Carbon Co-op

Eco-Renovation for Builders Online - June 2021
2021-06-15 17:00 - 2021-06-25 18:00 (Europe/London)
Get ahead of the curve and be a part of the green recovery with this unique training course for Greater Manchester builders.

Over the last year, despite the pandemic, there has been huge demand from householders wanting to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes. People Powered Retrofit has had over 180 enquiries, over 60 clients in Greater Manchester planning their home energy improvements and looking for contractors. Jobs our clients are looking for range between £5,000 to upwards of £100,000, with the average around £45,000.

So, we know demand is there, but we don’t have enough builders to do the work!

This course gives you a starting point for getting into retrofit, the future of the building industry.

Large companies have to date taken the lion’s share of energy efficiency work in large social housing projects, but the majority of the UK’s homes are owned privately and will need extensive eco-renovation works done as a part of general improvements and extensions in the coming years. Those homes need your expertise!

“The strength of this course is [course tutor] Nick’s depth of experience. You learn from the problems he has solved.” Tim, Joiner.

Run by experienced retrofit contractor Nick Parsons, across four online sessions (and a COVID-safe practical session), this course will help you…

build on your existing knowledge and skill.

meet other small businesses and sole traders in Manchester.

keep up to date with the latest green building techniques and products.

find new opportunities in retrofit.

Who for
This course is for joiners, general builders, site managers at small firms who work on any building projects of which Part L applies.

A 25% discount for contractors who work in the Greater Manchester area and 50% discount for group bookings, suitable for small firms looking to upskill their workforce.

This course is also useful for:

For people overseeing building works on site: a first step into specialist eco-renovation/retrofit techniques and considerations to meet new customer requirements from an experienced tutor with on site contracting experience

For business managers: what you need to know if you’re considering entry into this specialist area, with fast growing demand and a limited supply chain. Find out what skills you’ll need in your business with this simple to access, online course.

For building designers and architects: find out more about building fabric works and construction approaches that will be needed on many homes before thinking about building technology.

For retrofit consultants: this course gives Retrofit Co-ordinators and Advisors an understanding of how theory translates into the practical reality of a building site.

For enthusiastic DIY-ers: Learn about eco building considerations and techniques, find out what you’re capable of, and become an informed client to any contractors you might need to help you.

For community intermediaries: build a supply chain for retrofit in your area; if you have existing supply chain links this course will help them get ready for work; a simple, replicable course to get people interested; useful for enthusiastic DIYers in your networks/membership

Dates and Times
This is a four part course and all parts must be taken together. The practical session is an additional session with limited space. Places are given on a first come first serve basis.
Online sessions:

Tuesday 15th June, 5 – 7pm

Thursday 17th June, 5 – 7pm

Tuesday 22nd June, 5 – 7pm

Thursday 24th June, 5 – 7pm

Practical session:

Friday 25th March 4 – 6pm

This will be a covid safe practical session in Islington Mill, Salford. Numbers are limited and those working as contractors in Greater Manchester will be prioritised for places. Please select the ‘Register your interest in practical session’ ticket when booking alongside a standard or discounted ticket. A video recording of the session will be available for those that cannot attend.
Attendees must complete all online sessions including end of session quizzes to receive a certificate of attendance.
Cost

Standard ticket – £129*

Greater Manchester Business discount 25% – £97

Group discount – Book 1 full price + 50% for every additional booking. Additional bookings must be from the same company.

*The previous runs of this course were highly subsidised. The current price more accurately reflects the costs of running the course.

Course Content
Session 1 – Understanding retrofit, the drivers and approaches

Drivers for retrofit
Base-line surveys and assessment
Key Metrics and Measurements
Taking a Whole House Approach
Incremental retrofit

By the end of this session, participants will be able to…

Identify the key drivers for retrofit clients and projects,
Identify ‘suitable’ retrofit candidates,
Recognise the need for a base-line energy assessment and a whole-house plan,
Understand the challenges of ‘incremental’ retrofit,
Identify key principles of the ‘whole house’ approach in fabric improvements: thermal bridging, thermal bypass, airtightness and moisture management,
Understand the importance of a ventilation strategy in a retrofitted home,
Awareness of impact of fabric improvements on sizing of heating systems.

