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A trawl through the web this week has revealed the Government's new plans for water usage, green gadgets and the new Housing Minister's first banana skin
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Government will fluff zero-carbon homes, report warns
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As found by Jo Will in the Society Guardian, a report in the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, says that the Government should be making Code Level 6 mandatory for all new homes if it wants to deliver zero-carbon homes by 2016. With only housing associations required to reach Code Level 3 at present and no current obligations at all for commercial housebuilders, this is a problem. Another one is 'user error.' Where malfunctioning enregy systems, residents removing the technologies and installing 'low performance alternatives to suit their colour scheme' might be an issue.
Nor any drop to drink
As our technowhizz, Will Jones, pointed out recently, water usage is the latest hot green issue. Reflecting the dictum that Government can only follow industry's lead, Environment Minister, Hilary Benn has announced his plans to reduce water usage per person from 150 litres per day to 130 by 2020 through a combination of efficicent technology, metering and tariffs. And he wants to introduce planning rules for gardens unless they use porous materials to help with flood run offs. Surely this is still a planning rule? Anyway. Other highlights will be an indpendent inquiry into water charging and new proposals for surface drainage and water pollution. Like many of these savings measures one wonders whether the intentions will be undone by the reality of any 10% population rise by 2025.
Green Gadgetry
Of course, the rising tide of gadgetry adds immensely to our energy problems in the home, office and, increasingly, schools (which seem to be becoming a whole lot more like offices or at least media facilities). They shiny, glowing beasts already consume 25% of our requirements. So the Inhabit Greener Gadgets Conference was a step in the right direction. There were a lot of kinetically powered devices, including a bamboo phone powered by opening and closing and a kinetically-powered gravity lamp. "What's not to like?" the organisers asked? Well I didn't like the fact that the objects were somewhat marginal and are not going to be replacing our gas-guzzling LCD screens (their current problem is size rather than actual wattage) any time soon. Maybe the big manufacturers will start getting presure soon.
Revolutionary Design
New York's Fluxlab have come up with an ingenious (and ingeniously simple device) that captures the energy created by people going through a revolving door. No mention of power generation figures, though.
Frankenstein's Cube
Some bloke called Michael Willoughby has writted an article about hybrid offices - neither resi nor office but a bit of both - for onoffice magazine. MacCormack Jamieson Priest thinks they might be able to provide the same kind of longevity and flexbility as the Duke of Bedford's squares.
Solar Gains
The ever-informed Robert Kyriakides has produced a list of what you should expect from a solar thermal system. As usual, he has a beef with possibly leading manufacturers. His post on confusing wattage levels about low-energy lightbulbs was equally no nonsense and helpful.
Swede Heavens
Mark Brinkley discusses what he calls Caroline Flint's first banana skin - the discussion about whether people in council housing should be made to work for their roof. It seems more like a vote-winning tactic to me. However, in Sweden, he reports, everyone lives in the same houses, but there is help with rent. Genius.
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