Putting the radical into retrofit

Green Building Store staff share their experiences of the AECB CarbonLite Retrofit course

Four Green Building Store staff are currently at different stages of the CarbonLite Retrofit course and finding that it is helping feeding into their work at the company. Bill Butcher, Director of Green Building Store, also teaches  the construction seminar on the CarbonLite Retrofit course.

 

Technical support for windows

Luke Gilman and Emma Platt, Managers from the Windows Department, have been undertaking the course to help give them technical background when discussing window installation and detailing in retrofit projects, as part of its free product technical support.  

Luke, who has recently successfully completed the course (January 2019), commented:

“Having the Carbonlite knowledge will help me when talking to customers about their projects and having a broader understanding of the type of work our clients are carrying out.”

 

 

Emma is about 75% of the way through the course:

“I’ve learnt a lot from the course and have found the sections on moisture issues and ventilation and form factor especially informative.”

 

 

MVHR for retrofits

Tom Heywood, MVHR Design Manager and certified Architectural Technologist, is using the course to gain additional insights into the ventilation needs of retrofits:

“I have found the course to be very informative and detailed across every module which has helped give me a greater background level of information.”

Retrofit advice and consultancy

Camilla Govan manages Green Building Store’s Consultancy Department alongside Passivhaus Consultants Bill Butcher and Paul Smith.  In addition, Camilla was very involved in the setting up and delivery of the AECB CarbonLite course, project managing the launch of the course for the AECB in a freelance capacity.

Camilla commented:

Studying the CarbonLite Retrofit course has been extremely useful is developing my knowledge for my role with customers.  Currently I am involved both discussing consultancy options with new customers and taking orders for our airtightness and insulation sales.  Additionally in my main role in business development, I have valued my greater appreciation of low energy building and retrofit.”

Flexibility

The Green Building Store team have also appreciated the course’s flexibility:

Luke Gilman:

“The fact that the course was extended to a year¹ certainly helped me, as previously it was 6 months I think. This allows you to jump on and off the course to fit around your life, with the 4 or 5 webinars being a timely reminder to keep up to speed. “

Tom Heywood added:

“The best bit of the course has been the seminar sessions, the discussion format and the ability to ask questions to help with understanding.”

Camilla Govan added:

“As far as I am aware this is the only course of its kind offering a distance learning option which makes it widely accessible. The webinars are great to listen to others describe their projects² and as an opportunity for peer to peer learning. The quiz questions following the reading have also helped me to concentrate/focus on the material.”

 Notes : 

1 – Any student who does not complete the course within the first 12 months can also renew annually to continue (fee currently £50 + VAT).

2 – Webinars give students the opportunity to discuss any aspect of the relevant module – the reading material, the quizzes and homework tasks, or a practical matter relating to a real project that they are involved in.

 

More information

Green Building Store & Green Building Company

Green Building Store www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk