Network - The free AECB newsletter - February 2012
Network - The free AECB newsletter - February 2012 |
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Network the free newsletter from AECB, is sent to AECB members, former members, and those who independently subscribe to it. If you are not already an AECB member we hope you will consider joining us -- find out about the benefits of membership, and join or rejoin the AECB here. If information is passed on or reused, acknowledgment for items of AECB news should be credited to AECB (www.aecb.net). For other items please credit the original source. Information contained in this mailing does not necessarily represent the views or policy of the AECB or the Network editor, nor does any reference contained herein imply any form of endorsement. |
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If you have any news, events or courses you would like to publicise in Network then please email details to network@aecb.net. |
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We are keen to hear from AECB members wishing to share a news item about themselves or their company to include on the AECB News Platform. This could be an award you have recently won for a project, a product or your service. This is strictly an area for promoting AECB member news only and we will therefore not be able to publish any items which AECB considers to be purely advertising of products or services. AECB retain the right to reject straightforward advertising items.
Please
send your short item (max 200 words) plus a link to your website and one picture,
to AECB Business Operations Manager, Gill Rivers - gill@aecb.net
Less Is More: Energy Security After Oil (LIM) From The AECB. |
AECB Affiliation With Co-Operative Energy
AECB are pleased to announce a new affiliation partnership which has been agreed with Co-operative Energy for the benefit of AECB members. Co-operative Energy is part of The Midcounties Co-operative, the third largest co-operative in the UK with sales of £780million and 430,000 members. Midcounties set up Co-operative Energy in 2010. Although founded by a regional co-operative, Co-operative Energy is very much a national business, covering the whole of England, Wales and Scotland. The consumer body 'Which?' awarded Co-operative Energy their prestigious Consumer Action Award 2011 for steps taken to change the energy supply industry for the better. Co-operative Energy is committed to tackling climate change. It pledges to do this in four ways:
For more information on Co-operative Energy visit http://www.cooperativeenergy.coop/ As part of this affiliation partnership, Co-operative Energy has agreed to a £50 customer incentive (expires 31st March 2012) for every AECB member who joins Co-operative Energy or payment of a fixed tariff exit penalty (subject to first 10,000 customers). The cash incentive will be deducted from the customer's first quarterly bill and is subject to general terms and conditions, go to http://www.cooperativeenergy.coop/assets/documents/Joining_Incentives.pdf for full details AECB members who would like to take up the offer will need to either visit the AECB dedicated webpage (http://www.cooperativeenergy.coop/aecb) or telephone the freephone number 0800 954 0693 and quote 'AECB' to make themselves eligible for the incentive. We are extremely grateful to Co-operative Energy for this generous offer and look forward to a successful working relationship. To find out more about the benefits of AECB membership or discuss ways in which your organisation can work with AECB, please email emma@aecb.net or phone 0845 456 9773. |
The Green DealMembers may wish to make time to respond to the following Government consultations now out. To share
your thoughts and insights concerning the proposed changes to the building
regulations, please add your thoughts here: http://www.aecb.net/forum/index.php/topic,3512.new.html#new
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Current Consultations on Part L, SAP, And Other Parts Of The Building RegulationsThis publication relates to the 2012 Building Regulations Consultation Section two proposals on Part L (Conservation of fuel and power). "Two consultations by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) are also key to these proposals. Firstly, the Government has published proposals for revised carbon dioxide (CO2) emission factors for different fuels. These have an important impact on the Department's analysis of different options for reducing emissions from buildings, and on developers' choice of technologies to use to meet the standards." "This consultation seeks views on proposed changes to the Standard Assessment Procedure; Government's tool for assessing the energy and environmental performance of dwellings. SAP is used to underpin the delivery of a number of key climate change initiatives, including:
