Friday, 25 May 2012

Inside Housing
Sustainability

Stories with this category.

  • DECC cuts penalty for multiple solar schemes

    25/05/2012

    Housing providers who install photovoltaic panels could be in line for higher than expected payments following changes to government plans.

  • Landlords fear lenders could scupper green deal

    25/05/2012

    Landlords fear the government’s flagship retrofit scheme could be derailed by lenders because it might reduce property values.

  • Social landlords sign up with retrofit finance body

    23/05/2012

    A host of social landlords have joined the Green Deal Finance Company which has now doubled its membership since it was incorporated in March.

  • Energy provider offers fuel poverty training

    22/05/2012

    One of the UK’s leading energy suppliers is offering free training to housing association staff in combating fuel poverty.

  • Wales plans to end family homelessness

    21/05/2012

    The Welsh Government has unveiled plans to end family homelessness by 2019 in its housing white paper published today.

  • The big picture

    21/05/2012

    Arguments over elements of the government’s drive to improve home energy efficiency risk overshadowing the goal of ending fuel poverty, argues Duncan Price

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Coming of age

    18/05/2012

    The Rio+20 conference is an opportunity to tackle the sustainability issues that rapid population growth and urbanisation create, says Susanne Salz

  • 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

  • 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

  • Simplified green regulations proposed to cut build costs

    18/05/2012

    Social housing developers in Northern Ireland could be allowed to abandon ‘complicated’ green building regulations in favour of a simpler system under plans to save money on building homes.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Green crisis?

    17/05/2012

    Today climate change minister Greg Barker tweeted: ‘Terrific meeting with PM and DPM on #GreenDeal at No10. Strong support but lots more to do before launch in autumn, so full steam ahead!’

  • 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.

  • Report calls for new generation of garden cities

    17/05/2012

    Local and national government should help to unlock land for a new generation of garden cities by reducing the risk for investors, according to a report published today.

  • Councils will need more green deal incentives

    17/05/2012

    Additional incentives will be needed to encourage local authorities to adopt the green deal, according to a report commissioned by the government.

  • London mayor sets up procurement panel

    16/05/2012

    Social landlords will be able to use a procurement panel set up by the Mayor of London.

  • Housing stalwart gets policy review brief

    16/05/2012

    Housing stalwart and former Inside Housing columnist Jon Cruddas is to co-ordinate Labour’s policy review.

  • Councils seek partner for green deal roll out

    14/05/2012

    A group of local authorities in north east England is looking for a delivery partner to help it take advantage of the government’s green deal energy efficiency scheme.

  • Housing association to lead £196m estate overhaul

    11/05/2012

    Ealing Council has chosen a housing association for the £196 million regeneration of the Havelock Estate in Southall.

  • Peabody submits £120m plans

    11/05/2012

    Housing provider Peabody has submitted a planning application for a £120 million regeneration scheme on an estate in South London.

  • Landlords sceptical about green deal

    11/05/2012

    Social landlords believe the government’s flagship retrofit scheme will be unpopular with their tenants.

  • Green groups come together

    10/05/2012

    How many green deal groups does it take to change an energy saving light bulb?

  • PM under pressure to boost green deal incentives

    10/05/2012

    Officials preparing a briefing for the prime minister on the government’s green deal energy efficiency scheme have been urged to consider further incentives to encourage take up.

  • Housing 'left out of Queen's speech'

    10/05/2012

    The Queen’s speech has provoked mixed reaction from the sector as housing was largely left out of the government’s priorities for the next parliamentary session.

  • Scottish councils to get £582m to build green homes

    08/05/2012

    The Scottish Government has today pledged £582 million to councils to build affordable homes, with those producing greener homes receiving larger subsidies.

  • Labour victory in Wales

    04/05/2012

    Labour has made big gains right across Wales, emerging as the only major winner of the night.

  • Government defends new heat incentive

    04/05/2012

    The government insists the delayed roll-out of its scheme to incentivise the use of renewable heat will not suffer from the setbacks to its controversial feed-in tariff scheme for solar power.

  • In at the deep end

    04/05/2012

    What lessons must be learned from the past, as landlords take the plunge on ECO funding? Nick Duxbury and Madeleine Cuff report.

  • Alliance Homes sets up free solar scheme

    03/05/2012

    A housing association is helping cash-poor social landlords defy cuts to government subsidies by installing solar panels with no upfront cost.

  • Model village wins next stage of planning battle

    03/05/2012

    An energy-efficient community has moved a step closer as the second phase is given planning permission.

  • Community groups could get extra green deal cash

    03/05/2012

    Groups of tenants who sign up for work to improve the energy efficiency of their homes could get cash payments from the government.

  • Power players join forces to ‘stress test’ green deal

    03/05/2012

    Landlords, energy companies and major retailers have joined forces to provide the first comprehensive stress test of the government’s flagship retrofit scheme.

  • Cash in the attic

    03/05/2012

    For all the attention focused on the green deal, it is easy to forget there is already millions of pounds of retrofit funding waiting in the wings. In fact, one particular £350 million pile is burning an increasingly fearful hole in energy companies’ pockets.

  • Green energy consultancy rebrands after buy out

    30/04/2012

    Green energy consultancy Camco Advisory Services, which works extensively across the housing sector, has rebranded following a management buy-out of the company from its international parent.

  • Greg Barker brokers retrofit cash crisis talks

    27/04/2012

    Climate change minister Greg Barker is brokering crisis talks between council bosses and energy companies to save a flagship £350 million sustainability programme.

  • Report: ‘Build rules must be simplified’

    26/04/2012

    Procurement processes in the housing sector are ‘onerous and costly’, thanks to overzealous interpretations of European Union procurement rules, according to a report.

  • Builder proposes retrofit alternative to zero carbon

    26/04/2012

    A leading house builder has called on the government to scrap plans to make homes zero carbon from 2016 in favour of a levy to improve existing stock.

  • Ministers urged to delay tougher efficiency goals

    23/04/2012

    The government should scrap plans to increase the energy efficiency of new homes next year because of a lack of progress in meeting current goals, a think tank has claimed.

  • Cold cottage rescue

    20/04/2012

    Isolation from mains gas can spell financial hardship. Alex Turner investigates how Cornish landlords are exploring renewable energy solutions to rural fuel poverty

  • Landlords get option of free solar panels

    20/04/2012

    A contractor and supplier have developed the first model to allow social landlords to install photovoltaic panels on their tenants’ roofs for free under the government’s reformed solar subsidy system.

  • Coalition ministers split over green initiative

    19/04/2012

    A rift has opened up between ministers at the helm of the Communities and Local Government department over plans to require households to carry out energy-efficiency work if they extend their home.

  • Conservatory conundrum

    19/04/2012

    From the extraordinary manner in which the government has aborted its plans for consequential improvements as part of the changes to building regulations, one could be forgiven for assuming the proposals were toxic to the electorate.

  • Fair fuel for all

    17/04/2012

    Nick Clegg’s deal with the energy providers is of huge importance, but more should be done to help fuel poor families, argues Alison Thain.

  • Grand Designs presenter attacks green deal row

    17/04/2012

    Celebrity green architect and TV presenter Kevin McCloud has waded into the row over reports the government will scrap plans to link building regulations with the government’s flagship energy efficiency programme, the green deal.

  • Shapps refutes claims he wants green deal ditched

    16/04/2012

    Housing minister Grant Shapps has rejected claims that he wants the government to abandon its multi-billion pound flagship energy efficiency scheme.

  • Landlords win access to £190m fuel poverty fund

    13/04/2012

    Government responds to Inside Housing’s Green Light campaign by redesigning the energy company obligation

  • More work to be done

    13/04/2012

    We are not yet proclaiming victory in our Green Light campaign to allow social landlords full access to £1.3 billion in annual funding to help tackle fuel poverty, but this week marks a big step forward.

  • Plans to raise £200m for energy-efficiency fund

    13/04/2012

    The Housing Finance Corporation is in talks with the European Investment Bank to create a £200 million investment for up to 20 housing associations to carry out energy-efficiency works.

  • Up on the roof

    13/04/2012

    Councils must consider the impact of photovoltaic panels on right to buy sales, says Linda Storey

  • Government amends fuel poverty subsidy funding

    11/04/2012

    The government has amended its flagship retrofit policy so that social landlords are no longer entirely excluded from fuel poverty subsidy funding.

  • Contractor agrees £28m regeneration deal

    11/04/2012

    A contractor has agreed a £28 million deal to deliver more than 200 new homes across regeneration projects on three estates.

  • Top of the hill

    10/04/2012

    Twice before governments have attempted to force through improvements to the energy efficiency of existing homes and then backed down. Now the backlash is building again.

  • A chilling legacy

    05/04/2012

    The UK’s drafty Victorian housing stock contributes to fuel poverty and the ill health of the nation but it could be insulated using local government pension funds, says Bill Randall

  • Social landlord among group of green deal leaders

    04/04/2012

    A housing association and two leading social housing contractors are among 22 organisations that have signed up to pioneer the government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme.

  • Solid wall insulation could benefit 1m homes

    04/04/2012

    Around 12 per cent of homes in England and Wales could qualify for unsubsidised solid wall insulation under the terms of the government’s green deal, research has found.

  • Four firms shortlisted for £1.55bn retrofit deal

    03/04/2012

    Birmingham has shortlisted four firms for a £1.55 billion contract to improve the energy efficiency of homes and businesses in the city.

  • Project launched to study carbon zero homes

    30/03/2012

    Residents of green housing schemes in England will have their say on the use of renewable energy alternatives as part of a study into carbon zero homes.

  • Ruling hands ALMO £10m

    30/03/2012

    A landmark legal ruling on solar subsidies will result in a £10 million profit for an arm’s-length management organisation.

