The untapped potential of building energy management systems

BCIA President Stacey Lucas assesses the critical importance of BEMS and discusses the findings of the association’s new technical white paper.

Despite rising average global temperatures, ever-more stringent building and sustainability standards and the UK’s net zero target of 2050, energy efficient and wellbeing-enhancing technologies, such as building energy management systems (BEMS), are still widely underutilised.

The Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) recently published a  new technical white paper, entitled: Comfort, Efficiency, and Health: The Untapped Potential of Building Energy Management Systems which highlights the untapped potential of BEMS.

With reports suggesting the built environment accounts for around 40% of the UK’s total energy consumption and approximately 30% of its carbon emissions, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has indicated the UK is currently ‘off track to achieve its carbon emissions targets within the built environment’.

Additionally, the UK is currently facing heightened challenges around overheating, air quality and workplace health and sickness, with the government indicating poor air quality is the ‘largest environmental risk to public health in the UK.’

Building energy management systems have been recognised in the CCC’s Seventh Carbon Budget, which  states that energy management and building instrumentation and control measures can contribute to 60% of the energy efficiency related emissions reductions needed in public and commercial buildings by 2040.

BEMS optimise energy use in real time by managing, controlling and automating heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, lighting and energy meters. Adapting to occupancy needs and environmental conditions, they ensure cost-effective operations, reduce energy consumption, enhance building performance and improve occupant health, wellbeing and productivity.

Drawing on real-life data

The BCIA’s white paper used economic modelling and analysed in-use performance data from member case studies and up-to-date secondary data to gain insights into the impact BEMS can have on carbon emissions, costs and building energy use.

In non-domestic settings, such as offices, educational institutions and hospitals, installing Class A or B BEMS in these buildings, could achieve savings of up to 15 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent from 2026 to 2035.

This could mean an annual reduction of 7.4% in emissions from all UK public sector and commercial buildings, equivalent to 5% of emissions generated by England and Wales in 2023.

Government is set to confirm higher Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), which would mandate non-domestic private rented sector properties to achieve EPC B by 2030. As a result, advanced BEMS will be a crucial solution in the years to come.

White paper data also reveals the installation of Class B controls in all privately rented offices, hospitals and educational buildings could exceed the expected emissions reductions of 4.1 MtCO₂e over Carbon Budget 5 through MEES. Even greater reductions could be achieved if Class A controls were installed.

Furthermore, installing Class B controls in offices with a floor space of 1,000m² and above can contribute 91% to the annual energy bill reduction expected from the Performance Based Policy Framework over Carbon Budget 5. A Class A installation could further exceed the target of saving £116m in energy costs by the 2030 deadline.

BEMS can also contribute to occupant health and wellbeing. For example, installing Class A BEMS in offices across the UK could improve occupant health. By reducing 2 million workforce sick days per year in office-based industries, £322 million in productivity losses can be saved.

This could generate £5.29 billion in annual Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2025 – the equivalent of 10 million working days’ economic benefit. And with an annual GVA growth rate of 1.6%, this could rise to £12.75 billion in 2050 – making Class A BEMS a driver for economic growth.

BEMS installations can often generate enough savings to achieve a full return on investment within four to nine years. The BCIA white paper suggests Class A is the most cost-effective at abating carbon when compared to Class B, solar PV, hydronic air source heat pumps and building fabric. This demonstrates value for money for decarbonising buildings for building owners, tenants, and policy-makers alike.

Recommendations for now and the future

The BCIA is keen for the government and leading policymakers to reform legislation and standards and shape policy, enabling building controls to drive the UK’s decarbonisation journey.

Currently, the National Calculation Methodology only recognises Class C BEMS (or below). The Association would like to see the NCM take that up to Class A, supporting the application of advanced BEMS to contribute more greatly to energy and carbon compliance requirements.

Additionally, the BCIA suggests EPCs are updated to recommend controls which align with Class B and Class A control systems. For example, non-domestic EPC recommendations are currently limited to a Class C level system, meaning the installation of advanced BEMS for improving energy efficiency is not incentivised. Adjusting the EPCs to recommend more advanced controls systems could therefore help landlords and building owners achieve the EPC requirements.

This would drive further investment in energy efficient installations while supporting the government’s ambition to reduce business energy costs and reducing non-domestic building emissions in the process.

As it stands, there are no policies that incentivise and measure operational energy efficiency improvements. This needs to change. EPCs don’t measure in-use performance so many buildings are less energy efficient than anticipated.

The NABERS-style Performance-Based Policy Framework, consulted on in 2021, is a substantial step forward, but incentivisation needs to be a considerable focus for policy-makers in the years to come.

Despite the CCC recommending greater policy support for the non-domestic sector, there is no financial support scheme for decarbonising the sector beyond 2028. With financial incentives and regulatory drivers a hugely successful method of supporting energy efficiency uptake in the past, the BCIA endorses the reinstatement of a financial support scheme for the non-domestic sector. This support will help landlords comply with MEES cost-effectively – vital for money-conscious SMEs during challenging financial times.

With the UK experiencing more intense and frequent heatwaves – expected to worsen with climate change – those in non-domestic buildings will be increasingly subjected to higher temperatures. This could negatively impact occupant health, wellbeing and productivity, especially for the most vulnerable. Despite this, there is no legislative requirement to mandate a maximum acceptable level of indoor air temperature in non-domestic buildings. The BCIA’s white paper therefore calls for a consultation on this.

With BEMS sometimes failing to achieve designed energy performance due to poor commissioning, post-installation validation and service and maintenance, the quality of checks and balancing to ensure effective commissioning and optimised performance should therefore be improved through Part L of the Building Regulations.

BEMS can help truly transform the built environment from a fragmented, energy-intensive sector into an integrated ecosystem of data-driven buildings and efficient performance. However, as the white paper suggests, this will require the aligning of policy, technology and skills under one cohesive strategy.

The technical white paper can be viewed here.
https://www.bcia.co.uk/whitepaperform