An increasing number of house builders are seeing the benefit of taking a sustainable and energy efficient approach in a very competitive market. However, meeting ever changing regulations and having the right product knowledge to achieve a high quality result is still a worry for many. Horsham based company 'Barns R Us' were one such company.
Current legislation is forcing developers to think differently when selecting materials and products for a project, with some county councils even bringing sustainable thinking into planning permission criteria. With this new way of thinking and so many products on the market, it can be a minefield for housing developers who want to ensure a quality build that will provide the necessary energy savings, without a huge initial outlay and resulting in a fair return.
Ray Foster, owner of Barns R Us Ltd, has been in the building industry for over thirty five years. Ray was working on a project to convert five previously redundant units in Surrey, including a barn and connected granary, into a two and three bedroom property. The county council stipulated that if planning permission was to be granted, each property needed to use a sustainable heating source. This type of conditional planning permission is now becoming much more common with the pressure on developers to meet these challenges whilst remaining profitable. The end result must also be an attractive home that the owners will find easy to run and maintain.
Ray has worked with Travis Perkins many times over his long career and when visiting his local branch to source materials for the build, asked for the merchant's advice to help meet the efficiency criteria that had been set by the council. Fortunately, Travis Perkins has its own specialist division called Sustainable Building Solutions (SBS). SBS was created to provide support to builders such as Ray who require assistance with product specification and meeting legislation.
After discussing the requirements of the planning permission, SBS recommended an in-depth analysis of the projects construction drawings. This information allowed a greater assessment of the full makeup of the build. The final result was an informed recommendation of suitable heating renewable products by SBS which would ensure the delivery of a cost effective and energy efficient heating solution.
From the selection of products recommended by SBS, Ray chose to install a Worcester, Bosch Group Greensource air to water heat pump in each property due to its cost effectiveness and, having dealt with the manufacturer on other projects, its over all reliability. Not only would the property have an energy performance certificate rating but would offer potential purchasers a reliable source of low cost energy.
Such was the quality and uniqueness of the build, Ray was entered into the 'Best Project by a Housebuilder' category at Worcester, Bosch Group's 12th annual Environment 2020 Awards, walking away with the top prize.
Ray said: "Awareness of renewable technologies is undoubtedly increasing and we now see council planning departments favour developments with a reliance on green sources of energy. Experts within the building industry can get overwhelmed with how to adopt sustainability due to the vast amount of options available on the marketplace. Lack of knowledge and experience are also a factor. Sustainability will become more and more prevalent as we move forward so it is important for people to have one point of access to seek much needed advice and support."
"This is the first time I have used SBS and their support definitely fills the knowledge and expertise gap that often causes developers to install the wrong energy efficient products or ignore them altogether. There is certainly a needed for resources that can push relevant training courses and make it easier for builders to rise to the sustainability challenge - I think the development of SBS it is a positive move by Travis Perkins Group which will support the industry and hopefully improve the standard of construction across the board."
For more information please visit www.sustainablebuildingsolutions.co.uk/