Posted 06.04.16
Andrew Eagles has announced his decision to vacate the position of Managing Director at Sustainable Homes, having accepted a new role as Chief Executive Officer of the Brick Development Association from June 2016.
In an 'open letter' he also reflects on the coming year for Sustainable Homes and writes:
"We were delighted to be recognised as the 'Most Innovative Consultant' at the recent 2016 Housing Innovation awards in recognition of the development of SHIFT - the sustainability standard for the housing sector and our leading research.
"The year ahead is exciting. Among other projects we are analysing if energy efficiency works to homes improves income for landlords through lower rent arrears and voids. This research, the largest of its kind in the UK, is using data from 25 landlords covering 500,000 homes. The findings will help inform the sector on the financial return from insulation and other measures. We are the sustainability partners for the June CIH conference in Manchester, where this vital research will be launched.
"Skills in retrofit is raised as a concern by both the Hansford review of Solid Wall Insulation and the Bonfield review of quality in the built environment. With The Retrofit Academy, Sustainable Homes is announcing the retrofit coordinator course, the first fully accredited retrofit training course. Usefully the course, starting in June 2016, covers ventilation, moisture, energy efficiency and other key issues the sector needs to understand to ensure retrofits leave quality, healthy homes. We are excited to working on this.
"We are now managing two Innovate UK projects. One is examining how Big Data can be harnessed to improve decision making and reduce costs for organisations working in housing and construction.
"The second exciting project, piloted over the last 18 months, has developed an advanced remote monitoring service. This will help landlords and the supply chain confirm retrofit or renewables are delivering the benefits residents and landlords expect. Launching in June 2016, it is years ahead of smart metering.
"Our events and training continue to sell out. And of course we still have 2.3 million people housed in properties managed or owned by SHIFT accredited landlords. Our recent independent survey found that 100% of clients recommend accreditation. It is for this reason that we are one of two finalists in the prestigious Ashden awards.
"Although Government has not been as favourable toward the environment as it could be there are reasons to think the future is brighter. The up coming carbon budget will need to follow on from the success at the Paris summit and the Government recently committed to enshrining the net zero target into British law."