Looking forward, SAP will also be used to help deliver the Green Deal (GD), the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). It will also be used to support the 2013 Amendment to Part L of the Building Regulations for England. The revised version of the SAP (to be known as SAP 2012) will be used for Building Regulation compliance assessment purposes when the 2013 Part L Amendment comes into force. Other users will adopt the revised version at a time to suit themselves. Given this diverse set of uses it is necessary to periodically review the SAP model to ensure that it continues to meet both existing and new user requirements. Another objective is to improve further the accuracy of energy performance assessments." Other consultations related to changes to other sections of the Building Regulations in England are:
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Soapbox: "FiT And ECO Are Never Going To Solve Fuel Poverty"As the row about the cut to the Feed-in Tariff rumbles on, and DECC begins to digest the responses to the Green Deal consultation, Kate de Selincourt ponders the role of both these schemes in tacking fuel poverty in our latest Soapbox. She observes that both the Feed-in Tariff and the proposed Energy Company Obligations impose a levy on the fuel bills of all consumers, in order to assist just a few. And in general, fuel price rises are felt particularly keenly by those in fuel poverty. Ironically, the Green Deal's 'Affordable Warmth ECO', despite its explicit aims of tackling fuel poverty, may hit the fuel poor even harder than does the FiT. It seems
the harder DECC tries to push energy companies to help the fuel poor,
the more the fuel poor end up paying. In conclusion, Kate de Selincourt
suggests, perhaps it's time that funding for fuel poverty measures was
removed from energy bills, and moved over to health and welfare budgets,
where it might more logically belong? |
Have You Considered Giving AECB Membership As A Gift?If you are looking to buy a gift for a family or friend and they have an interest in sustainable, low energy building please consider giving a year of AECB membership. Our 'Supporter' rate is only £42.00 per year and we can arrange a special letter to accompany the membership. For a full list of AECB membership benefits visit http://aecb.net/benefits.php. Please email
emma@aecb.net for further details or
to arrange your gift. |
Enhanced Member ListingPromote your business through your online member profile. The Member Profile is divided up into sections which can be completed individually. You do not have to complete all the questions in each section before publishing your Member Profile (e.g., you may wish to only answer a few questions within each section). However, to publish your profile and make it visible to everyone you must complete any required fields. This ensures a minimum amount of information is available to users reading your profile. During searches profiled member entries are listed above non profiled members. This service is free to members. The following
link http://www.aecb.net/myaccount
will guide you through the step by step process to adding your member
profile to the website. |
Use Of The AECB LogoThe AECB logo may be displayed by members on letterhead, promotional literature, vehicles and sign boards according to the following criteria:
The AECB logo is available to download from the website, visit http://www.aecb.net/members.php Please note that the older green and black logo has now been discontinued. AECB members can also include a link to the AECB website from their own website. The use of
data from the membership search and database for commercial purposes of
any sort is not permitted. |
Promoting The AECB At EventsIf you are attending an event and would like to use the opportunity to help publicise the work of the AECB, we can provide suitable materials including membership leaflets, etc. Please contact:
sally@aecb.net |
Forthcoming Local Group Events
AECB member, Ruth Busbridge, has invited the Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire Local Group to visit the site of her new house in Ledbury, Herefordshire. Ruth has chosen AECB members for construction of this 3-bedroom house, which is still in the process of being built - the windows are in and the plastering will be in progress! The contractor, Mike Whitfield Construction of Hereford, specialises in energy efficient and ecologically sound construction. See http://www.aecb.net/profile/mikewhitfield/?page=About The architectural practice involved with the project are CTT Sustainable Architects (the new name of Cotterell Thomas & Thomas LLP) and you can find out more about them on their website http://www.cttsustainablearchitect.co.uk Time and Date: Wednesday 8th February 2012 at 6.30pm RSVP and directions from debbie@aecb.net There will light snacks, so please bring a donation of £3.
