AJ Energy Consultants

AJ Energy contributes to leading building services title

AJ Energy — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 08:20:33 +0000

Here at AJ Energy we tell it like it is – we’re all about coming up with carefully-thought-out solutions which sensibly meet our clients’ objectives. But unfortunately such a common-sense attitude isn’t found everywhere in the industry. Something we come across more regularly than we’d like is a Planning Condition which isn’t feasible for the project in question.

So when Modern Building Services magazine gave our Director John Simpson a chance to air his views on this particular type of challenge posed by the Planning system, he jumped at the chance. You can read John’s article in the current April issue of the magazine, or alternatively click here to read it online.

Right advice keeps Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 costs down

AJ Energy — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:40:18 +0000

With the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 now being made a Planning Condition for the majority of new homes in Greater London, developers are finding that properties on awkward sites can incur unexpected costs – that is, unless they get the right advice.

This is why construction company Stamford West brought us in when they began building a pair of maisonettes, on the site of some former garages in Barnet, Greater London. Situated at the end of a cul de sac, one of the main challenges provided by the site was the fact that the gas main only ran past the top of the road – and extending it would have added a cost of around £13,000 to what was quite a modest build. Since a single-phase electricity supply already served the garages, it was decided to upgrade the fuses and opt for electric heating.

Using standard construction processes, specifying electric panel heaters would mean that it’s nigh-on impossible to meet Code Level 3. However, because a prefabricated timber panel construction system was chosen, we were able to work with the contractor and the frame company, to establish the insulation properties necessary to use electric heating under Part L.

With nearly all the rooms featuring external walls, the U-values had to be impressive. “AJ Energy knew immediately the sort of upgrades we would need to make to the fabric of the building, without even doing the calculations,” recalls Robert Brunton, Director of Stamford West. “We increased the insulation in the roof, and used a jet floor polystyrene block and beam system with a reinforced concrete slab on top. In addition, they advised triple glazing to be absolutely sure of hitting the targets. At £700 more in total than the double glazed option for the two units, it wasn’t a big investment for peace of mind.”

The external walls were specified to achieve 0.14 W/m2.K, the floors at 0.15 W/m2.K, roof at 0.11 W/m2.K, and windows at 1.20K/m2.K. This made the dwellings more airtight, so we used a target of 5m3/hr/m2 in the SAP calculations. Finally, a very well insulated hot water cylinder was specified for each dwelling.

Thanks to our advice, Stamford West’s team were also able to improve their waste management plans too. Whereas they might normally remove any spoil from the site and start afresh, on this project they used a concrete crusher to recycle the panels from the original garages into backfill material. Additionally, the firm was able to come to an agreement with the Local Authority, whereby they could take their waste timber, cardboard, metal and polystyrene to the local amenity site. They ended up using only two skips on the site over the entire project, which was not only positive in environmental terms, but budgetary ones too.

“We came to AJ because they had been recommended by another building firm we know who does similar spec building projects to us,” Robert explains. “We can’t rate the service we received highly enough. They were very easy to work with, and fast in coming back with advice – they even made themselves available out of hours. We’ll certainly be using them again in the future.”

You can download a PDF version of this case study by clicking on the button below. For more information on our comprehensive range of services, please contact us.

Our MD becomes a media expert

AJ Energy — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:59:57 +0000

If there’s one thing we’re passionate about at AJ Energy (apart from energy efficiency, of course), it’s collaborative working practices. With our background experience in architecture and engineering, we understand the importance of maintaining the integrity of a design, at the same time as meeting other objectives including energy efficiency and cost reduction. We believe that the only way to ensure a genuinely more sustainable and liveable building is for the different parties involved to work in partnership. This is the topic that our MD, John Simpson, tackled when he was asked to provide and industry comment article for ABC&D magazine’s February issue – in the piece, he argues that collaborative working is the only way to meet low carbon targets in the context of the worldwide economic situation. You can read the full article here.

We’re in the Feb issue of Eco Building

AJ Energy — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:51:15 +0000

We were delighted to see our Blenheim Meadow case study in the housing association and construction press last month, so when our copy of February’s Eco Building Magazine hit the doormat, we were excited to find they’d picked up on the story too. We’re really keen to spread the word that energy consultants should always be brought in at the earliest stage of a project – preferably at site planning – so that the Code for Sustainable Homes requirements can be met without incurring additional costs (in terms of both time and money). Thanks go to the Eco Building team for helping us spread the word!

Code Level 3 case study in HA magazine

AJ Energy — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:31:13 +0000

Although all new social housing must now meet Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, and many private developments have to include an element of social housing in order to meet Planning requirements, it’s still relatively early days for the Code. So energy consultants like us are playing a key role in disseminating information and helping to influence construction practice, in order to create dwellings which are more sustainable and eco-friendly – with the added benefit of keeping costs down. It’s because of our work in this area that HA magazine picked up on a development we worked on at Nedging Tye in Suffolk, and ran this short case study on the project in question in their January 2012 issue. It’s great to be recognised in this way!

ABC&D highlights importance of early advice

AJ Energy — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:36:24 +0000

Hot on the heels of our coverage in the housing association press, we’ve had another piece of trade media coverage – this time in a key title for architects, builders, contractors and developers. ABC&D magazine ran our Blenheim Meadow case study in their January 2012 issue, highlighting the fact that cost efficiency was just as much at the top of our remit as energy efficiency, and underlining the importance of bringing us in at the earliest stage so that we might be most effective. We’re so glad this example has created such a media buzz!

