Discover how Pacific Biochar collaborates with Humboldt Sawmill to enhance soil health, sequester carbon, and boost agricultural productivity.

Pledge to abolish the Future Homes Standard is branded 'a plan for poor housing and high bills' by fuel poverty campaigners, as the solar sector urges the party to think again

The only viable path to abundant, affordable housing is to build and retrofit homes that are efficient, resilient, affordable to operate, and durable enough to withstand rising climate and insurance r...

Stephen Morgan MP has visited homes of Portsmouth residents to discuss the difference that is being made by the Government’s new Warm Homes Plan to local people.   The Warm Homes...

Ireland’s National Heat Study adds another independent line of evidence that deep retrofit should not automatically precede heat-pump installation.

Buildings use about a third of global energy consumption, and about 40% of the total operational energy in buildings worldwide is used for space heating and cooling. We require warmer and cheaper to run homes to tackle rising energy costs and to ensure net zero. Home retrofit for enhanced energy efficiency is one of the key pillars of the net zero strategy of the UK. The UK Government supports home retrofit programmes by funding local authorities and social housing providers to adopt a ‘fabric-first’ approach—prioritising insulation upgrades before installing low-carbon energy systems. PIR, EPS, mineral wool and phenolic boards are commonly used for wall insulation. Whilst these insulations ensure significant progress towards lowering operational energy, the Embodied Carbon impact of the measures have been ignored by all parties involved. Furthermore, the current wall installation systems are designed mainly to limit the heat loss in winter months. However, recent years have seen a noticeable increase in both frequency and the intensity of summer heat waves. Homes with conventional wall insulation are more vulnerable to overheating in summer months. Whilst low thermal conductivity ensures wall insulation, the thermal mass of the insulation materials acts as a thermal buffer, absorbing excess heat during...