The South East Local Group has organised for members to visit the site of Chilgrove Farm Barn, Chilgrove, Chichester, PO18 9HU (NB map link is to postcode area) AECB members, Ecotecture, have been involved in the conversion of Chilgrove Farm Barn (a redundant corn barn) into a new office development. Adapting existing planning approval, the aim was to achieve - from the old pre-cast concrete structure - a low energy office conversion based on Passivhaus principles. See: http://www.ecotecture.co.uk/index.php/portfolio/chilgrove-farm-barn/ Date and time: Saturday 18th February 2012 at 1.00pm RSVP and for more information contact debbie@aecb.net
Renewable Energy Update - 21st February 2012 Lastest developments in PV, solar, PVT, wind, heat pumps and biomass, feed-in tariffs, renewable heat incentive and grants. Date and time: 21st February 2012 - 6.00pm to 8.00pm Venue: Westgate Community Hall, Westgate Road, Canterbury, Kent CT1 1BT This is a free event and the bar will be open.
To be held at Wildwood Woodlands Discovery Park, Herne, includes entry to Wildlife Park to see the beavers and a 15 minute talk by their keeper, along with a brief introduction to wetland habitat and their conservation value by chief executive, Peter Smith. Adults are allowed to use the drop slide if you dare! Topics shall include water use, flooding, code for sustainable homes, RW harvesting and reed bed sewage treatment. Date and time: 30th March 2012 - 2.00pm to 6.00pm Venue: Wildwood Woodlands Discovery Park, Herne Cost: Approximately £15 each for AECB members and £20 each for non-members, which will include a tea/coffee, cake and a donation to Wildwood Trust. Speakers are required for RW harvesting and sewage treatment; please let us know if you can contribute. Please contact
the Kent Group by email via debbie@aecb.net.
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News from the Local Groups
The Hampshire Local Group held their December meeting at the premises of Greenwood (owned by Zehnder) in Sussex. Those attending learned much from both the technical presentation as well as the tour of the MVHR training facilities and exhibition areas of ventilation products. It was an opportunity to see mock-ups of the various parts of the installations and have frank discussions amongst ourselves as well as the Zehnder 'techie' guys on hand. Although Zehnder concentrates on products for Passivhaus - it is a founder member of the UK Passivhaus Trust - Greenwood has been designing ventilation systems for many years in the UK and the meeting also touched on various options for buildings where a high level of airtightness is not possible/viable.
The London Local Group enjoyed a visit to the Mayville Centre, a community centre refurbished and redesigned by award winning Bere Architects to Passivhaus standards. The project was featured at the recent UK Passivhaus conference. The Mayville Centre is the UK's first non-domestic Passivhaus-certified energy saving retrofit is very relevant to solving the problems of under-performing solid-wall housing blocks, offices and schools in the UK. |
"Hemp Goes Native"York architecture practice Native is striving to ensure that their projects include genuinely sustainable, low embodied energy building solutions providing an alternative to the current energy intensive, traditional masonry wall construction methods. At Hornington Manor, a rural diversification project near Tadcaster, a cast hempcrete wall system is being adopted. Hemp is intrinsic to both the construction and future use of the buildings. To insulate the large wall surfaces of this former agricultural building, a mixture of hemp bound with a lime binder is cast in panels around timber studwork walls.
The clients,Harrison Spinks, are high specification bed manufacturers who grow hemp to incorporate into their products. When finished, this project will include a new bed showroom and luxury holiday accommodation on the site. Architect Director Chris Walker explains how using hemp fits into his practices' philosophy. "Building with hemp and lime is a way of constructing buildings that lock up carbon. It has very low embodied energy, can be easily re-cycled and has good insulation and humidity regulating qualities. We are promoting these types of ecologically kinder processes into the fabric of our buildings as we recognise that the industry needs to shift its focus onto CO2 emissions associated with the manufacture and transport of the materials we build with. There is already plenty of statutory policy relating to energy production in buildings but little regarding embodied energy in materials. We need to rapidly adopt a more responsible approach to building material manufacturing; reducing our dependency on toxic, energy intensive, fossil fuel derived products." For further details on this project please visit: http://www.nativearchitecture.co.uk/, http://www.harrisonspinksfarm.co.uk/, http://www.limecrete.co.uk/
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"Hastoe Housing Scheme, Wimbish, Essex" AECB Members Parsons + Whittley Architects are really pleased to have received Passivhaus Certification for all 14 units at the Hastoe Housing scheme in Wimbish, Essex. The scheme was completed in June 2010 and the occupants are already reporting incredibly low energy bills. Reported gas bills of £30 for the first 6 months of space heating and domestic hot water are a testament to the energy performance of the houses. The Passivhaus Certification arrived in December following submission of all the as-built data to the Passivhaus Institute in Germany by the project's sustainability consultants, Inbuilt.
