Environment Build

Winter 2011 www.enuk.net

In this issue...

10 years of the Wood Recyclers’ Association environmentalbuild winter 2011

environmentalbuild winter 2011

Cover Story Wood Recyclers’ Association nears its 10th birthday The wood recycling industry is still pretty much an infant. 20 years ago it did not exist in the form that we now know it – and it’s growing up fast! read more on p17

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CONTENTS ASBESTOS 5

Asbestos in buildings

GAIN 7

Renewable measures are the way forward for energy efficiency

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How to take advantage of the Feed in Tariff

TIMBER FRAME

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Timber frame chosen for pioneering eco development

eFIG 14

eFIG and the interior landscaping industry – 10 years and counting

THE WOOD RECYCLERS’ ASSOCIATION 17

Wood Recyclers’ Association nears its 10th birthday

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‘Cradle to grave’ approach to cable drum recycling

THE WOOD WINDOW ALLIANCE

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Alliance stands for quality in wood windows

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Wooden windows - dispelling the myths

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Queens Cross HA benefits from energy efficient windows

ECOBUILD 2011 22

The world’s biggest sustainable design and construction event

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Jakob Green Wall Systems bring buildings alive

POLLUTION 23

Dust monitoring in urban redevelopment

CONTAMINATED LAND 25

UK’s premier brownfield event returns to NEC

FLOOD PROTECTION 25

Wayne Taylor Advertising Manager Tel: 0161 850 1678 Mob: 07739 113871 Email: wayne@dmmonline.co.uk

Floodwall™ gains the new BSI Kitemark PAS 1188-1

All other enquiries: Tel: 0161 850 1680 Fax: 0161 850 0918 1 Elm Road, High Lane, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 8HR Copyright EnvironmentalBuild.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior permission of EnvironmentalBuild.

Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher.

EVL

environmentalbuild winter 2011

Beware False Prophets PV (Photo- Voltaic) for free?

Sounds too good to be true?

Well…. it is There is no free lunch

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Since the publishing of the FIT (Feed in Tariff) there has been a lot of interest in Solar Photo-Voltaic (PV) which allows your energy supplier to pay you an income for generating your own electricity, for either your own use or exporting back into the grid. Many people are being approached with regard getting a PV system fitted for free, so why would this be a bad thing?

Well, if all you care about is saving roughly 40% of your electricity, and don’t care about the ownership of the system, then nothing.

The truth is, you will be locked into a legal agreement where you are giving away a guaranteed index linked tax free income of 8% to 10% per annum. Basically, investment banks have

realised there are few palaces where they can get this return on investment, and therefore the have gotten into bed with installation companies to offer free installations, as long as you sign over the right to claim the Feed in Tariff for yourselves.

Domestic and General Insulation Limited offer you the opportunity to get the full benefit by installing a high specification, backed by a guarantee of return and efficiency, that secures both savings on energy bills but also pays you the full index linked income. Since the FIT table was published, interest has seen competition drive down the installation price, but more significantly the market is seeing many ‘B’ rated panels being fitted in place of ‘A’ panels. n

If you are in any doubt, we would urge you contact us for more details.

Stephen Belfield, Heating Manager.

Contact us on Tel: 0800 009 3449 Fax: 01432 268 680 Email: heatingandsolarenquiries@dgi.org.uk Web: www.dgi.org.uk

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Asbestos in Buildings e

Recently the HSE launched their ‘Hidden Killer’ campaign to highlight the danger of exposure to asbestos fibre, particularly to maintenance and other tradesmen when working in buildings. This high profile campaign graphically indicated that around 20 tradesmen per week die as a result of exposure to asbestos and that tradesmen are still being exposed to these risks, even today, mainly due to the fact that they are unaware of the presence of asbestos in their workplace.

The Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2006 places an explicit duty on those responsible for buildings to manage the risk from asbestos in their property, not only for their own employees but for anyone who may come into contact with it including, of course, any tradesmen employed to carry out any work within the property.

A major requirement of CAR 2006, and subsequently any asbestos management plan, is to inform anyone who may come into contact with it of the presence of asbestos containing materials within the

property and to give those people adequate training in how to manage the risk of exposure. Tradesmen are of course under greater risk as they may inadvertently disturb asbestos during the course of their work.

In February 2010 new guidance to replace MDHS 100 was introduced by the Health & Safety Executive. Titled, Asbestos: The Survey Guide HSG 264, this new publication reduced the number of survey types from three to two and placed more emphasis on the client for the selection of the survey scope. There are now just two types of asbestos survey – Management and Refurbishment. Management replaces the old Type 2 Survey and Refurbishment replaces the old Major Refurbishment/ Demolition Survey.

The starting point of any management plan is to find out if the building contains asbestos materials, to record its location, extent and type and to assess the risk of exposure to asbestos materials on the long term health of anyone who may come into

contact with it. To be sure that you are getting a fully HSG 264 compliant report, only those companies accredited by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) for both Inspection ISO/IEC 17020 and Testing ISO/IEC 17025 should be commissioned to undertake the work.

A management survey will give you all the information you need to produce your management plan and to risk assess all asbestos containing materials detected in accordance with an internationally recognised algorithm assessment method, as detailed in HSG 264, together with recommendations as to what is required to make the material safe and protect your workforce from dangerous and unnecessary exposure to asbestos fibre. n Alan Peck, Chief Executive Tersus Consultancy Limited

• For More Information: Tel: 0121 270 2550, Fax: 0121 707 2060, E-mail: info@ tersusgroup.co.uk, www.tersusgroup.co.uk.