  • Councils urged to recognise housing need

    27/03/2012

    It is up to local authorities to make sure the new planning framework provides the homes England needs, campaigners have warned today.

  • Government publishes revised planning reforms

    27/03/2012

    Councils in England that do not have a valid local plan will be forced to follow the new planning framework from today, the government has said.

  • Travellers to be banned from green belt

    26/03/2012

    Gypsies will be banned from camping on green belt land after the government revealed its streamlined planning policy for Traveller sites.

  • Government loses appeal over FIT rate

    23/03/2012

    The Supreme Court has today rejected the government’s attempt to appeal against two previous court rulings that it acted unlawfully in cutting solar subsidies retrospectively in December.

  • A welcome delay

    23/03/2012

    There have been lots of headlines about delays to the green deal in the past few weeks.

  • Planners concerned by NPPF implementation

    22/03/2012

    Concerns have been raised about the implementation of the national planning policy framework after the chancellor announced it would come into force next week.

  • NPPF to be published next week

    21/03/2012

    The National Planning Policy Framework is to be finally published by the government next Tuesday, the chancellor has announced.

  • Government lowers bar for green deal providers

    20/03/2012

    The government is lowering the requirements for organisations that want to become providers under its green deal energy efficiency scheme.

  • Construct a greener future

    16/03/2012

    Building regulations are being tightened in a bid to protect the environment, says Catherine Parker, solicitor at Trowers & Hamlins

  • Labour claim green deal to be hit with delay

    15/03/2012

    Climate change Greg Barker has admitted that secondary legislation attached to the green deal will not emerge until after parliament’s spring recess, contrary to previous government statements.

  • Coalition nimbys in NPPF plea to Cameron

    15/03/2012

    A group of Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs has written to David Cameron urging him to ensure that the controversial national planning policy framework protects rural areas.

  • Almost 8 million people in fuel poverty

    15/03/2012

    The number of people who are fuel poor has soared to almost 8 million and is likely to get worse, a new report warns.

  • MP calls for compulsory solar panels on new homes

    14/03/2012

    The Conservative MP for Carlisle has called for the fitting of solar panels to be compulsory on all new build homes.

  • What does the green deal mean for social housing?

    13/03/2012

    Sustainable Housing and Willmott Dixon are offering the chance to win £500 of Marks & Spencer vouchers in return for filling in our green deal survey.

  • Stuck in the starting gate?

    12/03/2012

    It’s the only game in town, but will it be a success? MP Alan Whitehead assesses the green deal’s chances.

  • East midlands landlords join forces in £40m plan

    09/03/2012

    Councils and housing associations in the east midlands are banding together to carry out at least £40 million in energy efficiency work under the green deal.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • A problem shared

    09/03/2012

    Sharing views on retrofit with a group of landlords across Europe has been invaluable, says Richard Baines

  • A shift in perception

    09/03/2012

    The Shift index measures landlords’ sustainability. Jess McCabe finds out how they score

  • Bid to build UK’s largest Passivhaus scheme

    09/03/2012

    Norwich-based housing association Broadland plans to build the UK’s largest ultra-energy efficient Passivhaus scheme to tackle fuel poverty.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • Prime location

    08/03/2012

    So Edinburgh has won ownership of the Green Investment Bank.

  • Mayoral candidate outlines housing plans

    08/03/2012

    Liverpool needs to use its land to build more homes and improve the energy efficiency of existing properties, according to Richard Kemp, who will stand for mayor of the city.

  • NPPF unlikely to see significant change

    08/03/2012

    The final version of the controversial national planning policy framework is unlikely to see significant change, senior sector figures have said.

  • Government allocates £3.5m to green deal training

    08/03/2012

    The government is making £3.5 million available to train assessors and installers for its flagship green deal energy efficiency scheme.

  • Fuel poverty to rise by 38% despite green deal

    02/03/2012

    The number of fuel poor households living in English social housing is expected to soar by 38 per cent by 2016 as the government’s flagship energy efficiency policies fail to tackle the problem, exclusive figures show.

  • Council targets 10 estates for PV panels

    01/03/2012

    A council and its arms-length management organisation have joined together to put almost 120 photovoltaic solar panels on roofs on estate as part of a £1.5 million project to make ten estates more eco-friendly.

  • Kicking off with a bang

    01/03/2012

    It’s funny how rhetoric changes.

  • Green deal to get 'soft launch' in October

    29/02/2012

    The introduction of the government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme in October will be a ‘soft launch’, the climate change minister has said.

  • Kerslake says government will push on with NPPF

    29/02/2012

    The head of the civil service has confirmed that the presumption in favour of sustainable development will be kept in the National Planning Policy Framework.

  • Getting radical

    27/02/2012

    As the extent of fuel poverty become clear serious questions have to be asked of the tools for tackling the problem

  • Study finds green deal will not address fuel poverty

    27/02/2012

    Fuel poverty in the UK is set to increase by 40 per cent by 2016 despite the introduction of government energy efficiency schemes, according to research.

  • London co-op issues shares to fund PV

    23/02/2012

    A Brixton-based co-operative has launched a share issue, to fund the installation of solar photovoltaic panels on a Lambeth estate, using an innovative model which it hopes to roll out to social housing across south London.

  • Supreme Court appeal puts FIT rates at risk

    23/02/2012

    The government will be able retrospectively change tariffs for already installed solar schemes if it wins a legal battle over the cutting of solar subsidies, campaigners have warned.

  • FIT and proper

    23/02/2012

    The news that the government registered an appeal at the Supreme Court over the High Court’s ruling that it acted unlawfully in cutting the feed-in tariff, was barely news.

  • Where next for the green deal?

    22/02/2012

    As the government ponders its response to the green deal consultation, Bill Hull, from law firm TLT, examines the key areas of interest for registered providers

  • Government approves PFI funds for estate overhaul

    20/02/2012

    The regeneration of a London council estate is to go ahead after the government agreed £150 million of private finance initiative funding.

  • Big win for Green Light campaign

    17/02/2012

    Social landlords are set to be exempted from an extra 20 per cent cut to the feed-in tariff as part of a government overhaul of the solar subsidy system unveiled last week.

  • Model village

    17/02/2012

    It’s been more than a decade in the making, but eventually Derwenthorpe will be a great example of an energy-efficient community. Jess McCabe finds out why it’s taken so long to build

  • See the light

    17/02/2012

    The Department of Energy and Climate Change’s latest announcement doesn’t mean the end of solar schemes in social housing

  • Strike while the iron’s hot

    17/02/2012

    Landlords have until 12 December to deliver carbon emission and energy savings targets. Christopher Paul, partner at Trowers & Hamlins explains

  • Landlord pushing through solar installations

    16/02/2012

    A housing association is fitting solar photovoltaic panels onto homes and offices to help reduce tenants’ energy bills.

  • Regulations hamper construction carbon targets

    13/02/2012

    The building industry’s prospects on delivering carbon reduction targets and remaining competitive are hampered by a lack of clarity in regulations, according to a new report.

  • Landlord planning to be first green deal provider

    10/02/2012

    A small south west housing association is looking to become one of the first landlords to set up as a provider under the £14 billion green deal plan.

  • Pros and cons

    09/02/2012

    This morning climate change minister Greg Barker announced a fundamental overhaul of the feed-in tariff.

  • Social housing could be saved from extra FIT cut

    09/02/2012

    The government is consulting on plans to protect social housing solar photovoltaic panel schemes from an especially heavy cut to solar subsidies as part of an overhaul of the feed-in tariff system.

  • Flint: ban benefit payments for substandard homes

    09/02/2012

    Private landlords whose homes do not meet minimum energy efficiency standards should be not be able to house tenants on housing benefit, the shadow energy secretary has argued.

  • Solar subsidy to be linked to PV panel costs

    09/02/2012

    The government will today move to shore up the future of the bruised solar sector by announcing an overhaul of the way renewable subsidies are paid.

  • Ringing the changes

    06/02/2012

    Opened last year, Orbit Heart of England’s Sampson Close development in Bell Green is one of the first schemes in the area to meet Passivhaus standards. Here the various partners explain why they are taking this high energy efficiency approach to house building.

  • New energy secretary urged to resolve FIT row

    06/02/2012

    Friends of the Earth has called on the newly installed energy secretary to step up and sort out ‘the mess’ over solar subsidies.

  • Davey to take on green role as Huhne resigns

    03/02/2012

    Liberal Democrat MP Ed Davey is to become the coalition government’s new secretary of state for the environment, overseeing key initiatives such as the green deal.

  • Carbon cut targets slashed for house builders

    03/02/2012

    The government has scaled back carbon reduction targets for house builders that will come into force ahead of the move to ‘zero carbon’ in 2016.

  • Window of opportunity

    03/02/2012

    Last month’s court ruling means landlords may have a few weeks to claim the pre-cut feed-in tariff rate, says Rob Beiley, partner at Trowers & Hamlins

  • Testing times

    02/02/2012

    The National Planning Policy Framework. Remember that?

  • Landlords to be forced to improve energy efficiency

    01/02/2012

    The government is planning to use building regulations as a means of increasing take-up of its flagship retrofit scheme, the green deal when it is introduced in October.

  • Landlord agrees 1,000-home PV scheme

    27/01/2012

    A landlord has appointed contractors to install solar photovoltaic panels on the roofs of 1,000 tenants’ homes.

  • A valuable lesson

    27/01/2012

    The green deal consultation has now closed. So has the government made the grade? Nick Duxbury gives ministers their marks

  • Landlords dust off PV schemes

    27/01/2012

    Social landlords are moving to capitalise on a brief window of opportunity, in which cuts to the feed-in tariff could be reversed, by kick-starting abandoned schemes.

