Clearview Midlands January 2014 - Issue 146 | Page 48

ENERGYEFFICIENCY CALL TO KEEP CODE FOR SUSTAINABLE HOMES SLAMMED The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has slammed the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s report into the Code for Sustainable Homes and the Housing Standards Review as “onesided” and called on the Committee to re-examine the evidence. The Committee’s report calls on the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to reconsider plans outlined in the recent Housing Standards Review consultation to phase out the Code for Sustainable Homes and questioned its plans to rationalise technical standards through a set of tiered national standards. Brian Berry, FMB Chief Executive, said: “For years, the building industry has had to negotiate a proliferation of competing, overlapping and sometimes contrary local and national standards. These have added unnecessary complexity and cost to the house building industry, and have had a disproportionate impact on smaller firms and smaller developments.” Berry concluded: “The Code for Sustainable Homes may have served a useful purpose in setting and driving standards for sustainable building, but as the Standards Review recognised, the Government’s policy on zero carbon homes has now outstripped any need for the Code. It must be recognised that current energy efficiency standards required under Part L of the Building Regulations, and the proposed uplift in standards due to be implemented in 2014, are already extremely ambitious and highly challenging for the industry. The idea that local authorities would be looking to set higher standards still is baffling, and frankly divorced from reality.” ECO scheme must be retained A report published by the National Audit Office has predicted that consumers will face 20 years of price increases in household utility bills to pay for new infrastructure. This is likely to hit those households with low incomes the hardest. Therefore, as the debate continues around rising energy prices and so called green taxes the National Insulation Association (NIA) is calling on Government to retain a strong Energy Company Obligation (ECO) as it is vital to providing long terms savings on energy bills and the benefits far exceed the associated costs. The report adds that Government departments should consider the implications for consumer bills and their overall affordability before making policy commitments. The cost on domestic energy bills of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which provides free and subsidised energy efficiency measures, is £47 a year. However, the NIA commented: “The savings available to householders through installing energy efficiency measures can far outweigh this cost.” Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the NIA said: “The ECO is the only Government policy specifically designed to reduce energy bills by improving the energy efficiency of our housing stock and therefore it is vital that it is retained.” ‘Outweigh this cost’ BUILDERS COME TO THE FORE In a move to strengthen the voice and input of SME contractors in the national retrofit programme, Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), has joined the board of The Centre of Refurbishment Excellence (CoRE). The FMB has also become a Key Partner in CoRE, alongside the National Energy Foundation and the BRE. CoRE is the not for profit, national centre of excellence for green building retrofit and its primary aim is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge between industry experts and those who work on the frontline of building retrofit or want to get into this area. 48 JAN 2014 David Pierpoint, chief executive of CoRE says: “Our board will be significantly strengthened by Brian’s knowledge of what is important to the many thousands of small and medium sized building firms upon whom the successful mass market refurbishment of our homes and other buildings depends so much. Many SMEs have felt somewhat disenfranchised from the national retrofit programme and initiatives like Green Deal and ECO. Through the closer relationship between CoRE and the FMB, we will be working to unlock the broader market for reputable contractors.” To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com