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Renewable measures are the way forward for

energy efficiency

By Janet Jukes, Grant Aided Heating Installers’ Network

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There are very few households or businesses that will not suffer from the cuts announced in the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review. Energy efficiency will undoubtedly be regarded as one of the major considerations if energy bills and carbon emissions are to be reduced.

Over the course of the Spending Review period, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will reduce resource spending by 18% in real terms, and increase capital spending by 41% in real terms.

DECC’s settlement is in the context of an increase in environmental spending across Government by 21%. The Spending Review ensures that the UK can meet its environmental goals, including the 2020 targets for a 34% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and for 15% of energy to be from renewable sources, whilst improving efficiency, supporting growth and facilitating a private sector led transition to a green economy.

The Rt. Hon. Chris Huhne MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, comments “Like the rest of the public sector, we have taken some tough decisions, but we remain on course to deliver on our promise to be the greenest government ever”.

In this respect there has already been a significant swing towards using renewable energy sources in conjunction with conventional measures. However, the Government has now rubber-stamped this by announcing a £860 million funding for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which will be introduced from 20112012 and will support households and businesses investing in renewable heat measures. It is designed to provide financial support to encourage the uptake of renewable and low carbon heat technologies like air and water source heat pumps.

This will drive a more-than-tenfold increase of renewable heat over the coming decade, shifting renewable heat from a fringe industry firmly into the mainstream. The previous administration’s plans for funding this scheme through an overly complex Renewable Heat Levy will not be taken forward.

The Review has confirmed that the Feed-in Tariff paid to homeowners who generate green electricity with solar panels and wind turbines will continue.

Feed-in Tariffs will be refocussed on the most cost-effective technologies saving £40 million in 2014-2015.

The Feed-in Tariff scheme was launched in April 2010 as part of an attempt to meet European Union targets on renewable energy. It is designed to encourage people to generate their own energy and contribute to the security of energy supplies.

According to the Energy Saving Trust (EST) the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme guarantees a minimum payment for all electricity generated by the system, as well as a separate payment for the cont p11

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How to take advantage of

by Tom Vosper, CEN Consulting Ltd

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FIT

Two months ago I received a phone call from the Sustainability Director at one of our local councils. He was irate. “Why can’t I see vans with loud speakers on top, driving up and down the street announcing the benefits of the Feed In Tariff?” Chris Reid, at the London Borough of Sutton, is not known for his sense of calm and patience, but is one of those rare souls who seems not to have lost his sense of urgency at dealing with climate change, despite having spent the last 20 years working on environmental initiatives in the public sector.

He wasn’t being entirely serious, of course, but I didn’t know him at the time. I patiently explained that although Feed In Tariffs (FITs) made renewable electricity more attractive than before, the scheme was designed to give between a 5% and 8% return on investment, which meant the payback would still only be between 12.5 and 20 years. This wasn’t something that most homeowners, businesses or communities were going to rush out onto the streets to sign up to. But it was still far better than any high street bank was offering and so we embarked upon a project to look at some of the details: Did the 5-8% include elements for maintenance and repair? How did the council investing in the panels compare with taking up one of the ‘Free PV’ deals? What are the financial and technical risks involved? What bulk discount could be achieved if the council put PV on the roof of every school?

In consultation with LB Sutton, CEN Consulting developed a detailed financial model to look at these questions. Accounting for the replacement of inverters twice within the projected 25 year lifetime of the panel, assuming that the panel output would fall by 20% in that time, modelling installations at the top end of each Feed in Tariff bracket and assuming that around a 10% reduction in CAPEX could be achieved through a bulk buy discount, the return on investment was actually over 9%. With the appropriate cost of capital for Local Authorities standing at just 3.95% things were looking good. Perhaps we needed to get the loud speakers out.

The next thing to do was convince the finance director that it was worth spending a cool million putting PV panels on the boroughs uninsulated roofs. And therein lay the next problem. Ignoring issues raised by representatives of the council’s property department about leaks, re-roofing and the like, finance wanted to know why they should fund PV on school roofs at 9% ROI when they could fund roof insulation, lighting controls and other basic energy efficiency measures and gain a higher return. Good question. The carbon saving, they added, from a million pounds worth of PV would be relatively slight compared to these efficiency measures.

I was feeling less positive but Chris was irate again. “Why does it take the offer of a fixed 9% return to bring these measures out of the woodwork? Why haven’t we done these things already if they give such a good return? And why must we choose whether to insulate or install PV – why not both?”

We had reached the crux of the issue. It is about investment and risk. On the one hand, if an organisation has limited capital it must, of course, choose to invest in the project with the highest returns and the highest carbon savings. On the other hand, if an organisation can borrow a relatively uncapped amount to invest in specific projects then as long as each project returns a net income above the cost of that capital (and makes a carbon saving) why not? Put another way, how much does it cost to save each tonne of carbon? With any positive return, the answer is it doesn’t. The cost of carbon saving is negative because the project results in a net income.

So if this is the case, what is to stop Local Authorities from making money through PV and the Feed in Tariff? Well, I said it was about investment and risk. The risk part of that comes back to Property’s roof replacement schedule so I’m afraid the loud speaker is still in Chris’ bottom drawer. n • Having developed our FIT model for PV, CEN Consulting Ltd is ideally placed to assist in the FIT decision making process. Please send any questions or queries surround the Feed in Tariff to enquiries@cen.org.uk.

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electricity exported to the grid. These payments are in addition to the bill savings made by using electricity.

