Local authority action on energy efficiency
Ian Hutchcroft, Head of Local Delivery at the Energy Saving Trust explains how local authorities can retrofit for energy efficiency and deliver benefits for carbon reduction, health, jobs and growth…
There is no doubt that the drivers for local authority action on housing energy efficiency are strong, and getting stronger.
With...
Building a home? Build a solar home
Paul Hutchens, Chairman of the Solar Trade Association New Build Working Group and Managing Director of Eco2Solar explains the benefits of fitting solar panels to new build…
Solar is a cheap and easy way of making the new homes and offices we build more sustainable, cheaper to run and compliant...
Energy efficiency and housing: what next for Local Authorities?
Ian Hutchcroft, Head of Local Delivery at the Energy Saving Trust explains how local authorities can retrofit for energy efficiency and deliver benefits for carbon reduction, health, jobs and growth
The INCA Manifesto – A future for EWI
INCA has published a manifesto ahead of the General Election calling on any future government to set out a clear role for EWI as part of a coherent energy efficiency strategy. Here, they deliver their message
INCA (Insulated Render and Cladding Association) is the recognised trade association for the external...
The NIA insulation service
The National Insulation Association (NIA) announces the introduction of a new service for Local Authorities and Housing Associations looking for insulation companies to work on their projects
With the cuts to the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) announced by government last year, an increasing number of Local Authorities and Housing Associations...
Warm Up Bristol: City-wide energy efficiency
A part of Bristol’s status as 2015 European Green Capital involves becoming the UK’s most energy efficient major city. Here, the Council outline their Warm Up Bristol initiative targeting poorly insulated and energy inefficient homes…
Bristol has some of the oldest housing stock in Europe and each year in the...
The Green Deal – a simple and robust idea?
Steve Cole, Policy Leader at the National Housing Federation discusses whether the Green Deal has helped to improve energy efficiency in UK housing stock…
Green Deal, the government’s flagship policy to improve the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock, has been much debated over the last few years. With...
BRE puts consumers at the heart of homebuilding
A new quality mark for new houses has been launched that will transform the way consumers choose their homes to buy and rent…
Leading building science centre, BRE has introduced a new national 5 star rating system – Home Quality Mark – that will give home buyers a clear indication...
Thermal model calculations: A lesson in accuracy
Andrew Lundberg, thermal modelling expert at the Association of Thermal Modellers details the challenges faced in accurately assessing building fabric performance, hailing competency as the key…
When it comes to delivering low-energy buildings in a bid to produce homes which come with both increased comfort and lower running costs for...
Private landlords must improve home efficiency
Under new government plans, landlords will be required by law to ensure their properties have an energy efficiency rating of at least Band E...
Up to one million tenants renting privately will see their homes made more energy efficient under new plans from the government.
The plans will require all landlords...
A crucial step in insulating party wall cavities
With the welcome announcement from DECC that insulating existing party wall cavities is now included as a measure in the latest RdSAP calculations for both the Green Deal and ECO funding, Nick Ralph from MIMA explains why measures such as this are so crucial…
MIMA was instrumental in influencing the...
Active Roofs and Facades in Sustainable Renovation
The Nordic Built “Active Roofs and Facades” project is supported by Nordic Innovation allowing for strong development of leading Nordic competences in the area of building renovation.
This is achieved by creating transnational Public Private Partnership models to support the development towards nearly zero energy building solutions and associated performance...
The challenges of thermal bridging
Alex Taylor, NHBC Senior Energy Consultant, examines the challenges that thermal bridging presents from an energy assessors point of view.
The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) now contains 42 separate definitions for thermal bridging details. As part of an energy assessor’s role, they need to understand how each detail is applied...
Polyurethane foam – a thermal solution
Leonie Onslow, Executive Director at the British Urethane Foam Contractors Association asks if it is possible to meet zero carbon requirements and how existing housing will fare
Now that Building Regulations are firmly set to result in zero carbon emissions for new build housing by 2016 and for non-domestic buildings...
Building energy saving insulation in UK homes
The Energy Saving Trust examine solid wall insulation and what opportunities it has for UK homes along with what households should consider.
It goes without saying that more expensive measures will provide the greatest savings and warmest homes. Unsurprisingly, millions of households have installed cavity wall installation which offers a...
Insulation: A guarantee of savings
Investing in solid wall insulation brings huge benefits in terms of reduced energy costs and carbon emissions. Steve Tanner, General Manager at SWIGA discusses what its guarantee can offer the consumer…
With many energy saving insulation solutions readily available for homes and businesses large and small, there really is no...
Thermal bridging: Confidence in accreditation
Addressing the thermal bypass and bridge dilemma can be difficult, especially when dealing with the bridging aspect. John Tebbit, Managing Director, Robust Details Ltd examines the challenges posed and the need for third party accreditation.
Bridges and bypasses are well known to all road users. Indeed they are generally regarded...
Energy management in construction
Better energy management within the construction industry could provide vital cash savings and contribute to significantly reduced CO2 emissions explains Tom Johnston, Chief Operating Officer – Central Certification Services, BM TRADA.
In recent years, the construction industry has been working hard to reduce its negative environmental impact.
This is essential as...
The embodied carbon challenge
As the opportunities of addressing embodied carbon become more well-known, PBC Today speaks to Gareth Brown, Programme Area Manager at WRAP about the Embodied Carbon Database and the challenges faced by industry
In an effort to address the embodied carbon (EC) challenge, resource efficiency experts WRAP (Waste and Resources Action...
Tapping into the district heating network
An innovative district heating network project aims to dig deep to power Stoke-on-Trent’s economic renaissance. Andy Platt, Cabinet Member for Green Enterprise at Stoke-on-Trent City Council outlines the project and its benefits.
The whole of the UK faces a mounting challenge to protect consumers from the ravages of a volatile...
The case for insulating party cavity walls
Recognising that cavity walls are a source of heat loss, Nick Ralph from the Mineral Wool Insulation Manufacturers Association (MIMA) looks at the background to the changes and the solutions available to meet the requirements of Part L.
Historically, there was an assumption that cavity party walls were an area...
Bridging the thermal gap
Understanding and mitigating for thermal bridging is an important aspect of an energy efficient building. Stuart Clark, Technical Manager at Energist UK addresses the challenges.
Thermal bridging is a term that is often bounded around in the world of energy efficiency, but often not entirely understood. It can be a...
Energy management in construction: a brighter future
Better energy management within the construction industry could provide vital cash savings and contribute to significantly reduced CO2 emissions explains Tom Johnston, Chief Operating Officer – Central Certification Services, BM TRADA.
In recent years, the construction industry has been working hard to reduce its negative environmental impact.
This is essential as...
Retrofitting for a sustainable future
Mark Weaver, Sector Marketing Director for Retrofit for Saint-Gobain in the UK, explains the importance of retrofitting to reduce the energy consumption of the UK housing stock.
It is estimated that 22m houses in the UK need to be retrofitted in order to achieve a worthwhile level of energy saving,...
The UK is falling behind in energy efficiency
In an analysis of Member States’ plans to achieve their 1.5% annual energy savings target, The Coalition for Energy Savings identifies weaknesses in the national implementation of the EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive.
The target for achieving a 1.5% annual end-use energy savings highlights that most countries not only show low...
Approved renewable projects will create 8000 jobs
Eight renewable energy projects have been approved as part of the government’s electricity reforms.
The projects aim to give a massive boost to green growth and green jobs by 2020.
The projects will provide up to £12 billion of private sector investment, supporting 8,500 jobs, and they could add a further...
