A
Airtight Construction
Airtight construction is draught-free construction. It is an essential part of the Passivhaus Standard (see meaning) to protect the building envelope from moisture, to ensure energy efficiency and to provide exceptional comfort.
Airtightness Test
Also known as an air pressure test, or a blower door test, this measures the total air leakage through the building envelope. It is presented as n50 or q50 tests and results – both testing air leakage.
B
Biodiversity
The variety of plants (flora) and animals (fauna) life in a particular habitat but inclusive of all living things, from trees and flowers to animals and fungi, insects and microorganisms.
Biodiversity Net Gain
A development approach that measures the amount of biodiversity in a particular area which then has to be left in a better state (i.e. greater biodiversity) after the development works have been completed.
BMS or BEMS
A Building Management System (BMS) or Building Energy Management System (BEMS) is a digital system to centrally manage a building’s mechanical and electrical equipment to control a building’s internal climate and environment e.g. monitor and adjust lighting etc.
C
Carbon
Carbon is the common abbreviation for carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) within sustainability and greenhouse gas reporting but is not to be confused with carbon as a singular element or carbon dioxide (CO2) as a gas. Carbon dioxide is the most prevalent greenhouse gas and arises from numerous processes, such as burning fossil fuels. However, it is not the only greenhouse gas, so CO2e is used as a single metric to incorporate the impact of all the greenhouse gasses.
Carbon Footprint
The measurement used to quanitify the carbon impact associated with an activity, business, product etc.
Carbon Negative
This means you have a quantifiable positive carbon impact – your offsetting and other positive impacts are greater than the negative impacts.
Carbon Neutral / Carbon Neutrality (CN)
Balancing the carbon dioxide (equivalent – all GHGs) that is released into the atmosphere through everyday activities with the amount that is absorbed or removed from the atmosphere.
CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project)
This is a global non-profit that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for investors, companies, cities and governments to assess their impact and take urgent action to build a truly sustainable economy. The CPD have created a system that has resulted in corporate engagement on environmental issues worldwide.
CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)
This includes all environmental, economic, and social aspects of a company’s practices, policies, and decision-making. Its commitment serves as an important pillar for corporate culture and gives the stakeholders insights into company values. CSR is self-regulated and varies widely from one organisation to another. It denotes the company’s responsibility to society. It is an ideal practice that gives context to the sustainability agenda but is not limited to sustainability.
D
Demand Side Response
Demand side response is about intelligent energy use, to reduce energy demand in a building in response to building management needs, or even that of the local/national grid. Through a DSR enabled Building Management System (BMS), businesses and consumers can alter demand in real time. This could be enforcing power downs, reducing lux (illuminescence/lighting) levels in areas or altering temperature/environment controls, for a short period of time, for example.
E
Embodied Carbon
The carbon that is emitted in the construction of a building, through manufacturing, transport, storage and construction related activities up to Practical Completion (PC). This should be inclusive of scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions (see meaning). Embodied carbon includes the following project lifecycle stages that cover cradle to practical completion:
A1-A3 – Product Stage – Raw material extraction and supply, transport to manufacturing plant, and manufacturing and fabrication
A4-A5 – Construction Process Stage – Transport to project site, and construction and installation activities
Enerphit (Passivhaus)
This is the Passivhaus Standard for retrofitting older buildings. The criteria for meeting the standard are relaxed slightly to acknowledge the challenges in insulating existing buildings.
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardized document informing about a product’s environmental impact and Life Cycle Assessment (see meaning). At minimum this should cover during manufacture (cradle to gate) but can extend to cradle to grave. The EPD provides a quantitative basis for comparison of products and services. It is normally provided by the product manufacturer and must be verified by an independent expert.
ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance)
ESG refers to a collection of Environmental, Social and Governance corporate performance evaluation criteria that assess the robustness of a company’s governance mechanisms and its ability to effectively manage its environmental and social impacts. Its purpose is to reduce risk and maximize opportunities for the company to maximise profitability ESG involves the disclosure of ESG data using a recognised framework, as such it makes it easier to compare companies. Its main audience is investors, customers, and suppliers.
ETS (Emissions Trading Standards)
ETS is an explicit carbon pricing instrument that limits or caps the allowed amount of GHG emissions and lets market forces disclose the carbon price through emitters trading emissions allowances.
G
Green Hydrogen
Green hydrogen is generated using renewable or low carbon energy and is lowest carbon form of hydrogen production. The process only emits water vapour.
Green Infrastructure
Green infrastructure is the development of a network of ‘green’ spaces and features, that deliver multi-benefits to their immediate environment, whether urban or rural. In the context of an urban regeneration scheme, Green Infrastructure may include tree planting, soft landscaping, green roofs, living walls etc. that may provide amenity, aesthetic biodiversity, air quality and natural cooling/shading benefits, amongst others.
Green-Blue Infrastructure
Similar to Green Infrastructure, Green-Blue Infrastructure has the additional benefit of being designed to improve, manage or control water movement in an area. In an urban environment, examples could include Sustainable Drainage Solutions (SuDS) such as swales, or green-blue roofs (green roofs designed to retain water from rainfall). These can provide benefits as with green infrastructure, but also support surface water and flood water management to reduce the risk of the flooding or extreme weather events causing disruption.
Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, trap and hold heat in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. Much of human activity emits greenhouse gases, such as burning fossil fuels for energy and transport, farming land for food production, and deforestation.
Greenwashing (aka Green Sheen)
Suggesting a business or product is performing at a higher level than it is. This could be an exageration or misleading, at one end of the scale, through to deliberately converying a false impression to deceive at the other end. Either way, it is the act of over-stating sustainability performance to convey a better image than the reality.
Grey Hydrogen
Grey hydrogen is produced using steam which is generated from fuels such as natural gas. Therefore this is not a renewable or low carbon hydrogen generation method.
g-value
A measure of how much solar heat gain is admitted through glass.
H
Heat Load
The maximum heat required for a room/area to reach an acceptable temperature on the coldest day of the year. It is measured in watts per square metre of floor area. (W/m²)
Heat Loss Form Factor
The ratio of a building’s thermal envelope surface (i.e. the insulated walls, floors etc.) area to the Treated Floor Area. It is a useful measure of the compactness of a building. The more compact a building is, the easier it is to be energy efficient.
I
Infiltration
This is uncontrolled ventilation arising from the unintentional introduction of outside air into a building, through gaps in the building envelope.