Once the microgeneration technology is installed there should be a monthly reduction in the electricity bill, followed by an income from the Feed-in Tariff provider. However, if a loan has been taken out to pay for the installation, monthly payments will be made to the loan company. The Feed-in Tariffs are designed so that the average monthly income from the installation will be significantly greater than the monthly loan repayment (with a 25 year loan).

A typical domestic solar electricity system, with an installation size of 2.2kW could earn around: • £770 per year from the Generation Tariff. This is a set rate paid by the energy supplier for each unit (or kWh) of electricity generated. This rate will change each year for new entrants to the scheme (except for the first two years), but once the consumer has joined, the tariff will be the same for 20 years, or 25 years in the case of solar electricity (PV).

• £30 per year from the Export Tariff. The consumer will receive a further 3p/kWh from the energy supplier for each unit exported back to the electricity grid, that is when it is not used on site. The export rate is the same for all technologies. Domestic Feed-in Tariff installations are likely to have their export deemed (estimated) at 50% in most cases until smart meters are rolled out.

• £120 per year reduction on energy bill savings will be made on the electricity bills, because generating electricity to power appliances means a reduction of electricity bought from the energy supplier.

This gives a total saving of around £920 per year – assuming 50% of the electricity generated is exported. The figure will vary depending on how much is exported.

Under the Comprehensive Spending Review the Warm Front grants are being phased out. The elderly and those on low incomes will no longer have access to upfront cash to install energy efficiency measures in their homes. In the meantime, the DECC will fund a smaller, targeted Warm Front programme for the next two years with a budget of £110 million in 2011/12 and £100 million in 2012/13. From 2013, support for heating and insulation for the most vulnerable will be delivered through the Green Deal for energy efficiency and a new obligation on energy companies. At the same time, from April 2011, energy suppliers will provide greater help with the financial costs of energy bills to more of the most vulnerable fuel poor households, through Social Price Support – with total support of £250 million in 2011/12 rising to £310 million in 2014/15.

Green Deal is based on a ‘pay as you save’ scheme, which allows home owners to ‘retrofit’ their homes with loft, wall, floor and window insulation up to a cost of £6,500 and make huge savings on their bills, at no upfront cost. Small amounts can be paid back per month based on the savings made on the bills.

The Grant Aided Heating Installers Network (GAIN), that acts for the heating industry serving the grants sector, very much welcomes the Government’s Green Deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% on 1990 levels by 2050. If that is to be achieved, between 400,000 and 1.8 million homes a year will have to be upgraded between now and then, at an annual cost of between £5 billion and £15 billion.

Energy prices are expected to rise significantly in the next 10 to 15 years, which will undoubtedly see more homeowners turning their attention towards installing renewable energy – especially as part of a package when installing a new heating system and one which also helps the environment. In this respect, it is interesting to note that, according to a recent poll on microgeneration users’ website YouGen, 84% of respondents said they would rather their home improvements were carried out by a small local specialist than a faceless conglomerate. Cathy Debenham, founder of YouGen, says “Homeowners want to feel the work on their home is being done by someone trustworthy, someone they can talk to if the work is not up to standard. There must be assurances that local specialists won’t be squeezed out, and that homeowners have a choice over who they go to”.

This is where members of the Grant Aided Heating Installers Network can be of enormous assistance. GAIN represents professional heating and

renewable installers and suppliers to the grants and wider market. It looks for good technical and professional standards from its members, with qualitative awards amongst its criteria for membership.

GAIN members have significantly extended their range of products and services to help meet the future challenges of the renewable sector. An early initiative developed by GAIN was to formally insist on full members having one of six international accreditations as a means of differentiating the association and putting a marker down in terms of delivering high quality services. This particular initiative and philosophy should place members with a strong foundation as they enter and develop the renewables marketplace – a marketplace which is already placing a huge emphasis on quality and services delivery.

Over recent times, membership has expanded and now boasts a well balanced make-up of installer companies, suppliers and manufacturers, and managing agents. Installers are also keen to move into other markets, including that of the SME marketplace, where little has been done thus far in terms of improving energy efficiency.

GAIN comprises heating installers who have attained high technical and professional standards. They need to be technically competent in order to undertake the government and other grant work they do. Under full membership criteria they also need to hold a quality award. Heating and renewable installations are highly skilled works and should be the responsibility of experts.

The association recommends that everyone should upgrade to a condensing boiler, coupled with efficient controls and thermostats, and aided by renewable products, such as solar panels, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, wind turbines and air and ground source heat pumps, all of which are offered by members.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems use energy from the sun to convert solar radiation into electricity which can be used directly to run appliances and lighting, sold back to the national grid or stored in batteries in off-grid locations. Solar hot water panels can be fitted onto or integrated into a building’s roof. They use the sun’s energy to heat water directly or a heattransfer fluid, which passes through the panel. Wind turbines harness energy from the wind to produce electricity.

The blades drive a generator either directly or via a gearbox (generally for larger machines) to produce heating (or both).

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Air source heat pumps can be used effectively for either space or water heating (or both). Air pumps take heat energy from the air outside and transfer it to the building. The heat is upgraded by using a pump and compressor which removes heat from one side of the circuit and ejects it to the other side. Ground source heating pumps use a buried ground loop, which transfers heat from the ground into a building to provide space heating. Energy catcher is a new system that extracts virtually all the heat from gas boiler fumes, whenever the boiler is operating, with a net result of 5% extra saving on gas and a reduction in bills.

