Independent Home Energy Audits

This autumn is a crucial time for the UK government to tackle climate change. Parliament will soon be passing legislation that will determine how our electricity is produced and regulated. Over 90% of the country's electricity is currently produced from fossil fuels. We need to see real ambition to change this. Any new strategy needs government investment and incentives. Other countries have started to benefit from this kind of political change. The UK has ample resources of wind, wave and sun. WWF-UK's 'Positive Energy' report shows how, with the right policies and investment, the UK could have a renewables-based power sector by 2030.

Despite this, investor confidence is falling, primarily because the government have made moves to cut financial support from wind and solar projects. This fails to convince companies that producing renewable electricity will be economically viable.

Because of this we keep seeing the big energy companies putting their prices up. It is no longer viable to keep switching energy providers to save money. Instead it is becoming more important to make sure your home is as efficient as possible. Plans People will soon be offering Home Energy Audits to help you determine where your home is losing energy and money and how such problems can be corrected to make your home more energy efficient. More details will be published shortly but in the meantime if you would like more information please do not hesitate to contact us.

Good energy efficient design doesn't always mean Passivhaus

Passivhaus is probably top of the list of current 'must-haves' that clients want when first approaching us for their dream home. Thanks to TV programmes like Grand Designs, more clients are showing an interest in the low-carbon build method, which favours highly insulated airtight buildings with minimal heating requirements. However, once a proper explanation of what Passivhaus entails, often clients' enthusiasm can wain. However, that doesn't mean good quality sustainable construction isn't an option. Adopting the following will help you on your way -
1. Adopt early - Designing the building to take advantage of solar gain and to optimise the shape is key to a good energy efficient design.
2. Understand the physics - Clients need to appreciate the physics, so that they will be reassured and prepared to take bigger steps into the unknown.
3. Assure quality on site - A good builder working under good site supervision can ensure the quality of the construction is not compromised on site.
4. Make contracts airtight - Sub-contractors have to take responsibility for workmanship as well as the main contractor, and they need to be held to account.
5. Carry out certification - If you want a guarantee the building performs as designed, Passivhaus's quality assurance procedure will provide it.
Plans People provide good quality designs that embrace sustainability and energy efficient design and construction, either adopting the Passivhaus ethos in total, or adopting a less formal procedure, if that is what the client prefers. Contact us for more information.

At least one good reason to hire a small practice

Having just inherited planning drawings prepared by others to work up for BuildingRegulations approval and construction drawings, I am reminded how other companies work, especially larger practices that need a good turnover of work to keep themselves afloat. 

Pressure to maintain profitability is always high and one is never allowed much time to spend on drawings to sort details at an early stage, rather these are left to try and sort out later, when it might be too late to get a good solution. 

As a small practice we always make sure we are forward-thinking, resolving problems at an early stage so that we are confident what we design and is approved at Planning stage can be built. 

The design we have just inherited is obviously based on house types for another site that don’t properly fit on this site. Furthermore the car parking spaces are drawn slightly too small to fit the site. A small problem at Planning stage when scaling from a 1:200 plan but a big problem for the client and builder when construction starts. It is very easy to blur the lines and fiddle with the edges to make it look good, but these types of problems only go away if the project doesn’t get built. It has become a problem for this latest project to such an extent that we have had to resubmit for Planning as the inherited design just didn’t work. 

Hire a small practice with lower overheads and for a reasonable fee and you should be more confident that you get the service you deserve and need.

How to make your home more energy efficient

Energy bills have been rising research indicates that customers on even the cheapest deals have seen a doubling in their annual bill over the past 7 years. The average dual fuel bill in the UK is currently sits £1200 per household. To spend less on energy bills try following these simple steps maybe to save money in the long term.

1. Modernise - If your main source of heating is a gas boiler, how old is it? New boilers are far more efficient at heating and will pay for itself fast. Do you have thermostatic valves on all the radiators? By controlling the heat in each room you can add to your savings. How do you light your home? If you are still using incandescent light bulbs,try modern LED lights which use a minimal amount of electricity, up to 80% less. Lighting controls allow you to better manage when your lights come on and off.