"We are really pleased to have received recognition for all the hard work put in to designing and detailing these houses. Passivhaus is a challenge for UK construction but the emphasis on quality means that these houses aren't just energy efficient, they are comfortable, well-built, quality homes" said Chris Parsons. We used a number of publications to guide us in the preparation of the details for the construction, and one of the most helpful was the AECB Carbonlite Passivhaus/Gold Standard advice document which assisted with several design decisions. We are already on site with another 14 unit Passivhaus scheme at Ditchingham in Norfolk and we have a number of other Passivhaus schemes under development. This is not just an exemplar; this is the first step on the way to making the methodology a mainstream option for those wanting comfortable living environments with low fuel bills". For further details on this project please visit: www.parsonswhittley.co.uk
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Ecology Building Society Relaunch WebsiteEcology Building Society are pleased to announce the relaunch of their website at www.ecology.co.uk. The website has a completely new look, more information about their range of products available, values, stories from savers and borrowers, and links to useful resources for living more sustainably. The website is intended to give more of a flavour of their work and their members. The website includes a link to the AECB in their partners section. The new blog and e-newsletter will mean that Ecology Building Society will be able to share news from their partners on a regular basis. Ecology Building Society would welcome any feedback on their new look. |
AECB CarbonLite Passivhaus Courses2012 Course
Dates:
The two day course 'Using PHPP to Design Low Energy Buildings' practical hands-on course will provide purchasers of PHPP with the skills necessary to design low energy and CO2 buildings to the AECB standards. The course is £499 plus VAT for AECB members and £599 plus VAT for non members. Further information or to book a place on CarbonLite courses and Certified Passivhaus Designer assessment is available at www.carbonlite.org.uk/carbonlite/courses.php or contact Dawn Padley at dawn@peterwarm.co.uk (01752 542546) |
Government Attempts To End Uncertainty Over Feed-In TariffsThe government yesterday outlined draft changes to feed-in tariffs (FITs), which confirms a reduced tariff from April 1 onwards. The proposed changes would mean that any solar panels installed up until the eligibility date of March 3 will not receive less than 21p. If the government loses its appeal against the action brought by Friends of the Earth and solar installers Solarcentury and HomeSun, the rate could revert to the previous 43.3p rate. "I know this is a difficult time for the sector and I want to do as much as I can to end the current uncertainty created by the legal challenge," Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said yesterday in a statement. But he added that the level of FITs for solar panels must be reduced as quickly as possible "to protect consumer bills and to avoid bust in the whole FIT budget". The government remains committed to its counter challenge over the December date for reducing FITs, said Barker, but cannot "sit and do nothing while we wait". Friends of the Earth welcomed the government's decision to take action. "At last the Government is taking steps to sort out some of the uncertainty that's crippling a thriving UK industry - planned cuts will at last allow solar firms to start planning for the future," says executive director Andy Atkins. "Solar payments should be cut in line with falling costs - but by trying to rush through payment before the consultation closed Ministers created a shambolic mess." Cathy Debenham, founder of YouGen, the online renewable energy information provider, says that the announcement makes now a good time for householders to install solar panels. "This brings a bit of welcome certainty to both consumers and installers in the solar PV market," she says. "For consumers that are happy with the rate of return that 21p per kWh gives, now is a good time to install. It's unlikely to get better, and it's quite likely that the rate may go down again after 3 March 2012. There's the added bonus that they may win the jackpot and get the 43p rate." For further information go to www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/WMSCH_FITs/ |
Government To Take Solar Feed-In Tariff Appeal To Supreme CourtThe government has confirmed it is to take its appeal against the ruling that its decision to cut solar feed-in tariff (FITs) before the end of a consultation period was unlawful to the Supreme Court. The Court of Appeal upheld the High Court's ruling, denying the government a right to appeal and instigating procedures that would prevent the rushing through of similar changes in future. "The
