Inside Housing
SH News
Stories with this category.
-
Landlords feel unprepared for the green deal
17/05/2012
The majority of social landlords feel unprepared for the government’s flagship programme to carry out energy efficiency refurbishments of Britain’s housing, despite it kicking off in just five months’ time.
-
Green Deal Finance Company loan imminent
09/03/2012
The Green Deal Finance Company expects the government’s £3 billion Green Investment Bank to approve a loan within the next two months.
-
New homes least energy efficient since 2008
09/03/2012
New homes are becoming less energy efficient, according to statistics from the Communities and Local Government department.
-
Botch jobs ‘likely to rise’ as insulation deadline looms
04/11/2011
The risk of botched energy efficiency retrofits is likely to rise as energy suppliers rush to meet targets for insulating cavity walls and lofts before the end of next year, a housing body has warned.
-
Call for 5% VAT on green deal energy efficiency works
04/11/2011
A sustainable housing body has called on the government to introduce tax breaks for energy-efficiency measures undertaken through the green deal.
-
Brokerage to allocate ECO funds
09/09/2011
The government is planning to introduce an independent brokerage to allocate energy company obligation funding to ensure equal access for green deal providers in its flagship retrofit scheme.
-
Energy efficiency fund for London
09/09/2011
London mayor Boris Johnson has unveiled a green refurbishment fund for public sector buildings in London worth £100 million that can be accessed by councils and housing associations.
-
Landlords team up to save water
09/09/2011
A consortium of midlands-based landlords has joined forces with water companies to launch an efficiency project across 11,100 social homes.
-
Manchester councils mull creation of green special purpose vehicle
06/05/2011
A group of councils is leading advanced talks to set up a special purpose vehicle to invest in solar photovoltaic panels in the north west.
-
Housing excluded from green investment bank
22/03/2011
The Green Investment Bank will not include any finance for energy efficiency work in housing, Inside Housing has learnt.
-
Providers 'dismayed' by green heating delay
18/03/2011
Housing associations have said they are ‘dismayed’ that a government subsidy to help them install green heating systems has been delayed until October 2012.
-
HCA bans use of grant to access feed-in tariffs
17/03/2011
Housing associations cannot take advantage of the feed-in tariff scheme if they have bought their renewable energy technology using capital grant.
-
Efficiency scheme will miss private rented homes
09/03/2011
The government’s green deal will not go far enough to tackle poorly insulated private rented homes, the leader of the Green Party claimed.
-
Green deal to be tested on social housing
08/03/2011
The government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme is to be trialled on social housing.
-
Green deal fees could be cut for charities
07/03/2011
The government is considering charging lower fees to voluntary organisations who become providers of its green deal home energy efficiency programme.
-
Code for sustainable homes under threat
04/03/2011
The government is considering merging the code for sustainable homes with a new menu of local house building standards.
-
Ministers push for green home tax breaks
02/03/2011
The Department of Energy and Climate Change is lobbying the chancellor for tax incentives to encourage green building and retrofit projects, one of its ministers has said.
-
Ministers given zero carbon proposals
21/02/2011
The Zero Carbon Hub has published its final report on the energy efficiency standards that all new homes will meet from 2016.
-
Eco-groups warn high interest green loans could hit retrofit plans
18/02/2011
Government plans to improve the energy efficiency of homes could be dashed by green deal loans with interest rates of more than 8 per cent.
-
Green deal risks becoming ‘lame duck’
15/02/2011
The green deal risks failing to attract businesses and users unless the government clarifies how it will be financed and promoted, business leaders have warned.
-
Carillion snaps up renewable energy firm
11/02/2011
Construction firm Carillion is to buy sustainable energy business Eaga for £306 million.
-
Green deal could attract £12 billion to social housing sector
11/02/2011
The government’s flagship green deal could see £12 billion invested into the UK’s social housing stock, according to a report seen exclusively by Sustainable Housing.
-
Social landlords ‘more sustainable'
11/02/2011
Social landlords are becoming greener according to results revealed this week from the 2010 Sustainable Homes Index For Tomorrow benchmarking system.
-
Planners approve zero carbon scheme
10/02/2011
Planners have given the go-ahead to Britain’s largest development of zero-carbon homes in Peterborough.
-
Misuse fears prompt energy scheme review
08/02/2011
The government has brought forward a review of its subsidy for households who generate renewable energy amid fears large firms are exploiting the system.
