Category: buildings

Home automation and achieving energy efficiency

With the increased use of automation controls, Sam Edwards writes on the Phys.org website about how home automation can play a role in improving energy efficiency.   Smart buildings: energy efficiency at what price? Automating heating and other environmental controls can bring huge savings to commercial buildings. To what extent is it possible to achieve … Continue reading Home automation and achieving energy efficiency →

New report by BPIE assesses readiness of EU countries in their transition to smart buildings

Europe is gripped in the trend towards improving our buildings and infrastructure through “smart” techniques. The Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) has recently published a report assessing how prepared EU member states are for this transition.   European countries are missing smart buildings opportunities Analysis by the on the readiness of EU countries to transition … Continue reading New report by BPIE assesses readiness of EU countries in their transition to smart buildings →

Building Britain’s Houses of Parliament led to speed up of environmental laws

A 19th century fire led to the re-construction of the iconic Palace of Westminster. Timothy Hyde, Associate Professor of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology writes on The Conversation website about how the quality of the air led to a quick decay of the building materials before it was even complete. This led to … Continue reading Building Britain’s Houses of Parliament led to speed up of environmental laws →

Ensuring landlords are ready to meet their energy efficiency obligations in the UK

EiD is always interested in finding articles on sustainable energy from smaller newspapers. How they convey messages to their readership is very important. Mike Bridgen writes on the Darlington and Stockton Times website about the upcoming obligation for landlords to ensure their properties meet a minimum energy performance requirement by April 2018.   Changes on … Continue reading Ensuring landlords are ready to meet their energy efficiency obligations in the UK →

Need to raise level of ambition for sustainable construction

John Grant, Senior Lecturer in Natural and Built Environment, Sheffield Hallam University, provides a convincing argument on the Conversation website about why we need to go from hamlet-sized projects to city scale to take advantage of our eco-technology knowledge. As Grant states, “We must not forget that the 2050 Climate Change target is not some … Continue reading Need to raise level of ambition for sustainable construction →

Looking for new ways to help customers save energy

The state of Vermont has been one of the leaders in addressing energy efficiency in the United States. While much has been done, it is encouraging to see that Efficiency Vermont is still challenging the status quo to achieve even greater savings. Tim Perrin from Efficiency Vermont writes about a recent pilot project in the … Continue reading Looking for new ways to help customers save energy →

London planning first school built on Passivhaus design principles

Plans are underway for a school in London to be build following the Passivhaus approach. Jess Staufenberg explains about recent developments on the Schoolsweek website.   Passivhaus schools claim to reduce energy costs by 80 per cent The first secondary school to use energy-saving Passivhaus design principles is set to be built for the Harris … Continue reading London planning first school built on Passivhaus design principles →

Understanding the value of your home when it is more energy efficient

Improving the energy performance of our buildings is fundamental in our energy transition. Enda Gunnell, CEO of Pinergy, writes in the Irish Independent about the gains in market value since building energy ratings have become compulsory.   Don't underestimate energy efficiency - and add €30,000 to the value of your home In much the same … Continue reading Understanding the value of your home when it is more energy efficient →

Some useful advice when considering undertaking an energy retrofit

Only this week, EiD received an email from a colleague in Australia who said he finally had to give in and install air conditioning. The temperature reached 40 degrees C and became unbearable. Other friends have talked about their days at minus 30 degrees in Canada. Whether you are at these extremes or whether you … Continue reading Some useful advice when considering undertaking an energy retrofit →