Inside Housing
SH Analysis
Stories with this category.
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Airtight promise
18/05/2012
The Passivhaus, which is like a vacuum flask, conserving its heat without much need for further energy, has been marketed as the home of the future and is becoming increasingly popular across Europe. Jess McCabe travels to Hannover to meet its creator, Dr Wolfgang Feist
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The final countdown
18/05/2012
The government’s green deal retrofit programme is due to launch in just a few months. So, is it a good deal for social landlords and their tenants? Sustainable Housing conducted an exclusive survey and gathered a round table of industry experts to find out. Keith Cooper reports.Photography: Jonathan Goldberg
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A shift in perception
09/03/2012
The Shift index measures landlords’ sustainability. Jess McCabe finds out how they score
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He who Adairs, wins
09/03/2012
Lord Adair Turner caused a ruckus by criticising the government’s green deal. Here the Climate Change Committee chair tells Jess McCabe why he spoke out and what his legacy will be
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Seven steps to the green deal
09/03/2012
As the launch of the UK’s national retrofit programme edges closer, social landlords should be ticking things off their green deal to-do list. Jess McCabe reports
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Sustainable Housing Awards 2011
04/11/2011
With the green deal approaching, the use of pioneering eco-technologies in housing is more important than ever before. Here Chloë Stothart reveals the housing providers, developers and architects leading the way
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The eco-pioneers
04/11/2011
New research has found that a handful of ‘leaders’ are driving the housing sector’s approach to sustainability. Martin Hilditch finds out what sets them apart from the rest
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Last-minute deal
09/09/2011
The government plans to reduce the feed-in tariff next year, so social landlords must act now if they want to cash in on the sun’s rays, says Emily Rogers
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No deal?
09/09/2011
With just 12 months to go until the green deal kicks off, landlords are struggling to convince tenants that warmer homes and lower fuel bills outweigh the inconvenience of having their homes retrofitted. Nick Duxbury reports
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Testing technology
09/09/2011
The government spent £17 million testing cutting-edge green technology in preparation for widespread retrofitting of the UK’s homes under the green deal. So what did it learn? Mark Wilding reports
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The Godfather of green
09/09/2011
A seasoned and outspoken environmental campaigner, Jonathon Porritt is credited as a major force behind the eco-movement. So does he think the government’s green deal is doomed to failure or an offer residents can’t refuse? Nick Duxbury finds out
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Conflict of interest
06/05/2011
Retrofitting can run into problems in conservation areas where planners don’t want homes’ appearances to change. Mark Wilding considers compromises social landlords are having to make
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Leading man
06/05/2011
How will the green deal work in practice? Nick Duxbury talks to Michael O’Doherty, the man trailblazing the UK’s first ever pilot scheme, to find out
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Retro living
06/05/2011
How easy is it to get tenants to adapt their lifestyle to a retrofitted home? Sustainable Housing is following a family over the next two years to find out. Nick Duxbury reports
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Room to breathe
06/05/2011
House builders are developing homes to ever stricter airtightness standards. But is the health of residents at risk from the effects of inadequate ventilation? Emily Rogers investigates
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Sealing the deal
06/05/2011
From the way it is funded to the technology it will use, many questions remain about how the green deal will work. Sustainable Housing gathered a group of eco-experts to work out the answers. Isabel Hardman reports on a very animated discussion
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Questions & answers
05/05/2011
Last month housing association Gentoo Group bought photovoltaic panel manufacturer Romag from administration. Here Andrew Taylor and Phil Murray, the pair behind the deal, explain why
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Paint the town green
04/03/2011
In 2009 Whitehill and Bordon became one of the first four carbon neutral eco-towns in the UK. Initial euphoria over, its mayor, Adam Carew, explains how its sustainable credentials are shaping up in light of public sector spending cuts
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A worthwhile lesson
11/02/2011
Teaching tenants in homes with green deal retrofits to change their behaviour will be key to making the investment in these buildings worthwhile. Nick Duxbury reports
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How green are you?
