Supporting gender expression

3. Communication and language are key. First, if the team member does wish to communicate their change in gender expression, then they are able to reach out to the business for support. And second, ensuring that we updated the language in the policy to reflect the most inclusive approach.

4. It is important to outline the challenges of transphobia and what to do in the event of an incident. We specifically reference the process for dealing with these incidents, support offered and actions that will be taken. This includes educational programmes to support understanding and tackle ignorance.

5. Recognising this is as law. We make it clear that within our policy, transphobia is clearly identified within the Equality Act 2010, which makes it unlawful to treat someone less favourably for this reason. Ultimately, the key is to be inquisitive. Explore. Ask difficult questions and be ready for difficult answers. The process of continuous improvement can be a difficult one but it’s the only way to continue to build inclusive environments and ensure everyone can be their authentic selves and achieve their best.

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When an engineer talks about energy used to light a building, they’re usually referring to electrical energy consumed by the lighting scheme in operation. Lighting accounts for a surprisingly high proportion of a building’s overall energy consumption –this could be more than office equipment and second only to heating and cooling.

Additionally, a significant amount of energy will be used, and carbon emitted, in the manufacture and distribution of the luminaires used to light the building, along with the energy associated with mining and refining the raw materials used in luminaire components. This type of energy is known as embodied energy and the carbon emissions associated with it as embodied carbon.

Typically, the embodied energy of a luminaire can be found in its Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). But CIBSE’s Embodied Carbon Calculation Methodology (TM65) provides a way of estimating products’ life cycle embodied carbon, where no EPD is available.

Whole-life carbon

Whole-life carbon emissions refer to operational and embodied energy use over a luminaire’s lifetime. If we are to achieve a net zero built environment, a whole-life approach to carbon emissions reduction would include tackling embodied carbon alongside operational carbon.

So a manufacturer might reduce carbon embodied in a luminaire through:

● Choice of materials;

● Optimising product design; and

● Using carbon-neutral energy from wind or solar to power the production process.

A building operator can reduce embodied carbon of a lighting installation by reusing luminaires from an existing installation, perhaps with an element of on-site refurbishment.

Reusing serviceable equipment is important, as too many luminaires are thrown away before the end of their useful life.

Reducing operational energy

The simplest way to reduce a luminaire’s operational energy is to turn it off but this depends on whether the luminaire is illuminating a task and, if so, whether there is sufficient daylight to enable it