————-
Session 2 – Taking airtightness seriously

Heat-loss through air-leakage
Air-tightness in retrofit
Ventilation, where and why it is necessary

By the end of this session, participants will be able to…

Recognise common air-leakage points in buildings,
Understand how to measure airtightness,
Understand which products are available to achieve high levels of airtightness,
Understand how to minimise air-leakage around common areas,
Understand where ventilation is necessary and how to balance heat loss with ventilation needs.

————-
Session 3 – Insulation – walls and roofs

Fabric heat-loss
R, K and U values
Explore insulation options for walls, roofs

By the end of this session, participants will be able to…

Establish the usefulness of U values as a tool for assessing building performance,
Recognise ‘Lambda’, Resistance (R) and U values,
Recognise ‘vapour-permeable’ and ‘vapour-control’ methods of insulation,
State Building Regulations target U values for retrofit and extensions,
Recognise the insulation options available for (particularly solid) walls
State the relative advantages and disadvantages of various insulation methods and materials,
Recognise and overcome practical and detailing problems in insulating rooms in the roof,

————-

Session 4 – Insulation – floors, windows and doors; thermal bridging and thermal by-pass

Insulating ground floors

Selecting and installing doors and windows

Identifying and understanding thermal bridging and by-pass

By the end of this session, participants will…

State the relative advantages and disadvantages of various floor insulation methods and materials

Understand statutory requirements re windows and doors

Understand how to minimise peripheral heat-loss when installing windows and doors

Understand what is meant by thermal bridging and thermal bypass

————-
Session 5 – Practical ‘onsite’ session

Demonstration of managing airtightness in loft eaves
Demonstration of dealing with tricky junctions in Internal Wall Insulation and External Wall Insulation
Handle and apply specialist materials including: airtightness products, wood fibre insulation, EPS insulation, lime rendering, lime plastering.

By the end of this session, participants will…

Gain practical experience of using specialist materials to install airtightness and insulation measures on walls, roofs and floor/ceiling junctions.

Course Tutor
Nick Parsons
“Nick is a fountain of retrofit knowledge.” – course participant 2019
Nick has a wealth of experience in energy-efficient sustainable building and renewable energy having worked in the industry for 25 years. Nick is the lead tutor on the Eco-Refurbishment course at the Centre for Alternative Technology. For 10 years from 2000 – 2010 he ran a community-sector project in Sheffield promoting and demonstrating all aspects of sustainable building, based in an eco-refurbished terraced house, before going freelance in December 2010.

This course is run by People Powered Retrofit, a Greater Manchester-based home retrofit service.

Heat Pumps with Florence Collier
2021-06-23 17:30 - 18:45 (Europe/London)
We are pleased to be joined by Florence Collier from Humbletee for an ‘Ask the Expert’ retrofit construction webinar.

Florence is a mechanical services engineer by training, and a certified Passivhaus designer. She has advised architects and clients on how to reduce energy demand in buildings and at a larger scale masterplan level, how to use energy efficiently in the buildings themselves (all sectors) and renewable technologies, as well as broader aspects of sustainability, such as wellbeing, social value, acoustics, water conservation and green infrastructure, for example – whether through recognized protocols such as LEED, BREEAM and WELL, or using a holistic design approach.

Florence regularly runs webinars on heat pumps for Carbon Co-op and works as an energy consultant.

Florence will give a 10 – 15 minute introduction to her experience in the sector leaving us with 45 minutes for a Q&A and discussion. Please be aware that Florence cannot give advice on specific aspects of your building project (this isn’t a free consultation) but she can help you understand key principles and widen your understanding of heat pumps.

