Technology can help organisations deliver more efficient power to their buildings, says expert

Specialist in energy industry commercial contracts Nick Shenken of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said some local authorities are already embracing "decentralised energy solutions".

"We are working on a number of initiatives which will see the installation in significant volumes of on-site decentralised energy solutions," Shenken said. "These solutions can deliver more efficient power to buildings at lower cost to the consumer."

"In addition, we are advising in relation to schemes where battery storage is being considered to improve efficiency further still and ease the burden of peak demand on the grid. We’re also working with the public sector to devise ways for it to enable further development of energy efficient buildings. This involves looking at innovative revenue opportunities which can unlock public sector investment on the back of a potential return via the deployment of energy efficient low carbon energy solutions for the buildings being developed," he said.

'Decentralised energy solutions' is a term that describes local energy generation that is not fed through the national grid. It can refer to a range of different energy technologies, from solar panels to heating and cooling systems as well as those designed to harness wind and biomass.

The development of new technologies to improve energy efficiency, particularly in building stock, is a central priority of EU policy makers.

The European Commission wants to develop "smarter, more flexible, more decentralised, more integrated, more sustainable, secure and competitive ways of delivering energy to consumers". The Commission plans to update its European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) to help achieve these goals. It published a paper (17-page / 328KB PDF) earlier this month setting out its intended actions for delivering change.

In a speech on Tuesday, the EU's energy and climate change commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete said: "We need to step up our game across the board if we are to reach our targets. Consider this: Three quarters of our housing stock is still energy inefficient; European buildings are responsible for more than one third of the EU energy-related CO2 emissions; We still have millions of European homes relying on century-old analogue metering; And we have a transport system responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions."

"Research and innovation will be key to the big transitions we'll need across each of those areas. That is why our vision is for a SET-Plan that focuses on a small number of big priorities. The four core research and innovation priorities we have highlighted are: Reducing the cost of renewable energy technologies to ensure Europe is world leader in the field; Developing smart grids that can reply to the need of energy consumers and prosumers; New technologies to improve energy efficiency, in particular of the building stock; And increasing the sustainability of the transport system, for example through electric vehicles or reducing the cost of batteries," he said.

Shenken said he has seen increasing interest from organisations in smart grids and technology such as smart meters.

"We are actively engaged with clients in both private and public sector looking at ways in which this technology can offer benefits across the board," Shenken said.

"For consumers the benefits include increased transparency around their energy consumption as well as more choice and control around how they consume. For commercial purposes the benefits come in the context of opportunities to create revenue streams from these technologies and the associated data. There are social benefits to be derived too in the sense that the data generated from smart technology can be used to improve the 'experience' of a city’s inhabitants, especially those who live in fuel poverty or are otherwise considered vulnerable," he said.