Building in the dark

PLUMBERS WIN OUT IN BATTLE OF THE TRADES

--- UK-wide poll reveals plumbers most likely of all tradespeople to offer green advice to customers ---

Plumbers are the most likely of all UK tradespeople to offer green advice to customers, according to a survey commissioned by the Energy Saving Trust.
More than eight in 10 (81 per cent) of plumbers would offer energy efficiency advice compared to just 27 per cent of carpenters.

Electricians came in second at 73 per cent with conservatory installers at 62 per cent, builders at 56 per cent and roofing/loft conversion specialists at just under half (48 per cent).

The poll of 241 tradespeople was undertaken by Lychgate Projects and comprised telephone interviews across six trade sectors with UK contractors. The interviews took place over four days in May 2009.

It also found that 55 per cent of tradespeople would offer green advice more often if they had more information while over four-fifths (84 per cent) would like to be able to give energy efficiency advice that was trusted by their customers.
More than two thirds (68 per cent) of tradespeople felt they needed clearer explanations of current environmental legislation while almost eight in 10 (78 per cent) felt the need for clearer guidance of changes in the pipeline for energy efficiency requirements.

Philip Sellwood, chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust, said: "If the national target of an 80 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 is to be met it is vital we tackle the lack of energy efficiency in our existing housing stock. We simply must act now and not be afraid to go over and above the minimum energy efficiency building standards.

"Latest figures show that around £24 billion is spent annually on repair, maintenance and improvement works in UK housing and some of this work represents a missed opportunity to make green improvements.

"Real cost savings --in terms of labour and minimising disruption - are on offer to householders who employ tradespeople to install energy-efficiency measures when they are in doing other work. Householders can on average save up to £340 a year on energy bills through green improvements.

"Seventy-five per cent of people in the UK believe the best way to improve the energy efficiency of a home is when the builders are in, but until tradespeople have the knowledge, training and skills to be able to offer this expertise as second nature then they will be building in the dark."

The Energy Saving Trust Housing programme works with housing professionals to achieve higher standards of energy efficiency in the UK housing market. The programme provides free technical guidance and solutions to help UK housing professionals design, build and refurbish to high levels of energy efficiency.

The Energy Saving Trust welcomes the fact that tradespeople want to give green advice and is looking for volunteers on a new focus group. For tradespeople who are not sitting at a desk all day solutions other than downloadable documents must be available. Over the next few months the Energy Saving Trust are going to be asking the trade about the best way to present guidance so that it is accessible for all tradespeople.

Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the Federation of Master Builders said: "We know that the Energy Saving Trust tells thousands of householders every day about steps they can take to make their homes greener. But it is also important that builders, electricians and plumbers get the message about the importance of energy efficiency across to their customers - and the best time to do this is when they are already working on someone's house.

"There are already some entrepreneurial tradespeople out there and we are increasingly seeing businesses developing special services for householders who want to be greener. We would like to this become the norm rather than the exception however in order to increase the number of tradespeople are offering energy efficient improvement works there needs to be greater demand from homeowners.

"One way to increase demand would be for the Government to cut VAT five per cent thereby offering an incentive to have building work done. Coupling a VAT cut with more training for tradespeople should mean a real increase in energy efficient homes in the UK."

Separate research - of 2362 people from across the UK - found that just one in six (17 per cent) of British householders would trust the advice of a tradesperson already doing work in their house if they offered to install energy efficiency measures.

The research was commissioned as part of the Energy Saving Trust's Building in the Dark campaign which is launched today (Tuesday June 2). The initiative aims to highlight the green skills gap among UK tradespeople, as well as campaign for a new quality standard and training programmes for tradespeople on energy efficiency.

The survey of 2362 UK consumers also found:

• Around half (49 per cent) of respondents have never had a tradesperson recommend energy efficiency measures in their home.
• Respondents felt of all the trades, electricians were the mostly likely to be able to offer the best advice on how to install green measure in your home.

If you are a householder who needs more information on how you can implement some home improvements contact your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512012 or visit the website at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk .

Top 5 green things to ask your customer.

1. If you're doing an extension, or are using ladders ask your customer if they want you to have a look in their loft. Did you know that loft insulation costs around £250 with a grant to install and could save your customer around £205 per year where there was previously no insulation? That means it pays for itself in 1-4 years. As you're already onsite, it will cost the customer less for you to install it whilst you're there. If they have less than 270mm insulation, they need a top up. Insulating their loft to 270mm if it's currently uninsulated you could save them around £205 a year off their heating bills. If they have less than the recommended 270mm, topping it up will save them around £60 a year.
2. Is your customer's house in need of extra draught proofing? This easy to install measure is cheap at the price of around £90 to do the entire home and could save around £30 per year. Look for draughts around windows and doors, light fittings and other service areas.
3. If you're pulling up floorboards or relaying floors, it would be a great time to recommend underfloor insulation. This sits underneath the floorboards or on top of concrete flooring and makes sure rooms stay warm in winter and less draughty. It will cost around £90 for materials and the householder could save around £50 a year depending on how many rooms it can be installed in.
4. If you're fitting a new kitchen or bathroom in an older house, it would be a good time to recommend some internal wall insulation. Older properties can be hard to heat and adding internal wall insulation or dry lining will add to the customer's comfort and reduce their heating bills by around £500 per year not to mention save them time in labour.
5. Lots of people think that Building Regulations are best practice. They're actually the minimum standard that work should be conducted to. They safeguard build quality and safety for your customer as well as ensuring minimum levels of comfort and energy efficiency. They're being revised in October 2010 and will demand even higher standards of energy efficiency. Keep yourself up to date with the highest standards for energy efficiency by visiting www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/housing.

Ends
Notes to editors:
About The Research
The tradespeople research was undertaken by Lychgate Projects and comprised 241 telephone interviews across six trade sectors with UK contractors. The interviews took place over four days in May 2009.
The consumer research was undertaken by ICM Research on behalf of the Energy Saving Trust. The survey of 2362 adults across the UK was conducted between May 15 and 18, 2009.

About The Energy Saving Trust
The Energy Saving Trust is the UK's leading organisation set up to address the damaging effects of climate change by helping everybody to cut carbon dioxide emissions - the main greenhouse gas causing climate change - from their homes. We promote the efficient use of energy and a more low carbon lifestyle.
The Energy Saving Trust, through its network of "one-stop-shop" advice centres, provides free and impartial advice to consumers on saving energy, domestic renewables and greener transport, and is beginning to include water saving and waste reduction advice in its remit.

The Energy Saving Trust provides the housing industry with technical guidance to enable them to achieve higher levels of energy efficiency in both new and existing homes. The Energy Saving Trust also works with retailers and manufacturers to make sure that energy efficient products are available for people to choose as well as advising government on policies that are needed to cut greenhouse gases.

For more information about the Energy Saving Trust housing programme visit the website at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/housing or email bestpractice@est.org.uk.