Spotlight: Tony Truepenny-Phillipson
Each month, we at Love Design Studio like to shine a light on those that make our organisation what it is: our team.
Throughout our interview series, we like to get to know our team a little better, understand what motivates them in this industry, and learn more about their professional backgrounds.
In our seventh instalment, we spoke to Tony Truepenny-Phillipson, Senior Sustainability Consultant and our resident NABERS assessor, leading on our Energy & Retrofit project workstreams.
So, without further ado, let’s introduce Tony!
1. So, let’s start with one more about Tony outside of work. When you’re not here and working, what do you like to get up to? What are your hobbies and interests?
Well, I would say I’m a fairly active person. I am a big fan of running and cycling – I take part in a few cycling events and occasionally run to work.
It’s a little cold and miserable in the winter, but it definitely wakes you up in the morning!
2. Could you take me through your journey into you role a little bit, including what you did beforehand and what motivated you to join us here?
Originally, I’m an engineer by training. I studied Chemical Engineering at Manchester University and, on the back of that, worked as a Process Engineer for about 10 years. Whilst I enjoyed a good many parts of this job, it conflicted quite strongly with my evolving views on the environment. I became a more green-minded individual and wanted to effect positive change in this area.
3. In your current role as Senior Sustainability Consultant, you oversee our Energy & Retrofit function. Would you be able to describe what is meant by Energy & Retrofit here and what your role entails?
Yes, so my role is split into two parts. On the Energy side of things, I analyse proposals for the development of new and existing buildings and consult on their designs. Specifically, I provide design guidance and technical assessments to developers on the overall energy efficiency of their plans, in an effort to help drive down energy consumption and reduce emissions by as much as possible.
In our Retrofit function, my work focuses on improving existing residential and commercial buildings. I am a trained Domestic ENergy Assessor (DEA), PAS 2035 Assessor and NABERS Assessor. I have been overseeing a lot of our BREEAM projects too. Often, the individual projects and developments that we work on are very unique, meaning the solutions that we provide to our clients need to be bespoke and tailored to them. Through a combination of detailed site assessments and subsequent modelling work, we are able to identify the key requirements for each property and create an individualised proposal for each.
4. What are your main roles and responsibilities in this capacity? What keeps you busy on a day-to-day basis?
The average day will see me providing technical assistance across the team on our energy modelling work, to ensure that the projects we work on are compliant with the requirements of Building Regulations, and regional and local policies.
I really enjoy the collaborative aspects of this work – working closely across the team to review my colleagues’ output and provide guidance on how they can strengthen their industry knowledge and skillset. It’s rewarding work!
5. In your role as a NABERS assessor, it is part of your responsibilities to assess the environmental performance of commercial buildings. Could you describe the system in more depth and talk to an example of how you have used it in your project work?
NABERS is an environmental rating scheme in which a building’s actual energy consumption is compared to industry benchmarks to determine how efficiently the building is being used. It differs from something like an EPC assessment as it focuses on actual energy consumption data, as opposed to predictive or estimated energy consumption. In the UK, NABERS currently only applies to office-type buildings, with buildings ranked on a six-star rating scale. A higher star-rating is awarded for buildings with lower energy consumption, with three stars indicative of a market average energy performance. Assessments can be performed on landlord areas (base building rating), tenant areas (tenancy rating), or the entire building (whole building rating).
A NABERS assessment requires the Assessor to undertake a detailed review of the utility bill and tenant sub-meter data for a 12-month period and carry out site visits to verify that installed meters meet the minimum energy coverage requirements defined in the NABERS Rules documents. The Assessor also needs to speak with tenants to understand occupancy patterns and review the layout of occupied areas to inform the baseline energy consumption to which the actual building is compared.
I am currently working on a NABERS assessment for an office building in London and have liaised with the facility management team to review energy data and installed metering systems. The next step is to work through the rating calculation before compiling all evidence and submitting the assessment to the scheme administrator, CIBSE, for audit.
6. As a Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA), part of your work extends to utilising the PAS 2035 framework. What is this framework and how do you use it?
The retrofit standards framework is underpinned by the PAS 2035 document which sets out best practices for retrofitting existing dwellings in the UK. The retrofit framework was established following a 2015 government review of the current retrofit process, spurred by several high-profile failings across the industry and the need to build back confidence with residents that retrofitting can be done without detriment to the comfort and safety of occupants.
PAS 2035 covers assessment of dwellings, identification and evaluation of energy efficiency measures, the design of recommended measures, and evaluation of retrofit projects. It works in tandem with PAS 2030 which outlines the requirements for installing energy efficiency measures, with retrofit installers required to be PAS 2030 certified.
