As individuals working within the low carbon sector, we are keen to hear your feedback about the LENDERS project. It is a key scheme backed by CEW and if it is to achieve its aims it needs support and constructive feedback. 

 The LENDERS project is demonstrating that more accurate fuel cost estimates can be used in mortgage lending decisions that results in lower energy homes being responsibly allowed large mortgages. The project team includes the Nationwide & Principality Building Societies as well as other industry organisations. More information on the project is available here. 

The “Affordability Calculation” currently used by building societies and banks is the Office of National Statistics average fuel bill data, in some cases modified by other factors, to predict a homeowner’s fuel costs. The LENDERS idea is that this forecast can be made more accurate by using data from Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) alongside other information. The project team are reviewing Energy Performance Certificates and utility consumption data at present and will be providing an update on their work at an event in Cardiff later this month. 

The team are also looking at the unintended consequences that such changes to affordability calculations could bring and for this we are interested in your input. 

We would be grateful if you could tell us your thoughts on what the LENDERS project is proposing, either respond by participating in this survey, or by attending in person our free dissemination event in Cardiff on the 27th October.. Here you will be able to join discussions and hear feedback from other installers and assessors. Other delegates will be attending from Welsh Government, housing associations, architectural practices and contractors working in Wales.

Constructing Excellence in Wales continues to work with new house builders across Wales. We remain determined to see that best practice continues to be adopted and are delighted to be hosting this workshop bringing new resources to support the industry.

Last week we invited CEW stakeholders to hear from the authors of two new publications, one on costing energy efficient homes from planning through to handover. The second publication provides case study feedback on ventilation systems in new homes. Presentations introduced the two publications and provide delegates with an opportunity for discussions with the speakers.

The “cost efficiency guide” provides a step-by-step guide for SME housebuilders on building energy efficient homes cost effectively.

The “ventilation in new homes” publication presents a reflection on the ventilation systems currently being installed in new homes. The team visited 33 dwellings across 6 construction sites in 2015 to see how effectively their mechanical ventilation systems were designed, installed, commissioned and handed over to occupants. The publication is intended for organisations with an interest in quality assuring the delivery of ventilation systems, including clients, developers and their advisers.

A third presentation then outlined the NHBC’s ‘Construction Quality Review’ initiative.

We had a great session and we have received over thirty very positive comments about the presentation. If you want to find out more then contact the team and we will share as much of the information on the session as possible.

According to research from Arcadis delayed and cancelled infrastructure projects are costing the UK almost £70 million per day. 

Delayed and cancelled infrastructure projects are costing the UK almost £70 million per day, and cut UK GDP by £6 billion in the past year, according to new research from design and consultancy firm Arcadis.

A new report from the firm, dramatically titled "The Spiralling Cost of Indecision" shows that for every minute a major transport infrastructure project is delayed, the potential cost is as high as £48,000, which over the course of a 24-hour period stacks up to more than £69 million.

Arcadis' research found that during the last year, infrastructure spending delays and cancellations amounted to as much as £4.6 billion, and reduced Britain's GDP by as much as £6 billion.

The most successful economies in the world have large-scale and efficient infrastructure. This requires continual investment from businesses and the government in order to remain competitive and to keep an economy running smoothly. 

The more infrastructure projects are dented, the more it costs the economy, as the report notes (emphasis ours):

"The delays are caused by many reasons including planning, purchasing and the reprioritisation of programmes. However, regardless of the cause our analysis shows that the cumulative impact of these delays can still be significant. Had all the planned infrastructure spend for 2015/2016 taken place during that period, GDP would have been around £6 billion greater; an increase of 0.3 percent."

An energy from waste plant with a capacity of 15MW is to be built in Wales. UK-based company CoGen and US firm Lockheed Martin Energy have teamed up to install the plant in Cardiff.

The British firm will be the owner and developer of the plant, which is expected to process approximately 150,000 tonnes of waste per year to generate enough electricity to power 15,000 homes.

Lockheed Martin Energy will lead the engineering, procurement, manufacturing and construction of the plant. The facility will use a technology which converts waste to energy through a process called advanced gasification. It can transform nearly any kind of organic waste into clean, sustainable energy.

