Baker Homes Articles

The Green Deal went live on 28th January, giving people the opportunity to transform their homes by paying for energy efficient home improvements with the savings on their energy bills.

The AIMC4 Consortium has won the Housebuilder award for Best Low or Zero Carbon Initiative after impressing judges with the delivery of its groundbreaking £6.4m project

The UK is legally committed to a carbon reduction of over 30% by 2025. Retrofitting our homes is a huge part of this. With growing recognition of this challenge Baker Homes and Rockwool partnered to develop a practical energy efficiency course for asset managers. The aim was to raise awareness of calculation methodologies for the efficacy of different energy efficiency improvements. The course is structured so that, delegates:

Over 5 million people in England and Wales live and work in properties that are at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea, according to the Environment Agency. In 2024 flooding events caused homes to be flooded in widespread parts of the country, each event causing millions of pounds worth of damage to the home, and distress for families.

Housing associations are about much more than just bricks and mortar. Most housing providers have much wider social agendas, offering services which help to build stronger communities: support for elderly and vulnerable individuals; finance and debt advice; and, in these tough economic times, training and employment services.

In the UK over 40% of carbon dioxide emissions are proportioned to buildings. The UK government has committed to an 80% reduction of carbon emissions by 2050. As such, many organisations are fortifying their commitment to sustainability. However, they are not sure where to start. An independent assessment can assist.

The Technology Strategy Board is to invest up to £4.5m to stimulate significant cuts in carbon dioxide emissions from existing homes. The aim is to allow consortia to radically improve their retrofit products in order to bring about greater take-up in the market.

The results of DECC’s consultation on in-use factors for ECO have been published.

A revised version of Building for Life, the industry owned and government endorsed guide for new home design, has been relaunched by its three partners: Cabe at the Design Council, the Home Builders Federation and Design for Homes.

The UK homebuilding industry is becoming even more sustainable, according to the results of the 2024 NextGeneration benchmark. The Benchmark shows The Berkeley Group as the UK’s most sustainable homebuilder, with Crest Nicholson maintaining last year’s second position and Miller Homes retaining third position.

Hastoe Housing Association, SHIFT member and parent company to Baker Homes has another reason to celebrate in the new year.

Schools, youth centres and a library could save thousands of pounds a year in energy bills after solar panels were installed.

The Green Deal is the Government’s flagship energy efficiency retrofit policy. You are invited to attend one of two workshops run by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) looking at Green Deal delivery in the social housing sector, and providing an opportunity for social landlords and Green Deal Providers to come together and discuss partnership options.

Andrew Eagles is Managing Director of Baker Homes.  His neighbour Lukasz Gruszczynski is a leading low carbon expert. Lukasz and his family recently restored a two bed victorian terraced property into a super low carbon home. Terraced homes are one of the most popular property types in the UK. The approach of getting to low carbon is real interest to the sector and is shared here.

"Energy saving has never been so attractive" – that’s the message from Edward Davey today as he announced the Green Deal Cashback Scheme is open, with hundreds of pounds of cash available to householders in England and Wales who make energy saving home improvements.

The Housing Quality Indicator (HQI) system is a Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) funding requirement. The course is designed to provide participants with an understanding of the HQI system an ability to deal with the requirements to successfully complete HCA funding applications. The HCA’s “Design and Quality Standards” document states: “...for the HQI assessments the presumption will be that assessors have undergone some training or can otherwise demonstrate expertise.”

I liked this headline from in ‘Modern Building Services’ magazine this month. Mike Creamer, managing director of Business Edge, argues that cutting back training budgets during the recession is a false economy.  History, he says, has taught us that in times of great hardship investing in training is most beneficial. This is because it allows you to keep competitive within the job market and persons that have greater skills adapt quickly and effectively to change and can implement new ideas and innovations.

Energy Saving Trust and Waterwise have joined forces to develop guidance on water energy efficiency delivery in the UK. The aim of the guidance is to encourage water companies and Green Deal / ECO providers to work in partnership on joint energy and water efficiency delivery for UK householders.