Camco

Camco has worked with Wilson Bowden Ltd to develop a coherent strategy for managing carbon across the company. Wilson Bowden is a major developer with two construction arms: David Wilson Homes and Wilson Bowden Developments. In 2006 David Wilson Homes completed 5,486 homes, and Wilson Bowden Developments completed around 1.5million square feet of commercial and residential property.

Scope and Baseline
The scope of the programme has been extended to go beyond the emissions from the company’s operational activities. Camco has also been asked to look into opportunities for reductions in the embodied carbon of its construction projects and the ongoing carbon emissions associated with the completed and occupied buildings.

This widening of the scope reflects the balance of carbon emissions associated with Wilson Bowden’s activities, where their operational emissions are small in comparison to those associated with the construction and use of their product over a 50 year life.

Within Wilson Bowden’s operations the significant source of carbon emissions has been found to be from the company’s extensive fleet, with offices and works buildings only accounting for around 25% of the emissions and just 8% of the costs.

Business case
The drivers for the three carbon emission areas identified in the scope are clearly different.

• Operationally, the principle drivers are financial savings to the company and corporate social responsibility reputation. Any ambition to present the company to the public as a carbon saving leader for the sector would rely on the solid foundations of having put one’s own house in order.
• The drivers on the embodied carbon and construction emissions are much weaker. There is a great deal of industry and public interest in this area, however at present there is only little benefit to be gained for Wilson Bowden by a concerted effort to reduce the embodied carbon of its buildings. This is likely to change in the near future as pressure increases from government and the public, and the relative proportion of these emissions increases when compared to the improved performance of occupied buildings.
• Legislative and regulatory pressures are the key driver for improvements in the performance of buildings when occupied. The Code for Sustainable Homes and Local Authority’s renewables requirements are all pushing the industry towards the Government’s Zero Carbon Homes target in 2016. A Code for Sustainable Commercial Buildings is likely to impact the commercial construction industry in the same way.

Next Steps
Camco has continued to work with Wilson Bowden to identify and priorities opportunities to reduce carbon emissions associated with its activities.