We need greener building materials and a green energy grid (so the energy we use to heat and light our buildings isn’t based on polluting fossil fuels). We also need improved energy efficiency in buildings (to reduce energy use and fuel poverty). Basically, the building industry and property management sector have their work cut out to reduce carbon emissions from buildings and to retrofit the UK’s notoriously leaky houses and workplaces, so we don’t go on spending an arm and a leg on heating.
Alongside the mainstream building industry, which has historically generated a lot of carbon emissions through its use of materials that go heavy on the fossil fuels – like cement and steel, there are builders exploring the use of wood as a construction material. This sequesters carbon, locking it up away from the atmosphere. (I came across this information on the excellent Blackbark blog.)
Sustainable building skills
Calderdale College is alive to the need for sustainable building skills and is building a Sustainable Environmental Technologies Centre, due to be completed in September 2013.
The Princes Trust is running an 8 month apprenticeship programme in sustainable building crafts for
- A United Kingdom NVQ/SVQ Level 3 or equivalent from a centre of vocational excellence
- An equivalent qualification in traditional building skills from a recognised authority”
The deadline for applications is 1st March 2013.
Unionlearn, the learning and skills organisation of the Trades Union Congress, is working on how to develop green economy skills in the workforce; with other members of the Greener Jobs Alliance it has produced a Green Skills Manifesto.
Green buildings in West Yorkshire
Some exciting green buildings already exist in West Yorkshire, such as Sandal Magna Primary School in Wakefield. Completed in 2010, the primary school’s built of very thermally efficient timber and locally-sourced brick, and is heated by a ground-source heat pump that’s powered by 100m2 photovoltaic panels.
Architects Journal photo of Sandal Magna Primary School
The UK Green Building Council is urging Michael Gove not to scrap green building standards for new schools. A review of capital spending for the Department for Education has recommended dropping the requirement that new school buildings meet standards for energy management and use, pollution, transport, land use, materials and water. Scrapping the requirement for green building standards wouldn’t just mean that schools used more energy and emitted more greenhouse gases during construction and use of the school – it would send a signal to the building industry that green building methods and materials don’t really matter.
Another green building in West Yorkshire is the Denby Dale Passive House. Passive house design aims to eliminate the need for space heating and cooling and is based on the “tea cosy” principle of effective insulation and draught proofing. The Green Building Company website has more info about how passive houses work. And here’s a video.
Right on my doorstep, Pennine 2000 Housing Association has just completed 3 low carbon homes in Hebden Bridge.
But most of us will go on living in old, energy-guzzling houses so improving the energy efficiency of our existing buildings and decarbonising the energy supply are vital.
(this is a reply to the sub-page on homes and other buildings)
Jenny, I don’t know where you have been shopping for your washing machine but all the ones I’ve seen have the energy rating on them – both online and in shops. In fact I thought it was a legal requirement.
Broadly, I agree with your solutions to lowering carbon emissions from homes, but I’m not sure about switching to a renewable energy provider. Obviously, it’s a good idea, but I’m not sure that you can claim that CO2 reduction as ‘yours’.
Using less energy – by behavioural change – is clearly going to make a difference if everyone does it, and I am rather hoping that you will use this website for sharing suggestions and comparing what works.
But the biggest impact people can have is by insulating their homes (second biggest is by installing a more efficient boiler). Yes, it’s very expensive if you happen to live in a stone house, but that’s because we – i.e. most people in this country – don’t value energy efficiency as much as we value, say, a nice looking kitchen, a plasma TV or a leather suite. If we thought it would increase the value of our homes – or make them easier to sell – then we would be more willing to invest in insulation as a home improvement measure. Frankly, I don’t understand why mortgage providers are not offering mortgage extensions to get the work done.
I don’t think we should expect the government or the local council to pay for everyone’s insulation measures, though they could give tax breaks for those who do have energy efficient homes, and through the Green Deal they are providing new ways of financing it.
I think they need to continue providing free and subsidised insulation (and new boilers) to people in fuel poverty, and in Calderdale that will be a hefty bill because many live in houses that require expensive solid wall insulation.
By the way, I’m not totally against the Green Deal – in theory it makes sense to provide people with a loan for improving their home, which they can pay back though their fuel bill. But I just don’t think it will work – I don’t think people are ready to see energy effiency as a worthwhile home improvement. And the handouts and subsidies that we’ve seen over the last few years (ultimately from the obligations of energy companies) have engendered a feeling of entitlement to energy efficiency measures.
I’d be interested to hear other people’s views on whether they see installing insulation as adding value to their house, and would they be prepared to pay a bit more for a house that was energy efficient?
Hi Anne
My problem with the washing machine energy rating was more that I didn’t know that the ratings system had changed – last time I bought an appliance, A was a good rating. Then while I was looking for a new washing machine, I stumbled across the info that A is no longer a particularly good rating, it’s been replaced by A+++. So unless you know what the ratings mean, they’re not that useful. Possibly I was being obtuse, but I’m sure I’m not the only obtuse shopper in the world. So more clarity about ratings would be good, I think. And I was shopping online, so I don’t know what the process is like in shops.
I think I read somewhere that some mortgage providers are going to provide mortgages for retrofits – I’ll see if I can dig out the info source.
My idea isn’t that the government – national or local – should pay for house insulation – I think that the Climate Change Committee’s recommendation is a better idea -that the Big Six energy companies should pay for all the domestic energy efficiency measures needed to meet the UK 2022 target for domestic carbon emissions reductions. The CCC recommends that this should happen through a whole house street by street retrofit programme.
I think there are all sorts of reasons why people are reluctant to retrofit their houses for energy efficiency. I don’t think it’s just the money or not valuing their houses. It’s very hard to find reliable information that applies to your particular house – houses are so different from each other, especially old stone built houses, so there don’t seem to be standard solutions that you can just go out and buy. And I keep coming across dire warnings that retrofits are damaging the housing stock because people are installing insulation who don’t really know what they’re doing, causing problems with cold bridging leading to condensation and damp etc.
This is another reason why I’m in favour of a national retrofit programme, done on a whole house, street-by-street basis by teams who would be properly trained and resourced and would be knowledgeable about the types of houses in their area. I think you’d get a much better result for the buildings than through piecemeal one-off retrofits.
Oh, yes, your other point was about putting info on Energy Royd about what people are doing to reduce their household carbon emissions and energy use, and what works. That’s absolutely fine. If anyone sends me info I’m happy to post it. People can also post comments themselves and can create groups and forums on any relevant topic. So if anyone wants to create an Energy Royd home energy efficiency group or forum, you’re more than welcome.