This event is for main contractors, general builders, joiners, designers, architects and consultants keen to deepen their knowledge around retrofit.
This is the fourth in a series of retrofit construction webinars with top industry experts on topics ranging from airtightness to heat pumps, sustainable building materials to insulation. It will be a chance for you to get your questions answered and meet other construction professionals.
Other events in the Ask the Expert Retrofit Construction series:

Wednesday 31st March 2021 – Airtightness with Paul Jennings
Wednesday 28th April 2021 – Solid Wall Insulation with Nick Parsons
Wednesday 26th May 2021 – Sustainable Building Products with Neil Turner, Ecological Building Systems
Wednesday 23rd June 2021 – Heat Pumps with Florence Collier

See recordings of previous sessions and others here.

About us
This event is a part of People Powered Retrofit supply chain development work. We support businesses to connect with people keen to retrofit their homes. To find out more visit www.retrofit.coop.
If you are a contractor, consultant, or a building professional register your interest in People Powered Retrofit here.

Eco-Renovation for Builders Online - September 2021
2021-09-13 17:00 - 2021-09-25 12:00 (Europe/London)
Get ahead of the curve and be a part of the green recovery with this unique training course for Greater Manchester builders.

Over the last year, despite the pandemic, there has been huge demand from householders wanting to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes. People Powered Retrofit has had over 180 enquiries, over 60 clients in Greater Manchester planning their home energy improvements and looking for contractors. Jobs our clients are looking for range between £5,000 to upwards of £100,000, with the average around £45,000.

So, we know demand is there, but we don’t have enough builders to do the work!

This course gives you a starting point for getting into retrofit, the future of the building industry.

Large companies have to date taken the lion’s share of energy efficiency work in large social housing projects, but the majority of the UK’s homes are owned privately and will need extensive eco-renovation works done as a part of general improvements and extensions in the coming years. Those homes need your expertise!

“The strength of this course is [course tutor] Nick’s depth of experience. You learn from the problems he has solved.” Tim, Joiner.
Run by experienced retrofit contractor Nick Parsons, across four online sessions (and a COVID-safe practical session), this course will help you…

build on your existing knowledge and skill.
meet other small businesses and sole traders in Manchester.
keep up to date with the latest green building techniques and products.
find new opportunities in retrofit.

Who for
This course is for joiners, general builders, site managers at small firms who work on any building projects of which Part L applies.
A 50% discount for contractors who work in the Greater Manchester area and group discounts for group bookings, suitable for small firms looking to upskill their workforce.

This course is also useful for:

For people overseeing building works on site: a first step into specialist eco-renovation/retrofit techniques and considerations to meet new customer requirements from an experienced tutor with on site contracting experience
For business managers: what you need to know if you’re considering entry into this specialist area, with fast growing demand and a limited supply chain. Find out what skills you’ll need in your business with this simple to access, online course.
For building designers and architects: find out more about building fabric works and construction approaches that will be needed on many homes before thinking about building technology.
For retrofit consultants: this course gives Retrofit Co-ordinators and Advisors an understanding of how theory translates into the practical reality of a building site.
For enthusiastic DIY-ers: Learn about eco building considerations and techniques, find out what you’re capable of, and become an informed client to any contractors you might need to help you.
For community intermediaries: build a supply chain for retrofit in your area; if you have existing supply chain links this course will help them get ready for work; a simple, replicable course to get people interested; useful for enthusiastic DIYers in your networks/membership

Dates and Times
This is a four-part course and all parts must be taken together. The practical session is an additional session with limited space. Places are given on a first come first serve basis.
Online sessions:

Monday 13th September, 5 – 7pm
Thursday 16th September, 5 – 7pm
Tuesday 21st September, 5 – 7pm
Thursday 23rd September, 5 – 7pm

Practical session:

Saturday 25th September 10am – 12 noon

This will be a covid safe practical session in Islington Mill, Salford. Numbers are limited and those working as contractors in Greater Manchester will be prioritised for places. Please select the ‘Register your interest in practical session’ ticket when booking alongside a standard or discounted ticket. A video recording of the session will be available for those that cannot attend.
Attendees must complete all online sessions including end of session quizzes to receive a certificate of attendance.
Cost

Standard ticket – £129*
Greater Manchester Business discount 50% – £65
Group discount – Book 1 full price + 50% for every additional booking. Additional bookings must be from the same company.

