Following our recent successful master class in October 2023 I would like to share some of the feedback. How to build a cost effective Eco home is a hot topic and people were very engaged.

We can arrange bespoke times and resource is for groups that want to come to experience a similar session and we  set up specific dates when this master class runs throughout the year. If you are interested in attending one of these or would like your own private session for your colleagues please do get in touch.

Feedback from attendees on our Hockerton Housing Project Master Class:

Dear Simon
Thank you all so much for a truly eye opening and inspiring day…..
I cannot think of any improvement that was needed, though I should have kept a photo of your data spreadsheet showing how economical the project has been.

I read that HHP can assess your house for heat loss and energy saving £160 upwards I think.   Please can you suggest if our house is beyond help, though if you think it worth reviewing I would be very interested.

Very best wishes Graeme 

Hi Simon,

Apologies for not getting back to you! I was away last week and haven’t caught up with emails yet.

It was a great day and much appreciated. Really enjoyed meeting other like minded people.

Hopefully speak soon.

Many thanks
Dan

 

Dear Simon
>
> I feel terrible that I’ve neglected to thank you so, so much for a
> wonderful day again at HHP, long before today. …..
> I so enjoyed your latest presentation and felt it was right up to the
> moment, which feeling, it was clear was shared by all.
>
> A huge thank you too to Deb (I hope this reaches her!) for yet another
> wonderful Hockerton Feast! Utterly delicious and SOoo nutritious!
>
>
> With all very best wishes from us all
>
> Nick

 

Hi Simon!

Hope you’ve had a great weekend.

Absolutely fine to share emails around – not a problem at all! It would be really interesting and useful to stay in touch with some of the others from the course!

All positive feedback from my end – I think it was so good to have the opportunity to meet others from various backgrounds whilst also going through the learnings. Having cross sections on the walls was useful to put the information you’d given into context; as was the tour of the site, particularly the house itself! 

Overall I really enjoyed the day – there was ample opportunity to ask questions and the Pilgrims Barn case study was fascinating!

Thanks and chat soon,

Bea

Hi Simon,

In terms of feedback, I thought the day was really well structured and I must say, as a complete novice with all this, pitched at a great level. I found it very engaging, and accessible and thought you created an atmosphere where people weren’t put off from asking questions! 

The combination of the theory, the data and seeing it all in practice is very compelling. I’ve been talking the hind leg off quite a few friends ever since and haven’t been able to shake the idea that TikTok and Instagram reels would be a great tool for sharing the Hockerton story and principles. I find it both baffling and depressing that the major developers haven’t enlisted your services and continue to build such poor-performing housing stock.

Thanks again to you and the team at Hockerton for such a good day. 

All the best,

Chris

P.S. Before I forget, the lunch was absolutely on point too!!

 

So if you want to come and lean about how to build very cost effective eco home that meets the current building regulations easily and perform far better than most as the cost to build is such good value – click here.

What crisis?

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, said: “This report is a clarion call to massively fast-track climate efforts by every country and every sector and on every timeframe. Our world needs climate action on all fronts: everything, everywhere, all at once.”

Read more from the Guardian report.

We can offer some solutions to the climate crises. Come and understand how housing can be better in our Master Class The practicalities of delivering zero carbon homes.

Book here for the 27th April 2023

Dear Lord Callanan

I urge you most urgently to support these two amendments to the energy bill 237 and 238. I have been working in the community energy field for a long time and we need to reduce the market barriers for community groups and give them more certainty. From my experience they are key to achieving zero carbon as they not only keep the financial benefits of energy schemes’ local, they also encourage people to reduce their carbon impact. We have a lot to do to keep global warming below catastrophic levels.

Why have community energy schemes recently ground to a halt?

I believe this is largely due to current energy market and licensing rules. The recent Government interventions have been attempted but have failed to reverse the slump in new projects. The “Smart Export Guarantee”, which places a requirement on larger existing electricity suppliers to purchase power from small schemes, has no guaranteed purchase price or length of contract, making community investment almost impossible.

What should be done?

Support the amendments to the Energy Bill numbers 237 and 238.

  1. A Community Electricity Export Guarantee: a right for sites that generate low carbon electricity with a capacity below 5 megawatts to export their electricity to an existing electricity supplier on fair terms (Amendment Number 237).

  2. A Community Electricity Supplier Services Scheme: a requirement on existing larger suppliers to work with community schemes to sell the power they generate to local customers. Existing suppliers can charge a fee for doing this, but that fee must be reasonable (Amendment Number 238).

Here at Hockerton Housing Project we have helped many community groups in the past and if you would like to see some of these you would be most welcome.

Please see Sustainable Hockerton and its community wind turbine.

Best wishes

Simon

 

Mr S Tilley, CEng MEng MIMechE

Director, Hockerton Housing Project Trading Ltd

In this blog: Learn how to lower energy consumption and drop fossil fuels- what you can do to cut back on energy consumption and find out what it will take to transition from fossil fuels to a greener, more sustainable type of energy –  includes useful advice about energy saving for the home.

