25 Jan 2019

Visit https://t.co/Fejyamdzlu to find out more! https://t.co/KjuzHBAOAz

25 Jan 2019

Visit https://t.co/Fejyamdzlu to find out more! https://t.co/WnLwMOd3AC

25 Jan 2019

Visit https://t.co/Fejyamdzlu to find out more! https://t.co/rP3rj23Qhi

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What does zero carbon mean?

The definition of zero carbon.The dictionary definition of zero carbon is “causing or resulting in no release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere”. While this definition is easy to grasp, determining what is zero carbon in practice can be complex and rests on how carbon emissions are measured and quantified. The term ‘carbon neutral’ is also widely used to describe a process where there are actual carbon emissions from a process, but these are only returning carbon to the atmosphere that was recently removed (e.g. biomass combustion). Read

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The business case for commercial PV projects stacks up, despite government policy barriers.

Climate change is more prominent than ever in UK and world news. The UK has had its first coal-free week in power generation since the 1880s, and the UK Parliament has recently declared a climate emergency. The Committee on Climate Change’s recently released report recommended a reduction in carbon emissions to nearly zero by 2050. Solar photovoltaics (PV) have an important role to play in meeting this ambition. Read

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Deep renovations with ALDREN move into pilot phase.

Verco is a partner in the ALliance for Deep RENovation (ALDREN) a 30 month Horizon 2020 project which started in November 2017. The purpose of ALDREN is to develop protocols which support deep renovations of office and hotel buildings and to demonstrate their effectiveness by real-life pilot studies. It is thereby intended to encourage investment and accelerate the movement towards a nearly zero energy non-residential building stock across the EU, as targeted by 2050 to meet Paris Agreement commitments. The project is co-ordinated by the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Batiment (CSTB) in France, with seven expert partners from around Europe. Read

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Join our webinar series: Smart buildings and the path to net zero

Do you have an interest in enhancing your assets and creating value in your property through sustainability?Over the next three months, we will be hosting a series of webinars for sustainability and property managers and those responsible for property portfolios.The webinars are free to attend. Tom Randall, Head of Building Optimisation Services, will address some of the 'hot topics' of the moment and provide practical advice which you can use in your role. Read

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UKGBC announce new framework to define net zero carbon buildings: a solid foundation, but stronger guidance still required

After more than six months in development, yesterday the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) launched their new framework definition for net zero carbon buildings at a packed event in Parliament’s energy exemplar Portcullis House. Verco’s Technical Director Dr Robert Cohen has been one of the contributors to the framework. In this article, the Verco team provide their reflections on the new framework and how it might be strengthened to respond to the climate emergency.Advancing net zeroEmissions arising from energy use in the construction and operation of buildings are a key contributor to man-made climate change. In 2016 the World Green Building Council called on the construction and property sectors to take the lead in pushing for a net zero built environment by 2050 (1). This was driven by the ambition of the Paris Agreement and then reinforced by the IPCC’s special report on 1.5°C of warming published in October 2018, which urged policy makers to target a net zero carbon global economy within the next thirty years (2). To support this transition, the World GBC established an Advancing Net Zero Campaign and developed a set of high-level principles for net zero carbon buildings in operation, with the aim to achieve the target by 2030 for new-build and 2050 for all buildings. Read

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Stranding Risk and Carbon CRREM report: More grist to the zero carbon mill, but is it sorting the wheat from the chaff?

Through our ‘Aim for Zero’ (A4Z) work, Verco has been working with clients in the commercial real estate sector to define pathways to zero carbon. We have developed a modelling tool to outline the steps and costs in taking a diverse range of assets to, or close to, net zero carbon by 2050. This allows asset managers to protect long-term value, assess climate-related risks and inform Paris-proof acquisition, disposal and investment strategies. Read

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Losing money down the drain: How manufacturers can unlock product loss savings

Manufacturing sites typically lose 2-7% of product during processing*.Product loss in manufacturing can be extremely costly for a site; these losses are typically difficult to address since it is hard to quantify where and when product is lost in the manufacturing process.Product loss incurs costs in four main ways: Read

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Join our webinar: An introduction to SECR

The requirements for GHG reporting will be changing on 1st April 2019 with the implementation of the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) scheme. This webinar will give you an introduction into what is needed and advice on how you can ensure compliance in a way that is most time efficient and benefits your business.Time and date: 16.00-16.30 (GMT) on 27th March 2019 Read

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Verco Sponsored event: Harnessing collective intelligence to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals.

Verco were proud to be the programme sponsor for the first event of 2019 hosted by The Crowd on “Harnessing collective intelligence to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals”. The event was hosted by the RIBA in London and had a fantastic line up of speakers, from finance to the charity sector. Geoff Mulgan from Nesta and author of the book ‘Big Mind’ started the presentations by asking what resources of intelligence could be used to allow a city to function as if it were a human brain. Steve Waygood from Aviva voiced his concerns of how business externalities are not incorporated into investment decisions fundamentally ignoring the one planet boundary, and the vital need for more clarity into how our money is being invested. Sam Baker, Partner at Monitor Deloitte, warned of the myopia of middle management as one of the biggest challenges to achieving the SDG’s, and also the essential role of collective intelligence in reporting to ensure that annual improvements are demonstrated, and the impact on stakeholders that we are trying to engage with is measured and fully understood. Linked to this, in the absence of a global regulator to hold companies to account for their commitment to the SDG’s, the World Benchmarking Alliance, which was launched last September, aims to provide an essential tool for measuring and comparing corporate performance on working towards the SDG’s. Read

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Meet the requirements of SECR with Verco

The requirements for GHG reporting will be changing in April with the implementation of the SECR. Verco can help you to understand what is needed and ensure compliance is achieved in a way that benefits your business. Read

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SBTi announces 1.5°C update

The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) has announced that it will publish an updated set of target validation criteria in April to reflect the latest science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, published in October 2018. Read

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Verco's research into carbon offsetting and reduction for international aviation

From 2016 to 2018, Verco were commissioned under the FCO’s Global Britain Fund with the British Embassy in Russia to provide policy advice and evaluation for the Russian Federation. Over three years, we delivered research and advice for the Ministry for Economic Development and Ministry for Natural Resources on international best practice examples of carbon regulation, carbon pricing and energy efficiency policy including the UK. As a business, Verco has been involved with policy projects at the highest international levels since the 1990s - we were one of the founders of the UK Emissions Trading scheme in 1999 - and we continue to help shape the structure of today’s international regulatory landscape. Read

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First European industry project certified by the Investor Confidence Project

Austrian community catering supplier GOURMET leads the way in energy efficiency with the first European industry project certified by the Investor Confidence Project.The Investor Confidence Project’s innovative Investor Ready Energy Efficiency™ Certification has been awarded to a waste heat utilisation project at GMS GOURMET GmbH. The project saves natural gas and electricity by using the waste heat of two fast cooling plants to support the heating demand of three ventilation systems at GOURMET’s production site in Vienna. Read