Housing technical services

Training

Improving knowledge and upgrading skills is essential in order to keep up to date with the latest technologies, standards and policies in sustainable housing, The Energy Saving Trust has developed a training suite of technical courses aimed at housing professionals. Our training comes with CPD credits and include practical case studies.

Solid Wall insulation: Covers the complete range of skills for installers from quoting accurately and surveying to finishing and attention to detail. Classroom based and where possible, onsite for practical implementation. Runs over 3 days.

Low Carbon Homes CPD series: Bite-size professional modules for architects, specifiers, builders and installers, delivered to suit your needs. Subjects include planning, housing policy, sustainable retrofit, heating systems, and renewable energy technologies.

Sustainable Retrofit toolbox talks: A series of engaging energy efficiency talks teaching best practice through theory and on-site techniques. These talks can be tailored to meet project/organisation needs. Subjects range from thermal bridging through to policy updates. We deliver the talks on site which last up to an hour, or more if incorporating demonstration testing.

Courses currently available...

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) are running a series of one day Sustainable Refurbishment courses with the Energy Saving Trust. For an overview of the course and available dates, please follow the links below to book your place:    

 
If you are a training provider, professional body, manufacturer or building merchant, we can discuss options for the delivery of training modules either by licensing our content or delivering directly: email us at  housingtechnical@est.org.uk

Technical content and insight  

The Energy Saving Trust has a wide range of technical content comprising of guidance, factsheets, case studies and web tools.

This technical information and research covers both newbuild and refurbishment sectors. Where applicable, this content is available to licence from us. Organisations in the past have used our content for training materials and consumer advice. Furthermore we have access to research and statistics that provide consumer insight, industry innovation and technical understanding.

We are able to assist organisations in developing specific tailored technical guidance for their customers covering a range of topics.

Trigger Points

'Trigger points' is the buzz word in housing right now. It's all about taking a logical, effective and affordable approach to sustainable retrofit. 

Homeowners tend to redecorate or refurbish their properties on a room by room basis rather than the whole house in one go. This is due to budget, time and convenience.

Research has shown that 85% of householders would be willing to stretch their refurbishment project budget by up to 20% to incorporate energy saving measures such as floor, wall or roof insulation at the time of redecorating or refurbishing their homes.

We have developed a set of practical guidance booklets for the trade and householder which demonstrate how energy saving measures can be incorporated in to new kitchens, bathrooms, living spaces, loft conversions and new heating systems.

View the first few in our series of trigger points guides:

Planning or fitting a new kitchen - guide for homeowners and trade 

Planning or fitting a new bathroom - guide for homeowners and trade

Refurbishing living spaces - guide for homeowners and  trade

These handy practical guides can be adapted to cover your particular company's products and brands, ensuring the trade and homeowner get the advice they need when undertaking home improvements.

We can also develop new advice channels and explore further development opportunities with you including on-line tools and staff training.

National Refurbishment Centre

The National Refurbishment Centre  (NRC) is a joint initiative between the Energy Saving Trust and the BRE Trust to enable practical delivery of green refurbishment. We work with a number of NRC partners

The newly launched Refurbishment Portal database provides industry with access to an evidence base of the cost of a range of housing retrofit projects and their carbon and energy savings.

The portal gives crucial information about what interventions work and their implications. This enables housing professionals to make well informed decisions around their retrofit projects based on the experiences of their peers.

We can help you get the evidence you need to back your business planning for investment in sustainable retrofit.

If you have any technical enquiries in relation to the NRC please contact Stephen Passmore at the Energy Saving Trust. 

Energy Saving Open Homes  

The Energy Saving Trust are working with a network of organisations and practitioners to encourage more open homes activity nationwide. These homes are both refurbished and newbuild properties open to the public and trade professionals to demonstrate how our homes can be upgraded to be more energy efficient and comfortable to live in.

Through a unique programme of independent research, we have found that these homes have proved very successful in encouraging others to install energy efficiency and renewable energy technology measures in their own homes. Read more about open homes.

We would like to talk with both national and representatives of local supply chain companies for support. If your company would like greater brand awareness, advertising and potential referrals from motivated homeowners then please get in touch.

We would like to encourage support both for a national network of open homes and to set up new local and regional events.