2. Insulate More - If you have a super insulated house it will cost a fraction to heat it. The fact is that the UK spends far too much on heating buildings that are poorly insulated. Start at the top of your house (where the heat rises and escapes). Do you have loft insulation installed? Is it the right thickness? Loft insulation is a quick and cheap way to save on your heating bills. If you have a flat roofed property these too can be insulated to help save you money.  Check if your property has cavity walls, by insulating them you can save money and increase the internal ambient temperature of your home.  Do you have double glazing and draught proofing? Properly insulated doors and windows are a good way to gain savings on your heating bills. 

3. Generate Your Own Power - If you can generate your own energy you won’t have to buy energy off generate the power companies.  There are many ways to make electricity. You could install a ground source heat pump or an air source heat pump to generate power in your own home. Both systems take either the ambient air or ground temperature and increase it, much like the way a fridge works but in reverse, instead of making things cooler they make them warmer. If you have the space and money you could also consider solar power which can both heat and light your home. Even micro wind turbines will help to save.

4. Shop Around - Switching energy supplier is the quickest and most cost effective way of saving money. If you haven’t switched supplier in the past 18 months then there is most probably a better deal to be had. ‘Switching’ has become a massive market in its own right and there are a multitude of websites to help you switch.

5.  Use Less - This is obvious but if you use less gas and electricity then you will spend less on the bill each month.  One way to do this is to know how much you are using by having a smart meter which displays the rate of consumption for the gas and electricity that you are using. By closely monitoring which appliances use the most energy you will be able to see where your energy goes.

Extending your home

Increasing numbers of homeowners are deciding to improve rather than move home, according to new research from RICS.
 
Overall, 48 per cent of estate agents revealed the slow sales market is prompting people to improve their properties rather than move. Across the UK, this was most prevalent in areas where the property market is more depressed, such as the West Midlands, where 71 per cent are improving rather than moving.
 
Plans People can produce exciting and inspiring designs that will add value to your property. We design to your brief, translating your needs into a finished design that is both affordable and practical. Without the correct paperwork you will have problems when you sell your property and substandard workmanship will soon be spotted. It is therefore essential that you have professional help when you do work to your home.
 
Our services include Architecture, Interior Design, Planning Permission, Building Regulations Approval and Project Management. We will undertake whole house refurbishments, extensions and loft conversions as well as converting properties into flats or visa versa. Our experience of both commercial and residential work allows us to approach mixed use developments with greater understanding.
 
An initial consultation with us is free so please call us on 01527 452593 or e-mail info@planspeople.info and arrange a convenient time for us to visit.

Be Patient if You Want to Secure Planning Permission

If planning permission for your project is required then it is important to adopt a strategy to give it the best possible chance of securing approval. Any failings in a planning application will be spotted by the planners so a proper strategy will save you time and money in the end.

All planning departments have various guidelines which are very useful in setting the scene and if you work with us to help you figure out what it is you want we will illustrate the plans with proper scaled drawings.

Next, we will help to assess the outline scheme to see if it is likely to be approved or meet problems. Your planning department will have a great deal of published information. Any precedents that can support your case would be useful; perhaps neighbours have done something similar. Recent planning applications and approvals can be reviewed at the planners’ offices and also usually on-line.

A pre-application submission to the planners is usually a good idea to get informal feedback on the proposals before the drawings are finalised and submitted. Any changes required to the scheme are best done now. This is where patience is needed to ensure you get the best chance of success. If possible problems are identified, we can help to figure out what to do about them. Don’t just hope that the planning department won't notice. It might be that the design can be modified, or we may be able to argue your case and get the planners on your side. If you don't do this research now, you may end up with a refusal and a long delay while you get back on track.

Making sure your application is submitted as fully and professionally as you can is very important. Clear, concise and well presented drawings and written documents which present your proposals in as good a light as possible is our forte. If there are any concerns that your application may be refused for a particular reason it is usually best to tackle this directly by acknowledging the difficulty on the drawings and the written documents and then demonstrate the logic why it is not a problem. We would also make sure that all supporting documents are provided in conjunction with any number of specialists or consultants, from ecology specialists to planning consultants.

Planners need eight weeks to determine an application, and following the above advice will make this even longer, but rushing to get the application lodged without a proper strategy would probably make it even longer.