Tips & Insight
11 Things We Talked About at Ecobuild 2017
BE was in attendance for this years headline act – so what did we talk about? 1. Overheating is…well…hot right now Heat related dea ...
Camden: £2,700 per tonne of carbon for new homes.
The London Borough of Camden is applying fees of £2,700 per tonne for carbon produced by major new housing schemes. As a part of Zero Carbon Homes rules introd ...
CIBSE TM49 – How London Avoids Overheating
The Greater London Authority is concerned that our climate is changing. Writing for CIBSE, Strategy Manager for Climate Change Adaptation Alex Nickson sets out ...
The London Plan
The London Plan is of increasing significance to many of our clients, especially since the new zero carbon requirements came into effect in October 2016. Planni ...
BREEAM in China – Seven Years on
‘They’ll be lots of opportunities for British firms that can design to BREEAM’, says Jaya Skandamoorthy, the Director of BRE China. BREEAM is BRE’s ...
SAP Technicals – Fuel Choice Part 2
In the second part of our technicals series, we look at the effect of Fuel Factors in SAP Calculations. In Part 1 (Using Different Fuels in SAP) we expla ...
SAP 2016 – Changes Ahead for UK House Building?
The Government has launched a consultation to help shape SAP 2016, the new method for assessing the energy performance of homes. SAP 2016 will replace the curre ...
SAP Technicals – Fuel Choice Part 1
What effect does my fuel choice have on SAP compliance? Can I pass with electric heating? We aim to answer these questions and more in this 3 part technical ser ...
Zero Carbon London – Large Payments Per Plot if Targets Missed
London’s major housing developments must now be Zero Carbon or face offset payments. Changes made by the Greater London Authority to the London Plan in Oc ...
Section 63 Action Plans in Scotland – What are they?
Landlords of commercial premises will need to undertake a ‘Section 63 Action Plan’ for energy efficiency improvements from the 1st of September 2016 ...
MEES – Will Your Property be Lettable in 2018?
The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) will make it unlawful to let buildings which do not achieve an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of ‘ ...
Advanced Details
Advanced Details is an online Thermal Bridging database aimed at simplifying the process of calculating junctions, whilst offering options for improved performa ...
Party Walls – A Rough Guide for SAP
Party Walls – How are they treated in SAP? Much like thermal bridging, research has shown that heat loss attributed to party walls is much higher than pre ...
Enhanced Construction Details – What are ECDs?
What are Enhanced Construction Details? Enhanced Construction Details were created by the Energy Saving Trust to address Thermal Bridging performance in SAP Cal ...
Thermal Bridging Explained
Thermal Bridging – How can I Design to Pass? To succeed in the latest versions of SAP, it is necessary to address thermal bridging. Thermal bridges are ju ...
London is going Zero Carbon From October 1st
The Greater London Authority has announced that all new homes in major developments in the capital will be zero carbon from October 1st. A 35% reduction in carb ...
Energy & Sustainability Statements
Energy and Sustainability Statements Energy and Sustainability Statements are commonly required across UK planning authorities, but requirements vary between ju ...
Planning Granted at the Hoover Building
We are very excited to finally be able to talk about this one! Since June 2014 we have been working closely with Oakley M&E and IDM Properties on a very spe ...
The Housing Standards Review, Reviewed.
The Housing Standards Review was published in March 2015. This included a new approach to the setting of technical housing standards in England. These changes w ...
The New Technical Standards & ‘Optional’ Building Regs
The New Technical Standards were announced in 2015, and apply to new build homes in England. As a result of the housing standard review, it was announced that l ...
Home Quality Mark now live
BRE have announced the opening of the Home Quality Mark for registrations. This means that any new build in England can now be registered and assessed under the ...
SAP Assessment – England Vs Wales
Local authorities across the UK use SAP Assessments to demonstrate compliance with energy efficiency standards in buildings. The targets within England and Wale ...
What’s the difference between SAPs for England, Scotland & Wales?
Despite being a part of one United Kingdom, the rules for homes in England, Scotland & Wales vary from nation to nation. How can this affect your build? Whi ...
Sarahs leap from Big Blue to Lean Green
My 12 month sabbatical from the Big Blue to the Lean Green. ‘Can I, should I, could I? What if I do, what if I don’t ? Are you ready … ready steady ...
Who Moved My Cheese?
We were all finally put out of our misery this week when the Code for Sustainable Homes was officially scrapped – but the completed Housing Standards Revi ...
The Home Quality Mark – How will the scheme work?
What do we know about The Home Quality Mark so far? The Home Quality Mark will be a voluntary scheme for developers to demonstrate their sustainable credentials ...
The Home Quality Mark and the Code For Sustainable Homes
BRE have today issued a statement regarding the Home Quality Mark and the continued use of the Code for Sustainable Homes. This is in response to a written mini ...
ACDs and Thermal Bridging
Whenever we are working on a project which is struggling to meet SAP targets, we rarely go to renewable technologies, or even look at insulation levels (that co ...
The Future of the Code for Sustainable Homes
Every month another opinion piece or non-committal policy statement is released about the Code for Sustainable Homes and it’s future. So what do we actual ...
Air Testing – Which and How Many?
The regulations around air testing can appear complex. Some dwellings need testing, yet some do not. One dwelling may also require a better result than another. ...