In renewing central heating systems, householders should really be aiming to obtain a boiler to the SEDBUK A-rated standard. These are condensing boilers available in many types, such as combination boilers, standard wall mounted boilers and free standing boilers.

The latter should be run in conjunction with a fully pumped The association recommends that system. They should have foam everyone should upgrade to a lagged cylinders incorporated to condensing boiler ensure that the minimum of heat is lost from the cylinder. All radiators need thermostatic valves, except in the main living room. Here a room thermostat should monitor the required temperature, and thus control the boiler.

GAIN held its second successful national Conference in June 2010 majoring on the theme ‘Will Incentives Move the Renewables Market?’

Speakers were very positive about the future prospects for the industry, recognising that from the limited grant work already undertaken in the renewables field, it is clear that incentives are key to moving this market which is still in its infancy in the UK. Talks were particularly informative and well received by the 260 delegates present from RSLs, energy advisors and the energy efficiency industry. The main sponsor was Eaga Plc, with additional support from Scottish Power Energy Retail Ltd. The Keynote speaker was Baroness (Diana) Maddock, President of the Micropower Council, with her particular interest in energy efficiency since the 1990’s, when she took the Private Members Bill – The Home Energy Conservation Act – through its journey to become law.

Currently, through the Microgeneration Council, she wishes to see a mass market for the microgeneration sector.

“The consumer market – owner occupied housing – is around one to two hundred thousand installations per year, as opposed to the 1.5 million gas boilers installed annually in the UK” – she reported.

“Also, until now, it has been an aspirational rather than an economic purchase, funded by consumers with capital to spare and being regarded as a long-term investment”.

At the conference Awards for Excellence were presented for the second year on behalf of the Grant Aided Heating Installers Network.

Awards were given for the Best Environmentally Friendly Company 2010, the Best Green Technology Award, the Best Customer Focussed Company, Apprentice of the Year 2010, Employee of the Year Award and the Special Achievement Award.

The 2011 GAIN Conference, due to further develop the theme of renewables, will be held in May/June 2011, when it is anticipated that delegate numbers will increase still further. Information will be available on the GAIN website nearer the time, or e-mail GAIN for further information to be sent. n

Timber frame chosen for pioneering eco development

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The UK’s largest timber frame supplier, Stewart Milne Timber Systems, has built four Code Level 6 homes at a groundbreaking zero carbon development in Slough, Berkshire for SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy).

The development is one of the largest of its kind in the UK with a total of ten zero carbon properties including a mixture of two and three bedroom family houses, and one bedroom flats.

As part of SSE’s two year research project to assess the impact of energy provision for low-zero carbon housing, the timber homes were built using Stewart Milne Timber Systems’ Sigma II Build System.

Through its high levels of insulation, air tightness and thermal bridging the closed panel timber frame construction helps to achieve maximum energy efficiency through the fabric and verifies timber’s reputation as one of the most favoured materials in low-zero carbon building.

Wendy Pringle of SSE said: “With the UK looking for zero carbon buildings by 2016, we must understand what our customers will need as low carbon housing becomes more common. In order to build the Code Level 6 homes necessary for the project, we had to use the most sustainable materials available. Due to its low-carbon content, timber frame was one of the obvious choices.” n

• The Grant Aided Heating Installers Network which organises regular meetings for installers, scheme managers and suppliers of heating and renewable products, serves the grants and other markets. GAIN is based at P O Box 12, Haslemere, Surrey GU27 3AH; tel: 01428 654011; fax: 01428 651401; e-mail: info@gainassociation.org.uk; web: www. gainassociation.org.uk.

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eFIG and the Interior Landscaping industry

10 years and counting…

by COLL SMITH, marketing coordinator, eFIG Ltd

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In February 2011 eFIG Ltd celebrates its 10th birthday. eFIG (European Federation of Interior Landscape Groups) is the association for the interior landscaping industry with a membership ranging from large international and national companies to smaller SME businesses. The association was formed to represent everyone within the interior landscaping industry. In fact, it was formed to give a voice to the industry and represent all members so that their work is appreciated and values acknowledged, especially in times of economic restraint or cutbacks.

The initiative to form the organisation was taken as a result of the hoo-ha surrounding Portcullis House, the then new home for Westminster’s MPs, and the installation of 12 large Ficus (fig) trees.

The media’s negativity focused on the cost of these trees without giving consideration to the benefits they gave. eFIG was formed to meet the need for one voice to retaliate or be spokesperson for the whole interior landscaping industry.

The Ficus trees are still at Portcullis House and, given that they have attributed to clean air or oxygen at the building and

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helped reduce sickness whist motivating staff and keeping them less stressed, then they have more than paid for themselves.

Ten years on and the coalition Government are still not seeing the benefit of plants! During The Ficus trees at Portcullis House their campaign and since they have condemned the Labour party for spending money on plants. There seems little awareness of the benefits that plants can afford us all in any environment but especially in the workplace. eFIG continues to promote the industry and the professionalism of its members. To this end, they have an accreditation training programme in place available to all members as well as annual prestigious awards – more of which later – plus a marketing programme to ensure that everyone is kept informed.

Last year members of the committee were in talks with BREEAM and the UK Green Building Council to promote interior planting as part of the environmental standard for building sustainability.

We are pleased to say that due to their hard work the UK Green Building Council has recommended that this be considered by BREEAM this year. This would bring the UK more in line with Australia and the USA. Australia operate a ‘Green Star’ rating for sustainability in which interior planting is recognised. In the USA the LEED accreditation does a similar job to the BREEAM standards and in 2010 they began to see interior planting recognised. Watch this space, as they say, regarding the UK’s standards.

members are recognised for their skills in design, installation and maintenance. There are also awards for technicians who ‘go that extra mile’ and a Lifetime Achievement Award for services to the industry.

