Frampton Park Estate, a series five-story apartment buildings in east London that have rooftop solar, gained microgrid capabilities after Emergent Energy succeeded in lobbying for regulatory change in 2023. Before the change, most of the 1 MW of solar energy was sold back to the grid, so tenants gained no direct benefit, says the article … Continue reading Thanks to a change in regulations in UK, residents in social housing in London can now access the clean, affordable energy coming from their own roofs
Category: buildings
Energy in Demand News, August 24-25, 2025
Encouragingly, the Financial Times reports that solar power generation in Britain so far this year has surpassed the total for 2024 “as panels are rapidly installed amid favourable weather, underlining renewable energy’s increasing importance to the grid. . . . Some 14.08 terawatt hours of electricity was produced from solar in Great Britain by August … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 24-25, 2025
A change in the conception of construction can lead to much less waste
The construction industry is one of the largest producers of waste, generating around 2.2 billion tonnes per year globally. More than 90% of construction waste comes from demolition, but waste is also generated on-site – mainly as leftover or broken materials – and during manufacturing. In an article on The Conversation website, José Manuel Cabrero … Continue reading A change in the conception of construction can lead to much less waste
Energy in Demand News, August 17-18, 2025
It was certainly disappointing that the UN negotiations for a global treaty on plastics pollution collapsed without an agreement. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and a number of other petrostates would not budge from their long-standing refusal to agree measures that address the production of plastic, agreeing only to waste management. It is not clear when negotiations … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 17-18, 2025
An eco-friendly public housing scheme in Germany using an innovative modular timber construction method
In Tübingen, Germany, TriqBriq is creating eco‑friendly homes from modular wooden blocks made with recycled materials, offering a low‑carbon alternative to concrete. In an article on the Deutsche Welle website, Julia Mielke discusses the scheme. Eco-friendly homes from wooden building blocks A German city is building an eco-friendly public housing scheme using an innovative … Continue reading An eco-friendly public housing scheme in Germany using an innovative modular timber construction method
Blog by Rose Morrison – Thermal envelope innovations: breaking the R-value ceiling in modern construction
https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-wooden-building-on-green-grass-field-during-daytime-IicTi83wpXA Low-carbon goals should remain critical to the construction industry because they are among the most damaging to the environment. Finding optimisations in thermal envelopes and R-value is critical for setting standards for the future of net-zero buildings. Experts are constantly researching new technologies to boost potential and cut emissions by streamlining energy efficiency. What … Continue reading Blog by Rose Morrison – Thermal envelope innovations: breaking the R-value ceiling in modern construction
Energy in Demand News, July 20-21, 2025
The New York Times this week reported on how cultural festivals in France are adapting to the summer heat. The theatre festival in Avignon has banned events from 2 pm to 5 pm. And in order to lower the carbon footprint, the Avignon festival will only accept foreign acts if they also have other engagements … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 20-21, 2025
Solar installations have grown by more than 10% every year in the UK for the last three years
Jamie Gibbs writes on the Energy Saving Trust website about the growing popularity of solar panels in the UK and the Solar Roadmap that the government just published. Plug-in solar panels and the rooftop revolution Solar power is on the rise. Over 1.5 million homes in the UK have solar panels installed. And looking … Continue reading Solar installations have grown by more than 10% every year in the UK for the last three years
Energy in Demand News, June 22-23, 2025
The European Union is making a big effort to decarbonise and to reduce its dependence on Russian gas. One of the options is to expand the use of nuclear energy. However, the Financial Times writes about how complicated it is to reduce dependence on Russia for nuclear fuel: “The EU has 101 nuclear reactors of … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, June 22-23, 2025
New publication from BPIE: Making choices for home renovation: A guide for an effective implementation of EPBD Article 9.2
With the policy framework in place, now effective implementation of the EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is a necessity. The Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) has just published a report to help in the implementation. The report is a practical guide to help member states implement Article 9.2 of the revised EPBD, focusing … Continue reading New publication from BPIE: Making choices for home renovation: A guide for an effective implementation of EPBD Article 9.2
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 