The next version of the Home Quality Mark (HQM) scheme – HQM ONE is now out for consultation. Below are 5 things you need to know about the proposed changes to the scheme: Please visit the consultation website to download the scheme manual and to know how you can provide feedback. Consultation closes on 16th February … Continue reading “5 things you need to know about HQM ONE”
Significant changes have been made to the way in which energy performance is assessed under the BREEAM UK New Construction 2018 scheme within Ene01 – Reduction of energy use and carbon emission. In order to address the energy performance gap, new criteria rewarding more detailed energy modelling, encompassing regulated and unregulated energy uses has been … Continue reading “BREEAM UK New Construction 2018 continues to drive energy performance improvements”
…and what’s new for HQM ONE. When developers and assessors start using HQM, one of the first things they look at is how their projects are doing in energy. This isn’t surprising seeing as it’s the issue with most credits. And it’s an easily quantifiable aspect of sustainability that can be assigned a cost. As … Continue reading “Making energy calculations more accurate, using HQM”
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) have released their independent analysis of the priorities for the next five years.
The Education & Health category in this year’s BREEAM Awards 2016 is a real life ‘Battle of Britain’.
A rich ecology can enhance our communities and improve the health and wellbeing of building users.
The Home Quality Mark (HQM) aims to make new homes better. Better for our pockets, our wellbeing and our environment. And at the very heart of the HQM scheme is the need to deliver quality homes. Quality Homes are high on the public agenda, but it is not always easy to achieve, particularly when house-building … Continue reading “HQM ONE – setting baselines in a flexible scheme”
[View the story “Launch of Zero Bills Home on the BRE Innovation Park” on Storify]
The environmental and financial benefits of insulating the UK’s older building stock are significant. However, if this is implemented badly, a number of unintended consequences could be introduced that could jeopardise the integrity of the building elements and the health and wellbeing of the occupants. A new report from BRE IHS press considers surveyors, designers … Continue reading “7 ways to reduce unintended consequences from solid wall insulation”
New publication: Producing the business case for investment in energy efficiency “One of the biggest obstacles to the uptake of low-carbon measures is the production of a poor business case. The Dragon’s Den scenario, in which entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to secure investment, holds in that unless the business case stacks up and can take … Continue reading “The secret to unlocking investment in low carbon measures”