If you are looking for an interior landscaper for a project or just general advice, see the membership directory at www.efig.eu.com for an accredited professional. n

The influence of the interior landscaping industry Since the inauguration of eFIG the industry has grown. There are now an estimated 350 – 400 interior landscape businesses with an annual turnover of around £100 million. As more and more businesses have realised the value of including plants within their premises the message from the association is that plants can fulfil a multitude of functions within any environment including aesthetics, design – the reflection of the company ethos – and signing. They present a ‘green’ face – helping the company be seen to be green.

There are many other benefits of plants in the interior – from air cleaning to humidifying, from aiding concentration to performance, from noise reduction to reducing stress and improving health and wellbeing. Earlier this year research from Australia confirmed that just one plant could reduce stress and anxiety by as much as 60%.

An all-round show and accolades During April 2011, eFIG will co-host The Landscape Show at Olympia (www.landscapeshow.co.uk) where ‘indoors meets outdoors’ and the many faces of interior landscaping can be seen.

For instance, two particularly pro-active members of eFIG will have ‘show gardens’ there. Indoor Garden Design, who last year won Silver Gilt at Chelsea for their Living Office, will show their ‘Indoor Garden’ and Urban Planters will feature an ‘Indoors meets Outdoors’ environment.

On the first evening of the show, members will have their annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner where the best of the industry will be rewarded for their work with a prestigious eFIG Leaf Award. This will be the seventh Award Ceremony when

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Wood Recyclers’ Association nears its 10th birthday

by Clem Spencer, Chairman, WRA

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The wood recycling industry is still pretty much an infant. 20 years ago it did not exist in the form that we now know it – and it’s growing up fast!

To remind readers, wood recyclers take post-industrial and post-consumer wood from a variety of sources and process it into wood chip for four main uses: panel-board production, animal bedding, land applications - compost, mulches, soil conditioners and pathways – and fuel for biomass plants. Our oldest and still largest market is panel-board, but the trend is moving away from there and towards biomass. Of the 2m-odd tonnes supplied to market in 2009, just over half went to the board mills, and almost a quarter went to biomass, with the remaining quarter finding its way into the (mainly) higher value products: animal bedding and land applications.

A year ago I would have said that we were very much a supplydriven industry. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) 2009 study had more or less halved many people’s perception of how much waste wood was out there waiting to be recycled, from 10 million tonnes per annum to about 4.6 million tonnes. Unquestionably, much of the drop – somewhere between 5 and 20% of it, in the view of the experts – was down to the recession. And WRA members were, in some regions at least, finding wood hard to come by. This was having a doublewhammy effect, driving down gate fees while restricting activity in some of our markets. The panel-board industry, for one, was feeling the pinch and this was reflected in their orders.

Now the situation is different again. Supplies of feed-stock are generally better. There seem to be some stirrings in our feeder industries, the principal ones being the construction, demolition and commercial sectors where the dire situation of a year ago has eased somewhat. On top of this, our big new market – biomass – has not really kicked in yet. We estimate that the demand surge

will come in 18 months to 2 years. Meanwhile, a number of recyclers are exporting biomass-grade wood until the UK market takes off. This is causing its own highly competitive landscape and keeping prices subdued when otherwise they might be rising.

I spoke earlier of the new government, although perhaps we should stop calling it ‘new’ since it has now been in power for almost 8 months. Whatever our political persuasion, we have to accept that the Coalition is hobbled by a national debt of crisis proportions, and the signs are that it is not – so far at least – flinching from the unpleasant task of getting our public finances back into kilter. This affects us all. For the wood recycling industry, it means that we have to work very hard indeed to justify government support, because the goose which previously laid golden eggs is feeling slightly constipated right now.

However, it is good to report that our two major projects – development of a standard and quality protocol (QP) for our industry – are now back on after a period of uncertainty. The QP will define the point at which a material ceases to be a waste. It can ease the regulatory burden of recyclers, make exports easier and generally take our industry to a new level of credibility. The timescale for this exercise is tight and the QP will initially be limited in scope, concentrating in the main on untreated wood, although it will potentially include all end uses except WIDcompliant biomass. We also have the prospect of further work, sponsored by the EA, to investigate a potential expansion of the QP to include at least some wood treatments. This would be a major bonus, since a lack of clarity on this issue has bedevilled our industry since day one.

Meanwhile, WRAP have authorised the British Standards Institution (BSI) to re-start their work to develop a standard for recycled wood, in the form of Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 111. Again the timescale is tight, but PAS111 will be an essential

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foundation stone for our industry.

One constant in all this has been the relentless success story of the WRA. We were formed less than 10 years ago, in 2001. A year ago we had just signed up our 60th member. We are now up to 71 with a number of others showing interest. According to our latest annual statistic, WRA members now account for over 80% of all the postconsumer wood processed in the UK. Our increasingly broad church now includes machinery manufacturers, panel-board producers, energy companies, one regional authority, consultants and research companies. All of these add variety and a breadth of expertise to our association and our industry. Importantly, the increasing size of the WRA is indicative of a vibrant, rapidly expanding and increasingly important recycling sector.

It is, on the surface, surprising that at a time when recyclers are feeling the pinch – as indeed a number are – so many should feel that our £850 annual subscription offers such value for money. So why do they?

