Survey shows Building Industry keen to fight climate change

Initial feedback from a survey carried out by Hamworthy Heating at Ecobuild 2010 shows clear evidence of a desire within the building industry to cut the impact of building services on climate change.

At the same time, the Hamworthy 2010 Climate Change Survey revealed that two thirds of the respondents felt not enough is currently being done to respond to climate change. The results indicate this is largely due to financial constraints.

An overwhelming majority (92 per cent) of respondents agreed that it was important or very important to specify sustainable energy sources. Complying with regulations including local planning requirements was the main reason why over a third of respondents felt it necessary to consider renewables.

Yet only 16 per cent of specified projects actually go on to see such sustainable sources installed. In most cases this was for financial reasons; 44 per cent of respondents listed budget and return on investment as constraints which stop them from installing specified sustainable solutions.

The survey was created by Hamworthy to gather vital facts and opinions on renewable energy and the issues that arise from using such sources instead of gas and conventionally produced electricity. The research aims to clarify what is happening in this rapidly evolving area and to understand from the industry itself what is working and what is not.

Chris Lincoln, marketing manager at Hamworthy Heating said: “The building industry is constantly tasked with understanding and acting upon legislation, but there is certainly evidence to suggest that while there is a strong desire to make a difference, financial implications make it increasingly difficult to see projects through as specified. The results also suggest a lack of understanding about the range of solutions now available.”

While there is a wide range of sustainable energy solutions on offer and in use, including heat pumps, biomass and combined heat and power, the preliminary results showed liquid biofuel, the cleanest fuel currently available, is rarely used. Only four per cent of respondents claimed to have used liquid biofuel in projects despite the fact that just 0.019kg of CO2 (carbon dioxide)is produced per kWh with this source, against 0.422kg of CO2 per kWh from electricity generated at the power station.

While the fact that these results were recorded at Ecobuild is a consideration, there is good news in that half the respondents claimed to be using sustainable energy solutions despite the economic downturn. Less satisfactory is the news that 18 per cent of respondents stated that they were not yet using sustainable solutions at all.

The survey will continue to run at www.hamworthy-heating.co.uk until 31 May 2010 and Hamworthy is encouraging people to take the opportunity to make their views count. The final analysis will be published later in the summer.

“I’d urge everyone who is interested in the final outcome of the research to spend ten minutes completing the questionnaire” continued Mr Lincoln. “We believe that the results will contribute towards the wider debate taking place across our industry today, and we will share our insight with respondents, in exchange for a few minutes of their time..”

“The statistics we have now may change or be reinforced by further contributions,” he added. “What is evident is that impartial advice that analyses projects on a case by case basis, and which provides expertise across the full range of options, is vital to ensure the most cost-effective and environmentally sound solutions.

“There are clearly gaps in specifiers’ knowledge about less well known solutions such as liquid biofuel. Hamworthy can supply the Melbury and Ensbury steel boilers as a solution here, but we are also keen to offer a holistic approach, looking at the full range of solutions.”