11/02/2011
New data from the Sustainable Homes Index for Tomorrow allows social landlords to measure their environmental performance against their peers for the first time
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Is it the real thing?
11/02/2011
The government is on the brink of announcing its long-awaited definition of zero carbon but will it go far enough, or will too many sweeteners leave the sector a bit flat? Isabel Hardman investigates
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Meg-a task
11/02/2011
Shadow environment minister Meg Hillier certainly has her work cut out for her as she prepares to form Labour’s policies on climate change, while doing battle with social networking pranksters. She tells Nick Duxbury how she is taking it all in her stride
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Tall order
11/02/2011
Landlords are under pressure to make high-rise social homes more energy efficient - with a steep 80 per cent carbon cut the eventual aim. Chloë Stothart looks at the latest innovations in retrofitting ageing tower blocks
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Foiling the Treasury plot
05/11/2010
Last month George Osborne lit the fuse to blow up billions of pounds of public spending and thousands of jobs. Isabel Hardman finds out how ministers saved green investment from the spending review’s blast
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Setting the standard
05/11/2010
With 7 million homes to be refurbished by 2020, it has to be done right. Nick Duxbury investigates a standard being developed by BRE specifically for retrofitting
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Sustainable Housing Awards 2010
05/11/2010
The third Sustainable Housing Awards celebrate the very best in eco-technology, innovative design and inspirational projects for social landlords and their tenants. Chloë Stothart finds out what gave the winners the edge
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The butterfly effect
05/11/2010
The creation of innovative new software is set to change the way social landlords develop sustainable housing. Nick Duxbury explains how
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The climate changer
05/11/2010
Having survived the bonfire of the quangos, the influential Committee on Climate Change’s chief David Kennedy is pushing the government for a greener future. He talks to Nick Duxbury
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The greener house effect
05/11/2010
For the most environmentally friendly way to insulate homes look no further than greenery. Trees, plants and shrubs are the best way to keep cold out of homes and tackle fuel poverty, says Anita Pati
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Hot and bothered
24/09/2010
The quest to build eco-friendly homes is leaving some tenants sweltering in dangerously overheated properties. Isabel Hardman reports.
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The gold rush
24/09/2010
A scheme which pays households for generating their own power means landlords are sitting on a potential gold mine. But to reap the rewards they must install costly solar panels. Nick Duxbury reports.
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A busy man
10/09/2010
Climate change minister Greg Barker takes 12 minutes off from saving the planet to explain the government’s new ‘green deal’ to Nick Duxbury
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Powerhouse to PassivHaus
10/09/2010
The coal mines and the industry they fuelled have long stood idle, but now green housing is giving Welsh industry a new lease of life. Chloë Stothart reports
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Purrfect solution
10/09/2010
Installing solid wall insulation can be costly and time-consuming, but a new laser measuring system called Whiscers is speeding up the process - and without the tenant having to move out. Nick Duxbury finds out how
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Q&A: the DIY green deal
10/09/2010
Ben Earl explains what DIY specialist B&Q is doing as part of the coalition government’s private sector drive for its green deal, which will retrofit every home using savings from fuel bills
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Retrofit realities
10/09/2010
The results of Gentoo’s retrofit reality programme are in - and they throw a spanner in the works of the government’s green deal. Nick Duxbury reports
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The real deal?
10/09/2010
The coalition government has pledged to be the greenest government ever. Isabel Hardman investigates its true colours
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Sleeping giants
27/08/2010
The UK’s energy giants have just under 18 months to fund improvement work to 90,000 homes. So far, they’ve barely opened an eye. Isabel Hardman asks what it will take to wake them from their slumber.
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The green, green grass of home
25/06/2010
Television presenter Kevin McCloud has come up with a Grand Design of his own - to build a sustainable housing project that could work anywhere. Nick Duxbury joins him onsite to find out more.