*The previous runs of this course were highly subsidised. The current price more accurately reflects the costs of running the course.

Course Content
Session 1 – Understanding retrofit, the drivers and approaches

Drivers for retrofit
Base-line surveys and assessment
Key Metrics and Measurements
Taking a Whole House Approach
Incremental retrofit

By the end of this session, participants will be able to…

Identify the key drivers for retrofit clients and projects,
Identify ‘suitable’ retrofit candidates,
Recognise the need for a base-line energy assessment and a whole-house plan,
Understand the challenges of ‘incremental’ retrofit,
Identify key principles of the ‘whole house’ approach in fabric improvements: thermal bridging, thermal bypass, airtightness and moisture management,
Understand the importance of a ventilation strategy in a retrofitted home,
Awareness of impact of fabric improvements on sizing of heating systems.

————-
Session 2 – Taking airtightness seriously

Heat-loss through air-leakage
Air-tightness in retrofit
Ventilation, where and why it is necessary

By the end of this session, participants will be able to…

Recognise common air-leakage points in buildings,
Understand how to measure airtightness,
Understand which products are available to achieve high levels of airtightness,
Understand how to minimise air-leakage around common areas,
Understand where ventilation is necessary and how to balance heat loss with ventilation needs.

————-
Session 3 – Insulation – walls and roofs

Fabric heat-loss
R, K and U values
Explore insulation options for walls, roofs

By the end of this session, participants will be able to…

Establish the usefulness of U values as a tool for assessing building performance,
Recognise ‘Lambda’, Resistance (R) and U values,
Recognise ‘vapour-permeable’ and ‘vapour-control’ methods of insulation,
State Building Regulations target U values for retrofit and extensions,
Recognise the insulation options available for (particularly solid) walls
State the relative advantages and disadvantages of various insulation methods and materials,
Recognise and overcome practical and detailing problems in insulating rooms in the roof,

————-

Session 4 – Insulation – floors, windows and doors; thermal bridging and thermal by-pass

Insulating ground floors

Selecting and installing doors and windows

Identifying and understanding thermal bridging and by-pass

By the end of this session, participants will…

State the relative advantages and disadvantages of various floor insulation methods and materials

Understand statutory requirements re windows and doors

Understand how to minimise peripheral heat-loss when installing windows and doors

Understand what is meant by thermal bridging and thermal bypass

————-
Session 5 – Practical ‘onsite’ session

Demonstration of managing airtightness in loft eaves
Demonstration of dealing with tricky junctions in Internal Wall Insulation and External Wall Insulation
Handle and apply specialist materials including: airtightness products, wood fibre insulation, EPS insulation, lime rendering, lime plastering.

By the end of this session, participants will…

Gain practical experience of using specialist materials to install airtightness and insulation measures on walls, roofs and floor/ceiling junctions.

Course Tutor
Nick Parsons
“Nick is a fountain of retrofit knowledge.” – course participant 2019
Nick has a wealth of experience in energy-efficient sustainable building and renewable energy having worked in the industry for 25 years. Nick is the lead tutor on the Eco-Refurbishment course at the Centre for Alternative Technology. For 10 years from 2000 – 2010 he ran a community-sector project in Sheffield promoting and demonstrating all aspects of sustainable building, based in an eco-refurbished terraced house, before going freelance in December 2010.

This course is run by People Powered Retrofit, a Greater Manchester-based home retrofit service.