Society is in the throes of a climate crisis, which is being exacerbated by our overreliance on fossil fuels to provide us with energy. This has caused a spike in the cost of energy for households across the globe, which threatens to leave a huge portion of the population in poverty. To help combat this, society needs to make a number of changes, both big and small, to address these issues and save our planet from a climate change catastrophe. In this article, we’re going to look at how we can save on energy consumption to save our planet.

Energy saving tips

There are lots of different strategies households can adopt that help them save money on their energy bills by reducing their overall energy consumption. From simple things like switching your older halogen light bulbs to LED bulbs to finding a more affordable energy provider, it’s often small changes that can make the biggest difference when it comes to the price of powering your home.

Ofgem has an excellent resource that households can use to cut costs on energy bills, so it’s well worth looking into their advice and guidance. You might be eligible for government grants and subsidies which can help offset some of the rising energy costs. They also provide clear advice to help you avoid wasting energy in the home, further reducing your energy bills.

Sourcing cleaner energy

The other side of the climate and energy crisis is a much larger challenge to tackle, which is our reliance on fossil fuels instead of investing in renewable energy sources. This type of change requires large-scale, governmental changes to wean entire industries off their reliance on fossil fuels. Without proper investment in things like solar, tidal and wind energy, there simply won’t be sufficient infrastructure to help these industries transition towards renewable sources of energy.

Unfortunately, the push for cleaner, greener energy sources is hampered by lobbyists and those currently in government who are actively looking for ways to keep fossil fuels viable. We already know from IPCC reports that the current fossil fuel reserves cannot all be used if we are to stay safely within a habitable ecosystem. No government should permit any new exploration as it is a waste of time and money. The reality is that these outdated energy sources simply won’t help our fight against climate change or the energy crisis. You can help make sure the government makes the right decisions by taking action.

The best time to invest in renewable energy was a decade ago, but the next best time is right now. It will take some big changes to move away from fossil fuels, but it’s only a matter of time before it’s no longer economically viable for governments to push the fossil fuel agenda. In the meantime, for the average household, the best thing to do to keep the lights on is to cut back on energy consumption and switch to a greener energy source.

 

To learn more about what a sustainable home looks like, head over to the Hockerton Housing Project.

Or read Save Energy and Cut Your Bills – Teach Yourself General by Nick White HHP

New homes and buildings in England will have to produce significantly less CO2 under new rules announced by the government to help the country move towards net zero. Published 15 December 2021

Who says: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Eddie Hughes MP

 

  • Changes to building regulations will help UK deliver net zero
  • New homes will have to produce around 30% less CO2
  • Important step for industry ahead of Future Homes and Buildings Standard in 2025

New homes and buildings in England will have to produce significantly less CO2 under new rules announced by the government in December 2021 to help the country move towards net zero.

Under the new regulations, CO2 emissions from new build homes must be around 30% lower than current standards and emissions from other new buildings, including offices and shops, must be reduced by 27%.

Heating and powering buildings currently makes up 40% of the UK’s total energy use.

Installing low carbon technology, such as solar panels and heat pumps, and using materials in a more energy efficient way to keep in heat will help cut emissions – lowering the cost of energy bills for families and helping deliver the UK’s climate change ambitions.

All new residential buildings, including homes, care homes, student accommodation and children’s homes, must also be designed to reduce overheating, making sure they are fit for the future and protect the most vulnerable people. Improvements to ventilation will also be introduced to support the safety of residents in newly-built homes and to prevent the spread of airborne viruses in new non-residential buildings.

The changes announced to the government’s Building Regulations, which set the standards in England for the design, construction and alteration of buildings, follow a public consultation and will come into effect from June 2022.

They will raise standards and are an important step towards a cleaner greener built environment, paving the way for the Future Homes and Buildings Standard in 2025, which will mean all future homes are net zero ready and will not need retrofitting.

Housing Minister Eddie Hughes said:

Climate change is the greatest threat we face and we must act to protect our precious planet for future generations.

The government is doing everything it can to deliver net zero and slashing CO2 emissions from homes and buildings is vital to achieving this commitment.

The changes will significantly improve the energy efficiency of the buildings where we live, work and spend our free time and are an important step on our country’s journey towards a cleaner, greener built environment.

Further information

Alongside amendments to the Building Regulations, there are 5 new Approved Documents:

There will be a 6 month period before the new regulations come into force on 15 June 2022. Transitional arrangements are in place which mean that if a building notice, initial notice, or full plans for building work are submitted to a local authority before 15 June 2022, then provided the building work commences by 15 June 2023, work on that individual building is permitted to continue under the previous standards.

As well as setting out measures for the 2021 uplift to the Building Regulations, the government response to the Future Buildings Standard consultation also sets out plans for the implementation of the Future Buildings Standard from 2025. This includes plans to start a full technical consultation on the FBS in 2025.

How to meet this uplift building standard? Come and see at Hockerton Housing Project.