-
Green deal offer for new build
04/02/2011
Landlords say they will only accept a potential offer of state funding to retrofit new homes if it does not increase their debt.
-
Green deal may be extended to new homes
01/02/2011
The government may extend its green deal programme for energy efficiency improvements to new build homes, the housing minister announced today.
-
Landlord embarks on £23m solar scheme
05/01/2011
A social landlord has unveiled a £23 million programme to fit solar panels to its housing stock.
-
Council plans to sell renewable energy
29/12/2010
Brighton and Hove Council is considering selling renewable energy to its tenants.
-
Campaigners hit out at green deal caps
23/12/2010
Capping the amount that can be claimed per home for improvements through the government’s green deal efficiency scheme will severely limit its effectiveness, campaigners have warned.
-
Ministers mull zero carbon offset scheme
21/12/2010
Developers may be able to help meet the requirement to build zero-carbon homes by paying into local renewable energy schemes, the government has suggested.
-
Experts express green deal funding doubts
17/12/2010
The government is not spending enough money on its flagship retrofit programme to hit 2050 carbon reduction targets, according to one of its green housing bodies.
-
Green bank could be scaled back
15/12/2010
Chris Huhne has admitted he may have to scale back plans for a £1 billion green investment bank after pressure from the Treasury.
-
Campaigners call for action on fuel poverty
06/12/2010
Friends of the Earth has attacked the government’s plans for the green deal, ahead of the publication of the energy bill.
-
Carbon goals require 'quantum change'
01/12/2010
The construction industry needs to undergo the biggest change since the Victorian era to meet carbon cutting targets, the government’s chief construction adviser said this week.
-
Coventry creates £1.9bn retrofit trust
26/11/2010
Coventry Council has agreed an innovative deal that will see £1.9 billion invested in retrofit in a bid to become the greenest city in the UK.
-
Developers handed eco-waiver
26/11/2010
A third of new housing schemes funded by the government were granted waivers from national sustainability standards.
-
Efficiency scheme could miss social housing
22/11/2010
Social housing tenants could be left in fuel poverty unless the government’s Green Deal is expanded, a report has suggested.
-
Government simplifes code for sustainable homes
11/11/2010
The government has simplified the sustainability standards that new build homes must meet.
-
Landlords forced to insulate homes
02/11/2010
Private landlords will be required by law to make energy efficiency improvements at their tenants’ request.
-
MEP calls for more efficiency funding
26/10/2010
A Green MEP has called for more European Union funding to allow landlords to make homes energy efficient.
-
Sustainable Housing Award winners unveiled
22/10/2010
The winners of the 2010 Sustainable Housing Awards have been announced at a ceremony in London this afternoon.
-
£7bn ‘green deal’ role for landlords
22/10/2010
The coalition government is looking to allow social landlords to tap into the £7 billion a year private sector retrofit market to emerge from its ‘green deal’ scheme.
-
Liverpool and EDF in largest ever CESP deal
22/10/2010
Liverpool Mutual Homes and EDF energy have agreed the largest deal to date under the Community Energy Savings Programme.
-
Sustainable projects spared spending axe
21/10/2010
Sustainability campaigners have expressed relief that the government has not cut subsidies for microgeneration of heat and energy.
-
Green campaigners threaten legal action
20/10/2010
The government could face legal action if it cuts payments to homeowners who generate their own renewable energy.
-
Pickles scraps council performance targets
15/10/2010
The government has announced it is scrapping a set of performance pledges for councils which include house building and sustainability targets.
-
Experts want code scrapped
15/10/2010
A group of sustainability experts has demanded that ministers scrap the code for sustainable homes as part of changes to building regulations.
-
Zero carbon targets are 'unrealistic'
13/10/2010
The government’s target for all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016 is unrealistic and will lead to a rise in building costs, a new report warns.
-
Birmingham launches £100m solar scheme
06/10/2010
Birmingham Council has launched a £100 million retrofit programme for hundreds of thousands of homes across the city.
-
Just 13% of landlords have retrofit plans
01/10/2010
Only a handful of social landlords have drawn up official plans to retrofit their stock, a survey has discovered.
-
Mears joins British Gas in energy scheme
21/09/2010
Mears has entered into a partnership with British Gas to fund energy efficiency improvements to 500,000 social homes.
-
Eaga launches £350m solar panel fund
17/09/2010
A renewable energy company has set up a £350 million fund to make money from electricity generated by photovoltaic panels on social homes.
