Inside Housing
SH Opinion
Stories with this category.
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Sound off: slow progress
18/05/2012
Will the delay to the renewable heat incentive be a major setback for social landlords’ plans for renewable heat? Two experts give their views
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Deal breaker
09/03/2012
The government must make major changes to the green deal if it is to help people out of fuel poverty, cut emissions or boost the economy
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First word
04/11/2011
The Energy Act doesn’t go far enough to reduce fuel poverty and that means tenants will be trapped in sub-standard homes, says Caroline Lucas
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FIT for future investment?
09/09/2011
Is it worth installing photovoltaic panels after 1 April 2012 when the feed-in tariff is due to change?
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Green deal Q&A
09/09/2011
Securing finance from banks is vital to the green deal’s success. Here, Conor Hennebry reveals the sector’s appetite for green investment
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Sound-off
09/09/2011
Opening up on mistakes could save the building industry £5 billion by 2050, argues John Doggart
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Time for change
09/09/2011
The government must do all it can to make the green deal work and save our planet for future generations, says Anne Power
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Government is serious about zero carbon
06/05/2011
The coalition is overhauling its sustainability standards to make zero carbon homes its top priority, says Andrew Stunell
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The right elements
06/05/2011
Should renewable technologies be included in the green deal? Two experts give their views
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Zero carbon definition makes sense
06/05/2011
While the government’s new definition of zero carbon has been largely criticised I would argue that we have ended up with a logical and pragmatic solution for UK housing in the current financial climate.
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The green dream
01/12/2010
The government has heralded its Green Deal for home energy efficiency in a manner that stops just short of a 21-gun salute and a parade of acrobats.
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Best worst news
05/11/2010
You know times are hard when a government claiming to be the greenest ever hacks a third off the budget for the Department for Energy and Climate Change, and we are happy about it - grateful even.
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Cold comforts
05/11/2010
Should winter fuel allowance be scrapped and re-invested in insulating homes?
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Sound-off
05/11/2010
The coalition politicians who understand how much potential the unfolding global solar revolution holds for UK businesses have won their argument to maintain course with the feed-in tariff.
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Target practice
05/11/2010
Secretary of state for energy and climate change Chris Huhne has revealed the stick that will accompany the government’s green deal carrot.
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Winds of change
05/11/2010
Sailing round the world taught Dame Ellen MacArthur to live sustainably. Now she wants to teach people to do the same through a retrofit scheme
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Time for change
10/09/2010
We need to introduce regulatory standards to the retrofitting of existing homes as well as new builds. But defining this regulation shouldn’t be rushed, says Paul Morrell
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Up on the roof
10/09/2010
John Swinney and Allan Thompson debate whether housing associations should sign up for ‘free PV’ offered by green companies’ roof rental schemes?
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Green deal – or no deal?
02/07/2010
The energy secretary has now outlined his £90 billion ‘green deal’ to retrofit 14 million homes in the UK, but should the public shake on it?
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Counting the carbs
18/06/2010
The government must consider a more realistic and cost-effective target of 50 per cent carbon reduction
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A step too far
07/05/2010
Is it better to retrofit to super-insulated German Passivhaus standards or use renewable add-on technologies?
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First word
07/05/2010
Reducing housing’s carbon emissions is a daunting task and perhaps nowhere more so than London where social landlords must take the lead, says Isabel Dedring
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Q&A: retrofit
07/05/2010
Clive Barnett reveals problems social landlords face financing retrofit
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Sound-off
07/05/2010
Can you really get something for nothing? Social landlords are increasingly being approached by companies offering to install electricity generating photovoltaic panels on their housing stock ‘for free’.
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FIT for purpose
09/04/2010
Feed-in tariffs must be part of a national retrofit programme if we are to stop climate change, argues Bill Randall
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Step in the right direction
05/03/2010
In last week’s edition we published the latest instalment in our House Proud campaign.
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A fresh outlook
19/02/2010
Creating sustainable housing requires a whole new approach to life, says Brian Cuthbertson
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Are they up to the task?
19/02/2010
Are housing’s quangos doing enough for the environment?
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Carbon budgeting
19/02/2010
By now, we know why we have to act and pretty much what we have to do to green our existing homes. The problem is finding the estimated £500 billion needed to ‘decarbonise’ the housing stock.
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Green agenda
19/02/2010
These are disappointing times for the sustainability industry. High hopes for a meaningful global deal at December’s Copenhagen climate change summit fell flat. Then, a series of scientific scandals poured fuel on the fire of the climate change sceptics. Finally the UK government still hasn’t defined zero carbon.
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Vox pop - Copenhagen
19/02/2010
It was the environmental summit of the decade but did the Copenhagen conference on climate change deliver?
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Broadening the green agenda
18/12/2009
Alan Yates, our Green Social Housing Champion for 2008/09, looks back on progress over the past 12 months
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Cut the carbon
18/12/2009
With the right EU backing, Housing Europe’s pledge to retrofit 8 million homes by 2020 will significantly reduce domestic emissions
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How Copenhagen affects social housing
14/12/2009
Things are getting tense here this morning, with the African nations threatening to walk out en masse if the developed countries don’t get more serious.
