HOTELS & RESORTS
Performance is Key in Hospitality Projects
- ALUPROF -
By Wojciech Brożyna - MD of Aluprof UK
Saving energy reduces carbon footprint and saves costs . This has always been true , but in the past , when energy costs were low and carbon emissions ignored , the incentive to invest in energy saving projects did not make economic sense at that time .
With higher energy costs today and the recognition across the globe , we must do more to reduce our global warming by reducing carbon emissions ; it is now something all companies are striving to achieve . Consumers are also becoming savvy and listening to those companies who are making the biggest strides in adopting and promoting a green agenda .
In fact , most consumers are reviewing their own spending actions and trying where possible to reduce their carbon footprint , from spending on groceries to spending on holidays and hospitality . Costs aside , consumers are now making choices based on hospitality providers ’ green agenda .
Sustainability , a buzz-word that may be overused and misunderstood by many , in simple terms , can be interpreted as ‘ doing it once and doing it right ’. Connecting this principle to the fabric of a building relates to increased insulation and reduced air permeability of the structure . Together both can offer significant savings in energy costs and , taking a ‘ fabric first ’ approach , should be considered as the most cost effective first step .
In ‘ new build ’ the current building regulations stipulate the minimum insulation requirement of windows to be a U value of 1.4 W / m ² K with walls at 0.18 W / m ² K , but this can be further lowered by the adoption of Passivhaus construction , which takes the insulation values down even lower to 0.8 W / m ² K for windows and walls as low as 0.08 W / m ² K . Together with increased levels of air tightness in the
The Indigo Hotel - Manchester
building construction , the space heating demands ( or heat load ) on the building can be reduced to just 15kWh / m2 of annual space heating demand , which is around 90 % less than a typical UK building .
Whilst Passivhaus standard hotels are relatively new on the scene , the demand for buildings designed to this specification is on the increase with homes , offices , public buildings and student accommodation currently in use with further projects under construction .
Scotland has been quick to pick up on the rise of the Passivhaus specification and the government in Scotland have adopted this principle , stating that they will have a similar specification in Scotland brought into legislation for all new homes from the end of 2024 .
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