Category: Guidance

Categories
Guidance

A housing market catalyst to drive carbon emission reductions

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) published a new report, entitled A housing market catalyst to drive carbon emission reductions Low energy adjustment to Stamp Duty Land Tax, showing how a stamp duty incentive could help transform the energy and carbon performance of the nation’s homes.

The report demonstrates how a modest adjustment to Stamp Duty Land Tax could catalyse and drive the market to deliver both energy efficiency improvements and low carbon heat and power, whilst also being revenue neutral to HM Treasury.

Author: David Adams, Director, Good Homes Alliance 

Concept development, review and testing
Jenny Holland, UKGBC
Pedro Guertler, E3G
Nick Eyre, Oxford University Professor of Energy & Climate Policy
Lynne Sullivan, Good Homes Alliance
Mike Roberts, Good Homes Alliance
Steven Heath, Knauf Insulation

Publication date: April 2021

DOWNLOAD GUIDANCE

Categories
Guidance

RIBA Plan for Use Guide 2021

Plan for Use is the RIBA’s interpretation of the Soft Landings Framework produced by the Usable Buildings Trust and BSRIA. Its aim is to encourage a more outcome-based approach to briefing, design, construction, and handover, both within the architectural profession and (by extension) to the construction industry as a whole. The Plan for Use is embedded within the RIBA Plan of Work 2020.

The building performance evaluation guidance and toolkit, produced for Woodknowledge Wales on behalf of the Home-Grown Homes project has been referenced in the guide. The document was authored by Susie Diamond & Julie Godefroy, for the Good Homes Alliance.

See the BPE guidance HERE

Author: Mike Chater, Principal Architect Property Services, Hampshire County Council
Project Manager: Alex Tait, Head of Technical Practice, RIBA
Editor and Case Study Curator: Jess Hrivnak, Sustainable Development Adviser, RIBA

Publication date: March 2021

DOWNLOAD GUIDANCE

Categories
Guidance

Building Performance Evaluation Guide

This guidance is aimed at housing clients, and anyone interested in Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) who wants to evaluate and improve the performance of homes.

Its purpose is to provide an introduction to applying BPE in practice on projects, with:

  • Information for clients and project managers to gain an overview of the benefits of BPE, what the main BPE techniques can do, how to procure it, and the main activities to plan throughout a project from design to occupancy
  • Guidance on the main BPE techniques available
  • Tools for day-to-day use on projects, complemented by more detailed guidance, examples and references.

This guidance recommends a “core” BPE scope for clients and project teams wanting to understand and improve the performance of their homes. This provides a holistic look at performance, including people, the indoor environment, fabric performance, energy use and water use. It highlights how BPE techniques can work together, and the interactions between energy performance, people, and the indoor environment. It limits the involvement of experts and expensive equipment. Instead, the aim is to embed building performance throughout the project stages and empower project teams to deliver high performance.

Authors: This guidance has been produced for Woodknowledge Wales on behalf of the Home-Grown Homes project. The document was authored by Susie Diamond, Inkling & Julie Godefroy Sustainability, for the Good Homes Alliance.

Publication date: January 2021

DOWNLOAD GUIDANCE

Categories
Guidance

Embodied Carbon Guidance for social housing developers, their design teams, contractors and suppliers

The target audience encompasses key stakeholders within Welsh social housing organisations including development and asset managers, their design teams, contractors and suppliers, but it also relevant to stakeholders throughout the UK.

Clear and authoritative guidance is provided on how to procure and undertake an Embodied Carbon assessment, what benchmarks can be set, tools that can be used and how Embodied Carbon can be reduced. Examples are provided to show how others have tackled Embodied Carbon within their organisations and projects, with a focus on housing. Where relevant, other guidance and useful information is signposted.

Authors: This guidance has been produced for Woodknowledge Wales on behalf of the Home-Grown Homes project. The document was authored by Jane Anderson of ConstructionLCA Ltd together with Katherine Adams, The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products.

Publication date: December 2020

DOWNLOAD GUIDANCE

DOWNLOAD Q&A

Categories
Guidance

Building Standards Compared

The paper seeks to illustrate clearly how the choice of selecting a building standard affects the amount of renewable energy generation that is required to comply with a net zero operational outcome. The report does not take into account embodied energy/carbon. All energy and carbon modelling is illustrative but based upon real archetypes.

Author: Commissioned by the Good Homes Alliance and Woodknowledge Wales. Authored by John Palmer, Passivhaus Trust

Publication date: V1.2, October 2020 (V1 originally published in September 2020)

DOWNLOAD

Categories
Guidance Standard Tool

Assured Performance Process (APP)

What is the Assured Performance Process (APP)?

