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    InBuild Customers enjoy a sunny weekend in Windsor … and a murder!

InBuild Customers enjoy a sunny weekend in Windsor … and a murder!

This year, InBuild brought back a company tradition and invited a number of key customers and their partners to a weekend retreat in Windsor, as a way of thanking them for their business.

The Oakley Court Hotel is a historic, luxury hotel, situated on the banks of the River Thames just a short distance from the centre of Windsor. Guests were welcomed to the hotel on the morning of Saturday 16th May by a number of InBuild’s staff and there was time to enjoy coffee and pastries before heading off into Windsor.

InBuild organised a couple of optional trips; some guests chose to take a tour of Windsor Castle, the largest and oldest inhabited castle in the world. Some took a 2 hour boat trip along the Thames and others just made the most of some free time to explore the rich mix of history, culture, heritage and fun that this great town has to offer.

The evening began with a drinks reception at the hotel, with a Harpist playing in the background. Following a ‘murder’ in the bar, everyone took their places for dinner to enjoy a delicious 3 course meal, and to solve the mystery of the evening’s earlier crime. All was revealed after coffee, and the guests were then entertained by a band called Groove Environment, whose lively performance kept everyone on the dance floor until 1am.

After a relaxing night in the hotel’s luxury bedrooms, guests and staff were treated to a hearty breakfast before heading home.

InBuild is delighted that so many customers were able to join us for this special event. Managing Director, Simon Wray, commented, ‘The feedback I received on the night from customers was extremely positive, everyone expressed how [...]

By |May 20th, 2015|Uncategorised|
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Amber Rudd is welcomed as the new Energy Secretary

The promotion of Amber Rudd to Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has been welcomed by green business groups and campaigners.

David Cameron’s appointment of Rudd to the cabinet is seen as reaffirming the environmental credentials that many felt the prime minister had abandoned.

Greenpeace said it was hopeful about the appointment, while the Renewable Energy Association’s chief executive, Nina Skorupska, said: “Rudd has been a champion of renewables and the low-carbon economy in the past year and her appointment will do much to allay the fears some may have after the general election.”

Writing for Business Green just before the election, Amber Rudd said,

“One million homes have benefitted from energy efficiency measures since 2010 – that’s a million households that will now be permanently warmer for less. Half a million homes have installed solar PV….. Looking forward to the next Parliament, our Conservative Manifesto is clear: we will continue to support the UK Climate Change Act and cut emissions as cost-effectively as possible. We’ll do this through insulating a million more homes, supporting new nuclear power, offshore wind, marine energy and other renewables alongside natural gas and by continuing to drive smart-meter roll-out in every home.”

Amber Rudd is expected to follow the same pro-renewable agenda that was championed by Ed Davey, and her appointment signals continuity on energy policy. Having been climate change minister for most of the last year she will be able to hit the ground running.

The UK still has some of the most poorly insulated homes in Europe. Insulation is a good value energy solution that benefits the fuel poor particularly, and so energy experts will be pressing Ms Rudd to ensure the Treasury prioritises insulation in their spending [...]

By |May 12th, 2015|Green, Insulation, Renewable Energy|
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    £70 million available through Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF) – now FULLY ALLOCATED

£70 million available through Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF) – now FULLY ALLOCATED

On Monday 16th March, £70 million was made available through the third release of the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF), but this was fully allocated on Thursday 26th March.

Householders who made applications prior to the closing date may have to wait up to 30 days to receive their voucher, due to exceptionally high demand. You are advised to contact your installer as soon as you receive your voucher to ensure that your installation is programmed in at the earliest opportunity, and well in advance of the voucher expiry date.

Although applications for solid wall insulation have now closed, an additional £5 million remaining from release two of GDHIF, is being made available immediately for two measures applications.

The funding will be allocated as follows:
• up to £1,250 for installing two measures from an approved list;
• up to £100 refunded for a Green Deal Assessment if it recommends the measures applied for;
• up to £500 more if applying within 12 months of buying a new home.

The approved list of measures for the £5 million remaining from the second release of GDHIF is as follows:
• Cavity wall insulation;
• Condensing mains gas boiler;
• Secondary glazing;
• Double/triple glazing (replacing single glazing);
• Flat roof insulation;
• Replacement warm air unit;
• Fan-assisted storage heaters;
• Energy efficient replacement doors;
• Floor insulation;
• Room-in-roof insulation;
• Waste water heat recovery.