  • New regulation to cause a dip in eco-standards

    27/01/2012

    Eco-standards could slump across the social housing sector as a result of government regulatory reforms, a leading green body has warned.

  • Fool's gold

    26/01/2012

    Call me old fashioned, but I think there is something to be said for at least trying to be the bigger person in an argument.

  • Huhne defends Supreme Court appeal bid

    26/01/2012

    The government has defended its challenge to a High Court ruling that a decision to reduce payments to the feed-in-tariff was ‘legally flawed’.

  • Councils back green deal efficiency scheme

    26/01/2012

    Most local authorities are keen to get involved in the government’s green deal energy efficiency scheme, research has suggested.

  • Authorities urged to tackle fuel poor areas

    26/01/2012

    The government is being urged to work with local government to set up ‘low carbon zones’ to tackle fuel poverty in deprived areas.

  • Government to take FIT fight to Supreme Court

    25/01/2012

    The government is seeking to take the fight over cuts to the feed-in-tariff all the way to the Supreme Court after losing an appeal against a High Court ruling that the deadline was ‘legally flawed’.

  • Judges reject government’s solar cuts appeal

    25/01/2012

    The government has lost its appeal against a High Court ruling that an earlier than expected cut to solar subsidies is illegal.

  • British Gas: Government CERT targets unrealistic

    24/01/2012

    British Gas has warned the government that energy companies will not meet suppliers’ obligation targets – meaning they could be fined up to 10 per cent of its global turnover by watchdog, Ofgem.

  • Institute warns green deal won't tackle fuel poverty

    20/01/2012

    The government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme won’t tackle fuel poverty, the Chartered Institute of Housing has warned.

  • Firms line up with green deal concerns

    20/01/2012

    A group of leading companies including major high street retailers Marks & Spencer and Homebase have called on the government to amend its flagship retrofit scheme so social landlords are not excluded from subsidy to tackle fuel poverty.

  • Reaching critical mass

    20/01/2012

    Next week is a big one for social landlords across the UK and also for two Inside Housing campaigns.

  • Green around the gills

    19/01/2012

    You can spot them a mile away.

  • Government proposes new FIT cut date

    19/01/2012

    The government has moved to address the uncertainty surrounding the feed-in tariff by proposing a cut from 3 March if the government loses its legal battle.

  • Huhne claims sector will benefit from ECO

    19/01/2012

    The energy secretary has rejected suggestions that social landlords will not get fair access to funding from energy companies to improve efficiency.

  • Government warned green deal is at risk of failure

    18/01/2012

    Housing and building groups have warned the government the green deal is in danger of not succeeding unless a series of obstacles are dealt with.

  • MPs: Vulnerable risk losing out on smart meters

    17/01/2012

    A group of MPs has warned that the benefits of installing smart power meters in every home in Britain may not reach vulnerable people and could be kept by energy companies.

  • Group to call on Cameron to resolve FIT row

    13/01/2012

    An environmental campaign group will call on prime minister David Cameron to personally intervene to resolve the ongoing legal clash between the government and solar bodies over its early cut to solar subsidies.

  • Wise old owls

    13/01/2012

    Friday 13: a diary date that is usually associated with colossal misfortune.

  • Social housing PV unviable unless FIT rates double

    13/01/2012

    Incentive payments for electricity generated from solar panels need to be set at nearly double the proposed rate for installations to remain viable for social landlords, according to research.

  • Landlords await feed-in tariff ruling

    13/01/2012

    Social landlords and solar lobbyists will today find out whether the government has successfully appealed a High Court ruling that an early cut to solar subsidies was illegal.

  • Efficiency concerns prompt calls for testing

    09/01/2012

    A housing body is calling for post-construction checks of the energy efficiency of new homes after tests showed designed levels are not being achieved.

  • FIT ruling ‘too late’ for sector

    06/01/2012

    Most abandoned social housing solar photovoltaic schemes are unlikely to be revived even if a legal battle leads to government solar subsidy cuts being reversed until April.

  • The end of the world as we know it?

    06/01/2012

    How will the social housing sector fare in 2012? Jess McCabe gathers a round table of industry experts to get their predictions.

  • FIT fight

    05/01/2012

    Hold the front page: the government disagrees with the High Court’s ruling that early cut to the feed-in tariff was illegal. Wow. So no one saw that coming?

  • Government lodges appeal against solar cut ruling

    04/01/2012

    The government has lodged an appeal against last month’s High Court ruling that an early cut to solar subsidies was illegal.

  • Welsh Govt to raise standards of new homes

    03/01/2012

    The Welsh Government has pledged to raise the energy performance standards in new homes after taking over responsibility for building regulations.

  • National Trust and CofE oppose FIT cuts

    23/12/2011

    The Church of England and National Trust have added their voices to those opposing cuts to payments for solar power as a consultation on the plans closes.

  • Government seeking to appeal FIT ruling

    22/12/2011

    The government has said it will appeal a High Court ruling that its consultation into reduced payments to the feed-in-tariff was legally flawed.

  • Campaigners claim FIT legal victory

    21/12/2011

    Campaigners fighting government plans to slash solar subsidies are claiming a major victory in court.

  • Landlords cautious over carbon targets

    16/12/2011

    A third of social landlords believe they are unlikely to meet national targets to reduce carbon emissions by 2050, according to a survey by the Chartered Institute of Housing.

  • Legal showdown over proposed cuts to FIT

    16/12/2011

    Friends of the Earth and two solar companies are set to clash with the government over its cut to the feed-in-tariff in a legal showdown next Tuesday.

  • Fuel for doubt

    16/12/2011

    The government won’t win round environmental sceptics until it clarifies its messages, says Nick Duxbury

  • 38,000 households denied energy savings

    16/12/2011

    More than 38,000 social households across Britain will miss out on energy savings worth an estimated £7.2 million a year as a result of this week’s cut to the feed-in tariff.

  • A wasted chance

    16/12/2011

    The impact of the government’s decision to halve the feed-in tariff was revealed this week and the figures are startling.

  • Review of the year

    16/12/2011

    What a year. From the economic doom and gloom to the summer’s riots, social landlords have had their work cut out over the past 12 months. Here, Inside Housing looks back at the highs and lows

  • Willmott Dixon sets up green deal arm

    16/12/2011

    Willmott Dixon has set up a new company so it can become a ‘major’ green deal provider as part of the government’s flagship retrofit scheme.

  • FIT cuts prompt ‘gold rush’ for PV panel maker

    15/12/2011

    Cuts to payments for electricity generated through solar panels have proved ‘perversely helpful’ according to one housing association-owned business.

  • Climate change advisors dismiss fuel bill fears

    15/12/2011

    Concerns that subsidies to improve energy efficiency will drive up fuel bills are unfounded, according to the panel that advises the government on climate change.

  • Contractor planning continued used of PV schemes

    14/12/2011

    A contractor has pledged to continue working with housing providers in the solar photovoltaic market despite cuts to the feed-in-tariff.

  • Landlords rush to finish PV schemes

    13/12/2011

    Social housing providers have rushed to finish fitting photovoltaic panels to homes before government cuts take hold.

  • FIT cuts deadline approaches

    12/12/2011

    Solar panels installed on homes across the country from tomorrow will receive reduced rates of money through the Feed-in-Tariff.

  • Out of the ashes

    09/12/2011

    For most landlords, installing photovoltaic panels after the 12 December is off the cards.

  • Councils could be forced to take green deal role

    09/12/2011

    Local authorities could next year be ‘required’ to take part in the government’s flagship retrofit scheme, the green deal.

  • Solar firm makes PV viable despite FIT cut

    09/12/2011

    A solar firm has worked with lenders, accountants, lawyers and a housing association to develop a lease model to work with the new, low-rate feed-in tariff.

  • The green deal dilemma

    09/12/2011

    The exclusion of social landlords from key fuel poverty funds leaves a weak business case for the green deal, as Nick Duxbury discovers

  • Euro Commission could hit UK over FIT cuts

    08/12/2011

    The European Commission has confirmed that the UK government could face legal action over plans to halve solar subsidies.

  • Contractor has £10m pot to deal with redundancies

    07/12/2011

    A contractor which recently announced 4,500 jobs were under threat due to cuts to the feed-in-tariff, has put aside £10 million to deal with the ‘downsizing.’

  • Planning framework could face legal challenges

    02/12/2011

    The wording of new planning guidelines could spark legal challenges over the meaning of key terms, senior housing figures have warned.

  • Green deal ‘won’t work’ for social housing

    02/12/2011

    The government’s flagship green deal retrofit scheme will fail to achieve national carbon reduction targets and exacerbate fuel poverty in social housing unless it is amended, experts have warned.

  • Solid offer

    02/12/2011

    Social landlords must be quick off the mark to capitalise on energy company obligation funding

  • Leap of faith

    01/12/2011

    As the human impact of feed-in tariff cuts begins to be felt, Nick Duxbury hopes the malaise doesn’t spread across the sustainability field

  • Solar cuts threaten 4,500 jobs at Carillion

    01/12/2011

    Carillion Energy Services emerged as the biggest casualty of the government’s early cut to the feed in tariff so far as it announced that the solar reforms meant 4,500 jobs were under threat.

  • Government confirms £200m green deal sweetener

    30/11/2011

    The government has confirmed plans to put £200 million into encouraging take up of its green deal energy efficiency scheme.

  • Campaigners secure £18m for Welsh homes

    28/11/2011

    The Welsh Government will spend an extra £18 million on housing after sector representatives successfully campaigned for greater investment.

  • Fed demands changes to green deal design

    25/11/2011

    The government needs to do more to make its flagship green deal energy efficiency scheme work for social tenants, the National Housing Federation has said.

