
• Reduce embodied carbon by at least 50-70%
• Reduce potable water use by at least 40%
• Achieve all core health and wellbeing targets
The role of showers
A recent report produced by the SAP Industry Forum for BEIS, the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, has shown that in an average house hot water use accounts for 36% of the total energy demand. According to the Energy Savings Trust 50% of the generated hot water cost is attributed to showering – making showers alone responsible for 18% of the overall energy use.
As fabric efficiency improves so the percentage share of energy and carbon attributed to hot water will increase. Therefore, specifying high-efficiency showers can not only provide significant savings in water and energy consumption, operational costs and carbon emissions, but also offer architects a cost-effective solution to improve building efficiency and achieve compliance – in fact Kelda showers can help to contribute to achieving BREEAM status on projects.
Sustainable water
One of the key design principles for sustainable water is to reduce the consumption of potable water by a minimum of 40%. This means 75 litres/person/day for domestic buildings and 10 litres/ person/day for non-domestic buildings. Currently for showers to meet Part G of the Building Regulations a maximum flow rate of 10 litres/minute is permissible. To meet the 2030 targets this will mean a flow rate of less than 6 litres/minute.
Starting with upcoming changes to Approved Document L of the Building Regulations and subsequent tightening of the ‘Future Homes Standard’ it is expected that fabric heat loss and air leakage rates will become progressively tighter in order to meet reduced energy demand targets. As such domestic hot water provision will become the main regulated energy demand – with shower efficiency playing a key role in improving building performance.
Summary
Kelda’s latest range of Air-Powered™ showers exceed regulatory compliance, providing an invigorating shower experience at flow rate as low as 5 litres per minute. This is a significant breakthrough in shower technology as it enables architects to confidently meet the RIBA’s 2030 Climate Challenge targets today. The installation of Air-Powered™ showers into new and retrofitted buildings is simple. The technology has been independently verified and proven to save potable water, reduce the demand for hot water in a building, and in turn assist in reducing a buildings carbon emission.
Benefits:
• Invigorating shower experience
• Exceeds the RIBA’s 2030 Climate Challenge targets
• Exceeds Part G Compliance – significantly reduces water consumption to achieve the highest standards
• Can contribute to achieving BREEAM status on projects
• Cost effective solution to reducing primary energy – reduces DER and DPER
• Eligible for a water efficiency discount – up to £740 per plot (depending on water company)
• Reduced running costs – delivers lifetime annual savings of up to 12.25% off the household energy bill
• Suitable for all dwellings – new build and retro-fit
• Can help reduce build cost and space – allows for smaller hot water cylinders to be specified
• Help increase SAP rating – SAP 11 expectation
• Simple installation – comparative to a power shower
• Contributes towards a major reduction in DHW load
• Provides flexibility in the specification of other fittings to meet compliance
• TMV2 approved thermostatic mixer – provides safe hot water temperatures and prevents scalding
• Meets water supply (water fittings) regulations
• 2 year parts and labour guarantee
• Less maintenance – larger nozzles are less resistant to limescale build-up and blocking
• Simple to use – technology is hidden in panel
• Modern shower panel design – featuring glass fascia
“One of the key design principles for sustainable water is to reduce the consumption of potable water by a minimum of 40%. This means 75 litres/person/day for domestic buildings and 10 litres/person/day for non-domestic buildings.”