-
Rainwater carbon risk
17/09/2010
Rainwater harvesting could double carbon emissions compared to mains water use, a report has found.
-
£27 billion green heat pledge scaled back
10/09/2010
The government plans to scale back its subsidy scheme for renewable heat in a bid to save money.
-
First UK PassivHaus body to launch
10/09/2010
Ten housing and sustainability organisations have come together to launch an industry body which plans to drive the building of thousands of PassivHaus homes in the UK.
-
Housing task group head appointed
10/09/2010
A housing association sustainability chief is to chair one of four task groups set up to consult on the coalition government’s microgeneration strategy.
-
NHF plans £75m retrofit fund
27/08/2010
The National Housing Federation has called for expressions of interest from housing associations to set up a retrofit loan fund that could be worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
-
Feed-in-tariffs should be scrapped
06/08/2010
The government should replace its system of incentives for renewable energy with a carbon tax, according to a think tank.
-
Explosion prompts heat pump recall
06/08/2010
An explosion at a housing association home in Somerset has led to a nationwide recall of a common type of air source heat pump.
-
Feed-in-tariff scheme will exclude those who use capital grants
30/07/2010
Housing associations which use capital grants to install renewable energy technology will not be able to benefit from the feed-in-tariff scheme.
-
Landlords warned over renting out roof space
30/07/2010
The National Housing Federation has warned landlords to think twice before allowing companies to rent their roof space for microgeneration.
-
Shapps misses carbon definition deadline
30/07/2010
The government has failed to deliver on its promise to define the environmental standards that all new homes must meet from 2016 before the parliamentary recess.
-
Efficiency key to 80% carbon reduction
28/07/2010
The coalition government has promised to improve the energy efficiency of homes as part of plans to reduce emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.
-
Energy fund to support zero carbon homes
27/07/2010
Councils and developers will be given more flexibility on how to meet zero carbon standards, the housing minister announced today.
-
Government axes green homes advisor
22/07/2010
The Sustainable Development Commission announced today that the government would cut its funding from the next financial year.
-
Rules needed to stop homes overheating
21/07/2010
Building regulations should prevent homes being built which are at risk of overheating, a new report has recommended.
-
Government reviews eco-town programme
16/07/2010
The government is considering re-branding the eco-town programme after launching a full review into it.
-
Assembly government aims for 55% emission cut
14/07/2010
The Welsh Assembly Government aims to use new building regulation powers to reduce carbon emissions from new homes by 55 per cent from 2006 levels by 2013.
-
Future of eco-towns in doubt as funding is halved
09/07/2010
The government has halved the funding available for eco-towns, Inside Housing has learnt.
-
Cuts to fund eco-bank
02/07/2010
The government should scrap a number of energy and climate change quangos to fund a new green investment bank, a new report has argued.
-
Fuel bill savings to fund efficiency work
02/07/2010
Social tenants will pay for energy efficiency improvements to their homes through their fuel bills, as part of the government’s ‘green deal’.
-
UK to miss carbon target
02/07/2010
The UK will miss its targets for carbon reduction unless it makes a step-change in cutting emissions, a report said this week.
-
Energy minister outlines retrofit scheme
25/06/2010
The energy and climate change secretary has unveiled a ‘green deal’ to retrofit the UK’s existing housing stock.
-
Affinity Sutton launches £1.2 million retrofit pilot
25/06/2010
Affinity Sutton has launched a £1.2 million pilot project to find out if the government has underestimated the amount of money needed to make the UK’s houses fully sustainable.
-
TV star in deal to build green homes
18/06/2010
Televison presenter Kevin McCloud is planning to defy market conditions and begin work on a number of sustainable housing schemes in partnership with GreenSquare Housing Group.
-
Zero carbon target ‘unrealistic’ say property professionals
18/06/2010
Three quarters of property professionals think government commitments to make all new housing zero carbon by 2016 are unrealistic, according to a new survey.
-
Low carbon technology can increase running costs
17/06/2010
Installing low and zero carbon technologies can increase running costs for residents and housing associations, according to a report published by the London arm of the National Housing Federation.
-
Guidance seeks to cut emissions from new homes
09/06/2010
The Welsh Assembly Government has issued guidance on how developers can meet environmental goals.
