On the stump

This week’s leader comes from our occasional contributor Justin Furness, the Technical Director of the Council for Aluminium in Building who once again focuses on a particularly hot topic:

As I write, the UK general election campaign is entering its final stages. The need for investment in energy efficient buildings has featured in several of the political manifestos and a number of recent reports and initiatives have highlighted the potential benefits from installing energy efficient glazing, as well as the complex nature of the issue. The building sector in Europe is responsible for more than one third of the energy consumption and a similar share of the CO2 emissions associated with human activities. Meanwhile Britain has some of the oldest housing stock in the world; it is thought that more than 8.5 million properties are over 60 years old. There is no question that something needs to be done.

The National Energy Foundation (NEF), with the support of the glazing supply chain including CAB, has recently reported on the operational energy reduction potential in the existing building stock, driven by accelerated uptake of energy efficient glazing. The study looked at several scenarios and even assuming a relatively modest increase in the uptake of enhanced glazing products, by 2050 energy consumption could be some 15,000 GWh lower compared with there being no change in the current rate of renewal. To put this in context, it is roughly equivalent to the energy generated by two Sizewell B nuclear power stations. It was also estimated that another Sizewell B nuclear power station could be saved if energy leakage around windows could be reduced through improved installation practices and by adopting a more holistic approach to buildings, considering the interaction between relevant components. A website has been set up to promote the report (http://www.glazingsupplychaingroup.co.uk/) and Luke Smith from NEF will be presenting the findings in more detail at our Technical Conference on 14 May.

In a similar vein, Building Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) has recently carried out a review of residential building regulations in eight EU Member States (http://bpie.eu/indoor.html). This report stresses the importance of having appropriate requirements for thermal comfort, ventilation and daylight conditions. All told, we spend some 60-90% of our time indoors, so indoor air quality plays a vital role in our health and wellbeing. Improving the air tightness of buildings is identified as an important factor, as well as the need for ventilation control and air exchange. Energy efficiency should not be regulated in isolation from the other indoor comfort parameters in building codes. Will it be possible for building regulations to evolve from requirements for energy performance to requirements that also ensure a holistic approach to thermal comfort, indoor air quality and daylighting?

Elsewhere we have a new product launch from Apeer which is genuinely innovative, which you read about here, and a short video interview with Clare O’Hara the newly appointed managing director of the Epwin Window Systems Division which you can access by clicking here or the image in the centre column.

I hope you enjoy this week’s issue.

Please send all your news stories to news@the-glazine.com or should you wish to contact me directly
tony@the-glazine.com

Tony Higgin Publisher

This Week's News

Frameless …seamless
- Apeer unveils Lumi to Grand Designs acclaim

Composite door manufacturer Apeer has burst into the window market with a radically different ‘frameless, seamless’ system aimed at the high end domestic sector.

Unveiled at the Grand Designs exhibition at ExCel London this week, the Lumi collection is immediately recognisable not only by its uninterrupted sheet of glass reaching literally from edge to edge of the window cavity but also its ‘high temperature fused ceramic colour border’ which can be seen in place of a frame but entirely covered by the glass.

Read the Rest Here...

GGF sets out post-election plan and new micro-site

The Glass and Glazing Federation has formulated a post-election political PR/lobbying plan that will raise the GGF Members’ concerns to whichever political party – or parties – forms the Government.

Nigel Rees, GGF Group Chief Executive said: “Firstly, no matter what form the next Government takes, our plan is to ensure our voice is heard and that we continue to engage with the key influencers and decision makers. For over five years, we have worked hard to take our campaign messages directly to cabinet ministers, government departments and officials. This will remain our priority.”

The Federation has also launched a Political Campaigns micro-site, with five sub-sections including links to respective campaigns, documents and news articles. It also plans to introduce a regular news update feature integrated with its members newsletter to ensure members are up to speed with the very latest on each campaign. The Political Campaigns section will also regularly feature a political blog with contributions from GK Strategy and the political media.

James Lee, Head of GGF Group Marketing and Communications said: “Though the Political Campaigns micro-site has initially been set up exclusively for GGF members, in the long term we intend to create a version for public access. Our Members will always be our priority but it is important that the wider industry and general public are also kept informed of our political activity.”

Read the plan in full Here...

Election jitters knock construction down to two-year low

Construction activity in the UK has dropped to the lowest level in two years as private developers held back on starting projects ahead of the General Election, according to the latest figures from industry analyst Glenigan.

A slight increase in housing starts was completely swamped by a 21% decline in non-residential activity in the three months to April against the same period last year, said by the report to be the sharpest overall fall for two years and in non-residential since 2009.


Read the Rest Here...