Those interested in applying for the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund should visit the GDHIF page on GOV.UK

Remaining funds are limited and DECC may vary the terms of the scheme (including the incentive rates) or suspend or close the scheme, with immediate effect, without notice and at any time.

A refund towards the cost of a Green Deal Advice Report is subject to a successful voucher [...]

By |March 27th, 2015|Essex Insulation, Green, Insulation|
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Regional Green Deal & ECO Awards 2015 – WINNER

The 2015 Green Deal and ECO awards recognise the efforts of a Green Deal ORB Registered Installer to provide excellent customer service and to demonstrate a high standard of quality.

Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the National Insulation Association, is chairman of the judging panel. The judges looked at the impact the installer’s work had on the community, what their customers had to say about them and what expertise they had.

InBuild was nominated for Installer of the Year in the East of England region for Insulation. At an awards ceremony in Cambridge on March 11th 2015 Robert Tye from InBuild was presented with a certificate and trophy as WINNER in this category.

The company will now be put forward for the National Awards. A panel of distinguished judges will be considering all the nominations, and awards will be made to companies and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Green Deal industry.

The National Green Deal & ECO Awards will take place at a Gala Dinner on Friday the 19th June, 2015, in the Ballroom of the Palace Hotel, located on Oxford Road in the heart of Manchester. The awards will be presented by Rory Bremner and the after-dinner Guest Speaker will be Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE.

By |March 23rd, 2015|Essex Insulation, Green, Insulation|
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    Government announcement – a further £70 million is being released under the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF)

Government announcement – a further £70 million is being released under the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF)

Applications for this next phase of GDHIF open at MIDDAY on Monday 16 March.

More than 25,000 households have already received a voucher for The Green Deal Home Improvement Fund since it launched in June 2014. For the third release of funding, money has been increased for the two measures offer. Domestic energy customers will be able to receive:

• up to £3750 for installing solid wall insulation;
• and/or up to £1250 for installing two measures from an approved list;
• up to £100 refunded for their Green Deal Assessment;
• up to £500 more if applying within 12 months of buying a new home.

The £70 million for the third release will be available for applications for solid wall insulation and/or the two measures offer until all the funding is allocated.

Martin Lewis, founder and editor of MoneySavingExpert.com, says:

There’s nothing that generates action better than free cash – which is what effectively the Home Improvement Fund is. So yet again demand is likely to be huge – the first time it was done £120m went in six weeks, then £24m went within 48 hours, so this time I suspect £70m to last not much longer than a week.
I’d suggest anyone who has already had a Green Deal assessment to be ready to pounce to make sure they aren’t left out in the cold.

To complete the two-stage application process, householders will need:
• A Green Deal Advice Report (GDAR) or Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) that is less than two years old;
• A quote from a GDHIF registered installer or provider for work specified on the GDAR or EPC and included on the list of GDHIF approved measures; and
• Proof of property ownership (for landlords/undertakings only) Householders are encouraged to [...]

By |March 5th, 2015|Green, Insulation|
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    If your property suffers from condensation & mould, there is an effective solution

If your property suffers from condensation & mould, there is an effective solution

Waking up to streaming windows is a familiar problem for many households. In a property of four people, each will contribute approximately 4 pints of moisture per day through breathing, showers, baths, boiling kettles and cooking – and all this moisture has to go somewhere. In the past, it would naturally escape through ill-fitting windows and doors, gaps in floorboards and uninsulated lofts. Fresher, colder air would feed back into the house in the same way. Now with improved insulation, double glazed windows, carpeted floors and draught proofing this process of natural ventilation is restricted and the moisture cannot escape.

If condensation occurs over a prolonged period of time, you may start to see damp patches on walls, peeling wallpaper and ultimately black mould growth. This can lead to musty smells, damage to the fabric of the property and even health issues. Not only that, high levels of water vapour in the air provide a perfect breeding ground for dust mites, which can act as a trigger in aggravating asthma.

What’s the solution?

The solution is Positive Input Ventilation (PIV). EnviroVent’s PIV ECO₂ Loft units have been solving the nation’s condensation problems for over 25 years. By reducing humidity, they stop condensation forming on windows and provide a healthy and fresh indoor environment.

The ECO₂ Loft units gently ventilate the home from a central position on a landing or hallway. Moisture-filled air is diluted, displaced and replaced with fresh, filtered clean air from outside. This significantly reduces or eliminates surface condensation, the main cause for mould growth. With lower humidity levels, dust mite populations are substantially reduced to provide a significant improvement in the health of asthma sufferers.

