Net Zero carbon roadmap – SHIFT roundtable session

Mar 28, 2022 | Carbon, Climate Change, net zero, New Build, Retrofit, Roundtable, Strategy

This SHIFT roundtable session took place on the 15th March 2022 and included social landlords representing tens of thousands of UK homes. The summary focuses primarily on points raised during the roundtable discussion. A more comprehensive guide to decarbonisation can...

Profits calculator – estimating profit from good environmental performance

Mar 24, 2022 | Carbon, Environmental protection, ESG, Green credentials, Profit, Strategy, Sustainability

Establishing “green credentials” for an organisation can involve a little burden. But is it worth it? Of course, the real worth is a protected environment where we and our loved ones can all live, breathe and thrive happily. However, happiness is not enough of a...

Random list of environmental stuff

Mar 22, 2022 | Biodiversity, Carbon, Climate Change, Displaced people, Environmental protection, Flood risk, Food security, rising sea levels

For a recent project we had to include some lists of environmental issues facing the UK.  It’s a bit of a random collection, but there are some interesting nuggets in there. Extra rainfall Depending on which forecasting model you use and what may or may not happen to...

Carbon pricing for building owners

Nov 17, 2021 | Carbon

Over the past year, we’ve had some SHIFT landlords asking about internal carbon pricing and how it can be used to help decarbonise social housing. We’ve done the research for you and summarised below. What is carbon pricing? Carbon pricing can be used to recognise...

Heat and buildings strategy – 2 key points

Oct 25, 2021 | Carbon, Government Strategy, Heating, Retrofit

Many organisations have already commented on the “Heat and Buildings Strategy” released last week [1, 2].  Rather than repeat criticisms or otherwise for the strategy, we take a look at two key points which should aid people working in the built environment. EPC’s are...

Building to EPC A – roundtable review

Oct 11, 2021 | Carbon, New Build, Uncategorised

Building new homes to EPC A rating is an approach we champion at SHIFT and with 25% of our landlords having already built to this standard, the demand for a roundtable to share advice and experiences was high! Across two sessions, 18 social housing providers managing...

6 things you need for good environmental reporting

Oct 4, 2021 | Biodiversity, Carbon, Climate Change, ESG

Our Sam McConnochie details how he set up the SHIFT [1] portal which helps social landlords report on all environmental issues and provides an excellent audit trail.  Here’s what he wrote: Working with a web development agency, we built the SHIFT portal from concept...

‘Cool’ new energy efficiency scales for white goods

May 21, 2021 | Carbon

If you haven’t purchased a new freezer in recent months, you may not know about the changing energy efficiency standards for white goods. Richard Lupo, SHIFT’s Managing Director, recently purchased a new fridge. Ever the conscious environmentalist, his choice of a...

An Insight into Thermal Performance Evaluation of UK Housing

Mar 3, 2021 | Carbon

Our friends at Veritherm have looked at the Future Homes standard to see what it holds in store for the “as built” energy performance.  Here’s what they say: Current Performance Outlook The UK’s is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by...

How Technology Can Be Used To Reduce Carbon Emissions

Mar 3, 2021 | Carbon

Our friends at Switchee have written a fine piece on how technology can help with CO2 reductions.  Commercial Director at Swicthee,  Alastair Thorpe [1], shares his thoughts: Sustainability has been a growing concern for many housing providers over the last few years....