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Course information and bookings
By 2016 the government wants new homes to be ‘zero carbon’. Reaching this standard, will be hugely challenging. It has implications for the way we plan, lay out, design, construct and use our homes, particularly as we must also adapt them to cope with a very different climate from that of today.
This course covers the theory and practice of planning, designing and constructing very low and zero carbon homes, from their heating and cooling to the use of renewables to produce electricity to meet our annual requirements.
It also covers the use of the Code for Sustainable Homes, as an assessment system, design tool and the backbone of the government's policy on zero carbon homes.
Locations and dates
The dates for our next open courses are:
London 18th & 19th September 2008, London. (No further places available).
London 22nd & 23rd January 2009. Please click here to book a place, and click here for venue, & travel information.
Please note that we are not running an open course in Newcastle in September 2008.
Courses are also available for individual organisations and as bespoke events. Please contact us for further information.
Course programme
Day One - Passive heating and cooling.
We consider how to reduce emissions by designing buildings which are passively heated and cooled.
To help illustrate this, we refer to a standard detached property and show how to reduce the heat and cooling demand by adjusting factors such as the built form, insulation, orientation, glazing and ventilation, to progress up the levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes, and reach a passive heating and cooling standard.
Day Two - Low and zero carbon power
On the second day of the course we consider how to cut emissions arising from the use of lights and appliances and generate renewable electricity on and off site. We look at Code Levels 5 & 6 and the 'true zero carbon standard', and the design and cost implications of these levels of the Code.
We also look at other related issues such as water and transport and how we go about marketing low and zero carbon buildings to customers and clients.
What you receive on the course
Each trainee will be provided with a manual containing copies of the presentations, handouts on specific elements of the course, and copies of the exercises used to illustrate key issues.
The fee includes tea, coffee, lunch and refreshments on both days.
Book a place
Bookings can be made at any time using our on-line booking service or by calling Liz Vosper on 0117 954 4025 during office hours.
To book a place using our on-line booking service please click here.
You will be asked to supply contact, and dietary details for the person attending.
The system will then automatically generate a VAT Invoice for you to print off.
Payment may be made by BACs or by cheque. We do not accept Credit Card payments at the present time.
If you are booking on behalf of a local authority please click here for additional information which may be relevant.
Terms and conditions
Please ensure you have read the Terms and conditions before booking your place on the course.
Venues & travel information
For further information on the venues, travel arrangements and where to find accommodation please click on the cities listed above under Locations and dates.
Start and finish times
The course will start at 9.30am on both days with coffee and registration (on day-one) from 9.00am. The course will finish by 4.30pm on both days. Delegates will be sent a full programme for both days, two weeks prior to the start of the training. Please note that the exact programme may be subject to change prior to the course.
Brochure
You can download a PDF of the course brochure from here.
Purpose & scope of the training
The purpose of this course is to give a thorough introduction to designing and building low and zero carbon homes. The training covers the principles, practicalities and pitfalls of developing very low and zero carbon homes, so that you can formulate the most appropriate approach to achieving low and zero carbon for a give development from the perspectives of planning, design and construction.
There is no single 'right answer' to achieving zero carbon homes, so the course considers a range of methods and approaches (and their pros and cons) to reducing emissions, and combines presentations, practical exercises and discussion.
Learning outcomes
The intention of this training is that at the end of the two days participants will leave with an understanding of:
- The definitions of ‘zero carbon’, 'net zero carbon', 'carbon neutral' etc, and what these and the government's targets mean in practice.
- The scientific and the policy context which are driving the move to this standard
- The design principles for achieving very low and zero emission buildings
- The role of the Code for Sustainable Homes in assessing and specifying low and zero emission homes
- The practicalities of reducing emissions from space heating, water heating, and the use of lights and appliances in new homes
- How to reduce the risks and likelihood of summer overheating
- When and how to deploy renewable energy technologies to reduce emissions
- Other implications of low carbon living relating to building design e.g. water conservation and transport
- The cost implications of building low and zero emission homes
- Marketing low and zero emission homes to planners, architects, developers and home buyers
Who is this course for?
The course has been designed for those responsible for planning, procuring, designing, and building new homes.
It will be relevant to:
- Architects in terms of designing buildings with very low emissions which are adapted to the projected changes in our climate, and conjusive to low carbon lifestyles.
- Planning policy officers in terms of producing policy in response to the move towards zero carbon homes, and in relation to regional spatial strategies and Merton-like policies for incorporation into Local Development Frameworks.
- Development control and urban design teams in terms of negotiating 106 agreements, master planning, and negotiations with developers about what is and isn't feasible.
- Procurement officers in terms of procuring homes for local authorities and housing associations which are affordable to build, live in and resilient to future changes in the climate.
- Developers in terms of moving from current designs towards low and zero carbon homes, the design options, the use of renewables, cost implications, and marketing.
Fees
The course fee is £293.62 + VAT per person (£345 inc VAT). The fee includes lunch and refreshments on both days, but excludes accommodation.
Please note that places are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
About the trainer - Mark Letcher
Mark Letcher began his career in 1987 working as a researcher for BP International. Having completed an Honours degree in Applied Physics he went on to complete an MSc in Environmental Resources before joining the Urban Centre for Appropriate Technology as a Home Energy Advisor. He managed the first of what is now a national network of Energy Efficiency Advice Centres, before joining the technical consultancy team at Bristol Energy Centre. There he worked on a variety of low energy design and sustainable energy projects, including comparative studies of social housing designs, and low energy, design stage assessments of new dwellings using energy modelling software.
In 1996 he joined the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) as a technical consultant to work on the design of energy advice software systems. In 1998 he became manager of Consultancy and Research at CSE. During this time he was responsible for the management and delivery of sustainable energy, renewable energy and low carbon design projects, including work on achieving a 60% reduction in emissions from social housing.
In 2004 he became Head of Advice and Partnerships at the Centre for Sustainable Energy, and was responsible for the development of climate change policies and targets within strategic partnerships. In 2007 he left the Centre for Sustainable Energy to setup Climate Works.
For the last four years Mark has delivered one and two-day training courses throughout the UK on the design and application of renewable energy systems in housing. He has been a qualified NHER/SAP Assessor since 1998, and an EcoHomes Assessor/Code for Sustainable Homes Assessor since 2004. He is a BRE Associate working on the Code for Sustainable Homes.
Mark regularly gives presentations and lectures on sustainable energy, climate change and the implications of the projected changes in our climate on the design of buildings in the UK.