Overheating Guides for Residents to Improve Customer Satisfaction
Posted on September 17th 2020
Educating residents on how to keep their homes cool during summer months is just as important as designing overheating mitigation measures. In addition to being more comfortable, this should give rise to fewer customer complaints. Homes are designed for people to live in. Whilst modelling is based on standardised assumptions, all homes are used differently, and people may have different …
Time running out on Part L 2013
Posted on September 16th 2020
Registrations under Part L 2013 and the existing transitional arrangements may be about to close. In their recent Planning White Paper the Government signalled their intent to respond to the Future Homes Standard consultation this autumn. This may include finalising the incoming Interim Part L and giving notice of its introduction in 2021. When this notice is given it is …
Circular Economy – What you need to know
Posted on September 16th 2020
Adhering to the new Greater London Authority (GLA) requirement for Circular Economy Statements is going to be much more than tick box a exercise. Over time it will require developers and design teams to fundamentally change the way they design buildings, encouraging innovative and long term thinking about the buildings they are designing. Three separate reports are required through the …
The End of RHI – Lost Income to Heat Networks
Posted on August 12th 2020
The phasing out of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme from 2022 is expected to push up costs to residents on heat networks with newly installed heat pumps, but may provide installation subsidies for individual dwelling systems. The RHI is a generation-based subsidy, providing a continuous revenue stream (pence/kWh) to registered participants for every unit of heat outputted. Plant within …
How pre-testing balcony connectors for thermal bridging brings certainty to your project
Posted on August 12th 2020
Pre-testing psi-values of balcony connectors and thermal breaks enables their consideration from the outset, with untested products ignored due to uncertain thermal performance. Since balconies are especially susceptible to increased heat losses due to the thermal bridging effect, their performance is crucial to meet the energy targets. While it is recommended that bespoke thermal calculations are undertaken for the balconies …
Lower DHW temperatures will reduce heat network costs
Posted on August 12th 2020
New guidance is likely to allow lower heat network operating temperatures, thus helping to minimise heat losses, lower risk of overheating, maximise contributions from heat pumps and consequently deliver better carbon performance. To date, lowering hot water temperatures has been hindered by some building warranty providers which has a requirement for delivery of hot water at the kitchen tap at …
Delivering Social Value – Why is it important?
Posted on August 12th 2020
The main driver of social value is to provide long-lasting, high-quality developments, and is fast becoming a priority for developers and local planning authorities. Social value must be looked at from a local context; stakeholders need to liaise with the local people, community groups and the local authority to establish what will benefit the local area, as well as the …
What more could you do to improve the sustainability of your project?
Posted on July 9th 2020
Achieving compliance with local policy is often not enough to appease planners, now more than ever they are requesting developers to go above and beyond in terms of sustainability. We have outlined some ambitious but achievable ways that demonstrate exemplary building performance to local authorities: WELL assessment – Incorporating a WELL strategy on both residential and commercial buildings will assist …
Are air source heat pumps the only solution?
Posted on July 9th 2020
Air source is not always the best option for Heat Pumps. Although they generally have lower capital costs, other issues such as roof space availability, visual intrusion, noise impacts and cold pluming from the external units can be considerable constraints along with lower carbon performance and higher heat costs to residents. Often through lack of available other options, air source …
Ambient heat network a planning risk in London
Posted on July 9th 2020
Ambient temperature heat networks are increasingly being considered, however, are not recognised to be heat networks by the GLA, thus presenting a planning risk where developments are in heat network priority areas. They designate them as individual heating systems which they say should only be specified where heat networks are determined to be unfeasible – this is unlikely to ever …