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From red lights to green
07/05/2010
When Wolverhampton Homes decided to retrofit 13 empty homes in the city’s former red light district, it hoped to attract new social tenants to the area. Nick Duxbury finds out if the plan succeeded
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Home improvement
07/05/2010
After waxing lyrical about the benefi ts of retrofi tting homes for years, Paul Ciniglio, sustainability and innovation manager at Radian Group, has put his money where his mouth is and turned his house into an eco-home. Isabel Hardman finds out how the carbon savings are stacking up
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Retrofit - wild goose chase or golden opportunity?
07/05/2010
As the sleeping giant of climate change looms ever larger, social landlords are facing up to the task of reducing carbon emissions from their stock. But without government funding and an estimated £500 billion to find, Nick Duxbury asks where their magic money beans might come from and if they can achieve a fairy tale ending
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Supersized savings
07/05/2010
How do you reduce the heating bill for a typical three-bed home in Glasgow to just £100 a year? By designing the houses as if they were a McDonald’s Big Mac. Nick Duxbury explains all
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Who opened the window?
07/05/2010
How do you know which eco-technologies will produce the best results when retrofitting social housing stock? Simple, place a family in an eco-refurbished house and monitor their every move. Anita Pati reports on a London pilot doing just that
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The retrofit revolution
09/04/2010
The government has allocated £17 million to find innovative ways of reducing carbon emissions from social housing stock. Kicking off our special focus on the south west, Nick Duxbury looks at how the region is spending its retrofit cash
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What’s the bright idea?
19/03/2010
We all know we have to reduce carbon emissions from existing homes but how do we meet the massive cost of doing so? Steve Binks thinks he has the answer
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Green guidance
02/03/2010
Places for People’s Nicholas Doyle explains how the association is using a series of short films to help its residents improve the way they use energy
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A call to arms
19/02/2010
Spurred on by financial incentives, April’s carbon reduction commitment is forcing councils to take the green agenda seriously. Isabel Hardman asks just how ready are they to respond to this rallying cry
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A model of self-reliance
19/02/2010
Green pilgrims come from far and wide to admire his version of community-led self-sufficiency. Anita Pati followed in their footsteps to meet Rob Hopkins, the man with a vision for how we all might live after the oil runs out
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Enough to share
19/02/2010
Brent Housing Partnership hopes to be one of the first landlords in the country to retrofit solar panels that can make money by exporting any excess power they generate to the National Grid
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Look what’s in straw
19/02/2010
The UK’s first straw bale council houses are nearing completion. Caroline Thorpe checks out their environmental credentials
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Where there’s a will
19/02/2010
Can traditional new-build housing ever achieve high-level sustainability? Woking Council certainly thinks so and won’t let ageing planning consent get in the way of its grand designs
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The real good life
22/01/2010
While world leaders squabble over making a meaningful commitment to climate change, one group of activists is already leading the zero-carbon life. Simon Brandon visits the Kew eco-village in London to find out how.
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Cutting emissions without breaking the bank
05/01/2010
Zero carbon homes are the green dream, but meeting level five of the code for sustainable homes gives many of the benefits without all the costs. A Family Mosaic scheme in London shows how it is done
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The missing piece
11/12/2009
From 2015 all social housing built in the UK must reach a zero-carbon standard - but when is the government going to clarify exactly what that means? Philippa Ward investigates
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Be mine?
30/10/2009
Want to engage tenants in green living? Philippa Ward proposes that inspiring ideas and practical applications will persuade them to say ‘I do’
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Sustainable Housing Awards 2009
30/10/2009
What a crop! Entries for this year’s Sustainable Housing Awards wowed our judges and the winners are revealed here. Marvel at ingenious retrofitting of tenements in a conservation area, sigh over gorgeous green homes in a national park, and most of all be inspired by the groundbreaking eco-ideas on show
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The green life
11/09/2009
We’re all in favour of eco-homes, but do they change lives? Simon Brandon visited some residents of green homes and asked them to spill the beans
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Celebrities’ eco-cribs
04/09/2009
The campaign to raise the profile of eco-homes has received a welcome boost from celebrities who extol their virtues. Footprint looks at some of the most famous faces
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Why all the fuss over 100%?
