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
Category: construction
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
Vast majority of new homes in England must have solar panels
Ministers in the UK are poised to confirm that the “vast majority” of new build homes in England will need to have solar panels on their roofs, claiming the policy will cut household energy bills. Leila Nathoo and Christina McSorley discuss latest developments in an article on the BBC News website. Most new build … Continue reading Vast majority of new homes in England must have solar panels
Energy in Demand News, May 25-26, 2025
While there has been more environmental reporting, there have also been more academic studies that prove that there are serious grounds for doubt about the published environmental results. A Financial Times newsletter refers to one draft paper from King’s College London that uses data from Climate Trace, an open-access initiative that takes inputs from more … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, May 25-26, 2025
Builders are harnessing the power of AI to make the construction industry more efficient and sustainable
We are reading about how artificial intelligence is having a major impact on our economies and virtually everything these days. Sara Harowitz writes on the National Observer website how AI is being used in the Canadian construction industry. She adds that AI brings its own challenges. What is your experience with AI? How robots … Continue reading Builders are harnessing the power of AI to make the construction industry more efficient and sustainable
Time to recognise ‘earth’ as a valid and sustainable construction material
In an article on The Conversation website, Rabia Charef, Senior Research Associate in Circular Economy & Digitalisation, Lancaster University about the benefits of using ‘earth’ as a sustainable building material. What are your views? Building with earth could transform sustainable construction – here’s how Imagine you are standing in front of a multimillion-pound building … Continue reading Time to recognise ‘earth’ as a valid and sustainable construction material
The need to engage and educate home occupiers about how to live in a more complex and gas-free home of the future
Mike Leonard, Visiting Professor, Manufacturing and the Built Environment, Birmingham City University writes on The Conversation website about the human dimension when it comes to achieve net zero for homes. What are your views? Making homes ready for net zero depends heavily on people’s understanding and habits Forty percent of UK greenhouse gas emissions … Continue reading The need to engage and educate home occupiers about how to live in a more complex and gas-free home of the future
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 