‘Wake up! Buy a Carbon Monoxide alarm’ Awareness Video

Posted on by Posted in Health and Safety

katiehainesA new short video has been release by the family of carbon monoxide (CO) victim Katie Haines’ family.

The video, entitled ‘Wake up! Buy a Carbon Monoxide alarm’, aims to raise awareness after Katie fell victim to CO, drowning in her bath, after a faulty boiler leaked CO into her home.

It has been released to coincide with the consumer phase of Plumb and Part Center’s Make it Law Campaign, which has received universal support from the heating industry.

The film urges people to sign an e-petition calling for CO alarms to be mandatory with any installation of a carbon-burning appliance in England and Wales. It’s already law in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

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Solar could contribute more than nuclear to UK economy

Posted on by Posted in Renewable Energy

solar-business-parkSolar has the potential to create 60 gigawatts of generation capacity by 2030, supporting 50,000 green jobs and contributing £25.5 billion to the UK economy, according to major new research released today.

The report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) – the first to quantify the impact of solar on the UK economy – estimates with the right Government support solar could be cheaper than constructing new gas within three years and could fall beneath the wholesale electricity price by 2024. It also estimates solar could cut the cost of household energy bills by £425 million by 2030.

Greater economic value than nuclear

The Solar Trade Association (STA), which represents the UK solar industry, said the report confirms that with right Government backing solar could contribute more to the UK economy than any other energy technology, including nuclear.

The report focuses specifically on ground-mounted solar farms. When the remaining two thirds on domestic and commercial rooftops are considered, the STA estimates the benefits to the UK could be as much as three times greater.

But large-scale solar is facing an end to the Renewable Obligation (RO) subsidy two years earlier than scheduled due to a change in Government policy announced in May – something the STA says risks “busting the bubble” of solar and “holding Britain back”. Four solar companies are challenging the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s decision to unilaterally end the RO for large-scale solar in the Courts.

Paul Barwell, chief executive of the Solar Trade Association, said:

“The potential benefits of solar for the British economy are immense. British solar is currently right at the forefront of a global wave of investment and innovation,”

“However, the Government risks bursting the bubble, damaging the industry and holding Britain back, because it keeps shifting the goal posts on support for solar.”

Dramatic fall in costs

British solar currently stands at five gigawatts of capacity, sufficient to power 1.5 million homes. It already supports 16,000 jobs and over 2,000 small businesses. The industry has reduced its reliance on subsidies by 65 per cent since 2010 and the STA says average UK solar farm installation is 62 per cent reliant on British components, operations and expertise.

The CEBR report, ‘Solar powered growth in the UK, the macroeconomic benefits for the UK of investment in solar PV’,  estimates solar farms could account for one third of total solar production by 2030 and create nearly twice as many jobs as new nuclear.

Solar currently costs £112 per megawatt hour. The report estimates this cost could fall as low as £75 by the end of the decade, lower than the cost of offshore wind at £173 and gas (£78 currently).

In response to the CEBR report, the STA is renewing its call on the Government to set clear RO support for the next two years and review feed in tariffs for larger roof-top solar projects, as well as give solar a bigger share of the levy control framework.

Barwell added:

“We believe that Government support for solar energy should come down gradually, in line with falling costs, until solar electricity is consistently the same price as the market price for electricity. Once we have reached that point – what we call solar independence – solar no longer needs any support and will, with time, bring down energy bills. But it will need stable, gradually declining, support to get there,”

“Significant” economic value

Industry Others in the industry joined the STA’s call on Government.

Paul Crewe, Head of Sustainability, Energy and Engineering at Sainsbury’s said:

“Solar makes absolute sense for British businesses, and for the wider UK economy. Contrary to popular belief, Britain’s climate is ideal for solar. We have installed solar on the roofs of hundreds of our stores up and down the country, and it’s helping us to keep costs down for our business.”

Tom Paul, Director at construction giant Kingspan added:

“Solar is potentially of significant value to the British economy. Kingspan is a living and breathing example of what this report is trying to capture – we manufacture our energy efficient solar ‘in-roof’ installations at our plant in Yorkshire, and are looking to export markets across Europe and beyond for our solar products.”

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Labour promises support for small builders in house-building drive

Posted on by Posted in Construction

Labour-supportThe Labour Party appears to have won some hearts in the construction industry with a plan to build 200,000 new homes a year if voted into government.

Councils will be compelled to produce plans for house-building and given powers to take property away from private owners to assemble land for new developments.

Labour also says that it will increase competition in the housing industry by backing small and medium sized building companies to build more homes through a ‘Help to Build’ scheme. This will allow them to access lower cost bank lending supported by exchequer guarantees, and through a simpler planning system for smaller developments of 10 homes and under.

Shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds said:

“We’ll also extend the affordable homes guarantee programme, speed up the use of public land and make provision for councils to have greater flexibility to deliver social homes,”

“Finally, we’ll ensure these reforms benefit the next generation. In our new ‘Housing Growth Areas’ first time buyers from the area will get priority when these new homes go on sale. Local authorities will be able to reserve a proportion of homes built for first-time buyers for a period of two months.  In addition, local authorities will be able to restrict the sale of homes in these areas so they cannot be sold for buy-to-let or buy-to-leave empty properties.”

The plan is based on a report produced by Sir Michael Lyons, the former chief executive of Birmingham City Council. Lyons’ report was launched by Labour leader Ed Miliband yesterday on a visit to Crest Nicholson’s Oakgrove Village development in Milton Keynes.