  • Fuel poverty campaign hits House of Commons

    25/11/2011

    Inside Housing lobbied parliament this week after the UK’s first Green Party MP tabled an early day motion to the House of Commons to support our Green Light campaign.

  • Show your support

    25/11/2011

    One of the key aims of the Green Deal consultation, announced on Wednesday by energy secretary Chris Huhne, is to cut fuel poverty.

  • Green monster

    24/11/2011

    When you are on press deadline on a Wednesday afternoon, how do you start to get your teeth into a 238 page document?

  • Huhne hints at rethink for social housing FIT cuts

    24/11/2011

    The energy secretary has suggested the government will consider putting in place special feed-in tariff rates for social housing providers, but that is not currently able to do so.

  • Greater incentives needed to boost green deal

    24/11/2011

    The green building sector has called for greater incentives to encourage take up of the government’s green deal, after details of the energy efficiency scheme were released yesterday.

  • FIT cuts threaten wider energy efficiency work

    23/11/2011

    Cuts to payments for electricity generated from solar panels will have wider implications for energy efficiency in the social housing sector, Caroline Flint has claimed.

  • Huhne promises further green deal incentives

    23/11/2011

    The energy secretary has announced consumers who take up the green deal efficiency scheme will receive £150 payments and promised further incentives.

  • Social landlords cut off from £1.3bn energy fund

    23/11/2011

    Social landlords look set to be excluded from the bulk of a £1.3 billion a year fund to improve energy efficiency and target fuel poverty.

  • Government to set out details of efficiency scheme

    23/11/2011

    The long-awaited consultation on the government’s green deal energy efficiency scheme is expected to be published later today.

  • Further £50 million to address empty homes

    21/11/2011

    The government has announced an extra £50 million of funding for empty homes in areas where it is a particular problem.

  • Local authorities facing £86 million carbon tax bill

    18/11/2011

    Cash-strapped councils face a combined carbon tax bill of £86 million next year which risks stripping funds from energy saving projects, experts have warned.

  • Panel priorities

    18/11/2011

    Landlords must act fast to salvage what they can from photovoltaic deals before the feed-in tariff is cut, says Rob Beiley

  • Shining stars

    18/11/2011

    We reveal details of the winners of the 2011 UK Housing Awards

  • The sustainability race

    18/11/2011

    Green energy installations were meant to be the future but how much will it cost to get there? And will the race to fit photovoltaic panels before the feed-in tariff is cut lead to a bumpy ride? Jess McCabe investigates.

  • Green dealing

    17/11/2011

    I will endeavour not to mention our Green Light campaign in this week’s blog.

  • Landlords awarded cash for renewable heat

    17/11/2011

    The first wave of winners to share in a £4 million fund to install green heating systems in tenants’ homes has been revealed.

  • Research uncovers green deal limitations

    17/11/2011

    The government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme will only fund a small proportion of work to improve homes without subsidy, according to research.

  • Landlord opens timber frame homes factory

    16/11/2011

    A housing association has become the first in the country to open its own factory manufacturing low carbon timber frame homes

  • Legal challenge to FIT cuts to go ahead

    14/11/2011

    A campaign group has confirmed it will take the government to court over cuts to financial incentives for solar energy.

  • Industry chief attacks government FIT 'own goal'

    11/11/2011

    The government’s decision to cut solar feed-in tariffs has been branded an ‘own goal’ by an industry body.

  • Fighting FIT

    11/11/2011

    You can imagine that Greg Barker had been dreading today for some time.

  • Labour ministers back fuel poverty campaign

    11/11/2011

    Senior Labour politicians have pledged their support for Inside Housing’s campaign to ensure social landlords can access vital green subsidies to combat fuel poverty.

  • Last rent-a-roof PV scheme?

    11/11/2011

    Westcountry Housing Association has become the first, and possibly the last, social landlord to complete a rent-a-roof solar photovoltaic scheme on its properties.

  • The final countdown

    11/11/2011

    Last week the government placed a stick of dynamite under social landlords’ sustainability plans with a shock cut to the feed-in tariff. Nick Duxbury examines the fallout

  • Second legal challenge to FIT cuts emerges

    10/11/2011

    The government is facing its second legal challenge in a week over its proposed cuts to the feed-in tariff from a consortium of solar companies.

  • Councils call for Huhne to delay cuts to FIT

    10/11/2011

    Councils are calling on Chris Huhne to delay planned cuts to the feed-in-tariff warning that they will have to drop thousands of solar photovoltaic panel installations.

  • Contractor announces halt to PV work

    10/11/2011

    A contractor has decided stop working on solar photovoltaic schemes after the government revealed plans to cut payments made through the feed-in-tariff.

  • Council PV plans under review after FIT cut

    09/11/2011

    A council which was planning to put solar photovoltaic panels on 3,000 homes is ‘reviewing its position’ after the government announced cuts to feed-in-tariff payments.

  • MEP calls for Europe to investigate FIT cut

    09/11/2011

    An MEP has called on the European Commission to investigate whether the government’s proposal to slash the feed-in-tariff will damage the UK’s ability to meet EU targets on renewable energy.

  • Solar rules to exclude 86% of UK homes

    09/11/2011

    Just 14 per cent of UK homes would be eligible for incentive payments for generating electricity from photovoltaic panels under government proposals.

  • Best behaviour

    08/11/2011

    Increasing energy efficiency isn’t just about fitting the latest technology, says Professor Elena Gaura, landlords must also examine patterns of use

  • Government issued with legal threat over FIT cuts

    07/11/2011

    The government has been warned to change its plans to cut feed-in tariff payments or risk being taken to court.

  • Green light

    04/11/2011

    ‘Apocalyptic’. That is how one major PV provider described the news of the government’s cut to the feed-in tariff.

  • 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.

  • Energy performance certificate overhaul

    04/11/2011

    Energy performance certificate assessors will have to complete extra training and tests under government plans for an overhaul of the system ahead of the launch of its flagship retrofit scheme.

  • Fight fuel poverty

    04/11/2011

    The number of social tenants in fuel poverty could rise to 2.5 million across Britain if expected government sustainability reforms proceed.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Hit for six

    04/11/2011

    A 91-home Yorkshire development might mark the peak of sustainable house building. Martin Hilditch finds out why

  • 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

  • Keeping it real

    04/11/2011

    Have house builders misused the word ‘sustainable’ in the national planning policy framework debate?’

  • Rally against fuel poverty

    04/11/2011

    Leading housing and sustainability figures have rallied to support Green Light, Inside Housing’s new campaign to secure social landlords’ access to vital green subsidies so the sector can protect tenants from fuel poverty.

  • Sound-off

    04/11/2011

    It’s no longer enough for housing providers to focus on bricks and mortar or be sustainable on behalf of their tenants.

  • 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

  • Tariff cut leaves solar plans on the scrapheap

    04/11/2011

    The sun set on landlords’ solar ambitions this week as an unexpectedly savage cut to a subsidy payment for solar photovoltaic panels left the majority of social housing PV schemes unviable.

  • 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

  • DECC could rethink fuel poverty plans

    03/11/2011

    The government may be prepared to back down on plans that would have excluded social landlords from funding to alleviate fuel poverty.

  • Green deal could fund zero carbon homes

    03/11/2011

    Applying the green deal to new homes could make financing zero carbon developments more acceptable, a sustainability expert has said.

  • Landlords face extra pain as solar incentive slashed

    31/10/2011

    Social landlords are facing an extra cut to payments for electricity generated from renewable sources on top of the 51 per cent reduction announced today.

  • Sharp cuts expected from solar payment review

    31/10/2011

    Proposed cuts to payments for using domestic solar panels are to be outlined today with rumours suggesting the incentives could be halved.

  • Sustainable spin?

    28/10/2011

    Welcome to the week of green smoke and mirrors.

  • Renewable heat budget increased by a third

    28/10/2011

    Funding available for social landlords to install renewable heating equipment has been increased by a third, to £4 million.

  • Landlords reluctant to sign green deal pledge

    28/10/2011

    The social housing sector is holding back from signing a pledge of support for the government’s flagship retrofit scheme because of fears it will be excluded from millions of pounds of subsidy funding.

  • Feed-in tariff link to encourage use of green deal

    27/10/2011

    Incentive payments to encourage the use of renewable energy generation are to be dependent on making homes energy efficient.

  • Tower blocks to get £9m revamp

    27/10/2011

    Hundreds of residents are to get their homes revamped in a £9 million project to upgrade five tower blocks.

  • Europe approves renewable heat scheme

    27/10/2011

    The European Commission has approved a UK government scheme to give financial rewards for the generation of heat from renewable sources.

  • Landlords told to get ‘head start’ on green deal

    25/10/2011

    Grant Shapps has urged social landlords to get on with improving the energy efficiency of their homes rather than waiting for next year’s green deal scheme.

  • Feed in tariff fears freeze £175m investment

    24/10/2011

    The social housing sector could be the biggest loser in a rumoured shake up of a scheme to incentivise the installation of solar panels, a social enterprise has warned.

  • Out in the cold

    21/10/2011

    If social landlords lose out on the energy company obligation it will be fuel poor tenants who suffer

  • Winners named at Sustainable Housing Awards

    21/10/2011

    The winners of the Sustainable Housing Awards 2011 have been announced at a ceremony in London this afternoon.

  • Regeneration of hostel gives tenants new skills

    20/10/2011

    A landlord is using the redevelopment of a former convent to teach residents new skills and keep them informed of what is going on.

  • ECO subsidy threat to low-income tenants

    20/10/2011

    Money raised from energy bills to subsidise the government’s national retrofit programme could exacerbate fuel poverty for thousands of low-income households, an independent report has warned.

  • Council chosen to lead housing growth scheme

    14/10/2011

    A council has been picked to head up a new housing network to support local authorities deliver sustainable development in their communities.