04/09/2009
Kicking off Footprint’s refurb special, Isabel Hardman looks at how the government’s drive to drastically cut carbon dioxide emissions has created a focus on the 1 per cent of new build homes at the expense of the rest
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The instant eco-home
31/07/2009
Is it true that retrofitting uses less energy than building new green homes? A new pilot home suggests so. Anita Pati reports
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Beyond zero carbon
24/06/2009
For some people, zero carbon just isn’t green enough. James West, the winner of the HCA’s Future Vision competition explains more to Camille Ward
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Hit for six
19/06/2009
These are the UK’s first homes to be built to level 6 of the code for sustainable homes. Philippa Ward takes an exclusive look round and finds out how Metropolitan Housing Partnership did it.
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Growing concerns
20/05/2009
A number of designers used gardens at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show to highlight social issues. Isabel Hardman selects the pick of the crop
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Looks can be deceiving
08/05/2009
New test houses are being built at the BRE innovations park. Three hit the highest eco-standards, but there isn’t a contemporary curve in sight
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Now or never
08/05/2009
Despite tough environmental targets for social housing, only nine housing associations employ fully fledged eco-experts. Footprint asked this select group of specialists about the obstacles to going green and what their prognoses are for a sustainable future. Interviews by Keith Cooper
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Oh my pod!
08/05/2009
A congregation of social eco-pods in west London is preaching code for sustainable homes level 5 to the masses. Philippa Ward reports
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Questions & answers
08/05/2009
David Orr reveals the ins and outs of European funding
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Under the skin
29/04/2009
From the outside Stadthaus looks much like any other mixed-use block with a fancy colour scheme, but its secret lies below the surface
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Thinking bigger
20/02/2009
Hank Dittmar talks to Footprint about the problems with eco towns – and what the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment is doing to push sustainable boundaries
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Back to the future
13/02/2009
Experiments in eco-housing are nothing new. Philippa Ward learns the lessons of designs from the 1970s, 80s and 90s
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Giant steps
13/02/2009
In volunteering for a rigorous test of their eco-credentials, four housing associations towered above the rest. Philippa Ward reports
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Retrofit and replicate
05/12/2008
Done up to the highest environmental standards, a 1930s terraced house in south London is blazing the trail for eco-refurbishment.
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Triple whammy
05/12/2008
If everyone in the world lived as we do in the UK, we would need three planets to support us. Sue Riddlestone looks at how eco-towns can help us achieve one-planet living.
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Better together
03/10/2008
In the right sort of building, combined heat and power systems can be highly efficient — as the Stratford Eye development demonstrates. John Shipley explains
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Clean up your act
03/10/2008
The construction industry has much to learn about the best ways of turning waste into a resource, says Paul Sandison
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Do it by the book
03/10/2008
Oliver Child of the BRE explains how to avoid the code’s most common pitfalls
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Down to earth
03/10/2008
Philippa Ward previews the best sustainable builds, starting with an earth-sheltered development designed to break new ground
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Good intentions
03/10/2008
Practical application of the code does not always unlock the hoped-for results. Adjustments may be needed, argues Neil May
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The sky's the limit
03/10/2008
Tower blocks are usually very energy inefficient. But some creative retrofitting solutions are making themgreener. Ciara Leeming reports
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Tinkering is not an option
03/10/2008
Token gestures won’t suffice, says Colin Wiles. Dealing with climate change requires a cultural shift
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Home economics
15/08/2008
As the economy falters, what will become of sustainable building? Philippa Ward predicts a tough future withsome silver linings.
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Still angry after all these years
15/08/2008
Bill Dunster is a man both triumphant and disappointed.
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Sustainable, achievable
15/08/2008
Eco-friendly housing doesn’t have to be a headache. Here five homegrown projects - and one Swedish suburb - show how it’s done