Active Renewable Energy Centre (AREC)

The Active Renewable Energy Centre in Altens is one of the most energy efficient buildings in the UK and the first A rated building in Aberdeen.

The build involved rigorous planning for the integration of the most energy efficient combination of our high quality products. Everything from the building’s exact position on the site was chosen to minimise heat gain on the south face, while maximising the potential of the solar panels on the roof.

The synergy between intelligent design and micro renewable technologies results in the AREC being a practical and pleasant working environment which is also extremely energy efficient. And because the building is so efficient at regulating temperature it needs much less energy to function. The energy it does require comes from renewable sources resulting in a drastic reduction in both CO2 emissions and fuel bills.

The building was designed from the ground-up to make the most of natural light and ventilation wherever possible. The small amount of energy which the building needs to operate as a comfortable working environment is generated on-site from a combination of sustainable energy solutions including:

The Active Renewable Energy Centre versus a standard commercial building

The typical energy consumption for a commercial building of this style is approximately 190,000kW/hrs with an estimated fuel cost of £28,500 per annum. The Active Renewable Energy Centre significantly reduces these figures, consuming an estimated 37,410kW/hrs of energy per annum. Based on the current tariff of 15p/kWhr the fuel cost is just £5,611.50 per annum (conservative estimates).

One of the main stumbling points when it comes to energy efficiency is proving to people that the technology delivers real cost savings as well as reducing CO2 emissions. To tackle this Active has installed an advanced monitoring and control system which will measure the energy generated and consumed by the building. We plan to publish this data over time and if you are interested in finding out more please contact us directly.

Award winning building

Active was awarded a commendation in the Scottish heats of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) awards 2010, in the Sustainability category, for the AREC.

The AREC also won a Special Technical Award at Aberdeen City Council's annual EcoCity Awards 2010. The award was specially created to acknowledge the importance of Active's sustainable showcase building.

The Active Renewable Energy Centre has raised the bar when it comes to practical, commercially viable, green developments and if you would like to see for yourself how it all comes together please contact us directly.