There is a wall mounted unit for flats and [...]

By |March 3rd, 2015|Essex Insulation|
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Energy Efficiency Funding Update

ECO and Green Deal

By the end of November, the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Green Deal package had delivered energy saving measures to over 1 million homes. This milestone came a month after the Government allocated a further £30 million to the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF). This was part of an additional £100 million pot announced in October 2014, with the next release expected this month. Because of the general election, there is uncertainty about the future of GDHIF beyond May, so householders who are keen to install external wall insulation are getting themselves ready to apply as soon as the February funding is released.

Feed in Tariff

Although the Feed in Tariff (FIT) went down slightly to 13.88p/kWh on January 1st, interest in solar is still strong. The FIT deployment at the end of November 2014 was over 630,000 installations. This is a 26% increase on the number of installations in the previous year, with solar PV responsible for 99% of the increase in installations.

Future Funding

Britain still has some of the least energy efficient homes in Europe, and high energy bills are still causing suffering for millions of families, especially those on low incomes.

With the election looming, the leaders of 80 charities, businesses and unions are urging politicians to end the scandal of winter deaths by spending billions of pounds each year on home insulation.

Members and supporters of the Energy Bill Revolution alliance are calling upon party leaders to make a commitment in their election manifestos to use infrastructure funds to invest in a more ambitious and effective energy efficiency programme. Campaigners feel strongly that
the next government should make home energy efficiency a priority in order to slash energy bills, [...]

By |February 2nd, 2015|Green, Insulation, Renewable Energy|
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    Rethink your heating system with NEST – creating Smart Homes of the future

Rethink your heating system with NEST – creating Smart Homes of the future

Developments in technology have grown at a rapid rate over the last few years, and consumers are now demanding smart technology and gadgets in their homes that allow them to live more efficiently and flexibly than ever before.

A Smart Home is one that’s equipped with lighting, heating and electronic devices that can be controlled remotely by smartphone or computer. Heating controls have hardly changed in decades, but now InBuild is delighted to be installing the Nest Learning Thermostat that programs itself, turns the heat down when you’re away and can be controlled from anywhere.

• A single control – it’s a thermostat and programmer in one, so you can manage the heat from one place.
• Auto-Schedule – Just turn it up and down. It learns the temperatures you like and programs itself.
• Auto-Away – It senses when you leave and automatically turns itself down. So you won’t waste money heating an empty home.
• Remote control – Change the temperature from anywhere using your mobile, tablet or laptop.
• Energy History – See how much heat you used and why. The more you know, the more you can save.
• True Radiant – It turns the heat on just in time to reach the temperature you want, when you want.

As a NEST Installation Professional, InBuild is also installing the Nest Protect; this is a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm which sends a message to your mobile when the alarm goes off or if its batteries run low.

There are so many things in the home that can be connected that companies are creating software hubs to manage them all.

Nest is one of the highest profile companies creating software hubs to manage smart devices in the home. In June [...]

By |January 14th, 2015|Heating and Boiler Information|
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    £24 million for EWI fully allocated – next GDHIF release February 2015

£24 million for EWI fully allocated – next GDHIF release February 2015

In December 2013, the government announced a three-year household energy efficiency package called The Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF). It was launched on 9 June this year, but householders claimed around £70m in just three days and the scheme closed to new applicants after a few weeks due to overwhelming demand.

A further £24 million worth of funding for solid wall insulation was allocated to households in England and Wales through the second release of GDHIF on 10th December. Applications for solid wall insulation closed the following day when all the funding was allocated.
However, subject to terms and conditions, domestic energy customers can still apply for up to £6 million to make energy efficient home improvements through GDHIF, including:

• up to £1000 for installing two measures from an approved list;
• up to £100 refunded for their Green Deal Assessment if that recommends the measures applied for;
• up to £500 more if applying within 12 months of buying a new home.

Details of further releases of funding will be announced on a quarterly basis with the next release expected in February 2015. Funding is part of the additional £100 million for household energy efficiency measures announced in October 2014 which is in addition to the £450 million already allocated to household energy efficiency over 2014 – 17.

Amber Rudd, energy and climate change minister, said the fund was “incredibly popular” but assured householders that more money will be made available in February. “Although the fund for solid wall insulation is fully allocated, there’s still money available now for a range of other measures and another release of funding is expected,” she said.

InBuild is already carrying our surveys and EPCs for customers who want to be [...]

By |December 18th, 2014|Green, Insulation|
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