Target Windows – a caring company

CHARITY SUPPORT FOR ANTHONY LOCKLEY

Stoke-on-Trent based company Target Windows has pledged charity support for friend Anthony Lockley, who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) at the end of 2021.

Target Windows is part of a group aiming to fundraise £1,500 to support Anthony and his family.

All of the funds raised will go towards meeting the costs of care and equipment for Anthony, including physiotherapy aids, equipment, and house adaptations. This support will be vital for the road ahead as the family learn to live with MND, with the hope of granting Anthony a better quality of life.

This incredible cause has already garnered much support with £1,210 raised by 34 supporters so far through a Just Giving Crowdfunding page. Now Target has launched its very own Just Giving Crowdfunding page to help boost this total for Anthony and his family.

MND is a condition that affects the brain and nerves, casing weakness over time. While there is no cure, treatments such as physiotherapy and medicines can reduce the impact the disease has on a person’s daily life, to help them live with the condition for years to come.

This is not the first time that Target Windows has dedicated time and money to raise funds for causes important to them. In August 2021, a team from Target completed the Three Peaks Challenge and raised £1,315 for Dogs Trust, a charity which is also close to their hearts.

Target Windows is a Staffordshire-based company, part of Stone and Stoke for almost 40 years, extending into Uttoxeter and beyond. This family-owned and run businesses is built on quality, trust, and hard work, and has grown from strength to strength over the last four decades. Target specialises in single-story extensions, window and door installation, build of orangeries and conservatories, and a range of home improvements services across Staffordshire.

 

Target Windows

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“Heat pumps a financially irrational purchase”, concludes new study

Buying a heat pump is a financially irrational investment according to a new study from the not-for-profit trade body Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA), who examined a range of decisions with modern capital investment appraisal techniques used by economists and accountants.

The analysis, for the first time, combines both the upfront costs to install a heat pump compared to a new gas boiler, with annual running costs for a heat pump with a range of efficiencies.

It concludes that heat pumps do save carbon compared to a gas boiler, but from a strictly financial perspective, they are not a good investment and should not be considered as a cash saving purchase.

The study also examines the effectiveness of the new Boiler Upgrade Scheme subsidy, concluding that it is still not sufficient to make buying a heat pump a financial rational investment.

 

Mike Foster, CEO of EUA said:

“Heat pumps save carbon but cost you more. It’s really that simple. All too often, heat pumps are being suggested as a way to save money. They don’t. In fact, it is financially irrational to invest in a heat pump if your motive is to save cash.”

“This study confirms how financially illiterate it is for consumers living in homes with solid walls to consider a heat pump rather than a gas boiler, with additional insulation measures making an already bad idea, even worse.”

“The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, a subsidy of £5000 to help pay the upfront costs of a heat pump, makes the investment more palatable but it still fails the test set by modern capital investment appraisal techniques. It is merely a cash handout to those who were already considering buying a heat pump to save carbon.”

“At a time when gas prices have doubled, the study concludes that switching to a heat pump is still not an economic thing to do. And when people are rightly concerned about their energy bills, organisations selling heat pumps as a cost saving measure are misleading people. That is totally unacceptable behaviour.”

“These numbers make it crystal clear that the way to decarbonise homes currently using natural gas boilers is to switch to a net zero gas, not rip out the boiler. It is economically irrational to fit heat pumps, so converting the gas networks to hydrogen is the only sensible approach.”

 

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The country is not ready for the impact of climate change

Flood resistant homes in the Netherlands

With flooding once again striking many parts of Britain, with thousands of homes and businesses at risk following the latest storms, Justin Meredith, MD of Floodline Consulting, believes the current planning permission policy is fundamentally flawed, and is preventing the construction of flood-resistant homes.  He comments: “If Noah were trying to build his Arc today, would he get planning approval? The answer is no, and he would also be also refused should he wish to appeal.”