  • A big deal

    14/10/2011

    It has been yet another week of grim economic news. Unemployment is at its highest level since 1994 and even if you are in work the flagging economy means real incomes are set to have fallen by 7 per cent by 2013.

  • Landlords to be blocked from fuel poverty funding

    14/10/2011

    The government is planning to exclude social landlords from accessing millions of pounds of funding to tackle fuel poverty.

  • Sun block

    14/10/2011

    New guidance issued to lenders will make rent-a-roof schemes much more complicated for landlords, warns Richard Brooks

  • Hit the roof

    12/10/2011

    Who would have thought it would be this difficult to get solar panels on roofs?

  • Recycling rates not fault of high density housing

    11/10/2011

    High density housing is no excuse for failing to boost London’s recycling rates, a report from the London Assembly has said.

  • Private landlords face tougher efficiency rules

    07/10/2011

    Rules forcing private landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their homes could be introduced earlier if progress is not made voluntarily.

  • Contract renegotiations put solar deals at risk

    07/10/2011

    Housing associations are facing the prospect of eleventh-hour renegotiations over photovoltaic panel ‘rent-a-roof’ deals worth hundreds of millions of pounds, following guidance published this week.

  • Eco-energy scheme delay

    07/10/2011

    The government has had to postpone the launch of its £860 million renewable heat incentive as a result of concerns from the European Commission.

  • The right combination

    07/10/2011

    Landlords should ensure the benefits of combined heat and power systems outweigh the burdens, says Nnenna Morah, senior associate in the housing team at Lewis Silkin

  • Capital gain

    04/10/2011

    For almost as long as the green deal has been conceived, those that have been considering taking part have had one principle concern: the cost of capital.

  • Minister rejects calls for carbon tax on domestic gas

    04/10/2011

    The energy minister has rejected calls for a carbon tax on domestic gas use to encourage households to make their homes more energy efficient.

  • Companies give green deal finance a boost

    04/10/2011

    Banks, energy companies and retailers have come together to form a not for profit company that will reduce the cost of finance in the government’s flagship retrofit scheme, the green deal.

  • Planners hit back at countryside campaigners

    03/10/2011

    The chief executive of the Town and Country Planning Association and a government minister have criticised opponents of new planning rules.

  • The green gap

    30/09/2011

    The government is launching a committee to ensure eco-homes are up to standard. Here Gavriel Hollander investigates what the group’s focus should be

  • Zero carbon homes ‘too expensive’ to build

    30/09/2011

    Building zero carbon homes is too costly and difficult in the current economic climate, a survey of 20 developers has claimed.

  • Lib Dems seek green homes tax for nuclear firms

    27/09/2011

    The Liberal Democrats have approved a policy motion that calls for the operators of nuclear power stations to pay a tax to improve home energy efficiency.

  • Green team

    23/09/2011

    Empty homes, housing revenue account reform and evictions were the headline housing issues at this week’s Liberal Democrat conference in Birmingham.

  • Plan of action

    23/09/2011

    England needs a coherent planning framework if it is to develop homes and communities which pass the test of time

  • Stunell announces new build sustainability tests

    23/09/2011

    Housing developments are to be vetted to ensure they are as eco-friendly as developers and social landlords claim.

  • NPPF to boost affordable homes development

    22/09/2011

    The National Planning Policy Framework will deliver more affordable homes, the decentralisation minister promised today.

  • Cameron reassures planning critics

    21/09/2011

    David Cameron has confirmed his commitment to the ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ as the row over proposed planning reforms continues to rage.

  • Carrot and stick

    20/09/2011

    With the green deal proving a harder sell than expected there are indications the government may take a tougher line in its quest for carbon cuts.

  • CLG group seeks green building compliance

    20/09/2011

    The Communities and Local Government department has set up a committee to ensure green building standards are met.

  • Households reluctant to take on green technology

    20/09/2011

    Persuading households to take up the green deal energy efficiency scheme may take more effort than expected, a pilot has concluded.

  • Huhne pledges to bring down energy costs

    20/09/2011

    The energy secretary has reaffirmed his commitment to make the coalition the greenest government ever by helping households tackle spiralling energy bills and using the green deal to stimulate jobs.

  • Banks block landlords’ solar plans

    16/09/2011

    Social landlords’ plans to install photovoltaic panels on their homes are being blocked by banks refusing to sign off hundreds of millions of pounds worth of ‘rent-a-roof’ deals.

  • Don’t bank it

    16/09/2011

    The feed-in tariff has been perhaps the most successful ‘green’ government initiative ever.

  • Council plans PV panels for 1,600 homes

    14/09/2011

    Brighton & Hove Council is planning to install photovoltaic solar panels on 1,600 homes across the area.

  • Private landlords to consider green deal

    13/09/2011

    A majority of private landlords would consider taking advantage of the green deal to improve energy efficiency in their properties, a survey shows.

  • Campaigners demand green deal VAT cut

    12/09/2011

    Campaigners are calling for tax breaks to support the government’s green deal as the Energy Bill enters its final stages.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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?

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Sound-off

    09/09/2011

    Opening up on mistakes could save the building industry £5 billion by 2050, argues John Doggart

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Durham plans 3,000 home solar project

    07/09/2011

    Durham County Council is considering plans to fit photovoltaic panels to 3,000 of its homes.

  • British Gas begins smart meter roll out

    06/09/2011

    British Gas is to start rolling out smart meters to its customers’ homes this month.

  • Fit for the future

    06/09/2011

    Lessons must be learnt from Affinity Sutton’s green deal pilot if the wider scheme is to be made to work, says Nick Duxbury

  • Figures reveal scale of zero carbon challenge

    06/09/2011

    Only 160 homes that would meet the government’s definition of zero carbon were built between April 2007 and June 2011.

  • Architects appointed for 5,000-home eco-town

    02/09/2011

    The architects have been appointed for a new eco town in Cornwall which will provide 5,000 green homes for the local community.

  • Green deal faces ‘carbon black hole’

    02/09/2011

    The government’s flagship retrofit scheme could fail to meet national carbon reduction targets, leaving a 26 per cent ‘carbon black hole’, a housing association has warned.

  • Mind the gap

    02/09/2011

    The warning from Affinity Sutton this week of a ‘carbon black hole’ in the government’s flagship green deal should set alarm bells ringing.

  • Council agrees to rent 3,000 roofs for PV

    31/08/2011

    A council has joined forces with an energy provider to fit solar photovoltaic panels to some of its housing stock.

  • Cost of building green homes falling

    26/08/2011

    The cost of building greener homes is falling year-on-year, new research shows.

  • Landlord makes 11th-hour bid for energy funds

    26/08/2011

    A housing association has launched a last-ditch attempt to help social landlords prise £350 million of eco-cash from the grasp of energy companies.

  • Green belt development row grows

    23/08/2011

    The planning minister has waded into a row between campaign groups and housebuilders over proposed planning reform.

  • Brewing a saving

    23/08/2011

    Last night I returned to my house around 9pm sweating profusely and ravenous having run home from work.

  • Charity concerned by smart meter plans

    19/08/2011

    Citizens Advice has warned proposals for the roll out of smart meters could leave consumers vulnerable to exploitation by energy companies.

  • Tory calls for development on green belt

    18/08/2011

    A Conservative peer has tabled an amendment to the Localism Bill suggesting that the green belt should be used for development.

  • Camden appoints builder for Passivhaus project

    18/08/2011

    Camden has appointed a contractor to develop a 53 home residential block that will meet the Passivhaus energy efficiency standard.

  • Housing schemes feature in architecture awards

    18/08/2011

    Two affordable housing schemes from the UK have made it onto the shortlist of the World Architecture Festival Awards 2011.

  • Heat incentive is lukewarm

    16/08/2011

    It’s encouraging to see the Department of Energy and Climate Change recognising the needs of the social housing sector, but some more support would be useful.

  • Landlord to test green technologies

    16/08/2011

    Greenfields Community Housing is fitting photovoltaic panels to 1,000 of its 8,000 homes and testing ways to improve the energy efficiency of the remainder.

  • UK-GBC to develop green training framework

    16/08/2011

    The UK-Green Building Council is setting up a task group to develop a training framework for sustainable development.

  • Landlords invited to bid for £3m eco-heating cash

    15/08/2011

    Social landlords can bid for thousands of pounds to help them install eco-heaters in the homes of tenants.

  • Council approves plans for eco-town

    12/08/2011

    Detailed planning permission has been granted for the first phase of one of the eco-town developments.

  • Birmingham leading on home insulation

    10/08/2011

    Birmingham is leading the way in improving the energy efficiency of homes, according to government figures.

  • Energy efficiency arguments are ‘misguided’

    10/08/2011

    Attempting to convince households to improve energy efficiency on the basis of fuel savings alone is misguided, a government-backed pilot scheme has concluded.

  • The green deal stick

    05/08/2011

    Energy Bill campaigners have done well to get the government to accept regulations that will ensure properties in the private rented sector meet minimum efficiency standards.

  • Social tenants offered free energy advice

    05/08/2011

    Social housing tenants in parts of London are to be offered free advice on improving the energy efficiency of their homes.

  • Campaigners tackle government over Energy Bill loopholes

    05/08/2011

    The government is facing a backlash from a newly formed coalition of charities and sustainability campaigners over its plans to improve the energy efficiency of private rented homes.

  • Investors need confidence on green policy

    02/08/2011

    For some people, Monday will have marked the end of their green dream.

  • HCA report backs district heating schemes

    02/08/2011

    A £26 million Homes and Communities Agency programme to evaluate the effectiveness of district heating systems has concluded they can offer a range of benefits.

  • Mears lands £20m PV deal with British Gas

    02/08/2011

    Mears has won a £20 million photovoltaic panel installation contact through its partnership with British Gas.

