Go beyond MEES for better buildings

MEES, Round Table

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.

Related articles:



modbs tv logo

More refrigerant bans possible, says government

The government could tighten up the rules that restrict the use of global warming refrigerant gases including speeding up phase-out programmes and introducing new bans, according to a spokesman from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Baxi research suggests schools strongly support heat decarbonisation

A survey conducted by Baxi of 200 state school estates managers, consultant engineers and M&E contractors has found that while enthusiasm for Net Zero and support for low carbon heating systems in schools is thriving, persistent barriers remain.