Our key role in sustainable design is in energy and environmental matters.  Our in-house Energy Team provide a wide range of sustainability services and this includes specialists who develop energy strategies to ensure best practice is included in our design.

Our Team has expertise in energy modelling and work with the Project Team on developing energy compliance, calculating running costs and estimating carbon consumption.  We always target low carbon design and where possible deliver zero carbon buildings.

Through our Facilities Team we have gathered data on over 100 buildings.  This data is used to benchmark buildings and track the benefits of energy saving initiatives such as the impact of adding PV cells.

The Energy Team design energy saving projects which deliver energy savings and carbon reduction in buildings.

They also conduct research and pilot studies in new technology and new initiatives.  We provide a variety of specialist energy and environmental services, these include:

• Passive House design
• NABERS In-Use
• Design for Performance
• EPC and SAP modelling and certification
• Embodied Carbon and Whole Life Cycle Carbon

Our BREEAM Engineers have developed expertise in environmental issues detailed in the BREEAM assessment criteria.

As members of the UK Green Buildings Council (UKGBC) we actively support the UKGBC mission to radically improve the sustainability of the built environment by transforming the way it is planned, designed, constructed, maintained, and operated. 

We work with the Low Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) to enhance standards throughout the UK through bespoke workstreams.  

Our Energy Team have experience of working with Local Authority planning departments throughout the UK including all London Authorities and the GLA. This expertise allows us to provide early design advice on planning requirements with regards energy and sustainability.

We utilise a range of specialist software in support of our energy services. This includes:

IES

ModelIt - Our Sustainability Engineers are skilled at building geometries. We can build everything from large complex buildings to shop units.

Apache HVAC - To offer the Design for Performance (DFP) framework, our Engineers are skilled in using the advanced HVAC modelling engine of IES.

Apache - We use Apache software to assess heating and cooling loads. Overheating assessments are completed to CIBSE TM52, CIBSE TM59 and BB101 standard.

Macroflo - Natural ventilation analysis.

Radiance - Daylighting.

Compliance - Our Engineers are skilled in using the compliance engine of IES to produce compliance documents for Part L 2021 and Section 6 2015.

One Click LCA

KJ Tait were early adopters of calculating the embodied carbon of developments. We use One Click LCA to calculate the embodied carbon and whole life cycle carbon of new and refurbishment projects.

PV Sol Premium

We use PV Sol Premium to accurately calculate the potential electrical generation for any proposed PV array. Our software is capable of sizing battery storage systems which will be crucial in the future.

This specialist software gives us all the tools needed to design Zero Carbon and low energy projects.