Inside Housing
SH Practice
Stories with this category.
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Ageing sustainably
18/05/2012
By 2020 China will have more than 260 million people over the age of 65. Here, Jess McCabe gets a glimpse at how the country plans to house some of them in a giant, retirement eco-city
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Brazil needs a new approach
18/05/2012
Brazil needs a shift in attitude if it is to successfully tackle its growing housing crisis, says Ruban Selvanayagam
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Mapping the full footprint
18/05/2012
How easily could your organisation calculate its complete carbon footprint? If the answer is ‘not very’, then a new worldwide standard could be just what you need. Elisabeth Jeffries looks at how it works
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Q&A: The Ecological Sequestration Trust
18/05/2012
Eco-cities guru Peter Head has just left contractor Arup, where he headed an 800-strong global urban planning team, to set up a charity with the ambition to transform planning. Here he explains the thinking behind his latest project
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Utopia revisited
18/05/2012
As David Cameron seeks to revive the principles of garden cities with a consultation due later this year, Colin Wiles examines how likely it is that his vision will come to fruition
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A high price to pay
09/03/2012
The government is legally obliged to do all it can to eradicate fuel poverty by 2016. But there are growing fears that its plan to meet this target could actually make the problem worse in the short term. Nick Duxbury investigates
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A problem shared
09/03/2012
Sharing views on retrofit with a group of landlords across Europe has been invaluable, says Richard Baines
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Cheaper by the Durkan
09/03/2012
The contractor charged with giving an east London estate a facelift also threw in comprehensive energy retrofitting - at no extra cost. Jess McCabe finds out more
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Foreign intervention
09/03/2012
The threat of climate change may not be a big enough priority in most countries, but going green can help to tackle other, more pressing, socio-economic problems, as demonstrated by a retrofit project in South Africa, says Jane Henley
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It pays to recycle
09/03/2012
A London council is rewarding tenants for recycling. Poppy McPherson finds out whether the celebrity-backed scheme is persuading people to be greener
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Green guru
04/11/2011
The delivery of sustainable homes is a global problem and providers in the UK can learn a lot from their counterparts around the world, says Neil Jefferson
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Health check
04/11/2011
Can living in an energy-efficient home improve residents’ well-being? Gentoo’s latest retrofit pilot aims to find out. Martin Hilditch reports
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Hit for six
04/11/2011
A 91-home Yorkshire development might mark the peak of sustainable house building. Martin Hilditch finds out why
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How to...
04/11/2011
Social landlords can play a big role in improving the energy efficiency of the nation’s homes. But they must lobby hard to ensure ministers understand that they will need support to do so, says Martin Wheatley
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Eco doctor
09/09/2011
Retrofitting thousands of social homes means thousands of tenants will need to be temporarily re-housed. So where will they all go? Perhaps Hi-de-Hi-style holiday camps, says Paul Ciniglio
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Green guru
09/09/2011
Social landlords must ask themselves now how they will access green deal cash and whether energy company obligation funding can help, says Sally Hancox
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Meeting requirements
09/09/2011
Barny Evans and Julian Elsworth explain what ‘allowable solutions’ are and how social landlords should implement them when building zero carbon homes
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Prefabulous
09/09/2011
Prefab homes have suffered from a negative image but the latest designs are energy efficient and affordable, making them a much more attractive option. Nick Duxbury reports
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Eco doctor
06/05/2011
The Budget’s surprise changes to the zero carbon standard have sparked lively debate, says the Zero Carbon Hub’s Neil Jefferson, but more important changes are still to come
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Green guru
06/05/2011
Alison Mathias explains the Homes and Communities Agency’s ‘double subsidy’ rules on claiming feed-in tariffs
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How to...
06/05/2011
The renewable heat incentive can help social landlords fund green technology. Rory Bergin explains how it works
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A fit investment?
18/03/2011
Feed-in-tariffs should cut carbon emissions and bills. But should landlords invest in renewable technology themselves or work with an installation company? Here, two housing associations argue the toss
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Some fuel for thought
04/03/2011
Companies will install solar panels for free to reduce tenants’ bills, but are rent-a-roof schemes the way forward? Kate Silverman and Alison Deighton, lawyers at TLT Solicitors, explain
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Eco doctor
11/02/2011
John Barnham explains how landlords can use the new 80 per cent rent regime to fund retrofitting hard-to-treat homes
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Green guru
11/02/2011
Refurbishing to meet 2050 energy targets will be much more complex than the decent homes programme. Oliver Novakovic explains why landlords must start the countdown for this deadline now
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How to...
11/02/2011
Martin Reeves explains how to retrofit a whole city by launching a low carbon enterprise partnership to create a booming local green economy
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Questions & answers
11/02/2011
Jane Briginshaw talks about Homes and Communities Agency involvement in sustainable design and why some developers have been granted eco-waivers
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Eco doctor
05/11/2010
Chris Paul explains how to negotiate the hurdles of forming an ESCO arrangement
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Green guru
05/11/2010
Community heating systems are a cost-effective way for social landlords to comply with carbon reduction targets but inexperienced providers could get caught out. Casey Cole explains how to avoid the pitfalls of metering
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How to...
