BBA certification for the innovative 'Teplo-L-Tie' wall tie made from basalt-fibre was officially presented to Ancon Marketing Manager, Annabelle Wilson, by BBA’s Head of Client Accounts, Gary Dicker, at the 2015 Ecobuild exhibition in London earlier this year. BBA is a widely recognised third party approval system and fis awarded following
FITs to end - whats next for solar?
New research has found that typical domestic solar panel returns will fall from 6.5% to 2.84% when the Feed in Tariff closes on March 31st 2019 but the analysis also finds that a fair export payment and continued reduction in system costs may be enough to provide a decent return. Read more
“In the short-term, the viability of solar is going to depend on the level of export payments and on falling installation costs. If the Smart Export Guarantee pays homeowners at a fair level, then at the
right price and in the right place, domestic solar will still be attractive.”, said Green Business Watch Editor Alastair Kay.
Green Business Watch has modeled a range of payment levels for the Smart Export Guarantee and also a number of installation costs to compare rates of return and payback times after the Feed in Tariff.
Airtightness blamed for health risks in homes
Throughout the past year a slew of reports has been published that raise serious questions about the safety of new-build homes. Increasingly stringent building regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions are resulting in new houses that are ever more airtight. While this helps reduce fuel consumption, the burden is on architects to ensure that occupants of new homes can breathe clean and fresh air. Recent evidence suggests that the construction industry, designers included, is failing to meet this challenge. Read more
Paul Harrison, an independent toxicologist and member of a working group on air quality created by the Royal College of Physicians, describes serious health risks associated with poor ventilation systems. ‘Sick building syndrome describes a variety of symptoms including headaches, allergies, reduced productivity, a sore throat and dry skin,’ he says. ‘In addition, poor air quality can provoke asthma.’ Architects Journal