  • Newcastle to take on green deal role

    02/08/2011

    Newcastle is planning to set up a partnership with other local authorities to fund home energy efficiency improvements through the green deal.

  • Consumers buy in to renewable heat scheme

    01/08/2011

    A scheme offering householders funding towards energy efficient forms of heating has received 2,700 expressions of interest ahead of its launch today.

  • Solar profits to improve housing stock

    27/07/2011

    Nottingham Council is planning to use money generated by fitting solar panels to its homes to invest in improving its stock.

  • Brand awareness

    26/07/2011

    ‘What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.’

  • Energy certificates to promote green deal

    26/07/2011

    Energy performance certificates that are required for any home being bought, sold, or rented out have been redesigned to promote the green deal.

  • Social landlords get fifth of renewable heat fund

    22/07/2011

    The government has set aside £3 million of a £15 million renewable heat generation fund for social landlords.

  • British Gas launches green deal forerunner

    20/07/2011

    British Gas has launched its version of the government’s green deal home energy efficiency scheme.

  • Proving their worth

    19/07/2011

    There has been some interesting news on the green investment bank this week, but the big story for me has been the 2011 Sustainable Housing awards.

  • Green bank may not fund home efficiency

    19/07/2011

    The government has refused to commit to using its £3 billion green investment bank to kick-start its flagship home energy efficiency scheme.

  • Trial backs use of energy monitors

    19/07/2011

    Fitting energy monitors to homes could cut gas bills by 20 per cent, a study has found.

  • Cambridge eco-town discussions reopened

    19/07/2011

    Plans for a former eco-town near Cambridge could go ahead after the parish council reopened discussions on its future.

  • Council planning solar panels for all homes

    19/07/2011

    A council is making plans to install photo-voltaic solar panels onto all its housing stock.

  • Beating the solar deadline

    15/07/2011

    Landlords have a limited time to cash in as subsidy switches from big to small-scale solar panel schemes. Laurence Lacey, associate at Clarke Willmott, explains

  • Finalists announced for Sustainable Housing Awards 2011

    13/07/2011

    The finalists for the Sustainable Housing Awards 2011 have been announced.

  • The green week

    12/07/2011

    Today sees the launch of Sustainable Housing’s weekly green news bulletins.

  • Ebenezer Howard - a thoroughly modern man

    12/07/2011

    I sit on the Board of Howard Cottage Housing Association in Letchworth, and this is our centenary year. We were founded in 1911 by Sir Ebenezer Howard, the man who created the Garden Cities.

  • Councils ponder £1.2 billion solar offer

    11/07/2011

    A solar panel maker has said several Yorkshire councils have expressed an interest in fitting its products after it unveiled a £1.2 billion deal.

  • A nudge in the right direction

    08/07/2011

    What do you have to do to get people to accept free improvements to their home that will cut their energy bills?

  • Green deal users offered council tax holiday

    08/07/2011

    Households are to be offered a month off from paying council tax in return for signing up to the government’s green deal scheme.

  • Huhne denies Energy Bill delay will hit green deal

    08/07/2011

    The energy secretary has denied delays to the government’s Energy Bill will affect its flagship home energy efficiency scheme.

  • Carbon payments could raise £1.1 bn

    08/07/2011

    Local authorities could set up multi-million pound funds to pay for carbon reduction measures using contributions from developing associations and house builders, under proposals unveiled this week.

  • Framework to help landlords buy PVs

    08/07/2011

    North Somerset Housing is offering landlords free use of a framework to purchase solar photovoltaic panels in a move which it believes could save landlords six-figure sums.

  • High street firms to pilot green deal

    06/07/2011

    Leading DIY and energy firms have signed up for a series of trials of the government’s green deal home energy efficiency scheme.

  • Zero carbon rethink to drive energy demands

    06/07/2011

    Revisions to the government’s definition of zero carbon homes will result in increasing demands for low carbon electricity, it has emerged.

  • Zero carbon homes proposals unveiled

    05/07/2011

    Proposals have been published outlining how builders could meet the requirement to develop zero carbon homes from 2016 by paying for offsite schemes.

  • Hot air

    30/06/2011

    Eco-bling? Hmm. There’s something not quite right in the statement by Grant Shapps about zero carbon homes this week.

  • Clear goals needed to cut carbon emissions

    30/06/2011

    The committee that monitors the government’s progress on reducing carbon emissions has called for firm goals on home energy efficiency.

  • Action plan to cut carbon in built environment announced

    22/06/2011

    The government has unveiled an action plan to work with industry bodies to cut carbon across the construction sector and built environment by 2050.

  • Retrofit pilot exceeds expectations

    22/06/2011

    Early results from a trial scheme to improve the energy efficiency of homes have exceeded expectations, providing a boost for the government’s flagship retrofit scheme.

  • Construction company to launch solar PV division

    17/06/2011

    A construction firm is to launch a new division which will design, fund, build and install solar photovoltaic panels to existing homes throughout the country.

  • Be more inventive

    17/06/2011

    At last year’s annual Chartered Institute of Housing conference and exhibition at Harrogate, the views of delegates were used to produce a ‘housing pact’ which was presented to housing minister Grant Shapps on the final day of the event.

  • Cracking efficiency

    17/06/2011

    It’s undisputed that housing must be provided more efficiently, but how best to do it? Inside Housing convened a round table of industry experts to find out. Caroline Thorpe reports

  • True to their word?

    17/06/2011

    Last year the Chartered Institute of Housing’s inaugral Housing Pact asked for a series of commitments from the government and set out what the sector would do in return. Twelve months on, Sarah Davis examines which pledges were kept

  • Presumption for sustainable development needs better definition say experts

    15/06/2011

    The government’s ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ needs to be more tightly defined, experts have said.

  • Minister to call for more to be done to fight carbon emissions from homes

    13/06/2011

    The UK needs to do more to fight carbon emissions in homes and buildings or risk losing the war against climate change, the communities minister will warn tomorrow (Tuesday).

  • Minister rejects calls for green deal plan

    10/06/2011

    The government came under fire this week for failing to commit to an implementation plan for improving the energy efficiency of homes in England.

  • Feed-in tariff cuts could hit landlords

    10/06/2011

    Landlords have warned cuts to payments made for energy from solar panels will discourage the use of renewable power generation.

  • HIAs turn to green deal in face of cuts

    10/06/2011

    Home improvement agencies in England are eyeing the health and environment industries to help replace the £300 million of funding to upgrade private sector homes, which has been axed by the government.

  • Efficient business

    07/06/2011

    Social landlords could benefit from the renewable heat incentive if they adopt the right model, argue lawyers Kate Silverman and Stuart Urquhart

  • Further details of Green Deal revealed

    02/06/2011

    Further details of the Green Deal have been released by the government including which measures are suitable for a property and plans to ensure consumers are not ripped off.

  • Housing associations and councils sign up for '£50 billion' retrofit scheme

    31/05/2011

    A total of 12 housing associations and four councils in Liverpool have signed up to a retrofit scheme.

  • More providers are assessing homes for climate change risk

    26/05/2011

    The number of housing providers assessing their homes for climate change risk has risen by nearly a quarter in two years.

  • Green bank is key to efficiency scheme

    25/05/2011

    The Federation of Master Builders has said the green investment bank is the only way the government can deliver its flagship green deal policy.

  • Investigation launched into Olympic Park green credentials

    24/05/2011

    The London Assembly has launched an investigation into how green the 2012 Olympic Park will be after the games have finished.

  • Retrofit scheme could be funded by Green Investment Bank

    23/05/2011

    The government’s flagship scheme to cut energy bills of homes across the UK could be launched with the help of the Green Investment Bank.

  • Sustainable development warning issued ahead of planning framework

    23/05/2011

    The government has been urged not to water down the definition of sustainable development through its planning framework.

  • Green revolution

    20/05/2011

    The Green Party this month won an historic victory to take control of its first council. Here, in an exclusive interview with Rhiannon Bury, Brighton & Hove’s new leader Bill Randall reveals his plans

  • What’s the deal?

    20/05/2011

    It is almost a year to the day that housing minister Grant Shapps declared the government would publish a definition of zero carbon housing ‘within weeks’.

  • Councils join forces for sustainable future

    18/05/2011

    An agreement between three councils to shift to more sustainable communities and fight climate change has been signed.

  • Amendment achieved as Localism Bill voted through

    18/05/2011

    The Liberal Democrat Party has secured a crucial amendment for the Localism Bill to force ministers to define ‘sustainable development’ as it was voted through the Commons.

  • Huhne announces 50% cut in carbon emissions by 2025

    18/05/2011

    Energy secretary Chris Huhne has announced a 50 per cent cut in the UK’s carbon emissions by 2025.

  • Shapps outlines zero carbon standard

    18/05/2011

    The government has outlined its long-awaited definition of zero carbon homes, but said some details have yet to be confirmed.

  • Government pledge to cut carbon by more than half

    17/05/2011

    Energy Secretary Chris Huhne will today tell MPs that the government has committed to the most ambitious carbon cuts in the world.

  • Take a stand

    13/05/2011

    Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg this week called on his party to ‘take a long hard look at ourselves’ and deliver a more ‘muscular liberalism’ following the ‘bloody nose’ given by voters.

  • Energy standards to enforce green deal

    11/05/2011

    The government has announced plans to ensure all landlords face minimum energy efficiency standards under the green deal.

  • Government not doing enough to help homes go green

    10/05/2011

    Almost two thirds of the public think the government is not doing enough to improve energy efficiency in British homes, according to a YouGov poll.

