41061 Unite AR22 HI-RES WEB-READY - Flipbook - Page 55
STRATEGIC REPORT
GOVERNANCE
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OTHER INFORMATION
PLACES
We want to create places that deliver a positive impact on our people, our communities and the planet.
We’re aiming for net zero carbon buildings, finding ways to use fewer resources, and helping build
stronger communities in and around our properties.
Tackling climate change
We’re playing our part in keeping global warming
below 1.5°C, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from
operations and new buildings in line with science-based
carbon targets to be net zero carbon by 2030.
We have c.£7 million of capital investment in energy
efficiency planned for 2023, including LED lighting, airsource heat pumps, and improved heating controls, and are
exploring options to bring more of our purchased electricity
under long-term corporate power purchase agreements
(cPPAs) to meaningfully decarbonise our energy supply.
Existing properties
Proportion of whole estate by EPC rating
The chart below shows the portion of total floor achieving
different levels of energy intensity (consumption per square
metre of floor space) in 2022. As on page 60, 2022 whole estate
average energy intensity was 117.9kWh/m2, slightly above the
CRREM pathway benchmark for 2022 of 113.6 (v1.093).
71.4%
70%
63.6%
61.2%
60%
50%
40%
30%
24.1%
15.2%
19.3% 19.5%
20%
13.5%
12.3%
10%
0%
By bed numbers
A-B rated
By floor area
C rated
By asset value
D-G rated
New developments
2022 saw the recruitment of a new Sustainability
Construction Manager role in our Development team to
steer our development pipeline towards our 2030 targets.
In-house modelling using the OneClick LCA (life cycle
assessment) software package has given us our best-ever
understanding of embodied carbon and the options open to
us to reduce. We will publish our Sustainable Construction
Framework later in 2023 to help deliver our net zero carbon
development ambition.
Distribution of floor area by energy intensity
30%
Proportion of overall floor area
80%
Proportion of total estate
In 2021, we set out our ambition and approach to tackling
climate change in our Net Zero Carbon Pathway document
(see unitegroup.com/sustainability/our-net-zero-pathway)
including science-based carbon targets aligned with a
1.5°C limit to global warming, in line with the Paris Climate
Agreement. In 2022, we completed detailed site surveys and
modelling of every property in the estate, creating building
specific Asset Transition Plans that set out the measures
needed to deliver the required energy, carbon and EPC
improvements. This provides a full picture of the c.£100
million of capital investment required to hit our 2030 net
zero carbon targets, including our energy intensity target
linked to CRREM (the Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor tool).
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
0-25
25-50
50-75
75-100
150-175
175-200
200+
Total energy intensity in 2022 (kWh/m2)
We’ve invested c.£20 million in energy initiatives in the
past two years, achieving a 6.5% cut in absolute energy
consumption from our 2019 base year (see pages 60–61 for
more details of our energy and carbon performance). This
investment has helped us achieve significant improvements
in EPC ratings, with 61% of total floor area now A-B rated and
a further 19% of floor area C rated as shown on the chart,
compared to 35% and 22% respectively in 2021.
Working closely with our supply chain, this LCA work has
allowed us to achieve significant reductions in embodied
carbon of new developments. Our Campbell House
development achieved a figure of 817kgCO2e/m2 (RIBA stages
A-C) compared to the RIBA 030 Climate Challenge target of
1,000kgCO2e/m2 for 2020 and 800kgCO2e/m2 for 2025.
In 2023, we will continue to collaborate with leading industry
bodies around themes of embodied carbon, circular
economy and operational energy performance.
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