-
Radian plans retrofit cash fund
28/05/2010
A fund aimed at encouraging banks to invest the millions of pounds needed to retrofit the UK’s social housing stock could be piloted in the south east.
-
Government told to strengthen environmental plans
24/05/2010
The coalition government has come under fire for gaps in its strategy for cutting carbon emissions from new and existing homes.
-
Welsh launch £30m retrofit scheme
18/05/2010
Welsh social housing providers have been allocated £30 million to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes.
-
Cameron promises green government
17/05/2010
Central government departments will cut their carbon emissions by 10 per cent in the next 12 months, the prime minister announced on Friday.
-
New builds given green assessment
14/05/2010
The Good Homes Alliance has launched a monitoring programme to assess whether new build homes are meeting sustainability targets.
-
Huhne gets energy efficiency brief
12/05/2010
Liberal Democrat Chris Huhne is set to become secretary of state for energy and climate change in the new government.
-
Monitoring scheme to assess eco claims
06/05/2010
The Good Homes Alliance has launched a monitoring programme to assess whether new build homes are meeting sustainability targets.
-
Parties promise green retrofit schemes
27/04/2010
The Liberal Democrats and Labour have launched mini ‘green manifestos’ which commit both parties to national programmes of energy efficient retrofits.
-
Labour publishes housing manifesto
26/04/2010
The Labour Party has set out its promises on housing in a mini-manifesto on the subject.
-
Bid to unlock £42m of EU retrofit cash
09/04/2010
Two regional development agencies have called for housing associations to form consortia in order to access a total pot of up to £42 million of EU funding that would be used to bolster England’s fledgling retrofit industry.
-
Essex becomes latest eco-town site
08/04/2010
A partnership of councils in Essex is to receive £200,000 to help develop proposals for new eco-town standard communities.
-
Climate change fears must inform planning
29/03/2010
The government must make adaptation to climate change central to the planning system to ensure new homes can cope with increased risk of flooding, an influential group of MPs has said.
-
Green bank ideal for energy efficiency
25/03/2010
Government plans to create a Green Investment Bank could provide the perfect opportunity to fund energy efficiency improvements to homes, according to industry figures.
-
Efficient homes to slash energy bills
22/03/2010
A housing association is building homes designed to cut its tenants’ heating and hot water bills to £100 a year.
-
Tories commit to home efficiency plan
19/03/2010
The Conservative Party has reiterated its promise to introduce a Green Deal entitling every household in Britain to £6,500 of energy efficiency improvements.
-
Building regs changes to cut emissions
15/03/2010
The housing minister has announced plans to improve the energy efficiency of new and existing homes.
-
More eco-towns in green planning reforms
10/03/2010
The government has announced two new eco-town sites, as it unveiled a series of planning changes to encourage sustainable development.
-
Landlords shun green power
05/03/2010
Housing associations have been switching off environmentally friendly heating systems in favour of traditional power sources.
-
Energy companies to fund efficiency work
02/03/2010
Government plans for a new decent homes-style standard for energy efficiency in social and private rented housing are set to cost £19 billion.
-
Geothermal heating to reach social homes
23/02/2010
Southampton’s pioneering district heating network is expanding to a major city centre development of social housing.
-
Energy cooperative could generate £20m
22/02/2010
Social housing in Greater Manchester is to become part of a renewable energy grid that could generate £20 million a year from surplus power.
-
Plea on zero carbon rules
19/02/2010
The definition of a zero carbon building should be amended to include low-carbon community infrastructure such as district heating, construction industry figures have argued.
-
Energy company tests zero carbon homes
18/02/2010
Utility company Scottish and Southern Energy is to build its own development of zero carbon homes to assess what they are like to live in.
-
Cash carrot for green heat
12/02/2010
Social landlords will be subsidised if they install renewable heating in their homes instead of upgrading traditional systems.
-
Efficiency scheme begins in Walsall
11/02/2010
The first homes in the government’s £350 million Community Energy Saving Programme are receiving an eco-makeover.
-
Eco-towns given £60m to build show homes
08/02/2010
The first wave of eco-towns will receive £60 million to build ‘eco-show homes’ to encourage greener living.
-
Warm welcome for feed-in-tarrifs
05/02/2010
Social landlords have welcomed plans to make the use of renewable energy more financially attractive, despite warnings the rewards are too low to incentivise improved performance.
-
MPs demand action on energy efficiency
12/01/2010
The government must expand efforts to improve energy efficiency in homes if it is to achieve emission reduction targets, MPs have warned.