  • Cameron called on to deliver green pledge

    09/05/2011

    Business leaders have written to David Cameron urging him to deliver on promises to cut carbon emissions from the property sector.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Green guru

    06/05/2011

    Alison Mathias explains the Homes and Communities Agency’s ‘double subsidy’ rules on claiming feed-in tariffs

  • How to...

    06/05/2011

    The renewable heat incentive can help social landlords fund green technology. Rory Bergin explains how it works

  • 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

  • Lobbyists demand Energy Bill detail

    06/05/2011

    Retailers and environmental organisations are demanding that ministers set out how much carbon it expects to cut through their green deal retrofit programme.

  • 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.

  • Promises, promises

    06/05/2011

    Housing was a key issue in last year’s general election. But one year on, how many of their campaign promises are coalition ministers still committed to? Caroline Thorpe finds out

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • The right elements

    06/05/2011

    Should renewable technologies be included in the green deal? Two experts give their views

  • 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.

  • 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

  • Builders cast doubt on efficiency scheme

    04/05/2011

    The Federation of Master Builders has questioned whether the government’s green deal scheme will results in the expected gains in energy efficiency.

  • Coalition MP demands government re-think on zero carbon

    28/04/2011

    A Liberal Democrat MP has tabled a motion demanding the government reverse its decision to water down the definition of zero carbon.

  • Purchasing power

    28/04/2011

    Housing providers are used to counting the financial cost of the items they procure. But tough carbon cutting measures mean they must also keep an eye on their environmental cost. Here Caroline Thorpe reveals the carbon footprint of 15 of the items most commonly purchased by the sector

  • Top eco award for Scottish house

    26/04/2011

    An innovative house built to trial different construction methods and renewable energy technologies has been recognised with a national industry award.

  • Critics attack fuel bill cap

    21/04/2011

    Plans to cap charges on fuel bills risk undermining the government’s flagship green deal programme of energy efficiency improvements.

  • Tenants will pay to go green

    21/04/2011

    Social tenants would be prepared to pay extra for eco-friendly upgrades to their homes, a survey has found.

  • Welsh landlords want fund to help homes go green

    21/04/2011

    Community Housing Cymru wants to set up a £90,000 revolving fund to improve the energy efficiency of thousands of homes in Wales.

  • MEP calls for Europe-wide home efficiency standard

    18/04/2011

    Europe is in danger of missing out on the benefits of home energy efficiency, the Green MEP for London has warned.

  • Social landlords urged to embrace green deal

    15/04/2011

    The climate change minister has urged social landlords to get involved in the green deal energy efficiency scheme.

  • Cold homes cost NHS £145m a year

    11/04/2011

    Caring for people who are ill due to cold homes costs the National Health Service £145 million a year, according to research.

  • Scottish Labour party releases manifesto

    08/04/2011

    The Scottish Labour party has promised secure and affordable homes for tenants in its party manifesto.

  • Cracking the code

    08/04/2011

    The benefits of adhering to the code for sustainable homes far outweigh the costs involved

  • Green standard to help nimbys

    08/04/2011

    Nimby councils could block development in their areas by demanding higher sustainability standards for new homes, environmental campaigners have warned.

  • The REIT stuff

    08/04/2011

    REITS could help the private rented sector become the tenure of choice, says Simon Randall

  • Winning formula

    08/04/2011

    The Budget was generally good news for the housing sector

  • Hospital to heat Camden homes

    04/04/2011

    Heat from a hospital in London will be used to keep 1,500 Camden Council homes warm in a scheme to recycle energy.

  • WWF quits zero carbon task group

    04/04/2011

    Leading environmental organisation WWF has resigned from the government’s Zero Carbon Hub following the coalition’s decision to water-down the zero carbon definition.

  • Campaigners demand more ambition on home efficiency

    01/04/2011

    Builders and environmental groups have joined forces to demand the government adopts a more ambitious approach to home energy efficiency.

  • Contest searches for new star

    01/04/2011

    A competition to find housing’s next leaders is being launched by the Chartered Institute of Housing and Inside Housing this week.

  • Double trouble

    01/04/2011

    The double subsidy prohibition should not arise if landlords play their cards right on feed-in tariffs

  • Leap of faith

    01/04/2011

    Sustainability standards for new homes were unexpectedly lowered in the Budget. Isabel Hardman investigates whether the changes end David Cameron’s ambition to form the ‘greenest government ever’.

  • Report questions green deal potential

    28/03/2011

    The green deal energy efficiency scheme is only likely to reduce carbon emissions from social housing by 4 per cent by 2020, a study has found.

  • Housing associations launch rural pledge

    25/03/2011

    Rural housing associations and MPs launched a ‘rural pledge’ on Tuesday calling on landlords to work more closely with local communities when building new homes.

  • Eaga grasps £300m for solar panel fund

    25/03/2011

    Green contractor Eaga is planning to launch a series of special purpose vehicles to capitalise on the government’s renewable heat incentive and invest in retrofitting social homes.

  • A shameful U-turn

    23/03/2011

    In its eagerness to slash red tape the government has removed one of its most laudable policies, says Darren Shirley

  • 'Greenest government ever' under threat

    23/03/2011

    Sustainability figures have questioned the coalition’s claim to be the ‘greenest government ever’ after the Budget scaled back policies on zero carbon homes and retrofit.

  • Government to drop zero carbon homes requirements

    23/03/2011

    The government is expected to back track on its zero carbon homes policy by dropping requirements for developers to invest in renewable energy, Inside Housing has learnt.

  • No fuel bill change after retrofits

    23/03/2011

    A quarter of social tenants who received energy efficiency improvements to their homes had no noticeable savings on their fuel bills after their homes were retrofitted, according to a survey.

  • Budget to unveil sweeping planning changes

    23/03/2011

    Major changes to the planning system are expected to be announced today as the chancellor unveils a Budget intended to promote growth.

  • 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.

  • Green candidate for mayor cites housing as key battle

    22/03/2011

    The Green Party’s candidate for the London Mayoral elections has pledged to make housing a key battlefield in her campaign.

  • Localism Bill could block green projects

    22/03/2011

    The Localism Bill lacks a definition of sustainable development and could block green projects in the future, a group of MPs has warned.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • When is a bank not a bank?

    14/12/2010

    Chris Huhne has disappointed sustainability experts by admitting that the Green Investment Bank might not be a bank after all.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Cold comforts

    05/11/2010

    Should winter fuel allowance be scrapped and re-invested in insulating homes?

  • Eco doctor

    05/11/2010

    Chris Paul explains how to negotiate the hurdles of forming an ESCO arrangement

  • 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

  • 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

  • How to...

    05/11/2010

    Duncan Price explains how landlords can join a new funding consortium to maximise their return from feed-in tariffs

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Intelligent carbon

    24/09/2010

    Not all retrofit projects have the same demands. Andrew Percival, consultant on sustainable property solutions for Kinetics Group, looks at energy efficiency projects in the care home sector.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Green guru

    10/09/2010

    Olivia Powis tallies up the funding available to help pay for retrofitting a home

  • 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.

  • How to...

    10/09/2010

    Andrew Eagles outlines five areas social landlords can target to improve their SHIFT environmental ranking

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • The real deal?

    10/09/2010

    The coalition government has pledged to be the greenest government ever. Isabel Hardman investigates its true colours

  • 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

  • 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?

  • Will the government scale back sustainability schemes?

    03/09/2010

    Rumours abound in the sector that the carbon compliance target for new build homes and the renewable heat incentive might be scaled back.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • When 'zero' doesn't mean zero at all

    18/08/2010

    Professor Tom Woolley, architect at Rachel Bevan Architects, wasn’t disappointed at all when the government recently failed to define zero carbon. In fact, he’s not a big fan of zero carbon at all.

  • 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.

  • The good, the bad, and the broken promise

    28/07/2010

    The government made an announcement today on zero carbon: but it wasn’t the one we expected.

  • 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.

  • New challenges for eco-towns

    12/07/2010

    So the funding for eco-towns has been cut in half.

  • 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.

  • The waiting game

    06/07/2010

    The housing sector is waiting very eagerly for the definition of zero-carbon, and apparently it’s due before the Parliamentary recess starts.

  • The real deal?

    02/07/2010

    In today’s magazine, social landlords are a little worried about the government’s Green Deal, which Chris Huhne outlined last week.

  • 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’.

  • 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?

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Counting the carbs

    18/06/2010

    The government must consider a more realistic and cost-effective target of 50 per cent carbon reduction

  • 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.

  • A re-brand for eco-towns

    16/06/2010

    The government is dropping rather big hints at the moment that it may re-brand the eco-towns programme.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • A step too far

    07/05/2010

    Is it better to retrofit to super-insulated German Passivhaus standards or use renewable add-on technologies?

  • Eco doctor

    07/05/2010

    Richard Baines gives the lowdown on feed-in tariffs and sets out how social landlords can unlock the benefits

  • 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

  • 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

  • Green guru

    07/05/2010

    Jon Broome goes against the grain with simple, cost-effective suggestions of where to spend and where to save

  • 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

  • How to...

    07/05/2010

    Justin Broadbent examines the potential pitfalls of installing green energy and how best to avoid eco-cowboys

  • Q&A: retrofit

    07/05/2010

    Clive Barnett reveals problems social landlords face financing retrofit

  • 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

  • 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’.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Tough talking

    10/03/2010

    The government loves to wheel out the phrase ‘tough green standards’ when talking about new developments. But does that mean anything?

  • 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.

  • Step in the right direction

    05/03/2010

    In last week’s edition we published the latest instalment in our House Proud campaign.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • Bonuses that cut carbon

    26/02/2010

    What would John Belcher, former chief executive of Anchor Trust, have done if his £111,000 bonus had been linked to his performance on sustainability?

  • 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.

  • 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

  • A fresh outlook

    19/02/2010

    Creating sustainable housing requires a whole new approach to life, says Brian Cuthbertson

  • 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

  • Are they up to the task?