It can be argued that Noah (Genesis 5:32) was the first to build a flood resilient house due to climate change.  Constructed as a land based structure, capable of habitable accommodation and yet able to rise with the predicted flood waters keeping the occupants and building safe at all times.

The Sequential Test flaw: The design or adaptability of a house needs to be taken into account as part of the Sequential Test analysis from the beginning of the planning permission process. It examines whether there are alternative sites at less risk of flooding, and it currently excludes the design features of what is proposed.  It is only after passing the sequential test that the design is taken into consideration. There is no science to underpin this analysis, which makes the test subjective and almost impossible to pass if contested.  Meredith suggests: “Noah would have been refused permission to build his arc as the planners would have ignored its unique flood-resistant design and would have sought alternative locations on which to build housing,”

Adapt or Die:
The Environment Agency issued a stark warning to the Government in its report, ‘Adapt or Die,’ published 13 October 2021, which stated that: ‘adaptation – becoming resilient to the effects of climate change – is just as vital as mitigation.

“Some 200 people died in this summer’s flooding in Germany. That will happen in this country sooner or later, however high we build our flood defences, unless we also make the places where we live, work and travel resilient to the effects of the more violent weather the climate emergency is bringing. It is adapt or die. … So let’s prepare, act and survive.” And it concludes ‘The country is not ready for the impact of climate change.’

Meredith comments: “This plea appears to be ignored by the Government, as the planning system, which is the key, is positively geared against considering new technologies, and innovative design, such as adaptation, flood proof, or flood resilient design, continue to be resisted.

Meredith continues: “The Government’s white paper ‘Review of Policy for Development in Areas at Flood Risk’ July 2021, does little to provide any confidence that the key policy makers have any understanding of the issues involved, nor an understanding that their policy actively prevents adaptation and innovation.

The solution is simple: The Policy needs to recognise design and the adaptability of that design to account for climate change from the outset of the planning making process. Clear guidance on how to apply an inclusive Sequential Test is required. It is a simple solution to a difficult problem that can be so easily fixed.  There is an opportunity for the new housing minister, Stuart Andrew, to demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues and look for solutions which to date the Government have failed to do.

At the moment, for Noah to build his Arc, he had better look to foreign shores.”

Floodline Consulting

Justin Meredith on 07702 218533 or jmeredith@floodlineconsulting.co.uk

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Get up to date With GEZE’s latest Product Guide

GEZE UK, has updated its Product Guide and Price List to help architects, architectural ironmongers and specifiers choose the most effective product for their needs.

 

The detailed, illustrated technical guide provides specifiers with essential information about GEZE’s extensive range of door closers, window control systems, sliding door fittings, glass door fittings, and smoke and heat extraction systems.

Created to be completely user-friendly, the guide is divided into five easy to use sections so that the comprehensive range of products can be found quickly and efficiently, whilst also providing users with a handy reference guide to the applications of all GEZE products.

It includes technical drawings, application descriptions and finishes as well as glass preparation information and technical information on a wide variety of solutions for toughened glass.

The Product Guide is available electronically

or as hard copy.

To order a copy call 01543 443015

or email info.uk@geze.com.

 

 

 

 

 

Andy Howland, Sales and Marketing Director of GEZE UK, said: “The industry is constantly changing, new guidelines and legislation are introduced regularly and GEZE continually innovates to ensure that our products remain at the forefront of technological innovations.

With this in mind, we publish our comprehensive Product Guide each year so that specifiers have all the information they could need in an easy to use format.”

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Obsidiana COMPAC – 100% recycled 100% recyclable

Obsidiana COMPAC is a truly pioneering surface material made from 100% recycled glass and is itself 100% recyclable, making it the first worksurface in the World to offer a totally sustainable solution.

 

Compac have been able to create this unique worksurface without compromising its beauty versatility or performance. Obsidiana COMPAC can be specified with confidence for kitchen worksurfaces, feature walls and wall cladding, splash backs, bathrooms and shower trays.

