Go beyond MEES for better buildings

A panel of industry experts strongly urges building owners and managers to look beyond the requirements of Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) if they want better long-term building performance.

This month’s Round Table panel (pictured left) brought together a cross-section of property managers, certification experts, engineering consultants and installers. They all agreed that while the MEES legislation due to take effect in April 2018 is important, it will not necessarily impact on building performance.

The main reason is that the MEES are based on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCS) which offer a standardised approach to comparing the potential energy performance of a building. However, EPCs don’t necessarily reflect actual energy performance in operation.

The panel therefore agrees that building owners should regard the MEES as a starting point to raise awareness of building performance in their organisation. However, for better energy performance, including lower energy costs, and a healthier internal environment, building managers should look at wider issues in their property.

For the full conversation and advice on steps to take right now, see our Round Table discussion.