Construction is expected to begin in 2018 with operations starting in 2020. Ian Brooking, Chief Executive Officer of CoGen said:

“Cardiff will be the first of a pipeline of projects that over the coming decade will see local smaller scale generation play a bigger part in delivering the UK’s energy requirements.”

Clients could face a tax of 0.5% of construction costs if they choose contractors who don’t invest in research and development or skills training. 

The Farmer Review of the UK Construction Labour Model warns the industry faces “inexorable decline” unless major changes are made. It highlights construction’s “dysfunctional training model”, lack of innovation and collaboration and “non-existent research and development culture.”

Author and consultant Mark Farmer said the needs of construction firms and the clients who hire them are out of step. He said:

“If you buy a new car, you expect it to have been built in a factory to exacting standards, to be delivered on time, to an agreed price and to a predetermined quality. This needs to happen more in construction, so that the investors, developers or building owners hiring construction firms increasingly dictate the use of modern methods of delivery and invest appropriately in the skills agenda to grow this part of the industry.

“There are more similarities between manufacturing and construction than many people are led to believe and this perception needs to change, starting in the housing market”

One recommendation set out for the medium term is a “carrier bag charge” style behavioural deterrent scheme. This would levy a tax on businesses who buy construction work in a way that doesn’t support industry innovation or skills development.

Clients could face paying a suggested levy equal to 0.5% of a scheme’s construction cost but would avoid paying this tax completely by commissioning construction in a more responsible way. Farmer said:

 “The construction industry is in dire need of change. What is clear to me following the nine months spent conducting this review is that carrying on as we are is simply not an option. With digital technology advancements pushing ahead in almost every other industry and with the construction labour pool coming under serious pressure, the time has come for action.

“Unless we find some way of promoting innovation in construction and making the work less labour intensive and more attractive to new entrants, there’s a very real danger of the construction sector going into an inexorable decline over the next few years.

“I hope this review generates some debate in the sector and all involved can consider their role in safeguarding the industry’s long term health.”

Download: Article

Wales continues to lead the UK on waste management as new recycling figures for this year reveal that the country has doubled the amount of waste it has recycled over the past decade. 

Final figures for 2015-16 show that Wales is recycling double the waste it did a decade ago and is exceeding the current statutory recycling target of 58%

The average combined reuse, recycling and composting rate across Wales’ 22 Local Authorities has jumped to 60%, exceeding a national 58% recycling target for 2015/2016. This figure represents an increase of 4% from last year’s final figures and a 30% increase of the baseline figures just over nine years ago.

Wales remains on track to meet its ambitious 70% recycling target by 2025.

Welcoming the statistics, Cabinet Secretary for the Environment and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths said: “Wales leads the way in the UK when it comes to recycling, with these latest figures confirming we are exceeding the ambitious 58% target. This is encouraging as it also suggests we are well on track to meet our 70% target by 2025.

“This achievement is thanks to Local Authorities and householders’ commitment to recycling, together we can continue to make improvements. I’d like to see Wales become Europe’s best recycling nation and when looking at how far we have come since 2006 I believe this is something we can and will achieve.”

Towards Zero Waste

The new figures also show the amount of municipal waste sent to landfills by local authorities across Wales has seen an overall reduction of 80% since 2006-07, sending more than 170,000 tonnes of waste to landfill in 2015-2016 – 58% less than the national legal allowance of 410,000 tonnes. All local authorities in the country managed to achieve their allocated allowance.

Out of the 22 authorities, 19 either met or exceeded the current 58% target established as part of the countries 'Toward Zero Waste' strategy. Those authorities that are struggling to achieve this target have received additional funding through the Government’s Collaborative Change Programme. The three failing authorities will be contacted by the Cabinet Secretary and asked to explain what led to them being unable to achieve these targets and whether there were any serious mitigating factors involved before deciding to impose penalties for these areas. 

The Welsh Government keeps a close collaborative relationship with local governments in order to achieve its impressive national recycling rates. The Collaborative Change Programme, for example, is used to establish improvements to collection services and depot facilities and continue to support them to reach the recycling targets over the next few years. 

With Wales at the forefront of the UKs recycling efforts, questions are mounting as to why the rest of the UK is lagging behind. Based on last year’s UK-wide recycling waste from households, there is a 10-14% difference between Wales’ recycling rates and the rest of the home nations.

