Network - The free AECB newsletter - January 2012
Network - The free AECB newsletter - January 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. |
Member Offer: "Heat Pumps For The Home" By John Cantor (Illustrated By Gavin Harper)
The newly published book 'Heat Pumps for the Home by John Cantor with illustrations by Gavin Harper' is available to AECB members at a special price of just £11.50 (RRP £14.99), including postage and packing. Payment must be received (cheque or bank transfer) before books will be dispatched. John Cantor has 30 years experience with heat pump systems. His enthusiasm to experiment combined with a hands-on approach has led to a broad and detailed knowledge of the topic. He now mostly acts as an advisor and consultant. If you would like a copy please email sally@aecb.net to place your order. |
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. |
The Green DealThe Government has finally published its long-awaited consultation on the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation late last month - all 238 pages of it, along with numerous associated documents, all of which can be viewed at http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/green_deal/green_deal.aspx#code AECB is offering some 'companion' documents that highlight points within the consultation that might be of interest to members, and on which they may wish to comment. These are available to download from the AECB News pages together with the full consultation document. The discussion is ongoing on the AECB forum at http://www.aecb.net/forum/index.php/topic,3448.0.html. AECB members all have their own areas of expertise, and this consultation could be an opportunity to shape the Green Deal/ECO in such a way as to ensure it does help deliver truly sustainable refurbishment of our leaky building stock. It is by no means certain that the Green Deal/ECO will be fit to deliver the kind of refurbishment that AECB members want to deliver - and it is up to everyone with an interest in the process to cast a critical eye over the government's proposals, and to feed back to government where changes should be made. Ministers and civil servants have made clear on numerous occasions that this is to be the opportunity to shape the detail. To start the process off, we have picked out some critical areas in the consultation where questions remain. The documents give a flavour of DECC's proposals, but certainly do not fully reflect everything in the new consultation documents. These articles should be taken as a companion, rather than as a guide. AECB will be perusing and commenting a little more on DECC's proposals in the coming weeks, via the website News Platform and on the forum - but DECC has produced an extremely weighty set of documents, so any response will need to be a collective one, sourced through the joint input of membership. So take a look at the proposals, in the light of the articles (as you see fit), and post your observations, suggestions and responses on the AECB forum here - and of course, share them with DECC. The closing date for responses to DECC on the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation is 18th January 2012. Our coverage of this subject is inevitably incomplete, given the complexity of the proposals. Therefore if there is an aspect not covered here it is all the more important that you flag it up on the forum. Thanks! |
Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP 2012) - A Consultation On The Proposed Changes To The Government's Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP)The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) is used to assess the energy performance of dwellings and thereby helps deliver many of Government's energy and environmental policy objectives. A consultation is being undertaken on proposed changes to SAP to make a revised version of the methodology (SAP 2012), which is anticipated to come into operation in 2013. There are a number of documents that form a part of this SAP consultation. The key one is the revised SAP specification but there are also some technical documents that provide details of the reasoning behind the main changes. All of these documents can be accessed at http://www.bre.co.uk/sap2012 Comments
are invited and should be sent to sap2012@bre.co.uk
not later than 28 March 2012. |
AECB CarbonLite Passivhaus Courses - 2012 Course Dates
Birmingham:
27th February 2012 Science of Passivhaus Birmingham:
28th and 29th February 2012
Birmingham:
1st March 2012
Birmingham:
2nd March 2012
Birmingham:
12th and 13th March 2012 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.
Birmingham:
14th and 15th March 2012 Further information
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.
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AECB Member News: "Green Base Receives Passivhaus Certification"The Green Base project by AECB members Simmonds Mills Architects, Alan Clarke Energy and Services and Bob Johnson Engineers has been certified by WARM.
The Green Base is in the heart of Helena's Queensland Estate in Thatto Heath, and provides an office for the Green Space Service as well as a centre for the community to find out more about green issues and in particular, learn more about their environment and their green spaces. The Green Base is a home for the Green Space Service and acts as a community resource for horticultural activities, including opportunities for residents to learn about growing plants, improve and manage their own gardens as well as getting involved with improving public green spaces. Read more
about this project here: http://retrofitforthefuture.org/viewproject.php?id=267#description
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AECB Local Group meeting in Burnley with NFB, CIA and CIOB - 26th January 2012AECB Trustee, Peter Wilkinson, has brought together the National Federation of Builders, Chartered Institute of Architectural Engineers and Chartered Institute of Building for a joint regional event on 26th January 2012. Venue: Burnley College, Princess Way, Burnley, Lancashire BB12 0AN commencing at 6.30 pm. The meeting will include (from 7.00 pm) a 45-minute presentation by Stephen Baker of Natural Building Technologies on 'Natural Building Products in Construction' including air tightness and vapour permeability of natural building materials. This will be followed by a question and answer session and general open debate. Burnley College has kindly offered to provide refreshments and we are pleased that staff interested in the event will be able to join us on the night. Free parking will be available in the main college car park at the rear of the campus. RSVP: debbie@aecb.net or Peter Stott who is the leader of the Lancashire Group. This is a
jointly badged event open to all members of the four organisations but
numbers are limited and will be on a 'first come first served' basis.
