Social housing supplement

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Uncertain times for public housing

R

etrofi tting is the next big hurdle to be cleared by building services engineers. The sector has to tackle existing stock if the industry is to have a hope of meeting the required 80 per cent

carbon reduction targets by 2050. But, according to Black Country Housing Group, the sector is still plagued with the same lack of skills needed for the installation and maintenance of renewable and low carbon technologies that haunted it back in the 1990s. Learn just how this has affected the group’s ability to adapt to the low-carbon agenda on page 4. Coupled with this is the huge cut expected in the

housing budget as the new government grapples with Britain’s growing fi nancial defi cit. How much is funding likely to be slashed by? And what affect will this have on the already struggling retrofi t agenda? All these issues and more are explored within these pages. But there is good news too: our case studies show how

one registered social landlord is working the system to slash its tenants’ bills and carbon emissions, and how a national competition has enabled another to explore the

answers to the 80 per cent carbon reduction conundrum.

Carina Bailey, supplement editor

CONTENTS

4 Homing in on the sector skills gap

Renewable technologies are still falling foul of the skills drought

10 Hot air solution

An air source heat pump cuts CO2 emissions by two thirds in a trial

13 Opinion

Retrofi tting homes needs a national leader

14 Back to the future

Cutting carbon by 80 per cent on a home built in the early 20th century

20 A burning issue

The Code for Sustainable Homes needs to catch up with new technology

22 Public housing to face era of cuts

How will funding for social housing fare in post election Britain

Driving the technology for change

The social housing sector is at the forefront of the government’s drive to reduce energy use in our homes. There are currently two new incentives – the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) and next year’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) – that are dramatically shortening the payback periods for advanced low carbon heating and power generation equipment and technology. This means that more houses will easily be able

to achieve Levels 4 and 5 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Mitsubishi Electric Photovoltaic power-generating products are unique because the company manufacturers all the components itself – the cells, the panels and the inverters, which convert DC electricity from sunlight into usable AC power for the home. The company, which manufactures the award-

winning Ecodan low carbon heating system in Scotland, is able to offer both air source heat pump and PV technology with MCS (Microgeneraton Certifi cation Scheme) certifi cation. It has also been awarded the European Eco-label in

www.cibsejournal.com June 2010 CIBSE Journal

3

recognition of the superior environmental performance of Ecodan, which can lower emissions by 50 per cent, and help combat fuel poverty by cutting running costs by 30 per cent compared to gas boilers. The company has produced two detailed

comparisons that show how a typical semi-detached, cavity-wall insulated property fi tted with a photovoltaic array and an Ecodan generates almost 50 per cent more income over its lifetime than a solar thermal/air source heat pump system.

If you would like further information on the company’s calculations, you can visit Mitsubishi Electric’s stand, B/105, at CIH Harrogate (22–24 June), or send an email to heating@meuk.mee.com Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24