    19/02/2010

    Are housing’s quangos doing enough for the environment?

  • 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.

  • Eco doctor: sustainable master planning

    19/02/2010

    Matt Kitson offers a healthy dose of advice to ensure your sustainable masterplan hits the mark

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • How to…

    19/02/2010

    …become a sustainable council and lead local transformation by example

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Vox pop - Copenhagen

    19/02/2010

    It was the environmental summit of the decade but did the Copenhagen conference on climate change deliver?

  • 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

  • Warm glow

    18/02/2010

    Isabel Hardman develops energy efficiency envy after visiting the tenants of Skelton Road in Diss.

  • 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.

  • Cracking the code

    11/02/2010

    This week the government announced funding for 600 new green homes as part of the first wave of eco-towns.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Time to rethink old values

    04/12/2009

    The housing sector needs a smarter, low-carbon plan for the future, says Tim Dwelly

  • Putting our heads together

    03/12/2009

    You would think that a discussion on retrofitting in rural Hampshire on a wet November afternoon would not attract many people.

  • Good examples

    02/12/2009

    Retrofitting will be the next big thing for the sector - and it makes perfect sense when you visit one of the overhauled schemes.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Cash flow

    04/11/2009

    Europe might be a source of money for green measures, including sorting out our homes.

  • 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.

  • Green as Snow

    30/10/2009

    Jon Snow hosted the Sustainable Housing Awards - and has a good idea to make our streets greener.

  • 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’

  • Eco doctor

    30/10/2009

    How do you know that your waste carrier is operating legitimately? Simple, ask it these questions…

  • First word

    30/10/2009

    Labour’s legacy is patchy on green issues, says Jonathon Porritt

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Retrofit rethink

    30/10/2009

    Kevin McCloud talks about the challenges of retrofitting

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Time to act

    30/10/2009

    Two recent reports on energy have brought home how tough the future will be.

  • 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?

  • Whose plan is it anyway?

    29/10/2009

    Environment Secretary Hilary Benn spoke to architects yesterday about the need to adapt houses for climate change. In a speech to the Royal Institute of British Architects, he said that the profession is essential for greener homes.

  • 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.

  • Costly future

    14/10/2009

    Energy prices in the future are going to be frighteningly high.

  • 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.

  • Top knowledge

    25/09/2009

    Does anyone know what zero carbon means, let along what the targets are?

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • Johnson announces London's low carbon zones

    04/09/2009

    Ten London boroughs will share a £3 million pot to create low carbon neighbourhoods.

  • 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

  • Delicate balance

    04/09/2009

    Westminster Council is tackling difficult housing stock - and hoping to lobby government with the results

  • 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…

  • Eco doctor: green building

    04/09/2009

    David Pinckney presribes five ways to help us build green in the red

  • First word

    04/09/2009

    Let’s have less talk and more action on retrofitting, says Sunand Prasad

  • Green guru: the Scandinavian way

    04/09/2009

    Morten Schmidt outlines the key principles in designing environmentally friendly housing the Scandinavian way

  • 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.

  • 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

  • Q&A: green progress

    04/09/2009

    Paul King looks at government progress on green issues

  • 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

  • Sound-off

    04/09/2009

    The centrally driven decent homes programme has delivered great results for tenants and the social housing sector.

  • The best way to zero gains

    04/09/2009

    Should upgrading nearby homes give a development zero carbon status?

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Statistics and reality

    01/09/2009

    Polls say that people are willing to spend more to be green - but is it happening on the ground?

  • Power to the people

    26/08/2009

    The Homes and Communities Agency announced the second set of successful bidders for the Low Carbon Infrastructure cash yesterday. The money will help pay for green, affordable, community-scale heat and energy projects.

  • 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.

  • Winds of change

    14/08/2009

    The evidence in support of renewable energy is overwhelming, says Bill Randall

  • 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.

  • 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?

  • 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.

  • Design gap

    03/08/2009

    We might be designing eco-homes - but are we building them?

  • 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

  • Green is the colour of money

    30/07/2009

    What is the government doing to give sustainable jobs a helping hand?

  • Beautiful Slough

    29/07/2009

    Slough wants to be one of the greenest towns in the world - good for them.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Green dream

    12/06/2009

    Social landlords must not allow the controversy at Whitehall to eclipse the fight against climate change

  • 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.

  • What day is it?

    05/06/2009

    World Environment Day, of course. Today is Dame Lois Browne-Evans Day in Bermuda, Father’s Day in Denmark and President’s Birthday in Equatorial Guinea. With so many other exciting events going on, I’ll forgive you if you didn’t notice World Environment Day.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • Green guru: saving water

    08/05/2009

    Sue Lea describes five lessons from the UK’s first large-scale retrofitting of water saving devices

  • 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.

  • Hot air

    08/05/2009

    The Budget showed that the government doesn’t believe its own rhetoric

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Questions & answers

    08/05/2009

    David Orr reveals the ins and outs of European funding

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Budget thinking

    22/04/2009

    The government is all talk and no real action - again.

  • 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.

  • Grassroots

    08/04/2009

    Social housing has to lead the way in cutting carbon emissions - but is that what tenants want?

  • 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’.

  • Nice cup of tea and a sit down

    01/04/2009

    Were you at the climate change protests today?

  • 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.

  • Social experiment

    25/03/2009

    Private house builders will not have to meet all of the Code for Sustainable Homes, while the social housing sector is pushed to ever-higher standards.

  • Answers on a postcard

    23/03/2009

    If you think you know what ‘zero carbon’ means, please get in touch with the government immediately.

  • ‘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.

  • Sunny spells

    18/03/2009

    Solar panels may be popular - but the UK still has a long way to go - says Philippa Ward

  • 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.

  • Promise from Boris

    11/03/2009

    The mayor of London came out with some green pledges on an Olympic scale amid the jokes at Ecobuild.

  • Seeing is believing

    09/03/2009

    The government is keen on creating new green jobs - but will it actually spend any money making it happen?

  • 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.

  • Ecobuild experience

    04/03/2009

    From the look of the ecobuild conference, sustainability is here to stay despite the downturn.

  • 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.

  • Moment of glory

    27/02/2009

    What issue would you hold forth on, given a stage in Trafalgar Square?

  • Eco-town costs

    27/02/2009

    Consultants have been adding up the cost of eco-towns, but are their efforts in vain wonders Philippa Ward

  • 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

  • Don't demolish

    24/02/2009

    Empty Homes are a national disgrace, but I’m interested in the green side of things.

  • 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

  • Royal appointment

    20/02/2009

    As Hank Dittmar points out in this week’s edition of Inside Housing, Prince Charles’s pet projects often becomes fashionable a decade after coming up with ideas previously thought of as…a trifle odd.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Green goals within reach

    20/02/2009

    The all-party group on sustainable housing will have a down-to-earth and accessible approach

  • 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.

  • Tree view

    18/02/2009

    It is always nice when the national newspapers pick up on something that has been out in the world for a while.

  • Challenging times

    16/02/2009

    Things aren’t looking good for eco towns – which no doubt will cause leaps of joy across the land.

  • Carbon goals

    16/02/2009

    Hands up, who believes that we will cut emissions from existing buildings to zero by 2050?

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • It makes sense

    13/02/2009

    Linking rents to energy efficiency would free up much needed cash, argues Alan Yates

  • Loud and clear

    13/02/2009

    Targeted communication can help ensure tenants get the sustainability message, writes Christopher Pearce

  • 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.

  • Net gain

    13/02/2009

    David Moon looks at how online tools and guides can help cut waste to landfill

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • A fast growing alternative

    05/12/2008

    Hemp has great potential as a building material, says Tom Woolley

  • A green fix

    05/12/2008

    When times are tight, high-density housing offers efficiencies for less, says Aurore Julien

  • An age-old culprit

    05/12/2008

    Homes for older people are often energy inefficent. It’s time that changed says Susan Pasint-Magyar

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • The green green roofs of home

    05/12/2008

    Look up to find a route to better sustainability, says Ian Moores

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Back to basics

    03/10/2008

    Building energy-efficient homes doesn’t have to be a maze of complexity and expense, says Colin Mitchell

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Do it by the book

    03/10/2008

    Oliver Child of the BRE explains how to avoid the code’s most common pitfalls

  • Down to earth

    03/10/2008

    Philippa Ward previews the best sustainable builds, starting with an earth-sheltered development designed to break new ground

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • Tinkering is not an option

    03/10/2008

    Token gestures won’t suffice, says Colin Wiles. Dealing with climate change requires a cultural shift

  • Zero carbon site developers sign up

    03/10/2008

    A development group has been chosen for the second Carbon Challenge site in Peterborough.

  • By cutting corners we go round in circles

    15/08/2008

    Things are looking increasingly shambolic for the eco-towns.

  • Current affairs

    15/08/2008

    Ryan Southall and Pavol Sedlak look at an international survey of social housing

  • 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.

  • 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

  • Go with the flow

    15/08/2008

    The UK should learn from Australia on sustainable water design, says Bob Sargent

  • 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.

  • Home economics

    15/08/2008

    As the economy falters, what will become of sustainable building? Philippa Ward predicts a tough future withsome silver linings.

  • It is time to change gear

    15/08/2008

    Our attitude problem is blocking sustainable solutions, says Erik Bichard

  • 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.

  • Still angry after all these years

    15/08/2008

    Bill Dunster is a man both triumphant and disappointed.

  • Sustainable research centres launched

    15/08/2008

    Two new research centres to showcase cutting-edge sustainable technology are being built.

  • 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

  • There's work to do

    15/08/2008

    Don’t kid yourselves, warns Jeremy Sumeray, making homes energy efficient is a mammoth task