-
Green homes will constrain affordable housing
11/01/2010
Consultants have warned spending cuts and strict regulations on green housing will heavily impact the government’s ability to deliver affordable homes.
-
Revisions planned for sustainable building code
17/12/2009
The energy used to create building materials could be taken into account under proposed changes to the ratings system for sustainable homes.
-
Sector critical of pre-Budget report actions
10/12/2009
The pre-Budget report was a missed opportunity to slash the UK’s carbon emissions and reduce energy bills, according to the National Housing Federation.
-
Government energy plans just 'tinkering'
09/12/2009
Pre-Budget report proposals to improve the energy efficiency of homes have been described as ‘tinkering round the edges’ by an industry body.
-
Pilot funds energy makeovers for 500 homes
08/12/2009
Around 500 homes across the country will get energy makeovers as part of a £4 million government scheme.
-
Associations lobby Copenhagen for 16bn euros
04/12/2009
Housing associations from across Europe will lobby politicians for funding for green retrofitting at the Copenhagen summit, which begins on Monday.
-
Government signals U-turn on eco-towns
04/12/2009
The government has radically shifted its approach to eco-towns by backing a wave of new schemes that are attached to existing towns and cities.
-
Nine areas backed for second wave of eco-towns
01/12/2009
Nine local authorities are in the running to be included in the second wave of eco-towns.
-
Landlords to join Tesco in Tory green home scheme
26/11/2009
Social landlords could fund £6,500 of energy efficiency improvements to homes under Conservative plans.
-
Zero carbon rules to double insulation
25/11/2009
Homes built from 2016 will require twice as much insulation as those built today, under tough new efficiency rules.
-
Welsh given powers to enforce energy efficiency
25/11/2009
The Welsh Assembly Government is to be given powers to make homes built in the country more energy efficient after 2011.
-
Building industry must halve carbon emissions by 2020
24/11/2009
The UK building industry must halve carbon emissions by 2020, the head of an industry environmental body will say today.
-
Work begins on Hanham Hall zero-carbon site
23/11/2009
Work has commenced on England’s first large-scale zero carbon development, at Hanham Hall near Bristol.
-
Social tenants doubt benefits of eco-measures
20/11/2009
People who seriously doubt the benefits of green community infrastructure are likely to be social renters, research by the UK Green Building Council has revealed.
-
Pilot compares eco-measures
20/11/2009
A west midlands-based housing group has unveiled a pilot project in which the performance of two green homes will be judged side-by-side with an everyday counterpart.
-
Third of eco-town homes should be affordable
16/11/2009
At least 30 per cent of the housing in eco-towns must be affordable if the developments are to be a success.
-
£500bn: cost of green homes
13/11/2009
It will cost half a trillion pounds to reduce carbon emissions from all existing homes by 60 per cent, the head of the government’s housing agency has said.
-
Builders must mass produce green homes
10/11/2009
Builders must translate research into sustainable housing into large scale developments, a report has found.
-
Urban builders offered eco-support
04/11/2009
The body that advises the government on the natural environment has set up an advice service for developers on how to make their schemes greener.
-
Funding to drive use of renewable materials
03/11/2009
The Department of Energy and Climate Change is providing £5 million to increase the use of materials from renewable sources in affordable housing.
-
2009 Sustainable Housing Awards: photo gallery
26/10/2009
The Sustainable Housing Awards 2009 celebrated the green achievements of the social housing sector, in a ceremony at the Park Lane Hilton in London
-
Sustainable Housing Awards 2009 winners named
23/10/2009
Projects at the cutting edge of sustainable housing were recognised today at the Sustainable Housing Awards.
-
Efficiency measures should replace fuel payments
22/10/2009
Scrapping pensioners’ winter fuel allowances could pay for long-lasting energy-efficiency improvements to their homes, according to the Audit Commission.
-
Climate change experts call for home efficiency rethink
12/10/2009
The government’s climate change advisors have warned that it must alter its approach to reducing carbon emissions from homes if it is to meet its own goals.
-
M&S put forward as energy efficiency champion
06/10/2009
Companies such as Marks and Spencer would be funded to improve the energy efficiency of homes under a Conservative government.
-
Climate campaign targets buildings
23/09/2009
Green pressure groups have launched a campaign calling for the importance of cutting carbon emissions from buildings to be recognised by world leaders.