Eco-Renovation for Builders Online - November 2021
2021-11-02 17:00 - 2021-11-20 12:00 (Europe/London)
Get ahead of the curve and be a part of the green recovery with this unique training course for Greater Manchester builders.

Over the last year, despite the pandemic, there has been huge demand from householders wanting to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes. People Powered Retrofit has had over 180 enquiries, over 60 clients in Greater Manchester planning their home energy improvements and looking for contractors. Jobs our clients are looking for range between £5,000 to upwards of £100,000, with the average around £45,000.

So, we know demand is there, but we don’t have enough builders to do the work!

This course gives you a starting point for getting into retrofit, the future of the building industry.

Large companies have to date taken the lion’s share of energy efficiency work in large social housing projects, but the majority of the UK’s homes are owned privately and will need extensive eco-renovation works done as a part of general improvements and extensions in the coming years. Those homes need your expertise!

“The strength of this course is [course tutor] Nick’s depth of experience. You learn from the problems he has solved.” Tim, Joiner.
Run by experienced retrofit contractor Nick Parsons, across four online sessions (and a COVID-safe practical session), this course will help you…

build on your existing knowledge and skill.
meet other small businesses and sole traders in Manchester.
keep up to date with the latest green building techniques and products.
find new opportunities in retrofit.

Who for
This course is for joiners, general builders, site managers at small firms who work on any building projects of which Part L applies.
A 50% discount for contractors who work in the Greater Manchester area and group discounts for group bookings, suitable for small firms looking to upskill their workforce.

This course is also useful for:

For people overseeing building works on site: a first step into specialist eco-renovation/retrofit techniques and considerations to meet new customer requirements from an experienced tutor with on site contracting experience
For business managers: what you need to know if you’re considering entry into this specialist area, with fast growing demand and a limited supply chain. Find out what skills you’ll need in your business with this simple to access, online course.
For building designers and architects: find out more about building fabric works and construction approaches that will be needed on many homes before thinking about building technology.
For retrofit consultants: this course gives Retrofit Co-ordinators and Advisors an understanding of how theory translates into the practical reality of a building site.
For enthusiastic DIY-ers: Learn about eco building considerations and techniques, find out what you’re capable of, and become an informed client to any contractors you might need to help you.
For community intermediaries: build a supply chain for retrofit in your area; if you have existing supply chain links this course will help them get ready for work; a simple, replicable course to get people interested; useful for enthusiastic DIYers in your networks/membership

Dates and Times
This is a four-part course and all parts must be taken together. The practical session is an additional session with limited space. Places are given on a first come first serve basis.
Online sessions:

Tuesday 2nd November, 5 – 7pm
Thursday 4th November, 5 – 7pm
Tuesday 16th November, 5 – 7pm
Thursday 18th November, 5 – 7pm

Practical session:

Saturday 20th November10am – 12 noon

This will be a covid safe practical session in Islington Mill, Salford. Numbers are limited and those working as contractors in Greater Manchester will be prioritised for places. Please select the ‘Register your interest in practical session’ ticket when booking alongside a standard or discounted ticket. A video recording of the session will be available for those that cannot attend.
Attendees must complete all online sessions including end of session quizzes to receive a certificate of attendance.
Cost

Standard ticket – £129*
Greater Manchester Business discount 50% – £65
Group discount – Book 1 full price + 50% for every additional booking. Additional bookings must be from the same company.

*The previous runs of this course were highly subsidised. The current price more accurately reflects the costs of running the course.

Course Content
Session 1 – Understanding retrofit, the drivers and approaches

Drivers for retrofit
Base-line surveys and assessment
Key Metrics and Measurements
Taking a Whole House Approach
Incremental retrofit

By the end of this session, participants will be able to…

Identify the key drivers for retrofit clients and projects,
Identify ‘suitable’ retrofit candidates,
Recognise the need for a base-line energy assessment and a whole-house plan,
Understand the challenges of ‘incremental’ retrofit,
Identify key principles of the ‘whole house’ approach in fabric improvements: thermal bridging, thermal bypass, airtightness and moisture management,
Understand the importance of a ventilation strategy in a retrofitted home,
Awareness of impact of fabric improvements on sizing of heating systems.

