4
APRIL 2015 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
Green
Deal
failed to
deliver
Homes through
the decades
A fascinating new guide
which charts the history
of the modern home from
Victorian times to the digital
age is being launched by the
NHBC Foundation.
Housing has played a pivotal role
in our society and has been at the
very top of the political agenda for
different reasons at different times
over the last century.
Homes through the decades:
the making of modern housing
examines the political and social
drivers, and technological changes that have shaped the modern
home and the way we live. From
the gadgets we use to the way
our homes are built, the guide
contains evocative images and
informative charts which illustrate
and define key periods in our
housing history.
Homes through the decades pose
questions about what our homes
might look like in the future; will
demographic changes, such as
decreasing family sizes and an
ageing population lead to new
designs of homes? How much
further will sustainability targets
be pushed in housing design,
and will higher levels of automation become the norm? The
report notes how people living in
modern homes today have greater
protection than their predecessors through the introduction of
Building Regulations, comprehensive building standards and
warranties.
Commenting on the report,
Neil Smith, head of research and
innovation at NHBC, said: “Since
the beginning of the 20th Century,
Britain has experienced seismic
changes in society, politics, technology and culture.
“We are now embarking on a further historically-important step for
housing as we seek to establish a
generation of new homes suitable
for the 21st century. Our thinking
should be informed by a clear
understanding of what has gone
before and an enlightened view of
how we should address the challenges of today and tomorrow.
“Homes through the decades is
an account of the drivers endeavour and experience that over
the last century has shaped the
modern home. In its pages, we
are reminded of the pivotal events
and inspirational people; reformers, planners, architects, designers,
technologists and construction
teams, who grappled with the
pressures and constraints of their
time to deliver our unique housing heritage.
“The future, by definition, is
uncertain. However, as in the past,
British ingenuity will once again
be central to our success in overcoming technical challenges and
delivering homes that are right for
the coming decade.”
To accompany the report, the
NHBC Foundation has also produced a “Top 10 moments in housing history” infographic, charting
a number of significant dates that
shaped Britain’s homes.
The Energy Secretary
Ed Davey spoke at
the Ecobuild Exhibition in London on 4th
March and highlighted that:
Today there are over 100,000
jobs in the UK’s multi-billion
pound energy efficiency market
• Average household energy consumption has reduced by 20%
since the first Ecobuild exhibition
• The government now have the
most comprehensive framework
for energy efficiency that has
ever existed
• To date over one million homes
have been made warmer, greener and cheaper to heat through
the Green Deal and ECO
• Energy efficiency represents an
all-round social good
• Energy efficiency is one of the
main tools for reducing the
burden of energy prices on all
consumers
However, Mr Davey also admitted
that: “The Green Deal hasn’t gone
as planned or hoped for.” He went
on to say that, “While we’ve had
just shy of half a million Green
Deal assessments, with the majority resulting in people investing in
home energy efficiency, the Green
Deal Finance package itself hasn’t
proved attractiv R