Articles

Figures from the National Housing Federation’s Home Truths report reveal that the average London home now costs £526,000 - 16 times the average Londoner’s salary of £33,000 a year. However, if the mayor does commit to offering the sector priority access to public land, could housing associations help save the day?

The report marked the launch of the 100,000 Affordable Homes for London campaign – an offer from London’s housing associations to help the next mayor tackle the current 151,000-home deficit.

Low supply and high prices are not the only barriers to homeownership highlighted by the research. Rent in the capital now averages £1,461; around a third of the people’s pay packets. 

The social housing sector has been amongst the first to really embrace renewable heating in a drive to combat fuel poverty and bring down carbon emissions.  With leading heat pump manufacturer, Mitsubishi Electric launching a new range of Ultra Quiet Ecodan units,HA Magazine visits the company’s manufacturing plant in Livingston to find out more.

The Ecodan range of air source heat pumps has led the market over the past decade with what Mitsubishi Electric claim are “amongst the quietest on the market and designed to provide any home with reliable, trouble-free renewable heating and hot water.”

What is retrofitting, exactly?
For the purposes of this article, I’m referring to ‘Retrofitting’ as the refurbishment of domestic and non-domestic buildings to reduce energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
In particular, this refers to projects that make major changes across the entire building to significantly reduce energy usage that require design by specialists.

Nobody was spared from feeling the chill last month as the polar vortex nicknamed "Beast From The East" spiralled in from the arctic, heralding an unusual beginning for Spring. However, despite worsening weather and widespread fuel poverty, a new report from energy think tank e3g indicates a 58% cut in public investment in warm homes in England since 2012.

In stark comparison, Scotland spends four times as much per citizen as England on energy efficiency. Wales spends twice as much as England on insulation per person, and Northern Ireland three times as much.

Setting up a dedicated free website to provide highly topical and useful information to all comers isn’t the usual approach from a heat pump manufacturer, but as Russell Jones explains, Mitsubishi Electric is on a mission to increase everyone’s understanding of the need for energy efficiency in our homes.

Tell us about The Hub and why it won an award?
We created our unique blog site almost a year about to act as a useful resource for anyone involved in the built environment.
We publish new articles weekly from both our own experts and industry experts (such as HA’s own Joe Bradbury!) so that we can provide articles that will appeal to almost anyone – from a tenant who wants to know how a heat pump works, or how to Hygge their home; to a landlord who needs to understand about the latest legislation such as MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards);

As we start the year, renewable heating specialist Russell Dean from Mitsubishi Electric looks back at some of the major issues and topics from last year that point to a positive 2018.

If we put the ongoing trials and tribulations of Brexit to one side there were positive signs for the social housing industry last year such as November’s budget which focused on the Holy Trinity of housing, infrastructure and productivity
There are currently around 1.8 million households waiting for a social home – an increase of 81% since 1997, and two thirds of households on the waiting list have also been waiting for more than a year.