Baker Homes Articles

Research launched this week by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) shows amongst other things that 95 % of the total subsidy costs of the Energy Company Obligation could potentially be offset. The most important revenue streams are income taxes generated through jobs supported and the avoided cost of unemployment in the form of reduced benefits payments to claimants.  The conclusions of the authoritative report, which also analysed the impact on carbon emissions, health and other impacts follows.

We have for a long time called on Government to start dealing with the UK’s leakiest homes by establishing an adequate minimum number of solid wall insulation installs every year.  Today we supported Insulated Render and Cladding Association (INCA) in presenting hard evidence of the benefits in terms of jobs, to the Exchequer and in reducing carbon emissions and fuel bills.  Please see the letter below

Symphony Housing Group – the largest social housing provider based solely in the North West - has joined a leading benchmarking initiative to measure its environmental performance. The leading sustainability benchmarking initiative, the Baker Homes Index For Tomorrow (SHIFT).

With energy costs for businesses forecast to increase by 30% by 2025 and carbon emissions showing little sign of slowing, a £5,000 grant from Low Carbon Workspaces to install energy saving measures is a strong motivator for SMEs to take action. Low Carbon workspaces helps SMEs identify energy saving measures to help reduce their properties CO2 footprint and reduce energy costs by offering a match funded grant of up to £ 5,000 to help pay for the installation of energy efficiency solutions.

Many people are assessing how they can most cost-effectively reduce fuel poverty. If residents have lower energy bills they are better able to pay their rent and/ or other essential items. There are a variety of ways of doing this – behaviour change and improving properties being the main two.

The UK is seeing an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather conditions such as flooding, heat waves and water scarcity. The Sustainable Development Commission estimates that 70% of housing stock that will be inhibited in 2050 has been built. A relationship between dwellings construction age and impacts of the climate change has been established. Most of the social housing was not built with climate change in mind. It means that effective measures have to be taken during retrofitting to adopt homes to suit our changing climate.

On Friday the Department of Energy & Climate Change has published the long-awaited Solar Strategy with the target of furthering deployment of solar PVs in the UK over the next few years. The emphasis is on encouraging the deployment of rooftop solar, and in particular the underperforming commercial-scale sector.

The government today launched its long-awaited Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme for homes, offering homeowners payments to offset the cost of installing low carbon systems. This innovative scheme will pay people for the green heat they generate for their homes. This is an attempt to bridge the gap between the cost of fossil fuel heat sources and renewable heat alternatives.