There is often a huge difference between how buildings are supposed to perform, and how they actually do.  The assured performance process provides independent and expert input to the development process to minimise this energy, overheating, and indoor air quality performance gap.  As well as helping to reduce carbon emissions and climate change, this improves the health of people using buildings.

The Assured Performance Process TM (APP) maps to the RIBA Plan of Work and has five stages of expert, impartial review and assessment. APP assessors are accredited by The National Energy Foundation for their expertise and they offer two services:

  • APP implementation across all five key stages – supporting the client throughout the development process. This is a bespoke service.
  • One off reviews tailored to the stage of the development

Who is behind APP?

The Good Homes Alliance has secured a two year license for the Assured Performance Process (APP) from the original developer and owner, the National Energy Foundation (NEF).

NEF is a charity which has been meeting its mission of “improving the use of energy in buildings” for more than 20 years.  NEF has established other nationally recognised quality systems.

Contact Julian Brooks at julian@goodhomes.org.uk to find out more.

Categories
Guidance Tool

Right to Build Toolkit

The Right to Build toolkit has been developed by the Right to Build Task Force, a professional advice service, and part community-interest company, that supports a range of organisations in their ambitions to deliver more Custom- and Self-build homes in the UK. The Task Force is supported by a team of experts able to provide advice to help unlock the growing demand from people that want to build, or commission, their own home.

Although set up by the National Custom and Self Build Association (NaCSBA), the Task Force operates completely independently, with an ethical wall between the two organisations. This is because while NaCSBA lobbies government for change, the Right to Build Task Force is solely focused on providing advice to a range of stakeholders to bring on more owner-commissioned homes, including community-led homes, working within the framework of the Right to Build legislation.

Author: National Custom and Self Build Association (NaCSBA)

Further information: righttobuildtoolkit.org.uk.

Categories
Guidance

Easi Guide to Passivhaus design

Levitt Bernstein, alongside sustainability engineers Etude, have campaigned tirelessly for faster change in the built environment to achieve zero carbon. But they have found that often the best way to effect change is to collaborate with others, lead by example and share learning along the way.

They believe that the first step to zero carbon is to create an ultra-efficient building design. Through their project work with Etude, they have discovered that the benefits of low energy design can be unlocked by viewing Passivhaus considerations as an opportunity, rather than a constraint.

This led them to develop the ‘Easi Guide to Passivhaus design’, which has been endorsed by the Passivhaus Trust.

The guide graphically sets out ten simple principles that form the foundations of good Passivhaus and zero carbon design. They encourage clients to use it to set their briefs and architects to use it when designing their buildings. The main body of the guide emphasises key considerations at RIBA Stage 2 to allow design teams to meet Passivhaus within the contextual needs of their site, while a checklist offers the next steps if full certification is to be pursued.

By providing open access, they hope that you enjoy our guide, make many zero carbon buildings and share your learning with others.

Author: Etude/Levitt Bernstein

Publication date: June 2020

DOWNLOAD

Categories
Guidance

31 Climate Actions for Councils

Ashden and Friends of the Earth, with the support of CDP, have put together an evidence-based list of the most effective actions councils can take on climate. This easy-to-use list highlights the co-benefits for each action, whether it be better health, improved economy, increased equity or resilience.

Author: Ashden & Friends of the Earth

Publication date: March 2020

DOWNLOAD

Categories
Guidance

Climate Emergency Design Guide

We are in a climate emergency, and urgently need to reduce carbon emissions, this guide outlines the requirements of new buildings to ensure our climate change targets are met – setting out a definitive journey, beyond climate emergency declarations, into a net zero carbon future. It is specifically aimed towards developers/landowners, designers, policy makers, and the supply chain. It aims to help to define ‘good’ and to set clear and achievable targets.

The Climate Emergency Design Guide covers 5 key areas: operational energy, embodied carbon, the future of heat, demand response and data disclosure. Our methodology includes setting the requirements of four key building archetypes (small scale residential, medium/large scale residential, commercial offices, and schools). The guide was developed by over 100 LETI volunteers over a period of 12 months.

This guidance demonstrates that the building industry knows how we should be designing buildings. In 2020 buildings that adopt these requirements now will be seen as leaders. By 2025 these requirements must become standard design practice otherwise the building industry will not meet our collective responsibility in this climate crisis.

​LETI believe that in order to meet our climate change targets, in 2020 10% of all new projects developers and designers are involved in, should be designed to meet the requirements set out in this guide.

DOWNLOAD

Author: LETI

Publication date: January 2020