In 2024 and beyond, the trend will always be sustainability and the long-lasting ability of products, projects, and materials used to build them. Gone are the days when there was a standard practice that everyone had to follow since a couple of projects were following them. It is all about ensuring that modern techniques and requirements are considered before jumping to or thinking of a conclusion. Hence, everything needs to be calculated modernly before it can be executed. MEP or Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing service is at the heart of modern construction management. No one high-scale project can be planned, executed, and considered if there is no supportive role for MEP.
This shows the importance of including MEP as a focal point of attraction in your project. But MEP has advanced manifolds since its advent, and you need to look closely at the project. MEP involves three services, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, respectively, to interrelate and offer a smooth living experience for occupants of a building. The building may have different purposes; however, their main goal remains the same: comfort for the people. But in the modern world, MEP has developed into a service that has to offer sustainable outcomes for the environment so the outside world does not suffer a lot. Considering this, people and contractors such as Wafaiyah are looking to adopt new sustainable techniques and practices to ensure the client and project remain steadfast to modern practices of sustainability in the construction field.
Back in the day, when building construction began to attract eyes, there were no critical means to ensure sustainability or even modernism. It was all about bricks and concrete and a plan to make buildings look more intelligent than their counterparts. Over time, it was understood that building construction needs a spark and modernism technique to attract customers and investors for future projects, especially large or commercial scale. To this, there was MEP that evolved into building construction and diversified the landscape.
Initially, it was all about a single system that could heat, cool, ventilate, provide electricity, and offer plumbing services at a single price and network. Over time, there was more need for advancements in MEP to ensure modern requirements were met. For this, MEP observed changes of a minor nature over time, and presently, it is all about MEP and sustainability hand in hand. In truth, the reality is that contractors and investors both look continuously for more sustainable, advanced, and modern methods to adapt their systems. And this is the quest that everyone is after.
There may be fewer buildings that do not involve MEP at all. In contrast, almost every other building has a system of MEP that is working and operational in one way or another. The reasons are rising living costs and expenses due to which people ensure modern ways help them cope economically. The MEP system involves three top services required in any building under a single roof. This further ensures that investors and stakeholders must pay for a single contract and get everything in control through simple means.
MEPs Sustainable Strategies
MEP has advanced a lot, and it has accounted for the same reason in numerous ways. Contractors now have a handful of options and ways to offer sustainable solutions to people using MEP systems, helping them and the environment. Below, we discuss some standard MEP techniques and strategies to ensure a sustainable environment is kept for everyone involved.
Lower Energy Consumption
The first and foremost requirement of every MEP contractor and investor is massive cost-cutting and saving. However, this is only possible by involving variable solutions to ensure energy consumption is reduced. Energy consumption is always an issue and practice in MEP; to control it, MEP contractors use suitable techniques. Every region and state has specific building codes for construction contractors to follow and adhere to. If we look closely, those codes and regulations are constructed based on the principle of atmospheric conditions in the state. Following those codes, especially for a building’s shell, roof, walls, floor, and windows, ensure optimal energy saving within the region.
In essence, modern lighting fixtures come with motion sensors. These sensors are standard, but their use is highly effective. Such sensors help to detect human presence in a specified area, turn on the lights, and vice versa when a person leaves. This ensures the highest order of energy conservation. Presently, AIs have taken over everything, including MEP. In MEP, AI helps to support energy efficiency through automation processes in a bid for waste reduction. With IoT devices, an additional helping hand is lent that helps to predict the outside temperature so the temperature inside a building can be set and monitored accordingly.
Water Management
Sustainability is of no use and importance if water consumption and conservation are not catered to. Water usage is imperative for every building where MEP has to be directly involved through plumbing. Adequate and accurate plumbing techniques are necessary and laid out to provide the best water conservation and management results. Considering climate and location, it is observed that an average residential building may consume around 33% of energy, such as for heating water. For this, greenhouse water systems are in demand since they help to reduce around 80% of gas emissions. While water management is something to take care of closely, it can be easy to manage. Simply put, solar hot water systems are widely incorporated into buildings to help reduce water wastage since they can produce around 9 litres of hot water per minute. Low-flow faucets are another fantastic item to ensure less water is used and consumed, thus saving water consumption by 40%.
Energy Modeling
The following technique that contractors use to build sustainable buildings is energy modelling. In energy modelling, some calculations run along to give a contractor and stakeholder the actual image of the energy consumption of a building. A building being constructed has to fulfil many different requirements for both the occupants and visitors alike. This is because only some buildings are built as houses, apartments, or flats. Hence, the building has to be ideal in fulfilling its requirements. However, with MEP involved, energy usage is also a factor to be considered. With energy modelling software, you can see your building’s overall energy consumption and requirements. This helps to give a sneak peek into the future of how much energy your designed structure will need. At best, this will help create or locate places of interest in the design that can be remodified to ensure energy saving. In essence, energy modelling software or techniques are not straightforward.
Sustainable Materials
Finally, we are to the point where sustainability peaks to the maximum, that is, sustainable and reusable materials. In construction management, reusable material seems more feasible and low on the pocket. Raw materials were a thing of the past. It is all about sustainable materials and practices to ensure that each building is perfectly constructed on modern principles and designs.
To ensure a green environment throughout your building, you should use recycled materials, mainly for the interior of your structure. Double-glazed windows have improved insulation and help reduce the heat content entering a building. The same goes for using window shades. Also, light-colored roofs reflect heat, thus ensuring reduced load on air conditioners.
Conclusion
Sustainable practices are highly crucial given the current circumstances of eco-friendliness. The world is rapidly moving towards climate change adversaries, and there is no time to waste our energy and productivity on sticking to old ideas. With modern sustainable MEP systems, we can significantly help our cause and ensure that our buildings maximize energy saving, efficiency, waste management, and reusability. Wafaiyah and other contracting firms have a strong background in implementing these techniques, and it is time for everyone to join hands and vow a sustainable environment for the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a sustainable environment?
An environment that focuses on the importance of quality air and atmosphere within its boundaries is sustainable.
What are the benefits of using eco-friendly materials?
Eco-friendly materials are made from recycled components and do not require extensive manufacturing processes. Hence, they help create a sustainable environment.
How can we save energy from electricity?
We can save considerable energy by ensuring our electrical fixtures are equipped with sensors that turn them on and off depending on the occupancy level within a space.
Is water management critical?
Water management is essential since water is becoming scarce with each passing day in the world, and ensuring we save water is the duty of every person.
How can we ensure our MEP system is sustainable?
MEP systems are sustainable presently, but if someone has an older version, they can contact a good contractor and make minor tweaks in their systems to get high productivity and efficiency.