The British Property Federation (BPF) welcomed the plan. BPF chief executive Liz Peace said:

“The sensible review is extremely comprehensive and pinpoints exactly where problems in the planning system are and comes up with thoughtful solutions. While some proposals, for example those surrounding ‘use it or lose it’, may be difficult to implement, on the whole the review shows a clear understanding of the major problems of the planning system, and how these impact on development in the UK.

“It would be fantastic to see other political parties commit to such a thorough and all-encompassing review like this one.’’

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) described it as:

“a long overdue blueprint for increasing the capacity and output of small and medium sized (SME) house-builders”.

FMB chief executive Brian Berry said:

“This is the most comprehensive review of housing delivery we have seen in recent years. Given the extent of the housing shortage we face, the target of 200,000 new homes per year is ambitious, but it is a necessary ambition. To achieve this aim we will need to significantly boost the capacity of the house building industry and Sir Michael Lyons has rightly identified the SME house-building sector as a crucial part of the housing sector’s capacity. It is very pleasing to see that Lyons has recognised the barriers that small house-builders face, which prevent them from building the homes we need, such as access to finance and a shortage of small sites, and has put forward a package of measures to address them.”

Berry added:

“As well as endorsing the ‘Help to Build’ loan guarantee initiative, which Labour is already in the process of developing, the report makes the groundbreaking recommendation of a return to a simpler ‘redline’ system for outline planning applications for smaller sites. The focus across the whole of the report of pushing more land into the system is also extremely welcome and Lyons rightly highlights the need for a focus within this on the identification of smaller sites and packaging opportunities for SMEs as part of larger developments.”

Berry concluded:

“Taken together, these amount to a very significant package of measures which would allow smaller builders to deliver many more homes. In order to reach their 200,000 target though, a future Labour government would need to significantly increase investment in social house-building, as private sector capacity is unlikely to be able to increase sufficiently to hit that target by 2020. I would be keen to see more detail on Labour’s plans for capital investment in housing as their strategy develops.”

 

Picture: Ed Miliband visits a Crest Nicholson site in Milton Keynes, with shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds (left) and Crest Nicholson director Chris Tinker (right)

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Worcester calls for energy efficiency grants for off-mains gas homes

Posted on by Posted in Heating, Home improvement, Useful Resources

Martyn-Bridges-WorcesterManufacturer of heating and hot water technologies, Worcester, Bosch Group, has called for initiatives to be made available for off-mains gas homes to improve their energy efficiency.

Last week, the Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA) proposed the extension of the gas grid to help homes overcome fuel poverty. Part of the review called for more to be done to help those who rely on alternative sources of energy to heat their home, including LPG and oil.

Martyn Bridges, director of marketing and technical support at Worcester, Bosch Group, believes the suggestion put forward by the EUA is certainly one way to resolve the problem but that there are other, perhaps less expensive options out there.

Martyn said:

“The EUA’s proposal is one approach which could be taken with a view to tackling problems experienced by those off-mains gas homes. However, it is my belief that rather than the large expenditure and investment extending the mains supply to the off mains gas areas that would be needed, we could look at a more practical and significantly less expensive solution which would help these homes to make savings.

“Earlier this year, the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF) gave considerable financial support to those homes which are on mains gas, helping them find more efficient solutions and ultimately reduce their fuel bills. Yet there was no support for those households that were off the mains gas network. This was something of an oversight in my opinion and when questioned, the Department of Energy and Climate Change officials responded that the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and the Green Deal were the mechanisms in place for these types of households. The success, or rather lack of it, of the domestic RHI and the Green Deal has been well documented in the national press and TV. Therefore, to have this as the only assistance to off mains gas properties was essentially going to leave these householders with effectively nothing.

“Therefore, I suggest we introduce a new policy for those homes off-mains gas in which they are eligible for funding to invest in energy efficient enhancements. The homes which would benefit are older properties in rural areas and are calling out for a way to reduce their heating spend. In effect, let’s see a boiler scrappage scheme for off mains gas properties or extend the scope of the GDHIF to off mains gas when it is supposedly re-introduced in 2015.

“While the EUA’s ideas may not be the only solution, it is encouraging that thought is being given to improving the efficiency of all of the UK housing stock. I hope it will prompt others to reflect on what needs to be done and hopefully we can come up with a suitable solution together.“

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Utopia celebrates 25 years with new collection

Posted on by Posted in Bathrooms and Kitchens

Utopia-25yearsThe Utopia Bathroom Group has underlined its British bathroom credentials with the launch of a new collection to celebrate 25 years of manufacturing bathroom furniture.

Today, there is more to Utopia than just furniture for the bathroom. It now supplies sanitaryware, tiles and an increased range of brassware. But furniture is in the DNA of the Group, and this was acknowledged recently by its joint managing director Ian Hall.

Ian said:

“We are proud to be a British manufacturer investing heavily in new product development, new equipment and also recruiting additional staff,“

“The latest launch demonstrates yet again that furniture design is our forte and we look forward to driving the sector with these exciting new products.“

In the driving seat for Utopia will be Downton, a freestanding bathroom furniture programme with the choice of either a Shaker door style or door with a raised and fielded centre panel.

Booth doors are available in several finishes including six paint finishes including Duck Egg Blue (seen here), and two woodgrains. Cabinet exteriors are colour-coordinated and the interiors have a parchment finish. Soft close hinges and drawer systems are fitted throughout the range and the units are supplied with a optional plinth that can be used to hide pipework.

Shaker doors and doors with raised and fielded centre panels have also been used in Utopia’s core fitted furniture range that can brings maximum storage solutions to the UK’s notoriously small bathroom  spaces. And for the growing number of bathrooms influenced by the boutique hotel sector, Utopia has launched the Geo range of wall-hung, contemporary washstations that will bring a dash of urban chic to the bathroom at home.

www.utopiagroup.com

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