The UK Construction Blog

A two-year scheme to find new ways of improving the energy efficiency of existing homes has been launched.

The project, which is supported by the Energy Technologies Institute and a number of businesses including building consultancy Building Research Establishment, will investigate whether mass-produced technologies could be used to cut the cost of eco refurbishments.

In order to meet the government’s target of reducing carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, the £3 million scheme would need to renovate 12,500 homes a week for the next 40 years.

Paul Morrell, chief construction adviser at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: “This is way beyond the scale of anything attempted before and calls for a response from the industry that addresses that scale.”

Last month, housing minister Grant Shapps failed to define the meaning of the term zero-carbon, which all new homes must be by 2016 in order to meet environmental standards, before parliament broke for summer recess.

Insulation is inexpensive and key to an energy-efficient home, one specialist has claimed.

Gordon Miller, sustainability and communications director of Sustain, commented it costs around £200 to ensure an attic is insulated.

And grants are available to help people who receive income support pay for the work, he continued.

“Before you even think about trying to generate electricity or hot water, make sure that the home is properly insulated. That is one of the key things,” Mr Miller said.

Homeowners can expect to save about £200 each year in reduced bills on an insulated home, he remarked, so they will make back their initial outlay within around 12 months.

There are lots of advantages to living in an eco-friendly home, Mr Miller added.

For example, well-insulated properties retain heat better in winter and are cooler in summer.

Ebico recently urged those thinking of selling their house to improve their home’s energy efficiency due to upcoming European Union legislation.

From 2012 it will be compulsory for energy efficiency ratings to be published in all sale advertisements for properties in the UK.

SiteMaster Elevation
Photographic Facade Survey

SiteMaster Elevation - surveying to precise exterior views
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Photographic Facade Survey

SiteMaster Elevation is an independent add-on for SiteMaster. You can benefit from photogrammetric procedures by determining detailed measurements from freehand digital photographs or scanned images.

SiteMaster Elevation requires only one rectangle with two known side lengths for calibrating an image plan. The software lets you measure and draw a building in 2D with added height information on floors, openings etc.

It saves the exact measurement results by redrawing the image with points, lines, rectangles, polylines, arcs and circles. SiteMaster Elevation transfers drawing elements with state-of-the-art technology to your CAD system, e.g. or SiteMaster Building. After completing your measurements you can generate a report list of all measurements and areas. The results can be exported in excel lists.

Processing digital photographs of the building’s facade in SiteMaster Elevations allows you to enhance your project into a full 3D plan with precise exterior views. You can exchange drawing files between SiteMaster Elevation, SiteMaster (and other solutions) using the .FLX (PowerCAD) and .DXF file formats.

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The extensive features of SiteMaster Building are especially interesting for users that need to create and deliver professional Fast CAD drawings.

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Survey Methodology
Surveys are conducted using a hand-held Laser Measure (Leica Disto A6, Leica Disto D8, Leica Disto D3aBT or a Hilti PD38) coupled via ‘Bluetooth’ technology to a hand-held microcomputer a Viliv X70 tablet.

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From re-fitting a city office to redeveloping schools, keeping the customer satisfied can be particularly demanding in the business of construction.

The finalists just announced in the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) Construction Manager of the Year Awards (CMYA) have all proved themselves more than equal to a wide range of challenges, combining resourceful and creative application of building technology with inspiring project and team management and top communication skills.

Through a rigorous selection process by top industry judges, drawn from Fellows and Members of the CIOB, the Construction Manager of the Year Awards is tough and commendations are both hard earned and prestigious. Chris Blythe, Chief Executive of the CIOB said, “It is no secret that the construction industry faces some challenging times. But what is encouraging is the ingenuity and skill showed by our finalists this year and their ability to make the sometimes impossible possible.

“You could be forgiven for thinking that the 2010 competition would somehow suffer because of the recession, but that simply has not been the case and shows just how special and unique this level of recognition is. This year we have over 100 finalists from a record number of entrants from every level of the industry. In fact this year we have our youngest ever entrant. The judges have not only been blown away by the standard of entry but also the support from the clients. This will be another year to remember for CMYA there is no doubt about that.”

