Hodkinson is 25 this week!
Posted on August 16th 2024
This week marks our 25th anniversary of providing advice so we can all make a difference across the built environment. We would like to thank you all for your continued support and trust over the years to work on interesting and challenging projects. We look forward to the next 25 years of continuing to help the industry by providing practical …
ESCOs Take The Heat Away From Landlords, But Not Entirely
Posted on August 1st 2024
ESCO models for heat network management help landlords ensure the responsibility for heat supply is passed on to specialists, but landlords should ensure ESCO contracts are managed on their side to ensure their residents receive a fair service and their assets are protected. Much of the legal and commercial risk for supplying heat to residents can be passed on to …
How We Think This Government Will Impact Building Design
Posted on July 31st 2024
We have reviewed their manifesto pledges and highlighted some key changes to look out for that will impact sustainable building design: Clean energy by 2030 Commitment to achieve net zero-carbon electricity by 2030 will lead to greater heat pump adoption. Cleaner gas using hydrogen is expected to impact industrial clusters and not dwellings. The government has not clarified their position …
What Are Passivhaus Principles?
Posted on July 31st 2024
The Passivhaus principles by themselves are not prescriptive, so this can cause confusion when assessing buildings against them. If the principles are interpreted relatively loosely, new high-density developments in London often align well with them from the start. This is because many new developments already incorporate key elements, which are aligned with what is listed by the Passivhaus institute as …
Bath Gasworks – Planning Success
Posted on July 31st 2024
St William’s proposed Bath Gasworks development has been unanimously granted planning consent. Providing 611 homes, sustainability is at the heart of the proposals. Our approach pursued a comprehensive strategy which addresses lifecycle carbon and overheating risk. Our work navigated a number of challenges, including: New and challenging planning policy – Bath Gasworks was one of the first large developments to …
BREEAM 2024 Award Finalists
Posted on July 2nd 2024
We provided BREEAM consultancy advice to Mountbatten House, Southampton, which has been shortlisted as a finalist at the BREEAM Awards 2024 within the ‘best refurbishment & Fit-Out project’ category. Previously a tired 1990’s office space, the Georgian building was stripped out and the internal space re-modelled to create a contemporary layout that focuses on collaboration and co-working. It was the …
Will More Onerous Overheating Standards Come To London?
Posted on July 2nd 2024
It is not unreasonable to expect that London may go further than the Building Regulations (Part O) when it comes to tackling overheating, mirroring its treatment of Part L targets. The recent GLA’s “Operation Helios”, a set of exercises designed to stress test London’s response to future extreme heat scenarios, shows that preparedness for extreme heat scenarios is increasingly becoming …
Gateway 2 Encourages ESCO Tendering at Planning Stage
Posted on July 2nd 2024
The building safety regulations mean that earlier tendering for ESCOs will be necessary to maximise the value they can bring to the delivery of a heat network. ESCOs can bring valuable operational information into the design process and often enable heat network designs to be optimised and made leaner. To avoid design change processes after the Gateway 2 submission, this …
Immediate Implications of July 2024 RICS Whole Life Carbon
Posted on July 2nd 2024
The updated RICS WLCA guidance comes into effect in July 2024 but will have limited planning impact until local authorities specify its use. The updated version has various assumptions and clarifications that could however be useful for a planning application. The update provides greater clarity and scope on assessing the carbon impact of the entire life cycle of a built …
Metering And Billing Of Ambient Loop Heat Networks
Posted on May 31st 2024
There is uncertainty in the market as to the metering requirements for ambient loop heat networks. Some manufacturers have stated that it is not a requirement to meter final customers connected to these systems. However, we would strongly recommend that all customers are metered for heat and cooling consumption delivered from ambient loops. Ambient loops circulate low grade heat around …