Part of the answer is that our members know how important it is to keep abreast of what is going on, a happy situation which WRA members enjoy through our quarterly meetings and regular mail

updates in between. But, more than this, the WRA champions the cause of its members by keeping the lines of communication to government well and truly open. This year, for example, we have negotiated improved terms for those who operate under exemptions from environmental permitting. This has saved the livelihoods of a number of companies which, being unable for a number of reasons to obtain an environmental permit, would otherwise have been unable to continue operating beyond April 2012.

So, whatever the next year brings, the WRA looks set to keep on growing and to maintain its high levels of customer service to its members. n

‘Cradle to grave’ approach to cable drum recycling

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For many of us the timber cable drum is an anonymous item.

Looking like giant cotton reels, their presence on construction sites or at the roadside is common. How many of us however, consider what happens to them once the cable or ducting has been removed and installed?

Firstly, some facts. In most instances cable drums are manufactured in timber. On average, one mature tree can produce four cable drums.

In the UK alone some 150,000 timber cable drums are used annually.

In most instances these cable drums can be re-used, yet each year in the region of 60,000 drums are newly manufactured. This figure would be significantly higher, but for the cable drum management initiatives developed by Marlin Industries.

As a company, Marlin Industries’ main focus is one of encouraging the re-use of existing packaging used within the cable and duct industries. Formed twenty years ago, Marlin Industries has grown to be the UK’s premier organisation for the management of cable drums – from initial manufacture through to end of life recycling. Although a Wales based company, with sites in Wrexham and Newport, Marlin operates across the UK and into Europe with a unique blend of drum collection, refurbishment and recycling processes, handling in excess of 70,000 units annually.

Marlin Industries director, John Droog, explains “Re-using existing packaging makes both commercial and environmental sense. In 2010

alone we estimate that effective packaging re-use and recycling has prevented some 15,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.”

Marlin has developed an effective logistics function, operating across mainland UK and Ireland. This enables the efficient pick up of drums and return to one of the Marlin sites for assessment and subsequent refurbishment or recycling, depending on condition. John Droog adds “We have built considerable expertise and capability to support cable manufacturers operating across international borders.

Our cable drum management systems are unrivalled. In addition to our drum management and refurbishment operations we also possess an in house timber recycling facility. This in its own right is a significant element of our business. Producing a range of products – decorative ground cover, animal bedding and boiler fuel – means we have a full cradle to grave approach to packaging used in the cable industry.”

Main contractors and local authorities have a significant part to play in maximising the numbers of drums re-used or recycled. As part of a best practice regime, the requirement to report empty cable drums for collection should be passed through to sub-contractors engaged in construction and infrastructure projects. All Marlin require is a telephone call, fax or e-mail to initiate the process. In most instances the collection is free, plus the consequent reduction in new packaging provides significant environmental benefits. n

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Alliance stands for quality in

wood windows e

The Wood Window Alliance (WWA) is a group of 40 of the leading names in the UK wood window industry, working together to raise standards and promote quality wood windows.

Members of the alliance aim to provide a consistently high quality of product and service in delivering, installing and maintaining wood windows across the UK. They also have to meet strict performance, quality and sustainability criteria to ensure the best possible value for customers. Once these standards have been met, members are able to display the distinctive Wood Window Alliance brandmark, which is a reassurance of independently audited quality and performance.

What’s more, windows from the Wood Window Alliance are not just the most environmentally-friendly choice, they are also the longestlasting – with a minimum estimated service life of 60 years.

The WWA’s campaign aims are to promote the sustainability and beauty of 21st century wood windows, whilst dispelling myths about durability and maintenance.

Wooden windows - dispelling the myths

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Wooden windows have attracted some bad press in the past.

But a revolution in technology and sustainability means that long held misconceptions are now obsolete. says the Wood Window Alliance (WWA).

To set the record straight, the WWA has put together some simple myth busters, which provide the facts about modern wood windows.

Myth 1 You have to cut down trees to make wood windows and this has a big impact on climate change from deforestation.

Fact All WWA windows are made from sustainably sourced timber (FSC, PEFC, SFI or CSA) and carry a full chain of custody certification. This means that the wood used is traceable from sustainable forests where more trees are replanted as they are harvested.

Myth 2 Wood windows did not score as highly as expected in the BRE Green Guide.

Fact Domestic wood windows made to the standard required for membership of the WWA rate ‘A+’ in BRE’s Green Guide compared with ‘A’ for their nearest competitor material. These wood windows also have the highest score of all windows in the Green Guide by some distance on the crucial ‘Climate Change’ or ‘Global Warming Potential’ rating (the highest weighted factor).

Myth 3 Wood windows aren’t thermally efficient, so it is hard to achieve the goal of reducing energy usage.

Fact Wood has very low thermal conductivity, which means it is a good insulator. But the energy efficiency of a window actually has little to do with the frame material and is mostly affected by the specification of the glazing unit, so well-designed windows have similar thermal efficiencies across the board.

Myth 4 More PVC windows are recycled than wood windows.

Fact The window industry in general is making efforts to improve recycling. Although there are no specific figures for the number of recycled windows, the audited volume of recycled waste wood in 2007 was 2 million tonnes and the quantities for PVC recycling were 42,122 tonnes in 2007 and 42,730 tonnes in 2008 (source: Vinyl 2010 progress report 2009).

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To this end, the alliance engages with key stakeholders to ensure wooden windows are fairly represented in policy and research.

Furthermore, they are committed to driving standards higher still, to make wood once again the number one choice for windows.