Court of Appeal has upheld the High Court ruling on FITs albeit on different
grounds. We disagree and are seeking permission to appeal to the Supreme
Court," Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne explained
in a statement. But critics accused the government of indirectly dampening demand for solar panels by continuing the uncertainty hanging over the sector. The new appeal to the Supreme Court means that although the Appeal Court's decision suggests that tariffs should return to 43.3p, it cannot be guaranteed until the case has been heard. The government's decision to continue its case has met with criticism from across the board. Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, Joan Walley, accused the government of handling the issue clumsily and creating unnecessary uncertainty. "The government must now work quickly to set out how the scheme will operate within the existing legal framework to give certainty to households, community groups and the sector," she says. Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said that the whole saga has been "shambolic" and urged ministers to "pull the plug on the legal merry-go-round". "Having lost twice in the Court of Appeal… it is absolutely beggars belief that the Department for Energy and Climate Change is apparently planning to appeal to the Supreme Court," she says. Even John Cridland, director-general of the business lobby group the CBI, urged the government to accept the Court's decision and guarantee the original 43.3p tariff. "The judgement should be used to draw a line under this saga, which saw the government scoring a spectacular own goal and confidence in the renewables sector undermined." For further information go to www.parliament.uk/eacom |
Organisations Raise Concerns Over The Government's Green DealAs the government's consultation on its flagship Green Deal home energy efficiency scheme draws to a close, organisations are lining up to raise concerns. The UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) today issued its response to the plans warning that there is not a sound rationale for some aspects of the scheme. Researchers Nick Eyre, Jan Rosenow, Joanne Wade and Charlie Wilson claim that key issues - such as preventing the 'Big Six' energy companies from dominating the market and enabling local authorities to take part in local partnerships - have not been addressed. The response also says that the government needs to clarify how the Green Deal will work with other government schemes such as the renewable heat incentive and feed-in tariffs. Meanwhile, the think tank Green Alliance has warned that the scheme is at risk of very low take-up unless the needs of local economies and the fuel poor are taken on board. The Green Alliance says that although the scheme has the potential to spur a revolution in home energy efficiency, it is unlikely to do so. The organisation's report, Getting a good deal from the Green Deal: views from local communities, warns that the Deal as it stands will not help the fuel poor sufficiently and may find it hard to attract takers across the board without incentives. There is also an imbalance in the scheme when it comes to rental properties, says the Green Alliance, with tenants being given the responsibility for initiating refurbishments rather than landlords, who actually stand to benefit more in the long term. And the Royal Institute for British Architects (RIBA) has also raised concerns that 'significant obstacles' need to be resolved for the scheme to work. Those 'obstacles' include the thorny issue of take-up, as well as consumer protection and need to treat historic and traditional older buildings individually. For further information go to www.ukerc.ac.uk, www.green-alliance.org.uk/grea1.aspx?id=6228, and www.architecture.com |
London Assembly Warns Mayor's Budget Fails To Tackle Environmental IssuesThe London Assembly has passed a motion calling on Mayor Boris Johnson to revise his latest budget, warning that it fails to address the capital's environmental problems. The £14.6 billion spending plans for 2012/13 fail to address environmental problems like air quality, housing shortages and energy efficiency, affordable public transport, rising unemployment and policing, warns the Assembly. The Assembly calls on the Mayor to revise the budget to provide a higher level of investment on environmental issues like air pollution and improving the energy efficiency of London's housing stock. The Mayor has set ambitious targets for improving the energy efficiency of the capital's homes, but the Assembly wants to see clarification on where funding is coming from. The Assembly has questioned the Mayor's actions