We’ve just launched a free guide on how the heating, ventilation and air conditioning in buildings can play an important role in making sure that an office is future-proofed against upcoming legislation and remains an attractive and viable destination for tenants and occupants.
‘Future Proofing Offices: Specifying HVAC systems to meet standards and certifications’ shows how the UK office sector has been leading the way on sustainability in the built environment.
By embracing the principles of carbon reduction and energy efficiency, office developers and owners have realised that they can continue to attract clients and achieve the maximum potential for their assets.
The alternative is to risk your building becoming a stranded asset (and we have another guide all about how to avoid that).
Efficient, sustainable office space get a ‘green premium’. Less efficient offices face a ‘brown discount’
Rachel Lekman Sustainability Marketing Manage
As easy as E.P.C.
The new Guide points out that it’s not only new-build offices that are targeting better energy and carbon performance. There are several factors in the office market that have contributed to these outcomes. Not least is the proposed change to Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for commercial buildings.
Currently, office buildings must attain a minimum EPC rating of E before they can be sold or let. However, this minimum is set to change radically in the near future.
Although the government has not confirmed its intentions, many building owners and managers are now working on the assumption that the minimum rating required for offices will rise to a minimum C rating and then B in the next five years - or less.
This has led to another incentive to improve office building energy performance. Several reports from the sector show that buildings with higher EPC ratings have enhanced commercial value, because they are ready for that regulatory change.
For example, the 2025 CBRE report2 says that despite the uncertainty around MEES regulations the market “has shown evidence of increasing appetite for energy efficient assets from both investors and occupiers.”
Green premium v Brown discount
There is not only a ‘green premium’ for efficient, sustainable office space, but also a ‘brown discount’ for buildings which do not meet modern standards.
As CBRE notes: “Over H1 2025, the rental value discount for inefficient stock grew, indicating weaker demand for inefficient stock”.
This increasingly pronounced preference from tenants and investors for energy efficient offices highlights a growing risk in the office sector.
If buildings cannot match these requirements, they are at risk of losing both rental and capital value. In the highly competitive office market demonstrable energy efficiency and sustainability features are not only a factor of financial value, but also of owner and tenant reputation.
Building owners can download the free Guide to Stranded Assets here:
With these factors coming into play in the office market, early action on building refurbishment that enhances energy efficiency and carbon performance is vital to retain asset value.
Proof of action
Another important development has been the wider adoption of voluntary certifications for energy and carbon performance.
Schemes such as BREEAM, NABERS and the new UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard are increasingly important in the office sector, providing independent verification of building performance - and acting as marketing incentives for tenants.
The guide also takes readers through the three recommendations from the UKGBC on whether to optimise a buildings performance, when to plan for a light retrofit, and when the time would be right for a deep retrofit.
It looks at enhancing value through HVAC retrofit and at the whole life carbon impact of VRF air conditioning systems and air to water heat pumps.
Finally, the Guide looks at real-life case studies of buildings retrofitted or designed to maximise carbon reduction, talking to the people involved to find the drivers for their action.
The ‘Future Proofing Offices’ Guide is available to download so anyone with an out-of-date building can start planning for the future now.
Rachel Lekman is Sustainability Marketing Manager