Early booking is recommended for what is anticipated to be a popular event. |
North East Local GroupAECB North
East Group leader Mark Siddall has planned a further get together early
in 2012 on Wednesday 1st February. For further
information please contact debbie@aecb.net
or visit the AECB website. |
Oxford Local GroupAll AECB members are welcome to the next meeting of the Oxford Local Group to be held on Wednesday 11th January 2012 from 7.00pm. Venue: The Plough, The Green, Upper Wolvercote, Oxford, OX2 8BD Tel: 01865
556969 http://www.theploughoxford.co.uk/find_contact.html
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Nottingham Local Group visit to West Bridgford "Eco Houses under Construction Exhibition" - 21st January 2012The organisers of Transition West Bridgford's "Eco Houses under Construction" project are holding an exhibition of all the houses featured in the series to date. These include new build and refurbishment projects. It is an opportunity to see the displays, go to the presentations, meet the home owners and put your questions to the architects, builders and experts in insulation and renewable technologies who worked on these projects. For articles about these houses and more, have a look at the website http://www.wbecohouses.co.uk/. Time and Date: Saturday 21st January 2012 10.00am - 1.00pm (with visits to some on-going projects in the afternoon) Venue: St Paul's Church Hall, Boundary Road, West Bridgford NG2 7DB Light lunches and drinks will be provided by Taste Café. Please email
info@wbecohouses.co.uk to
reserve your free place. |
Solar Feed-In Tariff Confusion Continues As DECC Prepares AppealThe Solar Industry remains in dark over feed-in tariff rates after Climate Minister Greg Barker confirms appeal against High Court ruling. The government is preparing to appeal a High Court decision that branded its plans to rush through cuts to solar tariff payments as "legally flawed", leaving the industry in the dark over the current level of incentives for new solar installations. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will tomorrow file an appeal against last month's ruling by Mr Justice Mitting, who said it would be illegal for the government's proposed cuts to have an "effective date" of 12 December, two weeks before the consultation officially ended on 23 December. Mitting said DECC had until 4 January to request an appeal, but warned any appeal would have limited chances of success. Climate Minister Greg Barker confirmed on Twitter that his department would meet the appeal deadline, reiterating that the government remains committed to halving the level of incentives available for solar installations to ensure the scheme does not exceed its budget. "Budget means 4 every 1 new taker @ 43p, 2 homes won't get it at 21p," he wrote. However, David Hunt, sales and marketing executive at EcoEnvironments, asked Barker what he should tell consumers today given it remains unclear whether new installations completed after 12 December will enjoy the current feed-in tariff rate of 43p per kWh or will see payments cut to 21p per kWh from April as the government had originally proposed. Barker responded: "Clearly court case prolongs uncertainty but many installers r telling us @ 21p solar pv still makes sense for right home." He also confirmed that a second consultation will be published this month including proposals for new tariffs for non-PV technologies. Howard Johns of the Cut Don't Kill campaign said DECC's request for an appeal means that the current feed-in tariff rates are unknown. "So we are in limbo," he wrote in a blog posting. "In theory we are back to square one with the rates back to what they were pre 12 December. However, we will not be able to say that unless the government is not granted an appeal or loses an appeal hearing." He predicted that if the government wins the appeal it could reinstate the 12 December reference date. But if it loses, then the old feed-in tariff rates are likely to remain in place until at least mid-February. DECC has consistently warned that delaying the proposed cuts to incentives could result in the feed-in tariff scheme exceeding its spending cap - a scenario that some solar industry insiders fear will result in deeper cuts to incentives from April. The government had even warned that the scheme could exceed its spending cap by April this year if changes are not brought into effect quickly. It now remains unclear if Mitting's ruling will result in the scheme going bust. There was further confusion after a document published by DECC last week appeared to suggest it had delayed the cuts to 1 April. Under the initial proposals all new solar PV installations with an eligibility date on or after 12 December 2011 would receive the higher tariff before downgrading to the lower tariffs on 1 April 2012. However, the First Progress Report on the Promotion and Use of Energy from Renewable Sources for the United Kingdom published on Thursday, said that "following [a consultation on 31st October 2011] new solar PV tariffs for smaller-scale installations are proposed to be implemented from 1st April 2012". A DECC spokeswoman told BusinessGreen that it was still hoping to ensure the cuts applied to any project completed after 12 December, with the full changes coming into effect on 1 April 2012. Charles Perry, co-founder and partner of consultancy SecondNature, which supported the legal action, told BusinessGreen that the confusion surrounding the consultation had undermined corporate confidence in the feed-in tariff policy and had resulted in a number of potential solar installations being delayed. "In opposition the Conservatives promised the three Cs: confidence, clarity and continuity," he said. "DECC must learn from the outcome of the judicial review and improve on all three." Source http://www.businessgreen.com |
