What is meant by low carbon construction ideas?
Low carbon development is a comprehensive design and construction approach involving progressive, energy-efficient, and eco-friendly practices to build a more sustainable future. The United Nations Environment Programme reports that the construction industry contributes 34 per cent of energy usage and 37 per cent of CO2 emissions worldwide.
The Equans Activity Report cites CEO Jérôme Stubler: "2022 was marked by increasing demand for low carbon offers from our clients.”
Amid an energy crisis, awareness for decarbonisation has grown, leading Jérôme Stubler to note, “This new impetus has presented us with the opportunity to express all of the richness of our low carbon offer, which has enjoyed significant growth in the building, industry and transport sectors.”
The expansion of the construction sector is largely driven by the global affordable housing crisis, where demand outstrips supply, causing price surges and often involving controversial, carbon-intensive practices.
The "Decarbonizing Construction: Building a Low-Carbon Future" study points out barriers like inefficient procurement and insufficient regulation. However, the sector also has the potential to drive decarbonisation across industries through initiatives like green buildings and renewable energy projects, reiterating the need for accelerated efforts to achieve net zero.
What is Building Information Modelling (BIM)?
Although the construction industry has mainly concentrated on decarbonisation during the design and operation phases, reducing carbon emissions during the construction process is equally important. The carbon emitted during a building’s construction, known as embodied carbon, accounts for 11 per cent of the sector's total carbon emissions. Embodied carbon presents unique challenges, as it is often more difficult to pinpoint and mitigate.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) can help in this area, as it fosters collaboration among all parties involved in the design, construction, maintenance, and use of buildings through the use of digital tools. It brings together 3D modelling with real-time data to improve the building process, leading to waste reduction and better efficiency. Information is shared among all stakeholders at the same time and in the same format.
Equans' BIM Life® service capitalises on BIM to ensure accuracy in construction processes, resulting in buildings that are more sustainable and energy-efficient.
Like the automotive and aerospace sectors, the construction industry is embracing digital innovation through BIM. Equans has developed BIM Life®, a proprietary BIM brand that collects building and user behaviour data, optimising building functionality and increasing infrastructure value over time.
What are the solutions to renewable energy?
Integrating renewable energy into construction projects is vital for reaching sustainability objectives and minimising greenhouse gas emissions. It plays a critical role in steering the transition towards a more sustainable energy landscape by using clean and renewable energy sources.
Hence incorporating renewable energy into large-scale construction projects brings several advantages, such as lowered carbon emissions, better energy efficiency, cost reductions, and sustained economic benefits. This integration can foster job creation as well as benefit local communities.
Construction projects have the option to embrace a variety of renewable energy technologies, such as solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal systems, and other cutting-edge solutions. These technologies ensure that the energy needs of the projects are met in an eco-friendly and sustainable way.
Equans Solar & Storage brings together top engineers and technicians to develop and deliver comprehensive solar PV and storage solutions, using expertise in design, installation, and system integration.
At the same time, Equans harnesses geothermal energy, a sustainable resource from the earth’s subsurface heat, for heating and cooling applications. This includes innovations like the Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) system, which uses subterranean water layers for energy storage, effectively reducing energy consumption by over 60 per cent. This technology, proven in over 3,000 installations in the Netherlands, provides a local, sustainable, and highly efficient energy solution.
What are smart building technologies?
Smart building technologies, using the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics, develop building operations by allowing for real-time system monitoring and control. This improves energy efficiency as well as comfort for occupants.
As per Equans' 2022 Activity Report, the company proposes digital solutions, “sometimes incorporating AI – to optimise the energy expenditure of buildings by using thermal inertia, weather forecasts, user presence analysis and all usage data.”
Equans integrates these technologies into its projects to build smarter, environmentally responsible structures, making strides in operational efficiency, reducing costs, and boosting productivity and health outcomes. Their smart building platform aggregates data from various building systems into a single platform, enabling comprehensive analytics and informed management, which boosts overall building performance and sustainability.
What is an example of energy efficiency?
Energy efficiency measures, such as LED lighting, insulation, electrification, and HVAC upgrades, reduce energy bills and operational costs, which is crucial for businesses aiming for net zero. Equans is committed to adopting these technologies in its buildings to cut costs and carbon emissions, starting with identifying common energy-saving opportunities across sectors.
General energy efficiency measures:
- Lighting: Upgrades to LED systems, better lighting controls, optimal use of natural light, and the use of occupancy sensors or timers can improve energy efficiency.
- Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC): Efficiency in HVAC systems can be supported through better controls, regular maintenance, and heat recovery.
Smart Metering and Targeting Systems (SMT):
These systems collect and analyse energy data. Although they do not directly save energy, they help pinpoint inefficiencies, which helps provide substantial energy savings especially when strategies are properly implemented.
Industrial energy efficiency measures:
- Compressed air: Used widely in industry, efficiency can be improved by using Variable Speed Drives (VSDs), lowering intake air temperatures, optimising controls, heat recovery, and detecting and fixing leaks.
- Motors and drives: Common in a variety of applications, energy can be saved by installing VSDs and converting belt-driven motors to direct-driven systems.
- Heating: In industrial settings, regular maintenance, better controls, set point adjustments, and upgrading to more efficient equipment can help with energy efficiency.
- Refrigeration: Using free cooling, adjusting set points, applying VSDs, incorporating heat recovery, and updating to more efficient technologies can save both energy and money.
Through these measures, Equans guarantees its projects are both cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.