The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has published Renewable Energy Procurement and Carbon Offsetting Guidance for Net Zero Carbon Buildings guidance, to provide clarity on the procurement of high-quality renewable energy and carbon offsets for net zero buildings and organisations in the UK.
As identified by a Climate Change Committee report in December 2020, within the UK, the procurement of renewable electricity is currently having a limited impact. This is because most of the renewable energy being procured today either already exists (e.g., from an existing wind farm) or is supported by Government subsidies. As a result, the procurement does not guarantee a causal relationship between an organisation’s action and any emission reduction delivered. This includes the vast majority of ‘green tariffs’, where the positive environmental impact is overstated.
The guidance released includes a set of principles which should be used to evaluate the quality of renewable energy procurement routes, including how to create additionality – driving a material increase in the UK’s renewable energy capacity.
Procurement of high-quality carbon offsets
Whilst carbon offsetting has frequently come under scrutiny for potential ‘green-washing’, the use of high-quality carbon offsets can be employed as part of a credible pathway to 1.5 degrees aligned net zero, if used responsibly. In line with UKGBC’s guidance, carbon offsets should only be used to compensate unavoidable emissions in a timeframe aligned to the point of pollution: annually for operational energy, and at the point of completion for construction.
The guidance is intended to be used by building developers, designers, owners, occupiers and policy makers. Given the complexities of certain elements, it will be of most use to energy procurement, facility management and sustainability professionals within these organisations. It is applicable to all building types, sizes, and ownership scopes where annual public disclosure of energy use, generation and carbon offsets is possible.
This guidance has been developed in collaboration with a task group of 32 industry experts and informed by a consultation run by UKGBC last year, which received feedback from 61 stakeholders.
Julie Hirigoyen, Chief Executive at UKGBC, said: “Designing for reductions in whole life carbon and greater energy efficiency are just two pieces of a complex puzzle when it comes to our transition to net zero carbon buildings. The importance of the principles put forward in this guidance to evaluate the quality of renewable energy procurement routes, to calculate the residual emissions, and to offset those residual emissions in a meaningful way, is paramount to ensure the credibility of any net zero carbon building claim. This guidance marks an important step forward in helping the industry to deliver on our net zero targets, and ultimately respond to the climate crisis with buildings that are fit for the future.”