More and more people understand that windows make a big difference to the look and value of a house, as well as to its energyefficiency.

Today’s high performance wood windows don’t just look good, they offer unbeatable energy-efficiency and service life. With proper maintenance they’ll last a lifetime. And, of course, they are the most sustainable solution.

The Wood Window Alliance makes it easier to choose them with confidence, with over 40 members offering a range of high quality products that meet independently audited performance and sustainability standards and fulfil the requirements in the latest Building Regulations and the Code for Sustainable Homes. n

Queens Cross Housing Association benefits from energy efficient Scandinavian windows from Janex

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Janex, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of high quality low u-value Scandinavian building products, has just completed a major project for Queens Cross Housing Association, Glasgow with contractors Morrison Spottiswood.

The new build development at Murano Street is almost finished, and Janex continues to supply this social housing group at Garscube south, east and west. The Murano Street development is the association’s largest ever development providing 140 new build two and three bedroomed flats in a 4-storey block on the site of the former McGhee’s Bakery. Tenants selected Janex products as the company has a long successful history of supplying high quality, low maintenance, energy efficient products for the social housing market. Grant funding has enabled the development to provide mixed tenure – 98 of these homes are for rent and the remainder for shared equity. All properties are designed to a high energy-efficient standard with the provision of off-street parking for all flats. The remaining flats will be built in a single 6-storey crescent-shaped block overlooking the Forth & Clyde Canal.

The Janex timber canopy windows for this project are long life, low maintenance products with energy efficient u values. The windows were finished painted grey on the outside and insides. The flat entrance doors supplied are covered by the police security

initiative ‘Secured by Design’ for their security features and are FD30 fire doors. Janex has a long history of supplying leading housing associations across the UK with Scandinavian window and door products for new build projects and for refurbishments.

As one of Scandinavia’s finest producers of high performance timber windows and composite doors for the UK market, Janex was the first Scandinavian importer to achieve both Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification and PEFC (the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) on products for UK customers. Janex products are also certified by testing body TRADA in its Q Mark scheme for high performance and security.

Janex has always been at the forefront of product development in Scandinavia and its standard products achieve extremely low u-values for thermal efficiency. No surprise from a firm whose products are manufactured

in Norway, a country used to very cold winters and very hot summers. Janex can achieve a uvalue of 0.70 W/m2K for opening sashes and fixed windows calculated in accordance with BS EN 10077-1. This level is better than the current passivhaus level which is 0.8W/m2K. “Our new highly insulated window construction is becoming more and more popular to achieve the best codes in the Code for Sustainable Homes. Windows are manufactured in Norway from high quality Scandinavian timber sourced from sustainable forests.“ says Brian Davie, director of sales Scotland, Janex.

Founded in 1992, by Norwegian Jan Skaara, the firm is headquartered in Egersund, Norway with offices in the UK in London and Falkirk. Their product range includes timber windows, alu-clad timber windows, composite external doors, patio, french and balcony glazed doors. n • www.janex.co.uk

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Ecobuild 2011 -the world’s biggest sustainable design and construction event

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Ecobuild is the world’s biggest event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment and the UK’s largest construction event of any kind.

The Ecobuild Exhibition 2011 features all the latest developments, new product launches and the people who matter. It will be held on Tuesday 01 – Thursday 03 March 2011 at ExCeL, London.

This year’s exhibition will include over 1,300 exhibitors at the biggest Ecobuild yet. It will feature a free conference – expanded to three themes – 100s of new product launches, dozens of attractions and live demonstrations, over 130 free seminars, the BREEAM awards and NaturalZED – Bill Dunster’s latest eco house – to name just a few of the feast of attractions on offer!

In addition, UK architectural students are being invited to take part in an international competition to design an energy efficient New York skyscraper according to the Isover Multi-Comfort House definition and with Passive House components. The UK finals of the competition will be judged at Ecobuild 2011 after which the top three entries go on to compete in the final in Prague next May. A further attraction is the the Innovation Future Zone competition, brought to Ecobuild for a second year by the Technology Strategy Board, Modern Built Environment KTN and EPSRC. The Zone will showcase shortlisted entries of new or near-to-market technologies relevant to the priority areas of energy efficiency, refurbishment, climate change adaptation and process efficiency. The winning entry will be announced on the final day of Ecobuild. n

Jakob Green Wall Systems bring buildings alive

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As the sole UK agent for Jakob’s stainless steel ropes, rods and wire mesh products, MMA Architectural Systems supplies green wall systems for a wide range of applications.

The Jakob system provides an environmentally friendly, sustainable solution for landscape and construction professionals. Each component is manufactured from High Grade 316 stainless steel, which is suitable for even the harshest environments, including coastal applications, providing complete quality assurance for the whole life of a building.

Green wall structures help regulate a building’s temperature.

Providing insulation during the winter and a sun screen in the summer, they not only help to reduce energy consumption and cost, but also improve the carbon footprint. In addition, the system affords significant protection to the structure, acting as a shield against UV and the damaging, long-term effects of wind and rain, as well as a deterrent to graffiti and, depending on the plants specified, an effective aid to building security.

The Jakob system is light weight and fast to install. All planting is undertaken on site and maintenance is simple and straightforward – carried out at the planter level.

From initial design through to installation and maintenance, MMA offers a complete solution, working with carefully selected partners to deliver projects of the highest quality – including planting and irrigation. n • For more information, call 0845 1300 135 or visit www.jakob.co.uk.