on energy efficiency previously. While nearly a quarter of the capital's homes are affected by fuel poverty, the Mayor's RE:NEW scheme to help homeowners make their properties more energy efficient has struggled to find financial support. The Mayor has set a target of helping 200,000 homes by the end 2012 with measures such as low-energy light bulbs, cavity wall and loft insulation, but less than a tenth of that number have been treated, according to figures last year. But the Mayor's office simultaneously announced that its RE:FIT scheme, which aims to improve the performance of public buildings in the capital, expects to reach the target of 100 buildings by May 2012. According to the announcement, work on 86 buildings is already or very close to completion and detailed preparations are underway with a further 297 buildings to start work over the coming year. The buildings that have already been treated with energy saving measures will save an estimated £1.3 million a year on energy bills, while the scheme could ultimately lead to savings of some £6 million and reduce emissions by 36,000 tonnes annually. For further information go to www.london.gov.uk/assembly/ |
Renewable Energy Marketplace 2012 - Westpoint, Exeter, 8 March 20129.30am - 5pm Renewable Energy Marketplace is the largest exhibition of its kind in the south west with more than 100 leading renewable energy companies providing expert information on specific renewable energy technologies and services, including the potential income they could generate homes and businesses alike. With 2012 scheduled to see further government backed initiatives like the Renewable Heat Incentive for domestic premises and Green Deal, the next few months are going to be crucial in ensuring supply can meet demand. Come and meet the businesses that will be shaping a sustainable future in the South West. Workshops: the Renewable Energy Marketplace workshops will include a series of short but detailed seminars covering the different technologies and their benefits, details of the government incentives and remaining grant opportunities and also further details for those already pushing ahead with projects. The workshops will cover all types of technologies, from biomass, heat pumps and hydro to solar PV, solar thermal, AD and wind. Following on from last year, we've had some excellent feedback on the quality of the sessions and also on the enthusiasm and knowledge of the exhibitors. Attending costs £25 + vat Go to http://www.regensw.co.uk/events/regen-sw-events-/renewable-energy-marketplace-2012 |
Bristol Green Doors 2012 - March 17th - 18thWe have 40 homes for Bristol Green Doors 2012 and are thrilled with the range participating and the measures that will be on show. At the event visitors will see: a range of low cost improvements; whole house retrofits to near Passivhaus standard; city council retrofits; the latest technologies in action; zero carbon homes; superb solid wall insulation examples; and more! Bristol people won't have to travel far - there are homes across the city including: Bedminster and Bishopston; Clifton and Keynsham; Lawrence Weston and Long Ashton; Sneyd Park; and Emersons Green and Easton. There are nearly 20 new homes involved, some were visitors to our September 2010 event and we are looking forward to February 8th's Householder Welcome evening and getting to know them and previous events' participants a bit more. |
Monmouthshire Eco Open Doors - March 17th - 18thOver £10,000 has been awarded to Monmouthshire Community Climate Champions, to hold an Eco Open Doors weekend from 17th-18th March 2012, during Climate Week. The aim of the event is to get between 20 and 30 properties (mainly homes, but also some village halls, a school and businesses) who have some "eco" features such as retrofitted insulation, low energy lighting, renewable energy or rainwater harvesting to open up to visitors during the weekend. Visitors will be able to see how the technologies work and ask questions to the homeowner about how it works, how much it costs and what the real picture is before considering installing systems of their own. The Community Climate Champions is a partnership between Monmouthshire County Council, local Transition Towns groups, local Friends of the Earth groups, town and community councils, Severn Wye Energy Agency and others. The weekend will be promoted via leaflets, local advertising and a website www.monecoopendoors.org.uk. Meet the Installer events will be held in three main towns in the county over the weekend where local insulation and renewables installers will be on hand to give advice. It is hoped that some, if not all, of the centres will provide transport for those who need it. If your home has features that you think people would be interested in, or if you are an installer, and you would like to take part, please contact the Eco Open Doors Co-ordinator Sue Parkinson on 01989 770828 or sueparkinson@phonecoop.coop to find out more. The funding for the event comes from the DECC's LEAF grant scheme. |
