It’s all been well considered, in other words, with practicality and comfort being the priorities..
This is due to coal plants, etc.However, substantial development and investment in recent years by the government and private bodies has reduced the carbon factor of the grid, through the use of renewables, nuclear power stations, and so on.
The National Grid is responsible for working out the carbon factor for the entire grid.They have scenario modelling and are aware of where things could end up in the best case scenario.However, they also look at what’s happened over the last year.
This means we know what’s happening in the UK in terms of energy balance.We can use that data when considering sustainability in our designs to give a very detailed, current understanding of what the electricity grid is, and what that means for buildings.. We can also use their predictions to understand how the grid is going to decarbonise over the next five to ten years.
Importantly, the trajectory for that decarbonisation looks healthy.
What it really comes down to is different scenarios, related to levels of investment, and what that will consist of.chillers, heat pumps, generators, UPS) and distribution which can be difficult to install due to lack of space.
Also, existing office utility plant may simply be too old, inefficient, or unreliable for lab use, making upgrades necessary..While purified water can be generated locally, drainage for lab sinks and equipment can be challenging due to a lack of risers in a standard office and difficulties achieving falls, so an overhead pumped system may be necessary.
Liquid waste may need to be collected and even treated on-site, which again means additional plant space, and potential spillage (e.g.from vessels or emergency showers) also needs to be assessed – particularly on upper-floor office conversions.. Lastly, labs will typically use a range of gasses.