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Zero hour
11/12/2009
It’s been a tough week for green measures. Things are looking rocky in Copenhagen, with squabbles between the richest and poorest nations.
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Copenhagen goals
08/12/2009
We got a real insight into the negotiations yesterday afternoon from Connie Hedegaard, the Danish minister for the climate conference.
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Building up to Copenhagen
04/12/2009
Environmental charity BioRegional is in Copenhagen for the climate change conference that begins next week. Here some of the group offer their initial thoughts on the gathering
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Time to rethink old values
04/12/2009
The housing sector needs a smarter, low-carbon plan for the future, says Tim Dwelly
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Don’t delay
06/11/2009
The Committee on Climate Change’s recent report on meeting carbon targets contained some interesting recommendations for homes, which still account for a major part of total carbon emissions.
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First word
30/10/2009
Labour’s legacy is patchy on green issues, says Jonathon Porritt
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Sound-off
30/10/2009
On 6 December 2009, the great and good of world politics, science and business will gather in the beautiful city of Copenhagen to discuss how to halt climate change.
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The future’s green
30/10/2009
The countdown to the climate change summit in Copenhagen, which starts on 7 December, is gaining momentum and the 20,000-plus delegates will include plenty of lobbyists clamouring for attention.
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Time to act
30/10/2009
Two recent reports on energy have brought home how tough the future will be.
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Who’s the greenest of them all?
30/10/2009
The Conservatives have been trying to paint themselves green. So did their party conference convince you?
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How low can you go?
25/09/2009
The delivery of sustainable homes is a key priority for the UK and last week, Gentoo launched its latest research entitled Codeword.
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First word
04/09/2009
Let’s have less talk and more action on retrofitting, says Sunand Prasad
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Q&A: green progress
04/09/2009
Paul King looks at government progress on green issues
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Sound-off
04/09/2009
The centrally driven decent homes programme has delivered great results for tenants and the social housing sector.
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The best way to zero gains
04/09/2009
Should upgrading nearby homes give a development zero carbon status?
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Winds of change
14/08/2009
The evidence in support of renewable energy is overwhelming, says Bill Randall
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Pump-priming the green agenda
07/08/2009
Super-insulating our homes and making them low or zero carbon is a terrific idea. But who pays for it?
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We’ve gone eco
07/08/2009
Regular readers of Inside Housing and our sister sustainability title Footprint will be aware that we place a strong emphasis on green issues.
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Design gap
03/08/2009
We might be designing eco-homes - but are we building them?
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When will green be viable?
19/06/2009
It is cause for celebration that a social landlord has built the first commercially built houses to hit level 6 of the code for sustainable homes.
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Green dream
12/06/2009
Social landlords must not allow the controversy at Whitehall to eclipse the fight against climate change
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A question of neutrality
08/05/2009
Should the ambitious goal to make all new homes zero carbon by 2016 be abandoned? RICS and WWF square up
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First word
08/05/2009
More than 2 million people are now unemployed. The recession is hurting people badly, and though everyone knows we can’t stop it completely, there are things we can do to help.
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Hot air
08/05/2009
The Budget showed that the government doesn’t believe its own rhetoric
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Sound-off
08/05/2009
There is much to welcome in recent government proposals to massively increase the energy efficiency of the UK housing stock. But the proposed approach, set out in the heat and energy saving consultation paper, will not work.
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Greenwash plans in a spin
27/02/2009
Social landlords can lead the way on eco-refurbishment, but funding and attitude problems must be addressed
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A chance not to be missed
20/02/2009
There are many causes for optimism in the government’s draft heat and energy saving strategy published last week.
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Green goals within reach
20/02/2009
The all-party group on sustainable housing will have a down-to-earth and accessible approach
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It makes sense
13/02/2009
Linking rents to energy efficiency would free up much needed cash, argues Alan Yates
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Loud and clear
13/02/2009
Targeted communication can help ensure tenants get the sustainability message, writes Christopher Pearce
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The bottom line
13/02/2009
After going suspiciously quiet on green issues when the credit crunch kicked in, the Tories are back with a renewed emphasis on energy security and the economic benefits of sustainability.
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A green fix
05/12/2008
When times are tight, high-density housing offers efficiencies for less, says Aurore Julien
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An age-old culprit
05/12/2008
Homes for older people are often energy inefficent. It’s time that changed says Susan Pasint-Magyar
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Green choices should be the most tempting
05/12/2008
We’re good at sticks in this country - less so at carrots. And if there is one thing that the sustainability sector needs, it is incentives to make the green option the most tempting one, especially during tough times.
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Back to basics
03/10/2008
Building energy-efficient homes doesn’t have to be a maze of complexity and expense, says Colin Mitchell
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Costly but crucial
03/10/2008
The government’s energy package of nearly £1 billion has brought home the scale of the problem we face in upgrading our existing stock.
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By cutting corners we go round in circles
15/08/2008
Things are looking increasingly shambolic for the eco-towns.
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It is time to change gear
15/08/2008
Our attitude problem is blocking sustainable solutions, says Erik Bichard
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There's work to do
15/08/2008
Don’t kid yourselves, warns Jeremy Sumeray, making homes energy efficient is a mammoth task