Send Your MP A New Year Message On Corporate Tax AvoidanceWith tax avoidance by multinational corporations high on the public agenda, Ethical Consumer magazine is today calling for people to contact their MPs to support a new proposal on the issue. An Early Day Motion that is currently before the House Of Commons and which has already been signed by nearly 40 MPs condemns the use of tax havens by private companies that are increasingly running our public services. Research published earlier this year by Ethical Consumer revealed that 13 of the 20 biggest private companies now being awarded public service contracts by the government have subsidiaries in tax havens. The report reveals that companies including Capita, KPMG and Serco have subsidiaries in places usually used to minimise tax bills. Ironically this June Capita was awarded a £100 million contract by the DVLA to crackdown on vehicle tax and insurance evasion. The Early Day Motion says: 'This House congratulates Ethical Consumer for its work exposing the poor ethical record of the companies being awarded contracts to run our public services; is deeply concerned that 13 of the 20 companies surveyed avoid tax through the use of tax havens.' The groundbreaking report surveyed 20 of the biggest companies now profiting from the privatisation of public services. The results show that some of these companies are amongst the least ethical in the UK with Capita, G4S, Serco and Sodexo among the companies with a bottom rating for a number of ethical and environmental criteria including environmental reporting and supply chain management. The results of the survey also suggest that the government is now awarding public service contracts to companies without any scrutiny of a company's ethical or environmental policies. This apparent policy vacuum threatens to undermine the government's efforts at introducing sustainable procurement policies. Go to www.ethicalconsumer.org/CommentAnalysis/Features/Isthatwhatyoucallgoodservice.aspx |
Perceptions of Climate Change: The New Climate DiceColumbia University have looked further at data on the effect of global warming on the frequency of climate extremes, and have put this in a form that we intend to submit for publication. They have added an illustration of how the perception of change of the frequency of extreme events depends upon the base period chosen for "climatology". This presents an additional reason why it is not good to continually shift the base period to the most recent 3-decade period, as that is very misleading, concealing the change of the frequency of extreme events. We argue that the base period 1951-1980 is logical, it is still within the Holocene range, and plant and animal life are adapted to that climatology. This draft paper as well as all previous discussions and presentations can be found at www.columbia.edu/~jeh1 |
Green Deal Could Fail, Warns CommitteeThe government's flagship programme to upgrade the energy efficiency of the nation's homes, the Green Deal, could fail, warns the independent Committee on Climate Change (CCC) yesterday. In the latest attack on government policy from its own advisor, an open letter from the Committee chair Lord Adair Turner to Energy Secretary Chris Huhne expresses concern about the details of the Green Deal. The scheme will allow homeowners to take out loans to pay for energy efficiency measures, which will be repaid through the savings made on their energy bills. But the letter points out that while up to 6 million lofts and 6.3 million cavity walls still remain to be insulated, the government's own figures predict just 700,000 lofts and 1.7 million cavity walls will be treated under the Green Deal. The Committee criticises the government for its "low ambition", warning that low uptake of such basic energy efficiency measures under the Green Deal could jeopardise the government's carbon emission reduction targets. Meeting the UK's first four carbon budgets rely on all lofts and cavity walls being insulated over the next decade, and their installation is needed to support the rollout of renewable heat during the 2020s. The Committee warns that the Green Deal represents an inefficient use of funds, which could be better spent supporting the improvement of hard-to-treat properties with measures like solid-wall insulation. The government should build on its success in insulating lofts and cavity walls under the current Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) policy and extend the scope of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) to include the full potential of loft and cavity wall insulation, says the Lord Turner. Rather than leaving it to the market, the government should reinforce the obligation within energy companies to help their customers improve their energy efficiency. Go to http://downloads.theccc.org.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/Green%20Deal/green%20deal%20letter%20-%20201211.pdf |
RHI Seminar 2012 - 1st Feb 2012Ernst & Young 1 More London Place London SE1 2AF - 1st February 2012 - 9.30am - 12.30 pm (Registration Opens at 9.00 am) Lunch and Refreshments Included REA Members: £125 + VAT Non-members: £175 + VAT
In response to the official start of the RHI on the 30th November, the REA will be holding an informative seminar on the RHI. The seminar will answer the above questions and much more. The seminar includes a presentation from Ofgem's manager for large-scale installation which will take you through the scheme and how to get accredited, with ample time for questions. Speakers from industry will then go through the opportunities and challenges for the main technologies. Online booking now available, go to www.r-e-a.net and visit the events page to register. |
