ECO Additionally, a quarter of
respondents wanted better service levels through regulation with almost half (42%) of respondents calling for greater transparency of costs. Responding to the
dissatisfaction, the NFB’s recommendations included charging in advance for statements of work to be carried out and that the practice be brought under the financial penalty regime, so that costs incurred by companies continuing this practice may be recovered. They also added that all costs should be broken down to provide a more accurate understanding of the true cost of the service. Despite these
recommendations, by 2012 the NFB found that builders were still suffering financially by poorly performing utility companies, which the NFB’s chief executive Julia Evans calls ‘disappointing’. “The economy is currently handing the construction industry its toughest challenge for decades and the last thing contractors need is to pay thousands of pounds up front for a connection to fund network development, which is then delayed by the poor performance of a utility company raking in huge profits,” says Evans. Profit may drive us all, but the
team behind North West Bicester, the UK’s first eco-town, due to start construction later this year, says that long term investment in sustainability is also key to success. The development will see 5,000
“Residents pay for exactly how much they use and there’s no gas boiler to service”
homes built over 20 years, integrating cutting edge technology, economic opportunities and community engagement, with environmental integrity at its core. The first phase, Exemplar, led by A2Dominion, will contain 393 highly efficient homes, built to be truly zero-carbon. Constructed over the next five years, Exemplar hopes to foster a community that is vibrant, resilient and sustainable, incorporating a school, district heating plant, eco pub and business centre. Exemplar will encompass the
60|May 2013 showhouse
UK’s largest residential solar array; feature technology designed to cope with climate change of up to 10 degrees Celsius and aims to reduce car usage to 50%. The green electricity produced annually by PV at NW Bicester will provide power for 528 typical UK homes or offset carbon emission from 354 average sized cars. Bicester has been awarded One Planet Living status, one of just six developments in the world to achieve this benchmark created by sustainability experts BioRegional. Exemplar demonstrated methods to attain zero carbon and zero waste, sustainable water use and sustainable transport, as well as promote culture and community, equity and the local economy, and the health and happiness of residents.
A2 Dominion Project director Steve Hornblow says that reaction
THIS IMAGE: Bellway is in the early stages of delivering 237 new homes at So Stepney
BOTTOM LEFT: Bellway’s technical director Steve Saville
BOTTOM RIGHT: The National Federation of Builders chief executive, Julia Evans
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