The award has seen some significant changes in the 30 years that the CIOB has been recognising and celebrating management excellence across the construction industry. Effective public private partnerships, the use of emerging technologies and successful solutions to environmental challenges are just a few of them.

Winners and medalists will be announced on Thursday October 14th at the awards dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London. You can find a full list of the finalists and further information about the awards at www.cmya.co.uk. The sponsors for CMYA 2010 are: The Health & Safety Executive (HSE), Hays, CIOB Insurance Services, Sprecher Grier Halberstam, IHS, BT Global Services, Hill International, COINS, and Premier Guarantee.

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has been confirmed as Event Partner at the new Built Environment Solutions and Technologies Show (BEST)

With over 45,000 members worldwide, the CIOB is considered the international voice of the building professional, and joins a prestigious roster of partners already committed to the BEST show, which includes Dyson, Barratt Homes, Birmingham Local Education Partnership, Network Rail, Crossrail, BAA and Land Securities.

BEST, which replaces Interbuild Specifier and incorporates the Infrastructure structure show, takes place from 18-20 October 2010 at the NEC in Birmingham.

As the built environment’s new trade event, BEST offers visitors the opportunity to view and purchase new products and technologies from across each of the main construction markets.  A highlight of the event is the six free seminar programmes, covering topics including retrofit and low carbon, as well as innovations within the residential, education and commercial property sectors.

Saul Townsend, Press & Communications Manager at the CIOB commented, “The CIOB is delighted to be a partner of the BEST show and we are looking forward to engaging with our members and other professionals in the industry on a number of key issues. Not least the low carbon agenda which despite the downturn in the economy is still a vital topic for the built environment. The BEST show is an ideal platform for us to exchange knowledge and to hear new ideas.”

Chartered member status is recognised internationally as the mark of a true, skilled professional in the construction industry and CIOB members share a common commitment to achieving and maintaining the highest possible standards within the build environment.

The CIOB will also participate in the show’s Low Carbon themed seminar programme, with Vice President, Alan Crane, speaking on Monday 18 October. Through his presentation, ‘Calculating carbon footprint – how realistic and accurate can you be?’, Alan will review the results of the CIOB embodied carbon study, and its implications.

Entry to BEST is free for those who register in advance (saving £20) when using priority code ECIB at www.best-show.co.uk/register

For a full exhibitor list and seminar programme visit www.best-show.co.uk

The UK Green Building Council has just published an independent report of its recent consultation with members, which contains a number of recommendations on the future of BREEAM. BRE Global has supported the consultation process and has committed to consider and respond to the points raised by the UK-GBC, which held a consultation on BREEAM in June and July 2010 with member representatives from across the built environment. The initial stage involved a workshop and following this, a further opportunity was provided for members to comment online. The main purpose of the consultation was to provide a broad range of industry professionals with an opportunity to comment on: the upcoming BREEAM update for 2011, the direction of BREEAM beyond 2011 and BREEAM as a driver of transformational change, including all ‘other’ issues.

The aim was to formally capture members’ comments and recommendations which could then be fed back to BRE Global via a public report for their review and consideration.

Key areas that UK-GBC has highlighted include: Data - the organisation concluded that real data is crucial. The sharing of performance data from BREEAM rated buildings would be hugely beneficial for the industry. This, alongside integrating operational performance into building certification, would help deal with discrepancies between design stage energy use calculations and actual energy use in occupation.

Rating the sustainability of buildings is still a rapidly developing discipline and is becoming increasingly complex as new issues rise up the agenda. BRE Global should review the BREEAM guidance to consider new areas for incorporation and the setting of minimum standards. One area that demands more attention is the responsible sourcing and embodied impacts of materials. Greater transparency of the data and lifecycle models behind the Green Guide and the Environmental Profiles Methodology would be hugely beneficial in this area.

Industry requires certainty, both from government policy, but also from market-led initiatives such as BREEAM. It would be helpful if BREEAM were to clearly set out future strategies and direction so that industry is prepared for future changes, including how these will relate to government policies and regulations.

