Sustainable office design 'boosted by new regulations'

Office design news from Morgan Lovell

Published on 14-07-2010

Businesses will be able to make their working environments more sustainable through the introduction of new energy use guidelines, one specialist has suggested.

Don Jordison, managing director at investment solutions firm Threadneedle, said the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme acts as a benchmark for environmentally-aware companies.

He said: "Owners will now be in a position to know how to design, build, refurbish and manage their properties to be as energy efficient as possible."

According to Mr Jordison, enterprises have been considering their power consumption as a fixed cost for too long, explaining it should really be thought of as a variable expense.

Now that these guidelines are in place and there is a legislative framework to follow, the industry will cope well with the changes, he added.

Launched in April, the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme is a mandatory initiative under which companies must purchase carbon allowances, with all of the money generated being redistributed to participants that produce the lowest emissions.

Posted by Ian Johnson