Obsidiana COMPAC is available in two extraordinary collections – Volcano and Astral both offering high resistance to abrasions, impact, chemicals and water absorption.

 

COMPAC’s commitment to produce safe, circular, and sustainable products is underpinned by a number of prestigious design and sustainability awards Obsidiana COMPAC has won following its launch in 2020.

For over 45 years COMPAC have been committed to the environment leading the way by using renewable energies in the manufacture of products, harvesting rainwater and recycling it for use throughout their factories, using organic resins and planting thousands of trees as part of an ongoing reforestation programme.

 

www.compac.es

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SPRING BUDGET – SOME GOOD NEWS

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has praised Chancellor Rishi Sunak for putting energy and carbon reduction at the heart of his Spring Statement.

The Association particularly welcomed Sunak’s decision to bring forward business rate relief on plant and machinery used in onsite renewable energy generation and storage by a year and to provide 100% tax relief on eligible low carbon heat networks.

These initiatives will be a significant boost to the UK’s plans for decarbonising buildings and could save businesses more than £200m while helping the UK achieve its net zero ambitions, according to BESA.

The Chancellor’s decision to abolish VAT on the installation of domestic energy saving measures, including insulation, solar panels, and heat pumps, for five years from April 1 was also warmly welcomed.  The Association said this would help to drive uptake of carbon reducing technologies and cut energy bills for millions of households.

The Chancellor has cut VAT on heat pump installations from 5% to zero and considerably simplified the rules about which types of heat pump qualify. Previously, those used for cooling were not eligible for the reduced tax rate, but the only rule that applies now is that the installation must be capable of heating the home.

“The cut in VAT is a welcome incentive for business and domestic users, but equally helpful is the simplification of what had been unnecessarily complex tax rules around heat pumps,” said BESA’s head of technical Graeme Fox.

Confused

“Previously, air source heat pumps of the split air conditioning type had been specifically ruled out from the reduced VAT scheme,” he explained. “This rule was amended last year, but people were still confused. So, following lengthy talks between the BESA and HMRC, the guidance has been updated to clarify that air source reverse cycle heat pump air conditioners can be treated in the same way as monobloc heat pumps for VAT purposes.”

Sunak said Brexit had given him the freedom to be more radical with tax policy.

“Thanks to Brexit, we are no longer constrained by EU law,” the Chancellor said. “So, I can announce that for the next five years, homeowners having materials like solar panels, heat pumps or insulation installed will no longer pay 5% VAT. They will pay zero.

“We will also reverse the EU’s decision to take wind and water turbines out of scope and zero rate them as well. And we will abolish all the red tape imposed on us by the EU.”

The Chancellor is also doubling the size of the Household Support Fund to £1bn, which he said could be used by local authorities to provide more financial support to fuel poor households.

BESA said it was now looking forward to the publication of the government’s Energy Security Strategy, expected next week, which should further underpin plans for making buildings more energy efficient.

“Retrofitting millions of homes and thousands of commercial buildings will be essential to cut carbon emissions and improve our energy security,” said Fox. “These progressive tax moves are a good start towards a more ambitious national programme that will be needed to tackle lifecycle carbon emissions and set us properly on the path to net zero.”

He also urged the government to consult with the industries directly involved in the decarbonisation of heat, such as building services, to fully understand the implications of its policy proposals not least on the need for investment in training and skills.

“The new incentives will increase demand for competent companies and skilled individuals able to work with these technologies to ensure installations achieve their maximum potential,” said Fox.

“We must, therefore, work together to develop a national training programme for low carbon heating to ensure we have the skills to deliver solutions on a scale that can both help tackle climate change and give consumers protection from rising bills.”

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How is SterlingOSB Zero made?

 

 

 

SterlingOSB Zero is one of the most popular panel products used by the UK construction industry; developers, builders, and self-builders alike.  It’s the go-to panel for a multitude of roles today – from the basic functional to the trendy aesthetic feature wall – but how is it made and what goes into it?

