22/10/2024

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Newsdesk

Sweco UK

Sweco plays key role in defining new UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard

Urban Transition CSRD Built Environment Urbanisation Net Zero Decarbonisation Reporting & Disclosure ESG

Sweco UK, namely our Sustainable Buildings lead Kartik Amrania, is extremely proud to have contributed to the new Pilot Version of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, a Standard that will set the common benchmark for the built environment industry to follow when seeking to prove that assets achieve net zero carbon.

The Pilot Version of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard was launched in September 2024, providing a single, agreed methodology for defining what ‘Net Zero Carbon’ actually means. The Pilot Version providesa robust reference point for building construction, and provide a framework of validation when it comes to making net zero carbon claims in new and existing buildings – outlining the technical details on how a building should meet the Standard, the technical evidence required to demonstrate this and how it should be reported.

In the future, projects will therefore be able to properly verify that a project conforms to the Standard and as a result report and disclose ESG information against common, now-documented criteria.

One key outcome is a set of targets for upfront embodied carbon, avoidance of fossil fuel use and reporting operational energy in use. All aspects of reporting will be validated by independent third-party verification, and the operational energy via metered ongoing consumption of energy use will be required to be verified every year.

To help shape the new Standard – which will play a key role in the green transition – Kartik, who participated in Task Group (2) – Carbon Accounting, shared his two decades of experience in sustainable building design, and also set up an internal focus group consisting of experts from our teams in the UK and Scandinavia to draw on their expertise in implementing the NOLLCO2 Standards. he reflects:

“The UKNZC Standard, along with being a ‘quality seal’ for low-carbon construction, will assure the building asset owners of quality for their investments. The yearly reporting of (EUI) operational energy means that the building service design must deliver its design intent in operation. I am immensely proud to work at Sweco, which has always focused on quality and performance, and I am pleased that we are well placed to deliver the NZC Standards of the future.”