-
Pilots sought for renewable energy project
14/09/2009
The government is looking for large renewable heat and electricity schemes to test a new way of managing the planning process.
-
Sponsors to fund housing
11/09/2009
Corporate giants sponsoring the London 2012 Olympic Games could be asked to pay for the capital’s homes to become more energy efficient.
-
Johnson announces London's low carbon zones
04/09/2009
Ten London boroughs will share a £3 million pot to create low carbon neighbourhoods.
-
90,000 homes to benefit from £350m efficiency scheme
02/09/2009
Around 90,000 homes in the poorest areas of the UK should have their energy bills cut under a £350 million government scheme that launched yesterday.
-
HCA commits funding to low-carbon energy schemes
25/08/2009
Projects to build a new generation of eco-friendly power plants and connect them to housing estates have been today given an £8.8 million funding boost by the Homes and Communities Agency.
-
Cash for renewable houses
10/08/2009
The government plans to spend £6 million on building up to 60 new social homes from renewable materials such as hemp.
-
Magazine goes eco
07/08/2009
Inside Housing has this week gone green by switching to a 100 per cent recycled paper.
-
London homes get lion’s share of efficiency fund
28/07/2009
The bulk of an £84 million fund to improve the energy efficiency of social housing will be spent on homes in London.
-
Welsh seek powers to hit efficiency goal
23/07/2009
The Welsh government has asked for the power to set building regulations to be transferred from Westminster.
-
Low carbon schemes win share of infrastructure fund
21/07/2009
Seven schemes have been awarded a share of £11.85 million to help housing developments benefit from low carbon energy sources.
-
Decisions delayed on zero carbon definition
20/07/2009
The government has held back decisions on key elements of its definition of zero carbon, which it aims to apply to all new homes by 2016.
-
Four eco-towns given the green light
16/07/2009
The government has given the go ahead to four environmentally friendly eco-towns, having whittled down a list of 12.
-
Sustainable Housing Awards finalists unveiled
16/07/2009
The shortlisted entries for the 2009 Sustainable Housing Awards have been published.
-
UK risks isolation on sustainability aims
16/07/2009
The UK is at risk of isolating itself from the rest of the world because of the way it is tackling sustainability in buildings, a report has found.
-
Homes to deliver 15 per cent of emissions cuts
15/07/2009
Houses in the UK will need to slash carbon dioxide emissions dramatically, contributing 15 per cent of total cuts needed to hit government targets.
-
Three rumoured to be on eco-town shortlist
13/07/2009
Housing minister John Healey is expected to unveil which eco-towns will go ahead this week, with three rumoured to be on the shortlist.
-
Government shelves efficiency plans for existing homes
25/06/2009
The government has put the brakes on plans to improve energy efficiency in existing buildings, but promised to look at the issue again in the future.
-
Minister promises to address climate change danger
23/06/2009
Housing minister John Healey has promised to ensure tackling climate change is a core part of his work, as scientists issued a stark warning on the increased risk of water shortages, heat stress, and flooding.
-
Healey to raise new build efficiency standards
18/06/2009
Housing minister John Healey has announced that all new buildings will have to beat current energy efficiency standards by 25 per cent from 2010.
-
Landlords compete for energy efficiency fund
17/06/2009
A fund to help social landlords upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes has been snapped up by bidders and will be allocated by July.
-
Permission granted for first large-scale zero carbon site
08/06/2009
England’s first large-scale development to be built to the highest zero carbon sustainability standards has been given planning permission.
-
Planner issues eco-town warning
08/06/2009
A leading planning lawyer has warned the government must take decisive action on eco-towns, as ministers said it is possible none will be built.
-
Homeowners distrust energy efficiency advice
02/06/2009
Climate change lobby group the Energy Saving Trust is calling for new standards and training on energy efficiency, after a poll revealed a lack of trust for tradespeople on the subject.
-
Housing businesses feature in green list
26/05/2009
House builders, an arm’s-length management organisation and a housing association are among the greenest companies in the UK, a competition has found.
-
Task force to examine eco refurbishment
26/05/2009
A sustainable development body with members from across the property and energy sectors has formed a task force to look at ways to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes.
-
Water restrictions introduced for new homes
18/05/2009
All new homes will have to conform to tough water efficiency standards from October.
-
Energy efficiency fund opens for bids
18/05/2009
Social tenants have been promised the opportunity to cut their energy bills, as the Homes and Communities Agency reveals how their landlords can bid for the extra cavity wall funding announced in last month’s Budget.