The framework defines key roles, including that of the Retrofit Assessor who carries out the dwelling assessment. The Retrofit Assessor visits the dwelling to gather information on the existing building fabric, energy systems and building conditions to determine which energy efficiency measures might be most applicable to the property. The Assessor also conducts calculations to test likely energy savings and carbon emission reductions for a range of energy efficiency measures which also feeds into the decision-making process around which measures are most viable.
We have delivered condition reports, energy reports and occupancy survey summaries for dwellings in support of retrofit funding applications and see this as a growing area on which we can support, given the need for a rapid increase in the rate of retrofit throughout the UK.
7. Throughout your time here, are there any projects that you would say are very representative of the role you perform at this organisation? Please provide details of the project specifications and how you tackled it.
One strong project was the work we completed with Mandeville Primary School. Our task here was to support the school in achieving net zero carbon in operation (NZCiO) for both regulated and unregulated energy. This project served as a major milestone in the history of our organisation, as it was the first time we were able to deliver an A+ EPC rating for one of our partners, an accolade that is still extremely rare across the UK.
Whilst one of the major successes of this project derived from the fact that we got involved right at the start – RIBA Stage 0 – which allowed us to embed sustainability principles from day 1, I got involved around Stage 3. Here, I carried out regular updates of the energy modelling. I also conducted a CIBSE TM54 analysis throughout the remainder of the project, evaluating operational energy, in order to provide evidence that the project remained on track to achieve its NZCiO goal.
8. Retrofitting has become a much greater focus in the development sector, with its potential to minimise whole lifecycle emissions through relying on pre-existing infrastructure. What would you say are the main challenges in working on retrofitting projects and how do you overcome them?
As I see it, the main challenges lie in the retrofitting of residential buildings, as opposed to commercial properties. Aside from the overarching challenge of scaling up retrofitting efforts across the country, the cost of funding which would extend into eyewatering figures, we see a number more at the level of the individual property and the residents who will inhabit it.
One major challenge is in building trust with residents and the public more generally that proposed retrofitting plans will be delivered and will impact them for the better. We need to get buy-in from all stakeholders included within the development process, including end users, so the benefits of retrofitting need to be widely communicated. For example, we might need to demonstrate that retrofitting can reduce energy bills, improve thermal comfort, and be of high quality. Without this, retrofitting can’t become as widespread as needed.
To me, these challenges can be overcome by carefully selecting who is employed on the retrofitting project. When it comes to the design team involved, they will need to be passionate individuals who truly care about the environmental benefits of retrofitting, and not simply out to make a quick buck on the back of a growing industry. They will also need to have the ability to communicate with residents the benefits of retrofitting and how it will impact them.
Furthermore, we need to ensure that other stakeholders – namely assessors, designers, coordinators, and installers – are held to account so that residents are provided with the support they need after the works are complete.
9. Within the Energy & Retrofit space, particularly with regards to government regulations, are there any areas of policy that you would like to see changed to boost the impact or feasibility of our projects?
In general, I think there needs to be more emphasis placed on Building Control and the process for signing off building works. As buildings and development plans are now incorporating a greater number of passive design and green measures, we need to ensure that developments are delivered in compliance with design specifications to achieve the targeted energy efficiency and thermal comfort performance. Residents also deserve to be provided with better information on both how their buildings have been designed and constructed, and how they should be operated.
This should go hand in hand with providing high-quality new homes and commercial buildings, and updating our existing housing stock.
10. So, if you were made Mayor of London tomorrow, what would the key policy changes you would make be? (Let’s have a work-related one and a fun one).
So, one policy suggestion that I think could have real impact on the work we do now surrounds the process for retrofitting existing dwellings. What we see quite often is that the implementation of retrofitting proposals becomes delayed, often because there is a lack of understanding of what is expected of different stakeholders – renters, owners, landlords. Therefore, I think a few policies need to be introduced to expedite this process, alongside a campaign that clearly describes who needs to do what.
This should cover both passive measures, including improved insulation and air tightness (while considering ventilation solutions, to avoid issues around damp), and the implementation of green technologies, particularly air source heat pumps. However, this last point would also require consideration of noise pollution around external heat pumps.
As a bit more of a fun one, I would say that we should start pedestrianising certain areas of London. Maybe Soho? I think it would be a good way to turn traffic-heavy and polluted areas into places that are just more welcoming and enjoyable to be in.
We started to see this, to some small extent, during the years following Covid-19 lockdowns and the atmosphere felt good. I just hope to see it replicated elsewhere!
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today! Any plans for the weekend?
Surprise, surprise, a bit of cycling! I often head out to the hills in Kent and Surrey so will look to get some winter training miles in the legs.