Sustainability Consultancy
Why?
More than a third of worldwide energy is consumed in buildings.
The built environment constitutes a uniquely important opportunity to tackle global climate change.
In addition, since 2008, the world has reached an urban tipping point, with more than half of the global population now living in cities. This situation presents a real opportunity for sustainable urban management and the development of green buildings.
Governments across the world are taking radical action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and reach targets set both nationally and internationally.
Therefore, regulation, guidance and best practice for sustainable property development, management and occupation is constantly evolving.
The property market needs to adapt, not only to achieve compliance but also to gain from the commercial opportunities presented by this market shift.
Who needs us?
- Public and private sector organisations involved in property investment, development, management and occupation.
- Particularly those exposed to the financial and reputational risks of carbon compliance.
What we do?
Our team provides the following main service areas:
1) Strategic sustainability advisory services for public and private sector organisations involved in property investment, development, management, and occupation:
At Knight Frank, we listen to our clients' needs carefully to find the best sustainability solutions for their businesses.
We:
- Assess their needs, analyse what the best available solutions are and calculate the future financial benefits via our modelling tools;
- Set sustainability performance targets around specific key performance indicators;
- Produce sustainability policies;
- Guide our clients through the application of the established policy objectives;
- Analyse the results; and
- Re-evaluate the targets over time.
- We help our clients to reduce their portfolios' operational costs through energy strategies focused on both individual assets and across portfolios.
- Decentralised energy consultancy:
- We provide technical and commercial advisory services to large energy users to facilitate third party ESCo investment.
2) Reporting and Benchmarking:
- We provide corporate responsibility reporting services for property organisations. We assure the highest level of technical quality, accuracy and robustness in our data analysis and reporting. Our environmental assessment software allows us to assess our clients' environmental performance across a wide range of key performance indicators.
- Our benchmarking service allows our clients to compare the sustainability performance of their properties to peers on an individual asset and portfolio basis.
3) The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme:
- The CRC scheme is a recent mandatory cap-and-trade scheme set-up by the UK government through the Climate Change Act 2008, which aims at reducing the overall UK GHG emissions by 10 percent. Our service includes:
- Initial risk assessment: is your business in or out of the CRC scheme?
- Data gathering, management and analysis to ensure compliance but also to target the most carbon heavy properties in our client's portfolios.
- Take early action measures to maximize energy efficiency and reduce both the operational cost of the building and the cost related to carbon allowance purchase.
- Forecasting: Ensure accurate forecasting of carbon allowance requirements in order to avoid potential fines and reputational damage. We have developed a tool to calculate future likely energy consumption and CO2 emissions for our client's portfolios.
- We have an industry leading capability in managing the complex landlord / tenant obligations under the CRC. We advise upon the allocation of costs, responsibilities and collaborative energy management.
- We guide the process of green lease formation, CRC clauses in existing and new leases, the establishment of MoUs and charter documentation.
4) Research products:
- We conduct innovative research into how sustainability performance impacts on the operational cost and market value of real estate.
- Knight Frank benefits from industry leading residential and commercial real estate research teams with whom we work closely.
5) Feed-in tariffs, financial modelling and project development:
- Based on a combination of real estate investment experience and sustainability consultancy expertise Knight Frank advises clients on the financial structuring for renewable energy projects of any kind.
- The firm's wide range of real estate expertise means we are well placed to use the catalyst of renewable energy projects to achieve real estate outcomes.
- We increase our clients' income from existing build assets and landholdings by demonstrating the financial gains from the clean energy cash back scheme.
Our service covers the full project life-cycle from initial feasibility and financial modelling to design, procurement, installation and monitoring.
If you would like further information on what we do, please do not hesitate to contact:
David Goatman
Partner, Head of Sustainability Consultancy
Knight Frank LLP
T: +44 (0)20 7861 5109
david.goatman@knightfrank.com
Etienne Cadestin
Sustainability Consultant
Knight Frank LLP
T: +44 (0)20 7861 1574
etienne.cadestin@knightfrank.com