-
Eco-impact of social housing up for debate
15/05/2009
The extent to which social housing providers and tenants are contributing to the destruction of the planet is to come under the microscope in a debate hosted by Inside Housing.
-
Green targets slammed as too vague
08/05/2009
The government’s strategy to slash carbon emissions from existing homes is marred by a ‘lack of focus on delivery’, housing and environmental groups have warned.
-
Mayor invites boroughs to be low-carbon guinea pigs
05/05/2009
Ten Low Carbon Zones will be created in London at a cost of £200,000 each, to reduce energy use by 20 per cent by 2012.
-
Business leaders call for construction rethink
28/04/2009
The authors of a four-year $15 million study on buildings’ energy efficiency have said global public intervention in the construction sector is necessary to meet climate change targets.
-
Experts chosen for HCA design panel
28/04/2009
The Homes and Communities Agency has appointed a team of six industry experts to advise it on the design quality and sustainability of its developments.
-
Consultants predict end of eco-towns
23/04/2009
Labour’s eco-town programme appears to have ‘bitten the dust’ following this week’s Budget, according to consultancy EC Harris.
-
Social sector gets £100m for insulation
22/04/2009
An extra £100 million is being put into the decent homes programme to improve the energy efficiency of social homes.
-
Tories promise social landlords home improvement loans
16/04/2009
Under a Conservative government social landlords would be able to access substantial funds to boost the energy efficiency of the houses they own, the party said today.
-
Fuel poverty campaigners demand £5bn efficiency fund
16/04/2009
Fuel poverty campaigners have called for next week’s Budget to provide an annual £5 billion energy efficiency fund to help tackle the problem.
-
Experts demand action on huge efficiency challenge
15/04/2009
Making existing homes energy efficient is a ‘herculean’ task that will require radical action, experts have claimed.
-
Renters could pay for eco-refit
10/04/2009
Tenants could be receptive to paying extra rent in order to fund energy efficiency improvements to their homes, junior housing minister Iain Wright has said.
-
"Green doctors" give energy health checks
09/04/2009
Hundreds of homes in south east England and south Wales will get expert advice to treat the symptoms of fuel poverty.
-
Co-op designs zero carbon housing system
08/04/2009
Britain’s largest housing cooperative is designing a prefabricated housing system to meet the highest level of the code for sustainable homes.
-
Livingstone wants space standards and green homes
03/04/2009
Former London mayor Ken Livingstone has called for developers to be held to tough environmental standards for new homes to tackle the ‘biggest crisis humanity has ever seen’.
-
Fed calls for £3bn efficiency scheme
31/03/2009
The chief executive of the National Housing Federation has written to the chancellor calling for £3 billion to improve the energy efficiency of social housing.
-
Report urges builders to go green
31/03/2009
House builders can have a positive environmental impact and ‘create habitats in which wild species thrive’, according to a new report.
-
Guide outlines economic vision for eco-towns
30/03/2009
The Town and Country Planning Association has set out its vision of how businesses should operate in eco-towns.
-
‘Zero carbon unachievable due to cost’
20/03/2009
The House Builders’ Association has warned that the government’s ‘zero carbon’ green standards are unachievable due to the costs involved.
-
Study finds just two eco-towns are viable
12/03/2009
The financial viability of the government’s planned eco-town programme has been called into question by a new report which gave only two of the proposals a glowing bill of health.
-
Association steps in to save green homes
09/03/2009
A threatened eco-home scheme in Sheffield looks set to go ahead after housing group Places for People stepped in.
-
Tees Valley to study waste energy heat
06/03/2009
All new housing in the Tees Valley area could be heated by waste energy from the area’s heavy industry, under a new plan by the area’s leaders.
-
CLG under fire on HIPs and eco-towns
04/03/2009
The Communities and Local Government department needs to work harder on its effectiveness or risk failing in its policy objectives, a committee of MPs has said.
-
Green goals next for decent homes
20/02/2009
The government has signalled a possible extension to its decent homes programme by setting out plans to upgrade the environmental performance of its existing social housing stock.
-
Landlords wary of developers’ homes
20/02/2009
The majority of social landlords have little or no intention of buying up any homes from private developers in order to ease the housing crisis.
-
Kerslake backs energy efficiency plans
18/02/2009
The head of the government’s housing and regeneration body has said the organisation is well placed to tackle climate change.
