[Committee] (no subject)

[S.J. Stretton]

Gunnar

Here is the Energy section, which we would like to rewrite.

how shall we split the work

Steve

 

13. Energy

Related Policies: Policy 8/16 Cambridge Local Plan 2006 

Policy Env18 Draft Regional Spatial Strategy 2006 

PPS22 Renewable Energy, 2004 

Objective: To reduce carbon emissions from major new developments and
encourage energy efficient design 

Standard: Essential - Major New Development 

Preferred - All Other Applications 

Developers of major proposals above a threshold of 1,000 square metres or 10
dwellings will be required to provide at least 10% of the development's
total predicted energy requirements on site, from renewable energy sources. 

These requirements may be relaxed if it can be clearly demonstrated that to
require full compliance would not be viable. 

13.1 Introduction

13.1.1 Applicants are encouraged to consider how they are going to meet this
policy as early as possible in the design process. This is to help ensure
that the renewable energy systems are successfully integrated into the
layout and design of the development and that costs are kept to a minimum.
Early consideration also enables the applicant to weigh up the potential
advantages of increasing the energy efficiency of their development, in
order to reduce the size of the 10% requirement. Improving energy efficiency
as much as possible should be aim of all submissions. 

13.1.2 This policy also allows for passive solar design measures that reduce
the overall energy consumption of the development, to be used towards
meeting the 10% requirement. Details of what these are and how this is
treated are dealt with later in this section. 

13.2 Submission Requirements

13.2.1 The information required is generally known as an "Energy Statement".
The information that will need to be submitted will depend if an outline or
full application is being made. The requirements for each are set out below.
Applicants are advised that all on site energy requirements need to be
included, that includes all energy in use i.e. process energy, street
lights, car park lighting, heating and lighting of communal areas and lifts.


Table 13.1 Submission Requirements 

Outline: 

Establish the 10% CO2 reduction from energy use on the site that needs to be
met using benchmarks (Form to be filled out is provided in Appendix B) and
reasonable estimates for all other on site energy demands 

Provide initial feasibility work into which options are relevant to the
development 

Full: 

Establish the 10% CO2 reduction from energy use on the site that needs to be
met including SAP/SBEM calculations and revised estimates for all other on
site energy requirements 

Provide feasibility work to justify why the option selected has been chosen 

Indicate which technology or technologies have been selected and demonstrate
how they will meet the agreed 10% CO2 emissions reduction 

Provide visual information to show how the technology(s) has/have been
successfully integrated into the development 

Reserved Matters: 

Revise the 10% requirement if SAP or SBEM calculations have been carried
out, and/or contribution of passive solar design measures has been
quantified (optional), including revised estimates for all other on site
energy requirements 

Indicate which technology or technologies have been selected and demonstrate
how they will meet the agreed 10% CO2 emissions reduction (i.e. include size
and predicted output of system) 

Provide visual information to show how the technology(s) has/have been
successfully integrated into the development 

13.3 Your Calculations

13.3.1 In order to ensure consistency across all submissions, the
information in your Energy Statement and accompanying information will be
assessed to ensure it complies with the following: 

Table 13.2 Calculation Requirements 

Calculation Basis Notes 

The 10% requirement has been calculated in kg/CO2 not kWh (please convert
all kg/C to kg/CO2) This is the common approach of LPAs to this policy, as
it is aimed at reducing CO2 emissions, and this varies with fuel type 

The correct benchmarks have been used London Renewables Toolkit 

The correct gross external floor area has been used 

All on-site energy requirements such as lighting of car parks, street
lights, heating and lighting of communal areas and lifts are included in the
calculations These can be reasonable estimates of these loads and associated
carbon emissions 

Total process energy is included in the calculations This is all energy in
use of the building(s), including appliance loads and equipment loads 

If electric heating is going to be specified, the calculations reflect this
The benchmarks are based on standard gas heating, which is lower in CO2
emissions than electric heating. 

The contribution of passive solar design has been calculated accurately 

The feasibility work is reasonable and gives evidence that the most
appropriate option will be selected 

The technology(s) has/have been successfully integrated into the design 

13.4 Feasibility Work

13.4.1 At outline submission stage, information should be submitted which
shows that all options have been considered, including possible measures to
improve the energy efficiency of the building. 

13.4.2 The aim is less to absolutely rule out options, as to provide a
hierarchy of likely feasible options, in order to demonstrate that a
reasonable approach is being taken to selecting options. Information in the
London Renewables Toolkit provides a useful starting point for how to go
about considering options on a particular site. 

13.4.3 For an office development, for example, this may mean having
technologies such as ground source heat pump and wind turbines at the top of
the list, with photovoltaics lower down due to cost. Solar thermal may be
nearer the bottom as hot water demands are so low, that this technology
alone will not make a substantial contribution to reducing carbon emissions
on its own. Indicating likely feasible options does not preclude opting for
any later in the design process. In this case, ground source heat pump could
later be selected with solar thermal, if it became evident this was the most
appropriate option. 

13.4.4 However, there may be situations in which a particular technology
cannot be used on a site. For example, wind access may have been proven to
be insufficient to make a wind turbine a feasible option. Likewise, a site
may be too small and constrained to permit borehole machinery to install a
vertical ground source heat pump. Or there may not be sufficient car
parking, landscape, pond or other open space on site for a horizontal system
to be installed. 

