social housing
Managing a portfolio of projects in the housing sector is a skilled juggling act. With so many different targets to hit, competing priorities and limited resources, focus need to be on high impact items. How do you plan and sequence your portfolio to deliver maximum value?
Overwhelmingly, 97% of organisations believe that project management is critical to business performance and organisational success, according to a PwC study. Yet delivering a portfolio of projects successfully is never straight forward and around 70% of projects fail, according to PMI.
71 per cent of UK adults think we’re in a large ‘climate emergency’ but serious divides emerge when it comes to levels of personal responsibility for tackling it.
• 71 per cent of UK adults think we’re in a large climate emergency.
• 37 per cent of UK adults feel ‘powerless’; 32 per cent ‘frustrated’; 29 per cent ‘anxious’ about climate change.
• 68 per cent of UK adults think that global action to tackle climate change needs to begin immediately but they are divided over how much personal responsibility they have in helping to tackle climate change:
- 43 per cent say they have a large personal responsibility.
- 46 per cent feel they have little or no personal responsibility. Of these individuals, 30 per cent said there are too many conflicting opinions about climate change, 26 per cent said they can’t afford to make any changes, and 16 per cent said they don’t know where to start.
• In the next five years, 41 per cent of UK adults said they would be willing to reduce how often they eat meat and animal products on a weekly basis to help lower their carbon footprint.
Synergi is an independent mechanical design consultancy that specialise in Mechanical Engineering, District and communal heating and Steam Engineering. Our knowledge and expertise covers varying technical solutions incorporating the latest renewable technologies.
Since its conception in September 2017 Synergi has drawn together it’s in depth knowledge from various mechanical services systems to quickly become a leading innovator in heating and cooling networks. Synergi has worked on a large number of networks and by utilising this knowledge it’s enabled Synergi to improve the energy efficiency of a large number of networks while also increasing their reliability.
A combination of technology and training can help housing association professionals ensure that their approach to damp and mould reflects the call for ‘zero tolerance’ made by the Housing Ombudsman.
The Property Care Association (PCA), has a carefully curated package of training options available to Housing Association professionals, that can be tailored to suit specific needs.
In addition, the Association can signpost professionals to its newly developed Condensation and Mould Diagnostic System, that can identify the root cause of the issue and provide impartial recommendations to remedy the problem.
Following the introduction of the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, there has been a sharp focus on dampness in tenanted buildings, with Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway calling for a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to damp and mould.
Rising accommodation costs, the long-term effects of the global pandemic, and the impact of a harsh winter season continue to compound and exacerbate the difficulties facing those most vulnerable and at-risk in our society.
This presents councils and local authorities with a complex set of challenges finding ways to meet the growing demand for safe, high-quality housing solutions. One of the greatest issues currently facing sector leaders is ensuring temporary and interim homeless accommodation is both cost-effective, fit for purpose and sustainable.
There has never been a sharper focus on how we heat and power our buildings. With fuel prices soaring and deadlines for energy-efficiency improvements fast approaching, housing developers and social landlords are at the forefront of the challenge to decarbonise our homes, both new and existing. It’s with this in mind that the elemental content theatres, which are free-to-attend and running alongside InstallerSHOW at Birmingam’s NEC in June, have been put together.
Designed for an audience of social housing and built environment professionals, the three-day conference programme will feature thought-provoking discussion and an opportunity to learn about the key issues facing the industry when it comes to energy and heat.
Thanks to the Building Regulations and Part L changes, which come into force this summer, low temperature heating systems will now become the norm for newly built homes. While there is flexibility on which energy source can be used,
it is anticipated that heat pumps will become the most specified option.
Here, Ashley Cooper, Managing Director at WMS underfloor heating, provides an overview of the changes ahead and how underfloor heating and heat pumps can together achieve the ultimate low temperature system.