With the growing need to fully understand the impact of building materials on the environment, specifiers, architects and builders can now follow the creation of SterlingOSB Zero panels from the delivery of timber at West Fraser’s state-of-the-art plant in Inverness right through the continuous line production process. West Fraser’s commitment to producing a sustainable product for the construction industry can be seen from sourcing locally grown timber, thereby cutting embodied carbon from transportation while supporting the local forestry industry, through to the self-sufficiency of the plant where otherwise wasted product is burned on site producing the energy to manufacture the boards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logs delivered to Inverness are stripped of bark before being fed into a high-speed ring of blades which produces the flakes for the OSB.

 

 

 

 

The flakes are dried, separated and resins added.  Sterling OSB Zero is the first OSB product to be made in the UK with zero added formaldehyde, ensuring an even ‘greener’ board that meets all standards with ease. 

 

 

 

 

The flakes are then layered in specific orientation to give the boards their strong structural properties.  The formed flakes go through a high-pressure and high-temperature press to produce the board. 

 

 

 

Once cut, the boards are loaded on to the “star cooler” to release the heat from the panel

Panels are then cut to size and quality checks carried out before the packs are taken to the warehouse for shipping.

The whole process can be followed on an informative video on West Fraser’s You Tube channel:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO

West Fraser’s OSB portfolio comprises of SterlingOSB Zero OSB3 and SterlingOSB Zero Tongue and Groove. They are variants of the precision-engineered OSB3 board; BBA-approved and designed for humid conditions, the board contains zero added formaldehyde (ZAF) and is unique in the market by being the only ZAF OSB manufactured in the UK.  Produced in Scotland from forest thinnings taken from sustainably managed forests, the board is certified according to the guidelines of the FSC or PEFC. All West Fraser panel products produced in the UK are net carbon negative and manufactured in mills that have obtained the coveted environmental ISO 14001 accreditation.

To find out more about West Fraser’s products for housebuilders, get in touch with Dan Clarke

CLICK HERE TO EMAIL

  or download product brochures from the housebuilder page of the West Fraser website

CLICK HERE

For further information, call 01786 812 921 or visit www.westfraser.com

 

 

 

 

 

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CALLS FOR GOVERNMENT TO SHARE THE BURDEN OF PRICE INCREASES

Ken Parkin, Chair at Construction Alliance North East and Matthew Wharton, Director at Wharton Construction

Recently, there has been major economic changes that are impacting the World. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit, combined with the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine, we are currently seeing cost-of-living price increases, national insurance increases as well as unprecedented change in the level of volatility in commodity and energy prices.

British Steel will increase the prices of Structural Sections for all new orders by £250/t, with immediate effect. For Construction Alliance North East’s (CAN) regional SME members, this represents almost a 10% overnight cost increase. The impact on the construction industry is enormous. CAN’s regional SME members have been impacted greatly, for example on two relatively small projects this resulted in an immediate cost increase of circa £20,000 per project and the member company is currently unable to pass this on to clients due to fixed price contracts. 

We are aware that steel and other material costs will continue to rise, and so we are calling on the Government to provide as much support as possible to regional SMEs, as well as for clients, material suppliers and merchants to share the risk with both main and sub-contractors.

CAN, in conjunction with CECA, have arranged a North East Summit to address the wider issue of material price increases and extended delivery periods.

This burden will be felt throughout the construction industry, and so we want to make sure we are able to maintain high levels of activity, regardless. We would also like to thank our members for their ongoing support in such turbulent times.

 

Construction Alliance North East

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VIEGA OPENS NEW LONDON EXHIBITION SPACE

Viega has opened the doors to its ‘LONDON’ space in the Building Centre,

providing a central location for showcasing products and interacting directly with visitors.

 

In the heart of the capital, architects, designers, engineers and installers alike, can now view the company’s innovative portfolio offering of Profipress, Megapress, Viega Smartpress, Sanpress Inox, flush plates and Prevista, Viega’s latest generation of water compliant cisterns; providing visitors with a much more tactile understanding of what they are capable of. The space can also accommodate live demonstrations and video content of the Viega products in action, as well as hosting customer events.