AJ Energy helps to keep Code for Sustainable Homes build costs down

AJ Energy — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:22:23 +0000

In order to avoid unnecessary cost escalation when building to the Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH) levels, it’s important to involve an expert CfSH assessor right from the get-go – which is why AJ Energy were brought in at the planning stage on this 12-house scheme in Nedging Tye, Suffolk.

The Blenheim Meadow development, which consists of eight open-market properties and four affordable homes available through Hastoe Housing Association – and the latter had to be built to Level 3, in order to meet the housing association’s requirements. “We wanted to engage specialist support right from the beginning, since the process of building to the Code levels differs significantly to the way in which Planning applications have run in the past, and the administration process is complicated,” explained Trevor Stiff, Regional Managing Director for developer and contractor Breheny. “Our architects, Wincer Kievenaar, recommended AJ Energy Consultants as they’d already worked with them on several projects, which gave us great confidence in AJ’s services.”

“AJ Energy Consultants took a very proactive approach to their recommendations, which enabled both us and the developer to focus on the job in hand. In an industry where time is money, this is the sort of forward-thinking support that we need to ensure that a project does not slow down and therefore cost over the odds.”

“We initially chose to work with AJ Energy Consultants because they were local to us,” said Philip Branton, Partner at Wincer Kievenaar. “But we soon realised what a great find we’d made. Thanks to their architecture and engineering training, we found them to be the perfect partners for projects large and small, whether we’re working on a residential scheme, a commercial building, or a public sector development.”

Working on the Blenheim Meadow project right from the start, AJ Energy Consultants were able to ensure an economic benefit for their client Breheny, since building efficiency measures in to the design from the start is more cost-effective. For example, the consultant was able to suggest that the client altered the party wall Robust Detail from one with 1 credit for sound insulation, to another with 4 credits for sound insulation. This fitted within the dwelling design, and was a cost effective way of gaining the additional credits required.“We found that our partnership with AJ was critical in keeping our budgets under control, while still meeting the Code requirements. Every time we considered an update to the design, they were able to re-cast the calculations, and come back to us promptly with the figures upon which we could base our decision,” continued Trevor.

“Unlike some Code Assessors, who merely carry out a tick box exercise and wait for the client to present problems which need to be solved, AJ Energy Consultants took a very proactive approach to their recommendations, which enabled both us and the developer to focus on the job in hand,” continued Philip. “In an industry where time is money, this is the sort of forward-thinking support that we need to ensure that a project does not slow down and therefore cost over the odds.”

You can download a PDF version of this case study by clicking on the button below. For more information on AJ Energy’s comprehensive range of services, please contact us.

Perfect partners can help cut build costs

AJ Energy — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:23:58 +0000

It’s a tricky time to be in the building trade. It’s widely acknowledged that the British economy is in the doldrums, and the property market is far from booming. Against this background, the Government’s commitment to cutting CO2 levels has led to the Building Regulations Part L being significantly modified, which has required a sea change in building practices. The industry has had to adapt to all these challenges, and will have to continue to do so as time goes on – Part L will again be amended in order to meet the 80% carbon reduction commitment by 2050 (compared to 1990 levels) that the Government has made.

Navigating the regulatory landscape is difficult at the best of times, but with new approaches to building needed in order to meet the new requirements, developers and architects alike can benefit from the expertise of specialist partners. This specific knowledge can help avoid costly and time-consuming hold-ups in the building process, and can even cut build costs through all carbon reduction measures being incorporated from the start, rather than bolted on halfway through.

At AJ Energy we can be most effective and helpful if we’re brought in right at the start of a project, and follow it through to completion – and it’s the most cost-efficient option for our clients too. For example, if we’re engaged to conduct the planning SAP calculation, we can very quickly and easily issue the post construction stage SAP certificate and On Construction EPC. Using one consultant for planning, and another for post construction means you’re effectively paying twice – you could even end up paying three times if your SAP consultant isn’t accredited to produce EPCs. Why not engage a single consultant for the whole job instead? Using a single firm throughout also cuts down on the amount of admin work required, and the number of meetings held, and of course time is money.

Our continued support through the build can also help you know where costs can be cut. Not only is it best to incorporate efficiency measures from the outset (it’s when they’re bolted on as an afterthought they become expensive), but any alterations made to the spec could become an expensive mistake if they affect the building’s SAP rating. Our SAP modelling software works in real time, so once we’ve done the initial calculations, at any point we can make amendments (say if you found a cheaper type of insulation board, or specified a different type of central heating system) and let you know the impact of these changes right away, to help you make the right decision without delay.

To speak to us about how we can provide a more integrated support service throughout the planning and build stages, please call us on 01206 274 034 or email us.

Soon we’ll show and tell!

AJ Energy — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:24:06 +0000

At AJ Energy we take pride in our working relationships, and thanks to our way of operating in partnership with our clients, we invariably receive excellent testimonials.

We’re currently working on a number of case studies which demonstrate our collaborative approach and our breadth of knowledge, which allow us to perfectly meet the needs of a wide range of clients in the public and private sectors – including property developers, architects, contractors, M&E consultants and building occupiers.

Please bear with us; we’ll be publishing our first case study online just as soon as it’s completed – and do look out for further projects that will be uploaded subsequently.