Opening up new business doors will be one of the key massages from the 2012 NAPIT Expo to be held in the Kassam Stadium, Oxford, on 24 May. Directors of NAPIT along with the Plumb Center will explain how Expo participants can their expand business and their portfolio...
Twenty two organisations have met with Climate Change Minister Greg Barker to work to become the first Green Deal providers. The Green Deal is the government’s plan to improve the nation’s draughty homes at no upfront cost to the consumer. The organisations who have...
Insulted, vilified, pursued by livestock, electrocuted and propositioned, estate agents are as popular as wasps at a barbecue. But do they really deserve their public image? No, they don’t, says Rosalind Russell, who for eight years edited The Diary of an Estate Agent...
There has been a 'Call for Evidence' from the government's Office of Fair Trading (OFT), to understand whether or not the home insulation market is working well for consumers. The OFT is interested in hearing from manufacturers, distributors, trade bodies, consumer...
Launched at a recent National Homebuilding and Renovating Show is TrustMark's Mini Form of Contract, developed in association with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). It aims to protect both homeowners and tradesman carrying out repairs, maintenance and...
The Electrical Safety Council (ESC) has welcomed the CLG Select Committee report which supports the retention of Part P of the Building Regulations. The report presents the findings of an inquiry into the Building Regulations applying to electrical and gas...
A centre that will promote environmental improvements and undertake research into reducing the impact of the built environment has been launched at Leeds Metropolitan University. Called the Leeds Sustainability Institute (LSI) it will tackle the challenges of creating...
Just when you thought the beanbag had disappeared completely, a new version has returned with an unexpected lease of life. Called the Wonderbag, it is an insulated bag in which people can cook anything from meaty stews or vegetable curries to simple rice and soups....
As winter turns into spring and the weather brightens up, we get that special urge to do some important home improvements, whether or not it’s for energy efficiency savings or just for aesthetic reasons? TrustMark, the government endorsed quality mark for tradesmen,...
It’s not only significant parts of the UK which are suffering drought problems, it is a serious global problem which may mean wheeling all the desalination machines we can lay our hands on! Green Cross International is marked World Water Day by calling for intensified...
An independent report has been published today advising the government how it could best tackle the problem of fuel poverty. The latest official fuel poverty figures show 4m households in England in fuel poverty, compared to 1.2m in 2004 according to a report from the...
Building control officers could be more consistent in their decision making according to Web Dynamics, the multi-foil insulation manufacturers? The company was responding to a DCLG consultation on improving the efficiency of the building control system. John Payne,...
Ed Davey, the government Secretary for Energy & Climate Change, has refuted an article in a daily newspaper today (12th March) suggesting that the renewable energy targets are to be scrapped. He says in his letter: “Contrary to your misleading headline (12 March,...
The Scottish Government is making significant progress on insulating Scottish homes and helping to protect hard-pressed families from rising energy price rises, according to the Energy Saving Trust (an important member of the National Home Improvement Council)...
The announcement today that the Green Investment Bank will locate in Edinburgh is tremendous news for Scotland's green energy sector. Scotland already has a genuine global lead in marine energy technologies, underlined by major £multi-million inward investment by...
Funding of around £3.5m is to be available to help train hundreds of people in key green skills ahead of the official Green Deal to be launched later this year. This is claimed to be 'delivery' of the Deputy Prime Minister’s promise last March (2011) to create 1,000...
Since November 2010 DECC has published quarterly updates on the number of homes in Great Britain with cavity wall, loft and solid wall Insulation. These are all key energy efficiency measures that can save energy in many domestic properties and estimates are based on...
“We are committed to consumer protection but we also understand the need for balance - reducing the complexities of Part P, without compromising safety”, according to Phil Buckle, the Electrical Safety Council’s (ESC) director general. He was giving evidence to a...
A campaign launched tomorrow (3 March) aims to crack down on “unscrupulous” installers of solar panels seeking to cash in on the confusion surrounding the Government’s feed-in-tariff incentives. The independent renewable energy website YouGen has developed the...
Energy Secretary Edward Davey has underlined the Government’s commitment to deal with the UK’s nuclear legacy and to ensure that the nuclear new build programme learns every lesson from past mistakes. He said policies to ensure new nuclear operators cover their waste...