Sustainable Energy Solutions for Housing
8th November 2019
The finale to The Future Economy Network’s unofficial Green Great Britain Week series of daily events, took place at Ashfords and discussed sustainable energy solutions in housing. This business breakfast saw a bright and early group of sustainability professionals on Friday 8th November.
First up, we welcomed Ross Boulton from subscribers, Burohappold. Ross discussed housing innovations within the context of the decarbonisation of the grid, Part L Building Regulations and the Energy Hierarchy. He advised that the use of gas for space heating is no longer the least carbon intensive and the use of heat pumps will become more commonplace and part of the compliance strategy. He emphasised that due to the decarbonisation of the grid, solar panels in effect will have less of a benefit and went on to suggest low regret options and the home of the future.
Next, we heard from Nick James, Founding Director of subscribers, Futureground who spoke about sustainable housing within the context of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, in particular, the importance of shelter and comfort. He suggested that companies need to look at strategies to build housing that meets both comfort and cost requirements, whilst minimising its impact on the environment. He discussed the signals of change; decentralisation, democratisation and decarbonisation. He finished with three take aways; 1) Disruption is inevitable, 2) Technology isn’t everything, 3) Authentic action is needed.
Finally, we welcomed Mike Shufflebotham from The Green Building Store who discussed Passivhaus in the context of net zero housing. Mike opened by highlighting the inaccuracies in SAP calculations, with buildings consuming 60% more energy than SAP predictions. Mike discussed the key principals of Passivhaus construction – super insulation, air tightness, ventilation, triple glazing and insolation – which ensures a building with a very low energy requirement. He highlighted other benefits of building to Passivhaus standards (no overheating, fresh air, no cold spots) and finished by discussing the need to combine these principles with renewables and energy storage solutions, with Passivhaus Premium being the most likely standard to achieve net zero.
As per tradition, the event ended with some energetic Q&A and 60 second pitches and then lively networking whilst finishing off the delicious breakfast courtesy of Ashfords. The Future Economy Network would like to offer sincere thanks to the speakers and to Ashfords for their support. Also, a huge thank you to all attendees – we hope you found it an interesting and insightful event.
If anyone is interested in sponsorship opportunities at the Festival of Sustainable Business 2020, please email us at festival@thefutureeconomygroup.co.uk
The Future Economy Network look forward to seeing you at another event soon! Details of upcoming events can be found here!