 

Commenting on the opening of the Viega LONDON space is Scott James, Managing Director at Viega Ltd: “Our presence in the UK has been growing for a number of years now. As such, we felt that a central London location for our customers was needed. Visitors will be able to drop-in when they like, or alternatively, arrange a meeting with a member of the Viega team to discuss projects and identify which solutions can benefit them.

 

“Viega LONDON marks just one area of a much larger investment strategy for Viega UK, which we are rolling out over the course of the year. We’re looking forward to announcing further enhancements and additions and how these will greatly benefit our customers.”

To arrange an appointment at the new Viega LONDON space,

please email: sales@viega.co.uk

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GREEN WASHING

The British Coatings Federation (BCF) have launched a new online guide, ‘Green Claims Guide to Decorative Paints’, to tackle the rising number of green claims emerging in the decorative paints industry.

 

According to the UK Government’s website, green claims (sometimes called ‘environmental claims’ or ‘eco-friendly claims’) are ‘claims that show how a product, service, brand or business provides a benefit or is less harmful to the environment’.

In an ever more competitive marketplace, the makers of decorative paints often rely on unique selling points to make their products stand out. Some companies, however, may be misleading consumers with unsubstantiated green claims about their products. A recent international analysis of websites conducted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that 40% of green claims made online could be misleading.

‘Non-Toxic’, ‘Natural’, ‘Vegan’, ‘Child and Pet-safe’, Eco-friendly’ and ‘Organic’ – these are just some of the claims that businesses are using to market decorative paint products to consumers. The BCF, the UK’s Trade Association representing decorative paint manufacturers, are urging consumers to consult BCF’s guide when faced with claims in order to validate them.

BCF Chief Executive Officer Tom Bowtell commented, “With consumers becoming increasingly more inclined to make more sustainably conscious purchases, BCF are recording increasing numbers of news articles around the subject of ‘eco-paints’, as well as reports from our members in the decorative paints industry of emerging companies making unsubstantiated claims. Such claims, if unproven, can be damaging to the decorative paints industry’s reputation, as well as misleading consumers.”

 

BCF’s green claims guide breaks down the definitions of some of the most commonly used phrases and buzzwords when marketing decorative paints to consumers. The aim is to create a level playing field within the industry, ensure businesses are complying with the law and that consumers are not being misled.

Possibly the most used consumer product claim is ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘green’ which are often made as broad statements with no scientific proof to back them up. As descriptors for paint products, these words, often misappropriated from the food industry, are too vague to adequately describe paint. These buzzwords may attract the attention of consumers but are meaningless and often signal little but greenwash.

Another key greenwashing issue the industry faces is ‘Zero Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)’. BCF takes the position that the use of the terms ‘Zero-VOC’ and ‘VOC-free’ are false claims and should not be used in the paint industry.

BCF members have now adopted the use of the statement ‘TRACE’ VOC to improve communication to consumers highlighting which products have the lowest levels of VOCs. As the license holders of the industry-wide standard VOC Globe scheme, BCF are promoting the new ‘TRACE’ globe in the coming months as an alternative to ‘Zero VOCs’.

To help businesses understand how to communicate their green credentials while reducing the risk of misleading shoppers, the CMA have published the Green Claims Code. This focuses on 6 principles that are based on existing consumer law and make clear that businesses ‘must not omit or hide important information’ and ‘must consider the full life cycle of the product’.

BCF’s new guide aligns with the CMA’s Green Claims Code and welcomes the increased initiative being taken by UK regulators. More action will likely be brought against those not complying with the CMA’s Green Claims Code, ASA’s Advertising Codes and applicable consumer protection legislation.

 

To read the Green Claims Guide to Decorative Paints, please visit: www.coatings.org.uk/greenclaims.

 

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