As BREEAM uptake grows, so too the operations of BREEAM need to become more responsive to consumer needs. Improving customer service, including response times and practicalities such as moving to online systems should be considered.

Paul King, Chief Executive of the UK Green Building Council said: “BREEAM is one of the world’s leading building rating tools and clearly the number one rating tool in the UK. It continues to play a very significant role in helping to mainstream sustainability and in raising awareness among building owners, agents and occupiers. Of course there will always be areas for improvement to ensure BREEAM ratings genuinely represent good standards of sustainability performance in buildings, and are delivered in a way that is practical and responsive to the industry’s needs.”

Martin Townsend, Director of BREEAM at BRE said: “For me it is essential to engage with the industry and our stakeholders to ensure we develop and adapt BREEAM to respond to the market priorities, not just here in the UK, but also in other countries that we operate. The UK-GBC workshop was an important opportunity for me and the team to hear firsthand the changes we need to make on a wide range of issues and importantly the pace stakeholders want to see these happen.”

The report can be downloaded in full from the UKGBC website.

When New York’s tallest building, which stands at 1,454ft tall, was bought by Malkin Holdings in 2006 it was in a state of disrepair. But the condition of the building gave its owners an opportunity.

“When we took control of it, the place needed to be fixed. It was broken,” Anthony Malkin, president of Malkin Holdings, told the Guardian. The solution was an environmental renovation, he said.

“We’re doing this [making the Empire State greener] not because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes business sense. If we don’t reduce our energy consumption, we will lose money and be less competitive against China, India, Brazil and the other expanding economies,” Mr Malkin said.

The makeover is expected to cut the building’s energy use by almost 40 per cent and cut bills by more than $4m. The project will cut the building’s carbon footprint by more than 100,000 metric tonnes over the next 15 years, the equivalent of taking 20,000 cars off the road.

As well as new windows, four central chillers have been replaced and smart air circulation systems have also been put in as a low-energy means of heating the building in winter and cooling it in summer.

With companies offering to fit homes with solar panels for free, experts say you can save more by paying for them yourself

Householders tempted by a rash of new “solar for free” offers could double their financial savings by paying for the panels themselves, experts have warned.

The advice comes as installations of solar photovoltaic panels have exploded in the UK, with the number installed in four months in 2010 more than doubling on the whole of 2009 since a government financial incentive was launched in April.

Spurred by the new feed-in tariff scheme that pays small scale generators of green electricity, a glut of companies are offering to fit thousands of homes with solar panels for free. Under the “rent your roof” model, the companies earn the tariff worth approximately £835 a year and the homeowner benefits from an annual saving of around £110 off their electricity bill. Homesun, ISIS Solar and A Shade Greener are three of the firms planning to do a deal with more than 120,000 homeowners by 2015, with Homesun promising to fit 2,000 homes in the next 12 months.

But homeowners would almost certainly be better off paying for the solar panels themselves, even taking into account interest on a loan for the upfront cost of around £10,000 for a typical home. “Looking at the figures, it [paying for panels yourself] looks like a better deal on paper,” Liz Laine, energy expert at Consumer Focus, told the Guardian. She added that consumers should go into such deals “with their eyes open”. Simon Osborn, policy advisor at Which?, said: “If you have the means to pay for solar panels yourself, then you may well be better off arranging to have them installed yourself.” Consumer Focus has also published a checklist of 24 questions people should ask before signing up, including who has liability if something goes wrong with the panels.

Under the “free solar” model, a homeowner would save in the region of £2,750 on energy bills over 25 years, the length of the tariff offer. By paying for their own panels with a loan at 7.7% interest repaid over 10 years and earning income from the feed-in tariff, they could save around £6,506 over the same period.

But the rise of such business models is exactly what the tariff was designed to do, say government and solar industry figures – drive innovation and solar take-up. Since the tariff started on 1 April, 12.12 megawatt peak (MWp) of solar panels have been installed at 4,822 homes, up from 3.8MWp in 2007, 4.42 MWp in 2008 and 5 MWp in 2009. Solar panel makers are responding to the demand, with Sharp announcing it will double annual production at its UK plant to 500 MW in December. The Wrexham plant, which currently employs 750 people, has seen the UK’s share of its output rise from 1% to 10%.