05/11/2010
Duncan Price explains how landlords can join a new funding consortium to maximise their return from feed-in tariffs
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Eco doctor
10/09/2010
Strengthening supply chains through ‘sandpit’ days will help reduce the cost of building zero carbon homes on a grand scale says Dr Elizabeth Ness
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Green guru
10/09/2010
Olivia Powis tallies up the funding available to help pay for retrofitting a home
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How to...
10/09/2010
Andrew Eagles outlines five areas social landlords can target to improve their SHIFT environmental ranking
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FITs and starts
08/06/2010
Stuart Urquhart and Lynne Murray, from law firm TLT, give an overview of feed-in tariffs and look at some of the issues for consideration when tapping into the benefits of the scheme.
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Eco doctor
07/05/2010
Richard Baines gives the lowdown on feed-in tariffs and sets out how social landlords can unlock the benefits
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Green guru
07/05/2010
Jon Broome goes against the grain with simple, cost-effective suggestions of where to spend and where to save
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How to...
07/05/2010
Justin Broadbent examines the potential pitfalls of installing green energy and how best to avoid eco-cowboys
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Eco doctor: sustainable master planning
19/02/2010
Matt Kitson offers a healthy dose of advice to ensure your sustainable masterplan hits the mark
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Green guru - how to save energy
19/02/2010
The number of households that spend more than 10 per cent of their income on energy is rising. Green Doctors can advise them on how to live greener - and cheaper. Claire Hardwick and Phil Beardmore tell us what works best
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How to…
19/02/2010
…become a sustainable council and lead local transformation by example
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Changing course
11/12/2009
Building zero carbon homes is frequently in the headlines, but zero carbon refurbishment could be an even bigger issue. Andrew Eagles explains
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Eco doctor
30/10/2009
How do you know that your waste carrier is operating legitimately? Simple, ask it these questions…
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Green guru
30/10/2009
In September, Accord Group became the first housing association in the country to achieve a kitemark from the stringent European Eco Management and Audit Scheme. Here, project leader John Bedford explains how
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How to…
30/10/2009
An ESCo - or energy services company - works with clients such as house builders and social landlords to generate and supply low and zero-carbon energy.
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Retrofit rethink
30/10/2009
Kevin McCloud talks about the challenges of retrofitting
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Delicate balance
04/09/2009
Westminster Council is tackling difficult housing stock - and hoping to lobby government with the results
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Eco doctor: energy efficiency in tall buildings
04/09/2009
The problem: poor energy efficiency in tall buildings. The remedy: combined heat and power. Here’s how…
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Eco doctor: green building
04/09/2009
David Pinckney presribes five ways to help us build green in the red
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Green guru: the Scandinavian way
04/09/2009
Morten Schmidt outlines the key principles in designing environmentally friendly housing the Scandinavian way
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How to cost-effectively retrofit existing housing stock
04/09/2009
Typically, an existing home gives off more than double the carbon emissions (and has twice the fuel costs) of a new house.
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Living the high life
04/09/2009
Three 24-storey tower blocks in west London are being given a green makeover which will include a set of wind turbines and the largest array of solar panels in the capital
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Refurb for the masses
04/09/2009
A north London flat in a Victorian house is the scene of a pilot experiment to see if eco-friendly refurbs can be achieved at mass-market prices. Philippa Ward paid a visit
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Green guru: cutting the cost of driving
08/05/2009
Solihull Community Housing has revamped its commercial vehicles with the aim of cutting carbon emissions and fuel costs. Operations manager Malcolm Castanheira offers his top tips on driving a greener fleet
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Green guru: saving water
08/05/2009
Sue Lea describes five lessons from the UK’s first large-scale retrofitting of water saving devices
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How to boost biodiversity on housing estates and in communities
08/05/2009
Members of the UK Green Building Council’s biodiversity task group offer 10 tips
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How to...use grant to improve energy efficiency
08/05/2009
Phil Moore, managing director of Danfoss Heat Pumps, explains how to improve the energy efficiency of your stock using grant from the low carbon buildings programme
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Care in the community
13/02/2009
With plans for net zero carbon emissions and thousands of metres of solar panelling, Graylingwell has top notch green credentials and a community focus too
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How do their gardens grow?
13/02/2009
Encourage tenants to live more sustainably by saving them money and improving their quality of life, advises Mel Grech
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Net gain
13/02/2009
David Moon looks at how online tools and guides can help cut waste to landfill
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Up to the challenge
13/02/2009
Using super-insulation, a green spine and a waterfront location, the pPod development won the Carbon Challenge bid by pushing sustainable boundaries
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A fast growing alternative
05/12/2008
Hemp has great potential as a building material, says Tom Woolley
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The green green roofs of home
05/12/2008
Look up to find a route to better sustainability, says Ian Moores
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Current affairs
15/08/2008
Ryan Southall and Pavol Sedlak look at an international survey of social housing
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EPC: as easy as ABC?
15/08/2008
The government is championing energy performance certificates but confusion remains. Paul Staley provides a user’s guide
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Go with the flow
15/08/2008
The UK should learn from Australia on sustainable water design, says Bob Sargent