Key points:
- Understanding how a building operates can identify key energy saving opportunities.
- Gaining confirmation a building and its constituent parts are operating as designed or as specified can provide assurance to the building occupier energy consumption estimates are reliable.
- Identification and correction of, and thermal breaches in a building’s fabric can deliver incremental energy savings opportunities and contribute to energy reduction strategies and energy management systems.
- Gaining an understanding of how the thermal elements of a building are performing can assist in prioritising remedial Capex funding.
Cavity Wall assessments
The retro insulation of cavity walls in existing buildings can be a relatively easy and relatively cost efficient method to manage down energy consumption costs, with relatively short pay-back times for the required investment.
However not all cavity walls in all locations are suitable for retro cavity wall insulation, and incorrectly specified or inappropriately installed cavity wall insulation can in some situations and circumstances reduce the energy efficiency and thermal insulation properties of the building. Installing cavity wall insulation in some properties with certain types of conditioning systems can also be dangerous.
West London Energy Assessors has staff accredited to the British Board of Agrément Cavity Assurance Surveillance Scheme who can check at the beginning of the process the suitability of properties proposed for cavity wall insulation, and provide independent third-party validation of suitability. Only BBA approved property assessments will qualify for Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency guarantees which provides independent 25 year guarantees for Cavity Wall Insulation fitted by registered installers in the UK and Channel islands.
Thermographic Property Assessments
Thermographic surveys of properties can be undertaken to detect defects, air leakages and excessive thermal bridging in building envelopes. Thermographic surveys can also be undertaken to identify heat, or cold, flows through conditioning systems presenting information gained in 2-dimensional thermal imagery.
U-Value determination and analysis
The precise determination of u-values of a thermal element (the measure of the overall rate of heat transfer through a particular section of construction) can provide assurance to building owners and operators that the designed level of heat transfer is not being exceeded.
Determination of the u-value of a thermal element can assist in formulating building refurbishment strategies, can assist in tenant / landlord rental negotiations and renegotiations, assist in energy procurement strategies and/or the implementation of an effective Energy Management System.
West London Energy Assessors is able to undertake the analysis and determination of thermal elements of structure through which the calculation of that element’s u-value can be determined at that time of an inspection.
Installed system surveys and assessments
The functionality of installed equipment and their assessment in the context for which the equipment is intended to be used can provide valuable reassurance to a building owner and operator.
This assessment and survey is separate from any structural survey of a building, and can provide essential information to a prospective tenant or owner as to the condition of equipment and through that,indications as to potential expenditure which may be required.
West London Energy Assessors can manage the assessment of such surveys.