13.4.5 If applicants have concerns about a particular technology or fuel,
such as the availability or distance biomass fuel will have to travel to the
development, for example, they are encouraged to contact the Sustainable
Construction Coordinator (01223 457170) to discuss prior to submission. Such
concerns will not necessarily preclude the use of the technology, though, in
certain cases, it may push it further down the applicant's list of preferred
options. 

13.5 Selection of Technologies

13.5.1 In general the choice of technology will be left to the applicant. 

13.5.2 If the planning officer were to have concerns that particular option
being advocated would not result in the 10% reduction in carbon emissions
required, then s/he will advise the applicant at the earliest opportunity.
Further information would then be required to demonstrate that it will or if
this is not possible, a revised option must be submitted. 

13.6 Renewables

13.6.1 Renewable energy systems that will be considered include: 

Solar thermal hot water systems 

Photovoltaic cells (PV) 

Wind turbines 

Heat pumps (ground/air/water source) 

Geothermal 

Biomass (boilers/stoves/community heating/CHP) 

Anaerobic digestion 

13.7 Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

13.7.1 Combined heat and power is essentially a technology that produces
electricity close to the point of use and captures the waste heat that is
ordinarily lost to provide heating, hot water and sometimes even cooling,
for buildings. As the majority of the cost of this system is in the
infrastructure, it is particularly important to ensure it is installed at
the new build or large-scale redevelopment stage. 

13.7.2 However, if the CHP is powered by fossil fuels it cannot be
considered a renewable. However, once the infrastructure is in place, the
type of fuel used can be altered more easily than the infrastructure being
put in later, and therefore has the potential to be changed over to a
renewable fuel. Any applicants considering installing CHP and/or district
heating are advised to contact the planning officer to discuss whether it
can be used to meet the requirements of the policy. Applicants are advised
that each case will be assessed on its own merits, depending to some extent
on the scale of the CO2 emissions savings that are likely to be achieved
with the proposed fuel. 

13.8 Passive Solar Design

13.8.1 Passive solar design is designing a building to take maximum
advantage of the light and heat from the sun and natural ventilation, and
can significantly reduce the overall energy consumption of a building. This
can be achieved by the location, grouping, orientation and layout of
buildings along with landscape features and the appropriate use of thermal
mass within a building. However, it must be considered early in the design
process. Passive solar design provides a one-off opportunity to save energy
during the lifetime of a building. 

13.8.2 The choice of passive solar design strategies and how effective they
will be is highly dependent on two main considerations. 

13.8.3 The first is the climate of the country in which they are being
employed. In some climates, such as hot arid climates, passive solar design
features can significantly reduce building energy consumption. In the
temperate climate of the UK, where overcast skies are common, these benefits
are not as substantial as elsewhere. 

13.8.4 The second consideration is the use of the building, as the heating,
cooling and powering requirements of different building types can demand
very different passive solar design strategies. For example, traditionally
residential units in the UK require strategies to reduce heat loss
primarily, which include creating wind barriers to the prevailing wind and
reducing surface area by using terraced or block forms for dwellings, rather
than detached or semi-detached. However, office buildings have a tendency to
overheat due to the heat loads from people, lighting and equipment and
therefore cooling is more of an issue than heating. However, as climate
change progresses, it is likely that residential buildings will also need
greater protection from overheating. Passive solar design strategies will
need to take this into account, so they do not increase the likelihood of
mechanical cooling being added to the building later. 

13.8.5 Passive solar design measures should not be confused with energy
efficiency measures, which are also intended to reduce the energy
requirements of the building in use. 

13.8.6 If at the Reserved Matters stage or Full application stage passive
solar design features have been incorporated into the design and their
contribution to the overall reduction in the development's energy demands
can be robustly demonstrated, then this can be considered as part of the
delivery of the 10% minimum requirement of the policy. These features will
be subject to condition, in the same way the active systems will be. 

13.8.7 If passive solar design features are used to meet part of the 10%
minimum requirement at outline submission stage and it is subsequently
proven that some or all of these measures are no longer feasible at the
reserved matters stage, then the requirement to meet the full 10% by active
renewable systems will still apply. 

13.9 Viability

13.9.1 'Viability' is taken to mean technical and/or economic viability of
the available options to meet this 10% policy. 

13.9.2 The majority of Local Planning Authorities now have a similar policy
to this and it is common to have a clause relating to 'viability' or
'feasibility' included in the wording of such a policy. There are also a
growing number of completed developments around the UK that have
successfully complied with the policy. Applicants are encouraged to find out
more about these developments, to assist them in finding viable ways to meet
the requirements of the policy. 

13.9.3 Each case will be assessed on its own merits and if an applicant
believes that viability may be an issue for a particular development, they
should provide evidence to demonstrate this and are advised to contact the
planning officer at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss. 

13.9.4 Applicants are encouraged to explore options for reducing the CO2
emissions from their proposed development as much as possible, as early as
possible, as passive solar design and energy efficiency measures can play a
significant part in reducing the burden of meeting the 10% with renewable
technologies. Once overall energy consumption is reduced, applicants may
also find that more options become open to them. 


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