Energy efficiency is one of the hottest topics in the UK construction industry. The cost-of-living crisis, high energy prices, the upcoming Future Homes Standard and government Net Zero aspirations are all contributing. In the last episode we spoke to Professor Will Swan, Director of Energy House Laboratories at the University of Salford about the Energy House 2.0 project. This initiative has been measuring the energy efficiency of two detached houses built inside an environmentally controlled chamber.  In this episode we’re speaking to Tom Cox, Construction Solutions Director a ..read more

Energy efficiency is one of the hottest topics in the UK Construction Industry at the moment. The cost-of-living crisis, high energy prices, upcoming Future Homes Standard and government Net Zero aspirations are all contributing to this.  Professional Builder’s Edward Kelly interviews Professor Will Swan, Director of Energy House Laboratories at the University of Salford. This department is responsible for Energy House 2.0 - a massive building with two environmental chambers inside, each able to accommodate two detached houses and under temperature-controlled conditions. Professor Swan te ..read more

The Federation of Master Builders is the construction sector’s largest trade association and is run by its members for its members. Its strategic direction is, however, determined by the Board of Directors, the chair of which is the National President. Elected for a period of two years the current incumbent is Chris Carr. In post since November of last year, we asked the MD and founder of Cleethorpes-based housebuilder, Carr & Carr what his priorities will be for his term of office ..read more

It’s estimated that just 5-6% of tradespeople in the UK are women. When gardeners and landscapers are removed from the equation, this figure could be as low as 2%. While this figure is on the rise, the UK Construction Industry is still in the midst of a skills shortage, with an ageing workforce and a demand for tradespeople far outweighing supply. With all of that in mind, Professional Builder’s Edward Kelly speaks to Mica May, Head of Development at Stopcocks, the national franchise of women plumbers, to get the story behind the organisation and find out how it is supporting tradeswomen acros ..read more

There has been concerns raised amongst builders’ merchants – and the SME tradespeople who are their customers – that the recent Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion will make Greater London a significantly more difficult area in which to operate. As a result of the zone’s boundary changes there is a £12.50 daily charge on non-compliant vehicles across all London boroughs. This means that anyone using a diesel van registered before September 2016, or petrol van registered before January 2006, is now charged to travel almost anywhere within the M25.    There is a significant p ..read more

The heat pump is a renewable energy technology that has long been identified as having real potential in decarbonising our housing stock. At the same time – with the right skillset – installers can capitalise on an increased public appetite with what is set to become a growing and lucrative business opportunity. We talk to Grant UK Technical Design Manager, Stuart McWhinnie about what the air source heat pump manufacturer is doing to help tradespeople get involved. Stuart provides an overview of the systems themselves, the training on offer and the Grant UK range. For further information on Gr ..read more

Tool theft and vehicle crime is on the rise and, if a builder falls victim to unscrupulous thieves, the impact can be devastating. Van Watch is a worthy initiative that has ambitions to reduce the number of offences perpetrated against hard working tradespeople. This industry coalition is supported by some of the sector’s biggest names, and is offering practical help and advice, as well as lobbying government to take the issue more seriously. We talk to Van Watch Chair, Ray Stafford about the campaign, whilst we also hear from ordinary builders about their all-too familiar experiences of tool ..read more

The Independent Builders Merchant Group (IBMG) prides itself on being close to its customers and that makes the business uniquely placed to identify the challenges that tradespeople face. In this episode of Professional Builder’s podcast we talk to IBMG CEO, Martin Stables about current trends in the repair, maintenance and improvement sector and what local builders are doing to maintain a healthy pipeline of projects. The organisation has also undertaken some fascinating research on workloads and the types of jobs that small and medium sized construction companies are taking on. For further i ..read more

Many tradespeople may well be thinking of taking on an apprentice – or would like to. There is, however, a perception that the process is time consuming and complicated, especially for a small business owner. We speak to Ruth Scarrott, NFRC Head of Careers, who offers some useful help and advice on taking on and retaining apprentices. If you’re an employer that’s looking for further support, the following links would be useful. National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) https://www.nfrc.co.uk/careers/employers/recruiting CITB New Entrant Team - newentrant.team@citb.co.uk  CITB Appr ..read more

How are your knees? Whilst we routinely safeguard our heads with hard hats and our lungs with masks far too many builders are risking crippling injuries by kneeling on hard and uneven surfaces without protection. In this episode we go knee-deep into this vital health & safety issue. We hear from GP Alice Fitzgibbon about how builders can avoid bursitis and osteoarthritis. You can also get some knee protection advice from ToughBuilt, the episode’s sponsor, who has launched a KneelSmart KneelSafe campaign and provides an extensive range of kneepad solutions for the trades. There’s also, news ..read more