“A large number of companies are setting up to do PV [solar photovoltaic panels],” said Ray Noble, solar specialist at the Renewable Energy Association (REA). “Things are moving from a cottage industry to building scale industry, and creating a high number of jobs too.”

One UK solar energy company, SolarCentury, has seen its direct employees and network of installers rise from 200 staff in January to 350 now and predicts it will employ more than 500 by 2011.

The tariffs for solar and other renewable “microgeneration” are a key part of the UK’s plan to cut carbon emissions and hit an EU target of generating a fifth of energy from renewable sources by 2020. The government forecasts installations driven by the tariff will account for 1.6% of the UK’s electricity consumption in 10 years’ time.

However, the bill for the government and the taxpayer is unlimited. The government predicts the cost will be around £8 on every energy bill by 2020, though there is no cap and the scheme could potentially be a victim of its own success. Spain last week announced it was slashing its feed-in tariffs for solar PV panels by up to 45%, which some experts believe was a result of the tariff being set too high initially.

The rate of the UK tariff, currently set at 43.1p per KWh for solar PV on existing properties, is fixed until 31 March 2012, when it will be reviewed before decreasing each year. There is disagreement between industry figures over whether the current solar gold rush could force an earlier review. “I think the rate of uptake will be so fast the government will have to do an emergency review (of the rates) or possibly suspend them,” Alistair Roberts, project manager at energy co-op Renew, recently told the ENDS Report. “I don’t think there’s a risk of an emergency review in the next two years, as government needs as much help as possible to hit carbon targets,” said Noble at the REA.

Solar is currently the most expensive form of renewable electricity per unit of energy produced, though some in the UK solar industry believe rising energy prices and falling production costs will help it match fossil fuel prices by 2013.

Moisture Meters- The Key Facts

The measurement and detection of moisture and the meters used is a complex and important topic that is frequently misunderstood.

This article will outline the differences between the concepts of  ‘moisture measurement’ and ‘moisture detection’ as well as explain the most appropriate type of meter to use in different situations.

Moisture Measurement In Timber

The most common material in which moisture content can be ‘measured’ by using a moisture meter is timber. The typical tool used for this purpose is the widely available pin type meter (also known as an electrical resistance/conductance and destructive meter).

These instruments work by reading across the two pins and detecting the change in resistance when they come into contact with the timber.Pin meters will give a pretty good indication of the moisture content of timber. They are made and calibrated to do this on particular species of timber for example, Douglas Fir. These instruments work because the conductivity of timber (also known as the density), is reasonably constant throughout different timber types and is proportional to the moisture content. As there are timbers which have different densities to that which the instrument has been calibrated to, most meters are supplied with a set of tables which give the adjustments which need to be made dependant upon the type of timber being tested.

Limitations Of Pin Meters For Building Surveys

As described above, the common pin meter has been designed for use on timber and not any other materials. This fact is often not appreciated by many users who rely on pin meters to ‘measure’ moisture content in other materials such as masonry, plaster or wallpaper. This is not actually possible as there are major variations in, for example masonry and therefore no consistency between any two samples from different sites. The same holds for most common building materials.

All a pin type meter can indicate, at best, is whether moisture may be present but they can not measure the actual level of moisture in the material. The danger of using a pin meter is that the instrument only reads across the very small area between the pins. This is not such a problem with timber due to the homogenous nature of it. However, when looking for moisture in an internal wall, it would be necessary to make many pin holes all over the wall in order to get a thorough indication of whether there is a presence of moisture. This is time consuming and leaves behind unsightly holes. When faced with tiled areas (such as kitchens & bathrooms) the pin meter can not be pushed through tiles and as a result no readings can be taken or at best only a surface reading is obtained. The presence of certain substances on the surface of the material being tested, such as condensation and salts, will also affect the readings.

Thank-you to Mobile CAD Surveying for allowing us to copy this from their site.

For more information of a similar nature to this above, pelase visit the Mobile CAD Surveying Knowledge Base