Courses from Ty Mawr LimeTrain The Trainers! We were delighted to organise and host five days at Ty-Mawr as part of a course in conjunction with Coleg Powys and Construction Skills We welcomed college tutors from all over Wales to the farm for an exciting programme of courses designed to up-skill the tutors in traditional and sustainable building crafts. The intention is they take this knowledge back to their students and integrate these skills into their own courses. In October we joined course delegates on a site visit to Raglan Castle to discuss solid stone wall construction, conservation philosophy and the consolidation and repair of ruins. It was fantastic to see remnants of historic plasterwork still in-situ, it would have been a dramatic sight with its grand rooms with decorative plasterwork - in what was remodelled as a sumptuous mansion in the 16th century, its exterior entirely painted in limewash! We moved on to Raglan Castle Farm - built in the 1630s it is one of the earliest brick buildings in Monmouthshire and South Wales. Maintenance issues were debated as well as the changing attitudes to repair techniques. On the following two days we arranged a series of talks and lectures for all attendees on conservation philosophy, the use of lime, historic brickwork, structural timber framing and repair and conservation painting. We welcomed specialists from England and Wales to provide an insight into historic building conservation and Nigel gave his ever popular introduction to lime. Tours were taken around the farm to view the house and barns enabling delegates to see an on going conservation project in action with discussions on solid wall construction, timber-framing techniques and structural roof repairs. Attendees were intrigued to watch students from the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment constructing a timber-frame. They are currently working onsite building a new bird hide on the south shore of Llangorse Lake. Delegates were treated to a trip, organised by Coleg Powys, to St Fagans. Our brickwork tutor with a representative from the college showed delegates around the varied array of vernacular Welsh buildings reinforcing the week's lectures and enabling them to see Ty-Mawr's products in-situ from the deep red lime wash on Kennixton Farmhouse to the limecrete floor in St Teilo's Church. The college tutors returned in November to take part in three intensive days practical in their chosen fields. Nigel fired a kiln to show the process of a lime burn and delegates crowded around to see the limestone slaked in water to create a lime putty - lots of bubbling and heat! James Price took the timber framing course looking at basic framing techniques with oak pegged mortice and tenon joints - the delegates enjoyed cleaving and drawing oak pegs on a shave horse. Slip tenons were constructed as well as scarf joints secured with the ingenious creation of oak 'bolts'. Butterfly scarfs proved a challenging task, but the end result was a huge success! The carpenters had the opportunity to go down to the lakeside to view the progress of the bird hide they had seen in its initial phase of construction a month earlier. The brickies were taken by Kevin Stubbs who took them through the appropriate choice of limes and aggregates, laying techniques and brick bonds. Conservation pointing, colour-washing, pigmenting mortars and tuck pointing were all covered as well as rubbing bricks - finishing with the creation of a well-executed rubbed brick arch. Cath Lloyd Haslam and Sarah Warburton took the painters through lime washes, distempers, marbling and gilding, producing some stunning glided plasterwork decoration. The course proved to be a great success and will hopefully contribute to the development of the heritage skills base in Wales. Go to http://www.lime.org.uk/courses/ for full details or courses for 2012 |
New From HIS BRE Press
ISBN: 978-1-84806-192-7 This book covers various types of earth construction including adobe, cob and rammed earth. It presents a wide-ranging review of the history of earth building, tracing the development of construction techniques from antiquity to the present day, and showing the development of the techniques with both time and geography. The behaviour of earth building materials is explained using, for the first time, principles from soil mechanics. There is a detailed discussion of strategies for the analysis and conservation of earth buildings to enable engineers, conservation professionals and architects to understand and preserve earth buildings better in the future Richly illustrated with photographs and diagrams, this book provides an invaluable tool for the conservation of earth buildings.
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.
ISBN: 978-1-84806-239-1 Great Britain is making a strong commitment to smart meters and the role of smart meters as a focal point for smart energy management in homes. This Information Paper outlines the options available for automatic meter reading, monitoring and management and the challenges in implementing these technologies. Several national initiatives are running in parallel with the smart meter programme. Coordinating these programmes will maximise the return on the substantial investment for each programme. The Paper aims to inform building and energy professionals and building owners about the exciting opportunities available through implementing smart meter technology. Go to www.brebookshop.com for more information. |
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