Two public surveys recently highlighted the need for greater standardisation and co-operation between retailers and policymakers in order to improve the UK’s general recycling performance. 

In Scotland, new collaborative efforts have been undertaken in light of the country’s recycling performance – which is the lowest in the UK. Scotland is taking a more private-sector focused approach with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, vowing to help regulate businesses and reduce all forms of waste beyond compliance standards.

North Wales developer and builder Anwyl Construction has gained planning for its first major building scheme in Liverpool

City planners gave the firm the go-ahead on Tuesday for a £35m student accommodation project on the site of Liverpool’s former National Express coach station. The 566 room project on the Norton Street site will consist of two blocks, one of 15 storeys and another of 10 storeys.

The Flintshire firm also plans a second £50m development of apartments in the city centre’s growing commercial district. Plans will be submitted next month for a 21-floor tower in Pall Mall housing 342 spacious flats at 30 and 36 Pall Mall. The firm hopes to complete demolition at the site before the end of the year.

Date: Wednesday 16th November 2016
Time: 9.15am - 11.30am
Location: Bron Afon Community Housing, Llantarnam Industrial Park, Cwmbran, NP44 3AB
Cost: Free

The aim of this timber cladding CPD is to enable participants to understand how to successfully specify and use timber rain screens.   The event will be of benefit to clients, architects, specifiers, planning and building control officers as well as sawmills and timber suppliers.

Timber is increasingly being used as a high performance rain screen. It is a durable low carbon solution that can also be grown and processed in Wales. Timber offers design freedom, but also brings technical challenges, which if not understood and addressed can lead to reduced performance.  This event brings together leading industry experts who will illustrate how a basic understanding of the principles of wood science and moisture movement in timber can lead to better design and performance of timber rain screens.

Agenda

9:15    Registration
9:45    Welcome – Rob Panou – Bron Afon Community Housing
9:50    Gary Newman - Chair of Woodknowledge Wales Introduction Woodknowledge Wales and the Campaign for Timber Cladding
10:00  Niall Maxwell – Rural Office for Architecture. An architect's perspective on timber cladding
10:20  Dainis Dauksta - Wood Scientist and sawmiller Basic principles of wood science Understanding moisture movement in timber -  maximising performance through design
11:00  Prof Callum Hill.  Director JCH Industrial Ecology Ltd Maximising performance through innovations in chemical treatments
11:20  Gary Newman, Chair of Woodknowledge Wales Comments and questions
11:30  Tea/coffee and networking

Niall Maxwell RIBA, FRSA

Niall is principal of Rural Office for Architecture (ROA), an architectural practice based in rural West Wales working on a range of residential and cultural projects across the UK.  Classified as regionalists, the practice works predominantly within rural or vernacular settings, responding to the context and surroundings of each particular site.  ROA was recently selected by the Architecture Foundation as one of the best emerging practices in the UK.

Prof. Callum Hill

Callum was a senior lecturer in wood science at Bangor University before taking up the post as Professor of Materials Science at the Centre for Timber Engineering, Edinburgh. Callum is now a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Bath and a Visiting Researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research and is also developing his consultancy (JCH Industrial Ecology). He has authored over 180 research papers, six book chapters and two text books (Wood Modification: Chemical, Thermal and Other Processes – John Wiley and Sons; An Introduction to Sustainable Resource Use – Routledge).

Dainis Dauksta

Dainis is MD of Wood Science Ltd, consultant and researcher for WKW and a visiting wood science lecturer for City and Guilds London School of Art. Dainis has worked in the field of forestry and design of timber structures for more than 25 years. With Woodknowledge Wales, LCRI and BRE Dainis has completed over 10,000 hours of research and published six major reports which demonstrate the potential for and desirability of using homegrown softwoods in construction.  Dainis has co-authored the book "New Perspectives on People and Forests" with Eva Ritter.

Gary Newman

Gary is the Chair of Woodknowledge Wales and is also founder and Chair of the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products - an organisation committed to bringing product sustainability, resource use and the principles of the circular economy to the centre of the construction debate.  Gary is a construction engineer by training and early career. After completing a wood science masters at Bangor University, Gary established Plant Fibre Technology Ltd and has been instrumental in taking a number of plant based products from concept to market.

How to book: To reserve your place please email Ceri Loxton