News
Hodkinson Consultancy celebrate Passive House Qualifications
Posted on September 27th 2023
Hodkinson Consultancy now have two qualified Passive House Consultants in-house. Jonathan Peck and Rodrigo Guedes recently passed their Passive House exam following a comprehensive three-week training course with Mosart. Passive House assessment using Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) software has thus been added to the wide portfolio of energy services the company can provide. An increasing number of developers are …
Climate Change Impact of Heat Networks – From Design to Operation
Posted on September 27th 2023
The climate change impact of a heat network is a product of the network’s whole life – from design to operation. According to the Climate Change Committee (CCC), there will be planned regulation for heat networks and a limit will be set on carbon emissions from heat networks. Furthermore, it is predicted by the CCC that around a fifth of …
Overheating – Do Current Designs Go Far Enough?
Posted on September 27th 2023
Developers are at risk of implementing overheating mitigation strategies that do not address future climate scenarios. Current regulations require compliance under a CIBSE TM49 2020s weather file (2011 – 2040), whilst buildings are designed to last well beyond this period. With strategies commonly implementing peak-lopping MVHR or comfort cooling, additional stress on these systems could lead to a rise in …
Energy – The True Sustainability Metric
Posted on September 27th 2023
Sustainable buildings understand and reduce energy use. Focusing on energy use tackles energy security, operational costs, and climate change, whereas a focus on CO₂ emissions only addresses the latter. Sustainability standards are starting to pivot this way. The introduction of a Primary Energy metric in Part L and consideration of Energy Use Intensity in GLA planning applications are just two …
How to Achieve the 35kWh/m².yr EUI Target
Posted on August 30th 2023
The GLA’s Energy Assessment Guidance (2022) introduced an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) target of 35 kWh/m2.yr for residential developments. To meet this target, the following budget is proposed. The points outlined below provide ideas on how the 35 kWh/m2.yr EUI target could be achieved. Space Heating Fabric performance – minimising thermal bridging, low u-values. Heat pumps should be specified because …
English Housing Survey Shows Alignment with Part O Requirements
Posted on August 29th 2023
The latest English Housing Survey (published July 2023) indicates that occupant overheating experience aligns with the requirements of Part O: Only 49% of households were able to keep homes cool using windows alone. This supports our experience of Part O modelling, where additional measures are commonly required; Part O requires the use of passive measures as far as reasonably practicable, …
Six Material Changes to Lower the Embodied Carbon of a Building
Posted on August 29th 2023
The GLA have set benchmarks to reduce the embodied carbon emissions of a building and are requiring developments to consider material changes to reduce these emissions. Embodied carbon refers to the carbon emissions associated with materials and construction processes throughout the lifespan of a building. In order for the UK to become carbon neutral, further focus needs to be given …
Ofgem Prioritises Protection for Heat Network Customers
Posted on August 29th 2023
The pressure is on for heat network operators to deliver quality heat networks, and a primary focus is being placed on customer standards and fair pricing. In an industry that has been widely unregulated, this will be a huge leap for some. However, a much smoother transition is expected for operators who have committed to delivering optimal heat network performance, …
Company co-founder Wendy Hodkinson dies peacefully from Ovarian Cancer
Posted on August 18th 2023
Wendy Hodkinson, co-founder of the company, died on Friday 11th August 2023 following a 3 year battle with Ovarian Cancer. She died peacefully with her family in Michael Sobell Hospice, Northwood. Alongside her husband Richard, Wendy founded the company in 1998 to promote environmental and sustainability standards for new housing. The company was one of the first sustainability consultants in …
Existing Heat Networks and the Importance of the Part L Notional Building
Posted on August 1st 2023
Buildings connecting to existing heat networks can now choose how they are assessed in Part L 2021. The approved software change means that decarbonised networks are now assessed fairly. Developers may therefore wish to ask their energy consultants if this impacts their schemes and if there are any planning implications. Under the previous method, buildings connecting to existing networks were …