roofing

Anglian Building Products (ABP), the UK’s leading manufacturer and installer of windows and doors for social housing, has announced the launch of its new solar installation service, Solar Solutions by ABP.

One of the most exciting new product launches in its recent history, ABP is now officially partnering with clients to deliver solar solutions alongside their existing windows and doors offering.

With solar PV installations continuing to accelerate, Kevin Taylor, Training and Technical Support Manager 
at Marley, says that tenant safety is the key factor for every social housing solar PV project.

As part of Stroud District Council’s maintenance programme, we safely removed asbestos insulating board (AIB) soffits from eight residential blocks comprising a mix of two and three-storey flats and houses. The project formed a key part of a wider refurbishment programme, enabling the Council’s framework contractor to replace the roofline systems immediately after the asbestos removal works.

Success relied on detailed planning, effective communication and close collaboration between all contractors. Our objective was to complete the works safely, efficiently and on programme while minimising disruption to residents and allowing follow-on trades to begin without delay.

The UK construction industry is under mounting pressure to meet stringent net zero carbon targets. Driven by frameworks such as the Future Homes Standard, regulations now increasingly require builders and developers to provide evidence that their materials and practices genuinely contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of construction projects.

This puts the onus on specifiers and sustainability leads to verify claims of carbon neutrality, while also seeing manufacturers use innovative materials and production methods which genuinely lower emissions.

In a first for UK roofing, Edgemere 2.0 combines Marley’s familiar concrete roof tile specification with carbon-capture cement technology and Carbon Bank evidence supplied for every order.

The carbon reduction story behind Edgemere 2.0* begins with the cement. CO₂ from cement production is captured at source, before it enters the atmosphere, and permanently stored beneath the seabed. The carbon reduction is then recorded in the publicly available Carbon Bank, which allocates captured and stored CO₂ reductions to specific Edgemere 2.0 orders, with full end-to-end traceability through an Environmental Attribute Certificate (EAC).

The recently announced Warm Homes Plan represents a major opportunity to accelerate improvements in the energy efficiency of UK homes, including across the social housing sector.

With significant funding now confirmed, housing associations have the financial firepower to fast-track retrofit programmes that support tenants, cut carbon and deliver long-term value through solutions such as heat pumps, insulation and solar PV.

Roofing, and particularly the installation of solar panels, has been highlighted as a key contributor to effective energy-efficiency upgrades. As Daniel Redfern, Head of Marketing Communications at Marley, explains, success will depend not only on funding, but on selecting quality products and building a skilled, resilient workforce capable of delivering at scale.

Marley has launched a new Technical Tools platform, providing architects and specifiers with a faster, clearer, and more transparent route to roofing specification.