Latest news - Construction
BREEAM reduces UK emissions by 4.5 million tonnes
BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) – the most widely used environmental assessment scheme for building – has seen a record year for assessments, despite the economic downturn.
Construction to start on ‘natural’ house
Construction on a low-energy home built from ‘natural’ materials will start on next week at the BRE Innovation Park in Watford.
DOE to award $80 billion in efficiency contracts
The US government – the country’s largest single user of energy – is to have $80 billion at its disposal for energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation projects at its buildings and facilities.
Efficiency key to tackling recession, says UK opposition
UK opposition party, the Liberal Democrats, has launched a package of energy efficiency and clean tech measures to pull the UK out of recession.
Additional Articles
UK Government unveils plans to meet 2016 zero-carbon homes target
The UK Government has outlined details of how its target of making all new homes zero carbon by 2016 could be possible.
California adopts comprehensive climate change action plan
California has formally committed itself to a package of measures that will reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 – a 15% reduction on current levels.
Energy savings from buildings not being realised, says UN report
A report from the United Nations Environment Programme says that cost-effective energy savings in the building and construction sector are not being tapped into.
Efficiency focus for US recovery plan
A multi-billion dollar infrastructure investment in the US, which includes a raft of energy efficiency measures, has been outlined by President-elect Barack Obama in bid to push the US out of recession.
Green roofs reduce energy consumption
Green roofs – where traditional roofs are replaced with plants and a watering system – optimise the energy consumption of buildings and have other advantages, say Spanish researchers.
Clean tech gets €6 billion boost from European recovery plan
A European Commission recovery plan for the region is calling for a large-scale, long-term investment in clean tech as part of a far-reaching €200 billion package to boost the region’s economy and create jobs.