Latest News

New homes are the most energy efficient, but could they be better?

12 May 2016

Elmhurst recognises that new build homes are better from an energy point of view than the vast majority of existing homes. In fact the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) recently released statistics that show that 75% of new builds are ‘A’ or ‘B’ rated on the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) scale and only 12% of existing dwellings are the same. However the statistics also show a worrying trend for the new build industry

House Builders set out intent to double new build homes by 2020

11 May 2016

The current Government demanded that the house builders built 1 million new homes in this parliament; to date they have hit 180,000 in 2014/15. This according to Government is not enough and the House Building Federation (HBF), whose members include most of the volume house builders have signalled a new intent. HBF note that house builders have increased output significantly since the recession, but a new target of doubling new builds by 2020 is achievable.

Home Information Pack mk2

10 May 2016

Some interesting news has arisen that Government are concerned at the length of time it takes to buy a property in England and Wales. An enquiry is to start in the next few weeks whose aim is to investigate the issue of length of time and the possibility of ‘gazumping’; which according to HM Treasury costs us £270million a year on failed house transactions. Clearly one option could be to use the model that is

Ofgem Publishes Response to U-Values Consultation

05 May 2016

Following feedback from industry stakeholders, Ofgem has now published its formal response to the ECO2 consultation on the requirements for overwriting U-Values for cavity wall insulation (CWI) measures. The new policies outlined in Ofgem’s Consultation Response Document will apply to all CWI measures with overwritten U-Values installed from 1st June 2016. To read the response document in full please click here During the consultation a number of approaches were considered which could provide Ofgem with

DCLG Explain Fee Increase

04 May 2016

When Elmhurst announced that the Government were increasing central lodgement fees we were compelled to contact DCLG to ask for an explanation as to the size of increase and to explain the negative impact this will have on Elmhurst Members, many of whom will be out of pocket until the fee increase can be reflected in contracts. Elmhurst was pleased to receive a full and considered response which explained that the recent reduction in EPC volumes means

Is the UK Aston Villa in disguise?

27 April 2016

In a latest study by the ‘Energy Efficiency Watch Project’ progress in energy efficiency policies across the EU member states has positioned the UK as 27th in the league table of 28 member states! Where once we dreamed of mid-table mediocrity (13th position in 2012), we have now plummeted to relegation fodder. In football terms, the manager would have been given the dreaded vote of confidence by now! Elmhurst Energy has watched over the last

Lords Reject Government decision to scrap zero carbon homes

27 April 2016

The Government’s efforts to cut back on regulation and standards, linked to zero carbon homes, have been defeated by the House of Lords. The Peers urged the Government to revert back to the previous long standing commitment of building zero carbon homes. The new amendment to the Housing and Planning Bill was voted on Monday 25th April 2016 where it won approval by 48 votes during the Lord ‘report stage’. It called upon the Secretary

Elmhurst Energy launches Air Conditioning Inspection Accreditation Scheme

25 April 2016

Elmhurst Energy, the energy performance assessment specialist, has launched an Air Conditioning Inspection Accreditation Scheme, open to trained and qualified Air Conditioning Energy Assessors. The scheme allows assessors to lodge Air Conditioning Inspections, and provides an opportunity for assessors to develop their career through quality training and CPD. In most cases, if an occupied building is fitted with air conditioning then an air conditioning inspection is required. These inspections must be completed by an accredited Air Conditioning

National Audit Office (NAO) supports need to measure improvements

14 April 2016

The National Audit Office (NAO) have today issued a report critical of Green Deal and ECO for not being "good value for money" for government; what it fails to state is that it wasn't good value for most of the Assessors Organisation's and Advisors that did their best to make it a success either. As long ago as September 2015, Elmhurst described what we believed to be the key changes that needed to be made to Green

1.5million cold homes in Scotland

11 April 2016

A new report by the Existing Homes Alliance has been published in Scotland urging the Political Parties to commit to the end of cold homes by 2025. The data suggests that there are up to 1.5m homes which are classified as being cold. This is based on the EPC rating being below a C. It is highlighted that in some constituencies more than 75% of households are in band D to G. This may be

Latest News

New homes are the most energy efficient, but could they be better?

House Builders set out intent to double new build homes by 2020

Home Information Pack mk2

Ofgem Publishes Response to U-Values Consultation

DCLG Explain Fee Increase

Is the UK Aston Villa in disguise?

Lords Reject Government decision to scrap zero carbon homes

Elmhurst Energy launches Air Conditioning Inspection Accreditation Scheme

National Audit Office (NAO) supports need to measure improvements

1.5million cold homes in Scotland

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