This Week's News

Labour raises fears over Green Deal interest rates

Labour MP’s this week called on the government to rethink how loans are issued for the soon-to-be-launched Green Deal energy efficiency scheme, warning high interest rates could undermine the effectiveness of the innovative financing scheme.

The coalition government intends for the scheme to comply with a so-called "golden rule" that ensures that the levy repayments are less than the savings on energy bills delivered as a result of the efficiency improvements, meaning people will be better off.

But with MPs today preparing to vote on the last round of legislation governing the scheme, Labour has warned high rates of interest rates on the loans could leave households enjoying negligible savings or even facing a net increase in their energy bills.
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GGF Joins New Green Deal Group

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has formed a new group tasked with looking at how to deliver business models that will enable SMEs and micro businesses to get involved in delivering the energy efficiency measures available under the Green Deal.

The GGF has joined the SME Green Deal Roundtable along with a number of Trade Bodies representing small companies and trades people, including the Federation of Master Builders and Electrical Contractors Association.

The first meeting was held on Wednesday 20th June at the DECC Offices in Whitehall with the “Roundtable on SME-led Green Deal models” being co-convened by the Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP, Honorary President of the National Home Improvement Council.
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Social housing numbers falling but signs of promise in private sector, say NHBC

New figures released this week by NHBC have revealed that public sector housing registrations in the UK continue to fall, with social housing numbers down 41% for the rolling quarter March to May 2012, compared to the same period last year (7,090 in 2012 – 12,003 in 2011).
 
Registrations to build new homes in the private sector, the current engine for much-needed growth in the UK’s overall housing supply, have also decreased (3%) from the same period last year (20,035 in 2012 - 20,559 in 2011). However, comparison against March – May 2011 is affected by the registration of approximately 2,800 London Olympic Village properties (split equally between the private and public sectors) during this period. With these units taken out of the equation there was actually an increase of 5% within the private sector during this quarter and 33% decrease in the public sector.
 
Several regions did however experience overall growth over the last three months across, including the West Midlands (2,271 in 2012 - 1,879 in 2011) and Wales (1,286 in 2012 - 750 in 2011).
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Halo launches lowest U-value window

The latest addition to the Halo System10 range – The Box – is said to achieve the lowest U-values and sound reduction of any PVC-U Window on the market today.

The Box’s U-value performance ranges from a ‘standard’ 0.66 W/m2K in a double-glazed window, through 0.42 W/ W/m2K from a triple-glazed item and down to an industry-leading 0.32 W/ W/m2K for a triple-glazed window employing krypton-filled units and foam filled sections.

Halo – part of the Veka Group - believes that this is significantly lower than any other PVC-U window currently on market.
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Company Size Does Not Matter At The G12 Awards

In case you thought your company was too small to enter the G12 Awards, or that your budget is too small to compete, listen to what John Melling, Managing Director of Conservatory specialist Charles Christianson has to say. Charles Christianson was a Finalist at the G11 Awards with their excellent entry for the Conservatory Installer of the Year Award and as John says, “Although we are a small company, we considered the quality of our designs and installations would stand well against our larger competitors.”

The company, which was only formed in 2008 by John Melling and Andrew Willett, has a mission to supply outstanding glazed structures to discerning clients nationwide. The Orangery has become their core business product with a level of specialisation which impressed the G11 Awards judges.
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Hallmark Panels Goes for Gold with CENSolutions

Hallmark Panels, supplier of decorative infill panels, aluminium panels, GRP, twin rebate and single rebate composite doors to the Double Glazing, Local Authority, Building and Export markets has upgraded to the Gold package CMS Quality Mark from CENSolutions, the consultancy and test facility for the window, door and glazing industries.

Lisa Redfern of Hallmark Panels explains why: “We’ve been working with the team at CENSolutions for a long time. They have been a great support in helping us achieve EN 1279 for our sealed units and EN 1351 for the manufacture of our PVC-U frames, so when we wanted to add Secured By Design to our portfolio, they were the obvious choice. We have worked with other auditing companies in other areas of the business but CENSolutions consistently deliver service and support that is over and above anyone else. They also offer fantastic technical support thanks to their clear expertise in the field.”
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Safestyle UK trusts Consumer Credit Solutions for finance

Safestyle has always offered credit finance, but in the last few years the company has noticed a change in the market towards “soft sell”, interest free or low-interest finance. Consumer Credit Solutions (CCS) has been instrumental in helping Safestyle adapt to the change.

Mick Wilkinson, Operations Manager of Safestyle, explains: “Customers no longer want high interest rate products. Current demand is for low interest, interest free or ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ finance. We didn’t have experience of these new products but Andy Wallace, Managing Partner of CCS, was key in helping us embrace the new style. CCS helped us address the demand and has provided support and training to our sales branches. It’s the first time we’ve allowed an outside partner in to do training for us, but CCS understands our approach to credit finance, which is very much a soft sell. While it’s important that we are competitive and can provide funding for a big purchase we approach it very much on an advisory basis and let customers make their own decisions. We’re finding that even when customers have the money to pay for the job they will take up the credit finance option, and if it helps us sell we’re happy to provide it.”
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More raised for Hope

The GMF Gold Day held at the Telford Golf and Country Club last week raised a whopping £11,043 for Hope House Childrens Hospices.

Despite inclement weather at the beginning of the day, by the time the teams reached the clubhouse, the sun was shining.

Top golfing performances came from the Promac team who clinched the team prize, as did Joe Hague in the individual challenge.

One of the money raising highlights, was the sum of £2,500 paid for the painting by Hope House patient Kiera, by Motionlab’s Steve Ormand and Simon Iredale.

Full results:
Best Team – Promac – 83 pts
Runner up – Mila – 78 pts.
Best Individual score – Joe Hague – Promac – 37 pts.
Wooden Spoon – Central RPL – 53 pts

Pictures of the day can be viewed here:http://on.fb.me/Mv04mt