-
Carbon cut petition goes to Number 10
13/02/2009
Almost 200 housing associations have petitioned the government over concerns that private developers are shirking environmental standards.
-
Confusion slows green progress
13/02/2009
Development professionals and the public are confused about sustainability. A recent survey of planners, developers, contractors and architects found that the lack of a common definition is impeding progress on the green agenda.
-
Mandelson promises green jobs revolution
13/02/2009
The government has signalled that it will pay more attention to green technologies as a way to boost the economy.
-
MPs join forces to boost eco-issues
13/02/2009
A cross-party group of MPs has been set up to champion sustainable housing.
-
Time to define zero carbon
13/02/2009
Landlords and developers who want to influence the government on the definition of zero carbon buildings must do so by 18 March, when the consultation closes.
-
Tories reveal plans to cut carbon
13/02/2009
The Conservative Party has launched its vision for a greener, more energy efficient Britain. Policy green paper The Low Carbon Economy highlights energy security and the economic benefits of going green.
-
Social housing leads efficiency plans
12/02/2009
Social housing must be at the forefront of ambitious plans to extend green energy makeovers to every house on every street, the housing minister has said.
-
Scottish budget to fund home insulation
05/02/2009
The Scottish National Party-led government in Scotland has managed to get its controversial budget approved by parliament after making a number of concessions to opposition parties.
-
MPs to address green housing issues
03/02/2009
A parliamentary group has been formed to push the government on its sustainable housing policy.
-
Green watchdog given more freedom
03/02/2009
The government’s sustainability watchdog has been given more freedom from Whitehall control.
-
Council plans straw bale social homes
02/02/2009
A Lincolnshire council is hoping to increase its supply of affordable homes by building them from straw bales.
-
Trade body calls for green homes boost
28/01/2009
The trade body for environmental industries is calling for a £6 billion investment in green social housing.
-
First UK homes meet German eco-standard
08/01/2009
Sunderland-based housing association Gentoo is planning to build the first houses in the UK to meet a highly energy efficient German eco-standard.
-
Green focus in new spending plan
05/12/2008
The government is eager to keep its focus on sustainability by ploughing £535 million into green measures to help the economy, the chancellor announced in his pre-Budget report.
-
Renewable energy to pay its way
05/12/2008
Householders and public organisations look set to be paid for generating their own renewable electricity by 2010.
-
Single eco-town judged to be suitable
05/12/2008
Only one of the proposed eco-towns is in an entirely suitable location, according to the government.
-
Welsh sign up to first carbon charter
05/12/2008
Wales has launched the UK’s first green building charter. Backed by the Welsh Assembly Government, 43 construction companies and other organisations have pledged to help create environments which generate low or zero-net carbon dioxide emissions.
-
Winning designs for flood zones
05/12/2008
The future of building in flood zones has been set out, as imagined by the winners of a competition run by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
-
CLG admits it guzzles energy
03/10/2008
The Communities and Local Government Department has confessed to a terrible record on energy consumption, with its headquarters at Eland House getting an F rating under new display energy certificate rules.
-
Cost of green updates takes years to recoup
03/10/2008
It takes too long to recoup money spent on many green energy upgrades, surveyors have warned.
-
Eco-town criteria unveiled
03/10/2008
The government’s design advisory body has come up with its own definition of an eco-town.
-
Energy pledge 'won't boost efficiency'
03/10/2008
Gordon Brown’s £910 million energy pledge is unlikely to have a huge effect on the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock, the figures reveal.
-
Zero carbon site developers sign up
03/10/2008
A development group has been chosen for the second Carbon Challenge site in Peterborough.
-
Eco-towns shortlist gets even shorter
15/08/2008
The government’s plans for eco-towns look increasingly rocky, as developers pull out of the shortlist.
-
Growth in energy use slows
15/08/2008
Growth in household energy use is beginning to decline, a report by the National Audit Office has found.
-
Market for retrofitting worth £6.5 billion
15/08/2008
Retrofitting existing housing stock to make it green could be worth £6.5 billion a year to builders, according to research from Oxford University.
-
Pitt flood review: more must be done
15/08/2008
The government isn’t doing enough to stop or manage flooding, the final report on the 2007 floods claims.
-
Sustainable research centres launched
15/08/2008
Two new research centres to showcase cutting-edge sustainable technology are being built.