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Dust Monitoring in Urban Redevelopment e

As people become more health conscious they become more concerned about the effects that pollution may have on their lives. For those living in cities, air pollution may be their biggest concern, where traffic and industry are identifiable pollution sources.

The redevelopment of urban brownfield sites and other inner city construction or demolition projects has brought another potential pollution source to the public eye. Although gaseous emissions (e.g. NOx) associated with construction and demolition sites may be relatively low, urban redevelopment schemes can have significant impacts on local air quality due to dust emissions.

‘Dust’ is a generic term used to describe particulate matter 1 – 75 µm (micron) in diameter and is generally produced through the

crushing and abrasion of materials. It is often considered in two categories.

The size fraction essentially up to 10 µm (PM10) is used as an indicator of local air quality and forms part of National Air Quality Standards (NAQS). PM10 dust is inhalable, and medical studies have linked elevated PM10 concentrations with premature deaths.

Although not directly associated with public health, dust above 10 µm may be considered ‘visible’ or ‘nuisance’ dust. There are no formal standards for nuisance dust. The visual impact of dust soiling on surfaces or even as dust clouds can lead to complaints on the grounds of public nuisance and may ultimately lead to court cases.

Therefore it is often in the best interests of construction and demolition firms to monitor dust emissions from their sites. Indeed, many site conditions set out by regulatory bodies such as local councils now require monitoring as part of consent to work. For example, the Greater London Authority Best Practice Guidance (London BPG) can be used to help determine which control measures and monitoring may be required. As a rule, PM10 dust is likely to be monitored only where the site is located in an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) or where there is a high risk of NAQS exceedence. It is much more likely therefore that site conditions relating to nuisance dust monitoring will be imposed.

Nuisance dust can be monitored either in flux (whilst airborne) or in deposition (where it settles out of the air). Different methods can be used to monitor dust flux and dust deposition and the most ideal will vary depending on the site and setting. ‘Traditional’ equipment for monitoring dust such as using Frisbee-type gauges can be very vulnerable to vandalism and difficult to locate in an urban setting.

There can also be high sample transport costs incurred by using such equipment, as the dust samples are collected in bottles that also collect rain water. Glass slide monitoring is another approach to nuisance dust sampling and although inexpensive to deploy, glass slides require careful handling. Sticky pads, such as the DustScan DustDisc dust settlement sampler (pictured) are inexpensive, easily deployed, and the simple jewel-case design makes them easy to handle and much more readily transported than almost any other dust sample collectors. DustScan sticky pads have a speciallyformulated adhesive and sample tampering is usually evident (unlike with some other methods).

Although some might see dust from redevelopment schemes as an unfortunate but unavoidable consequence, dust monitoring of construction and demolition sites need not be a ‘tick box’ exercise. By following best practice guidance or by seeking advice from specialist dust monitoring consultancies, civil engineering contractors can find that dust monitoring using methods such as the DustDisc need not be an inconvenience, or entail excessive cost, while still ticking the boxes of their site regulators. n

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Floodwall™ gains the new BSI Kitemark PAS 1188-1

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FloodWall’s unique removable flood defence doors and airbrick covers have been awarded the prestigious new BSI PAS1188-1 Kitemark for removable flood protection devices, following extensive independent testing at HR Wallingford, the world renowned testing centre.

PAS1188-1 sets a new industry standard in flood protection where products are subjected to a series of rigorous tests in a range of simulated conditions.

One such test involves a replica living room fitted with FloodWall doors and airbrick covers installed in a massive water tank, about half the size of a football pitch holding 196,000 gallons of water.

“The BSI Kitemark awarded to Floodwall gives householders and businesses confidence in our products and their effectiveness. We have already successfully helped protect many buildings – from listed properties to commercial outlets – in areas prone to flooding”, said Patrick Curran, sales manager, “and also provided much needed peace of mind to those in high risk areas that have experienced the devastation of flood damage.”

Official Government figures state that one in six homes in England and Wales are at risk of flooding and this number is likely to increase due to

the effects of climate change.

A standard range of DIY FloodWall doors are available via mail order throughout the UK. Bespoke doors are also available following a property survey: www.floodwall.uk.com. n • For more information please contact: Patrick Curran, Office: 0800 917 9115, Mobile: 07831 368835, Email: patrick@floodwall.uk.com.

Roseville Group T/A FloodWall, Guildprime Business Centre, Southend Road, Billericay, Essex CM11 2PZ.

UK’s premier brownfield event e returns to NEC Brownfield Expo (BEX), the premier national event for remediation and contaminated land solutions, returns to the NEC Birmingham, from 24th-26th May 2011.

It showcases the very latest technologies supporting the aim of returning previously derelict land back to productive use.

The three-day seminar programme, which runs alongside the exhibition, allows experts within the sector to impart the latest knowledge and best practice to delegates.

The government’s commitment to bring more land into sustainable use – particularly as the number of available green spaces for development is increasingly limited – has fuelled interest in the exhibition. Event director, Donna Bushell says: “BEX is an unparalleled opportunity for individuals within the brownfield regeneration sector to share innovations and to network which is why it attracts such a large number of high calibre exhibitors and visitors – including local authority land officers.”

BEX is part of Sustainabilitylive! and will once again run

alongside the National Energy Management Exhibition (NEMEX), International Water and Effluent Exhibition (IWEX), Environmental Technology (ET), and Sustainable Business – The Event (SB).

For up to date exhibitor news, features, programmes and information on how to exhibit or register for free attendance visit: www.sustainabilitylive.com/clairebex or call 020 8651 7069. n

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