Will Bown, Managing Director of SuperFOIL, responds to the government’s proposed Future Homes Standard…
“For those of us hoping the Future Homes Standard would reverse the government’s recent trend of backtracking on sustainability, this week’s announcement was bitterly disappointing.
On 13th December, ministers unveiled their proposals for the much-anticipated legislation. It made for depressing reading.
With no increase in either the required U-Values or building fabric standards for new homes, the government has clearly abandoned ‘fabric first’.
Rather than focusing on increasing energy efficiency, it’s hoping that a combination of heat pumps, greener electricity and solar panels will yield the carbon reductions they desire.
In other words – homes will continue to be leaky and inefficient, but the energy we’re wasting will at least be green.
We needed bold, radical measures to help make the country’s housing stock fit for a net zero future – instead, the new minimum requirements are actually lower than many houses are made to already.
With one eye on next year’s election, the government has clearly kicked the can down the road. If the country is going to meet its net zero obligations, I strongly suspect the Future Homes Standard will be revisited before long.”
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced that an additional £25M of funding will be allocated to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. This article features comment from James Chaplen, Head of Production at heat pump manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric…
Posted in Articles, Building Associations & Institutes, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Regulations & Accreditations, Building Services, Facility Management & Building Services, Heating Systems, Controls and Management, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning - HVAC, news, Pipes, Pipes & Fittings, Plumbing, Posts, Retrofit & Renovation, Sustainability & Energy EfficiencyHMG Paints, a leading manufacturer in the coatings industry, has been shortlisted for two prestigious awards at the National Family Business Awards 2025. HMG are finalists for the North and Northern Ireland Family Business of the Year award.
Posted in Articles, Awards, Building Industry Events, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Innovations & New Products, Interior Design & Construction, Interiors, Paints, Paints, Coatings & Finishes, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation, Sustainability & Energy EfficiencyTo help with the design of low and zero-carbon buildings, leading ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia has completed its embodied carbon calculations on its product portfolio.
Posted in Air Conditioning, Articles, Building Associations & Institutes, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Services, Facility Management & Building Services, Heating Systems, Controls and Management, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning - HVAC, Posts, Research & Materials Testing, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation, Sustainability & Energy EfficiencyThe latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report shows builders’ merchants’ value sales in November were down -4.6% compared to the same month in 2023.
Posted in Articles, Bricks & Blocks, Building Associations & Institutes, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Services, Civil Engineering, Concrete, Cement, Admixtures, Hand Tools, Hard Landscaping & Walkways, Health & Safety, Information Technology, Innovations & New Products, Interior Design & Construction, Interiors, Landscaping, news, Paints, Paints, Coatings & Finishes, Plant, Equipment and Hire, Power Tools, Publications, Research & Materials Testing, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation, Sustainability & Energy Efficiency