————-
Session 2 – Taking airtightness seriously

Heat-loss through air-leakage
Air-tightness in retrofit
Ventilation, where and why it is necessary

By the end of this session, participants will be able to…

Recognise common air-leakage points in buildings,
Understand how to measure airtightness,
Understand which products are available to achieve high levels of airtightness,
Understand how to minimise air-leakage around common areas,
Understand where ventilation is necessary and how to balance heat loss with ventilation needs.

————-
Session 3 – Insulation – walls and roofs

Fabric heat-loss
R, K and U values
Explore insulation options for walls, roofs

By the end of this session, participants will be able to…

Establish the usefulness of U values as a tool for assessing building performance,
Recognise ‘Lambda’, Resistance (R) and U values,
Recognise ‘vapour-permeable’ and ‘vapour-control’ methods of insulation,
State Building Regulations target U values for retrofit and extensions,
Recognise the insulation options available for (particularly solid) walls
State the relative advantages and disadvantages of various insulation methods and materials,
Recognise and overcome practical and detailing problems in insulating rooms in the roof,

————-

Session 4 – Insulation – floors, windows and doors; thermal bridging and thermal by-pass

Insulating ground floors

Selecting and installing doors and windows

Identifying and understanding thermal bridging and by-pass

By the end of this session, participants will…

State the relative advantages and disadvantages of various floor insulation methods and materials

Understand statutory requirements re windows and doors

Understand how to minimise peripheral heat-loss when installing windows and doors

Understand what is meant by thermal bridging and thermal bypass

————-
Session 5 – Practical ‘onsite’ session

Demonstration of managing airtightness in loft eaves
Demonstration of dealing with tricky junctions in Internal Wall Insulation and External Wall Insulation
Handle and apply specialist materials including: airtightness products, wood fibre insulation, EPS insulation, lime rendering, lime plastering.

By the end of this session, participants will…

Gain practical experience of using specialist materials to install airtightness and insulation measures on walls, roofs and floor/ceiling junctions.

Course Tutor
Nick Parsons
“Nick is a fountain of retrofit knowledge.” – course participant 2019
Nick has a wealth of experience in energy-efficient sustainable building and renewable energy having worked in the industry for 25 years. Nick is the lead tutor on the Eco-Refurbishment course at the Centre for Alternative Technology. For 10 years from 2000 – 2010 he ran a community-sector project in Sheffield promoting and demonstrating all aspects of sustainable building, based in an eco-refurbished terraced house, before going freelance in December 2010.

This course is run by People Powered Retrofit, a Greater Manchester-based home retrofit service.

EcoHome Lab: Introducing the Home Energy Model (HEM)
2026-03-12 18:00 - 19:30 (Africa/Abidjan) | Online event
RESCHEDULED from February due to illness.
For over 30 years the methodology used to gauge the energy and carbon performance of UK buildings has been the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), but all that is about to change. Over the past few years Government has been working with building professionals to develop the Home Energy Model (HEM) which is due for publication shortly.
We are very pleased to be joined by Marianne Heaslip, the Technical Director of People Powered Retrofit who has been working as part of HEM’s quality assurance and verification team. The session will introduce the key principles of the new methodology, how it differs from SAP and what that means for how we model buildings to inform regulation (like EPCs) and design.
Sign-up here

***
Now in our regular monthly slot – every second Thursday of the month. A hangout for people taking control of their home energy usage and generation. We use open-source hardware and software to gain a better understanding of energy in our homes, how to make the best use of the energy we generate and reduce energy wasted.
Catch up on some of our previous sessions and presentations.
Unless there’s a specific title to the session, it means we have no scheduled speaker and it will be an open session. We welcome contributions.
