During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increased focus on renewable technologies and the part they will play in the country’s road to economic recovery as the UK ‘builds back greener’.

The Government’s Green Homes Grant, introduced on 30th September 2020, was meant to encourage homeowners to make their properties more energy efficient. Instead, the scheme has been beset by criticism from consumers and installers alike. Here, Ian Rippin, CEO at MCS – the national standards organisation for renewables – discusses what he views as flaws in the scheme, and what can be done to ensure low-carbon technologies become a staple solution for new-build properties of the future.

Here Paul Hutchens, Director of solar specialist Eco2Solar, explores the most cost-effective ways for house-builders to innovate and drive long-term sustainability from their developments.

As the fight against climate change gains momentum, new technologies are challenging the status quo in construction. However, the regular emergence of new disruptors such as energy storage means it can be difficult to keep a good overview of the solutions available. Here Ivo Arnús, Business Development Director at Norvento UK, looks at how specifiers can use this leap forward in the energy sector to their advantage – and design truly future-proof, self-sufficient, intelligent buildings in the process.