New From HIS BRE Press
ISBN: 978-1-84806-250-4 Bio-resins have the potential to form the basis of resins and adhesives for bonding construction products. Adhesives from crop residues and by-products can bond wood-based panel products or laminated timber sections in place of adhesives derived from petroleum. Bio-resins can also be used in paints and coatings. Improved recycling options at end of life and a potential lowering of the environmental impact of construction products are attractive targets, but there are challenges in delivering robust bio-resin systems. This Information Paper introduces bio-resins in the context of current synthetic adhesives and resins in construction It analyses the opportunities, challenges and current status of their use. Go to http://www.brebookshop.com/detailsjsp?id=326884
ISBN 978-1-84806-235-1 A step-by-step approach to energy management is explained, together with the use of a matrix tool for implementing energy management initiatives within an organisation. The tool can help identify areas for improvement, prioritise energy management activities and maximise benefits. Most of the examples are from the built environment but the principles can be employed in any organisation or industry sector. The guidance is applicable by anyone responsible for energy management in an organisation, from board level to operational staff. Go to http://www.brebookshop.com/details.jsp?id=326863
ISBN978-1-84806-195-8 This report reviews how floor finishes have been assessed within The Green Guide to Specification, including the application of the Environmental Profiles methodology which underlies The Green Guide data. The way in which floor finishes are addressed within building-level environmental assessment schemes such as BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes is also explained. The final section gives detailed The Green Guide ratings for more than 180 floor finish specifications. The report will give manufacturers and specifiers a general understanding of the significant benefits and impacts of floor finish products over their whole life cycle and help to identify opportunities for improvements to their environmental performance. It is part of a series that provides comparable information on cladding, floor finishes, insulation, masonry and concrete, metals, timber and windows to assess the environmental impact of specific construction materials. Go to http://www.brebookshop.com/details.jsp?id=326804
ISBN: 978-1-84806-248-1 Energy used in buildings accounts for around half of the UK's total carbon emissions. Most of this energy is used for space heating, so minimising heat losses is a high priority. The heating requirement of buildings is primarily dependent on the building fabric, so less energy is needed to heat better-insulated buildings. However, the quality or grade of energy needed for space heating is very low. Low-grade energy, for example industrial waste heat, is available in large quantities and can be used in low-temperature internal distribution systems, such as underfloor heating. Adopting lower building-heat distribution temperatures increases the availability and viability of a wide range of low-carbon and renewable heat sources. This Information Paper examines the importance of energy quality in matching energy supply and demand and will be of interest to those working in the field of energy in buildings, including building services engineers, building contractors and specifiers. |
Research Fellow In Building Performance EvaluationA job opportunity has arisen for the full-time post of Research Fellow in Building Performance Evaluation, based in the Low Carbon Building Research Group at the School of Architecture, Oxford Brookes University (Oxford, UK). This new research post is part of the growing portfolio of cutting-edge research projects on building performance evaluation and post-occupancy feedback. These include: 'Counting the real carbon' project which seeks to develop bespoke and industry-focussed measurement and monitoring protocols embedded in a soft-landings framework, for both domestic and non-domestic buildings; and a range of 'Building Performance Evaluation projects', which aim to reduce the credibility gap between designed and actual performance by evaluating the actual energy and environmental performance of case study buildings from both technical and occupants' perspectives. For further information and to obtain a job description and application pack, please click here The closing
date is 7 February 2012. |
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