Environment and sustainability

You can't improve what you haven't measured. Working with qualified energy assessors, we review how buildings use energy, including heating, cooling, lighting, controls and fabric, and identify where it's being wasted. We then set out practical improvements ranked by cost, carbon saving and payback, from quick wins such as controls and lighting through to larger investments in fabric and plant. That gives you a clear, costed baseline for budgets, business cases and carbon reporting.

Energy standards are tightening, and a poor EPC can stop a property being let. We review EPC ratings across a portfolio, explain the implications under minimum energy efficiency standards, and advise on the remedial works needed to meet them. We also build energy and wider ESG considerations into inspections and maintenance planning, so improvements happen as part of planned work rather than as a costly afterthought.

EPCs are needed whenever a property is sold, let or built, and Display Energy Certificates are required for many public buildings. We coordinate both through accredited assessors, keep track of expiry dates across your estate and make sure certificates are in place ahead of lettings, sales and lease events. Where a rating is lower than expected, we check the assessment is accurate before any money is spent on improvements.

Letting a property below the legal minimum energy rating can bring penalties and leave a building unlettable. We identify which properties are at risk now and under proposed future thresholds, advise on valid exemptions and registration, and plan improvement works around lease events to minimise disruption and cost. We also keep clients on top of wider carbon legislation and reporting duties that apply to their estate, so obligations are understood well before deadlines arrive.

Many organisations have committed to net zero but lack a clear route to get there. Drawing on specialist energy and carbon input, we turn those commitments into practical, costed plans for the estate, identifying which buildings to improve, when, and in what order. Where it makes more sense, we also identify which to replace or dispose of. The plan is aligned with lifecycle replacement and planned maintenance, so carbon reduction is achieved through work that would be needed anyway, not through a separate programme competing for the same budget.

Certification can add value, attract occupiers and meet funding or planning requirements, but only if it's approached early and with purpose. We advise on whether BREEAM, ISO 14001 or another scheme is right for your building or organisation and what rating is realistic. We then coordinate licensed assessors and manage the evidence, keeping design, construction and operation on track for the target rating.

Environmental risks can affect value, insurance, lending and future use. On acquisitions, disposals, developments and estate reviews, we identify potential issues such as flooding, contamination, ecology and climate exposure. Where specialist input is needed, we scope and coordinate the right surveys through our network and interpret the findings in plain commercial terms. That way environmental issues are dealt with early, priced properly and don't derail a transaction or project late on.