Carbon Co-op

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.

Retrofit Calderdale: Air Tightness and DIY Measures Workshop
2023-03-11 10:00 - 12:30 | Todmorden Learning Centre and Community Hub, 44 Burnley Road, Todmorden, OL14 7BX, Todmorden, OL14 7BX, GB
Are you a Calderdale resident interested in learning more about home retrofit? Join us in this workshop to learn about air tightness!

A﻿bout the workshop
Our second workshop focuses on ‘air tightness’ and DIY measures, on how we can stop losing heat from around the home – through gaps and leaky walls, open chimneys and flues, and cold draughts, and how we can make sure we can breath though ventilation and avoid damp and moulds! How we can apply DIY measures and when we may need to call in expert help.
During the session, you will:

Learn how to identify draughts around your home
Get familiar with DIY draught proofing materials and techniques to tackle common draughts around your home
Learn about ventilation, the importance of managing moisture and air quality in your home and how to balance this with airtightness measures

There will also be a practical activity: using various simple techniques to hunt down draughts in the venue, and figure out which of the demonstration materials may be suitable for fixing that draught.
A﻿bout the project
This workshop series is for householders interested in learning more about the basics of retrofit, applying this to your home and sharing knowledge and learning with other local residents.
Carbon Co-op’s Retrofit Calderdale project, in collaboration with Pennine Community Power, aims to empower residents in Todmorden to explore the possibilities of retrofitting their homes, creating cosier spaces, reducing energy bills, and improving the efficiency of their homes through knowledge sharing, workshop events, and technology.
L﻿ocaltion
We will be meeting at Todmorden College in one of their rooms. We are keen to protect everyone’s health as much as we can, therefore we will be providing face masks and sanitiser, and welcome and support anyone to use these during the session. We have placed an upper limit of 35 places to ensure we have plenty of space, and everyone can take part in the activities. Booking is essential for attendance!
C﻿oming up
We have planned two more workshops after this event, scheduled between April and June, covering topics such as Retrofit and Flooding; and Home Energy Assessments. Subscribe to our Eventbrite organisation page to be alerted of these and other future workshops and events.
Please note: These workshops are aimed at householders who want to learn more about retrofit. This is not a workshop for people working in the supply chain or seeking to promote a specific product or service – we will ask salespeople to leave the session.

Air Tightness and DIY Measures
2023-12-02 10:00 - 12:30 | Hebden Bridge Town Hall, The Terrace Room, Saint George's Street, Hebden Bridge, England, HX7 7BY, United Kingdom
Join us on Saturday 2 December, to discuss Air Tightness and DIY measures. Learn how to get the balance right at a price that suits you!

Airtightness and DIY Measures
Are you a Calderdale resident interested in learning more about home retrofit? Find out what you can do yourself to get your home less draughty!
About the workshop
Our second workshop focuses on ‘air tightness’ and DIY measures, on how we can stop losing heat from around the home – through gaps and leaky walls, open chimneys and flues, and cold draughts, how we can apply DIY measures and when we may need to call in expert help.
During the session, you will:

1. Learn how to identify draughts around your home
2. Get familiar with DIY draught proofing materials and techniques to tackle common draughts around your home
3. Understand how to balance need for ventilation with airtightness measures
4. Practical activity: using various simple techniques to hunt down draughts in the venue, and figure out which of the demonstration materials may be suitable for fixing that draught.
G﻿ENERAL INFORMATION
Hebden Royd Town Council, working with Carbon Co-op, aims to empower residents in Hebden Bridge to explore the possibilities of retrofitting their homes, creating cosier spaces, reducing energy bills, and improving the efficiency of their homes through knowledge sharing, workshop events, and technology.
This workshop series is for householders interested in learning more about the basics of retrofit, applying this to your home and sharing knowledge and learning with other local residents.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
Coming up after this workshop is:
● Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation, Saturday 27th January 2024
Do book on to avoid disappointment, places are limited!

Please note: These workshops are aimed at householders who want to learn more about retrofit. This is not a workshop for people working in the supply chain or seeking to promote a specific product or service – we will ask salespeople to leave the session.

Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation
2024-01-27 10:00 - 12:30 | Hebden Bridge Town Hall, The Terrace Room, Saint George's Street, Hebden Bridge, England, HX7 7BY, United Kingdom
Discover cleaner indoor air solutions on Jan 27, 2024, at 10 AM, covering health impacts, ventilation basics, and retrofit planning.

If you are planning a retrofit project, either staged or all in one go, this training is highly recommended. However, this workshop is for anyone concerned about the health impacts of their living environment. Find out how you can tackle damp and mould and create a fresh feeling, making sure your home stays healthy as you improve its energy efficiency.
During the session you will:
1. Revisit the idea of the Whole House Approach and why ventilation is important when planning retrofit works.
2. Learn about indoor air quality and it’s impacts on your health
3. Cover some basics around ventilation
4. Understand standards and regulations
5. Take a look at ventilation systems and understand which kind of system is best suited to your home
6. Gain a list of simple things to do now
This workshop is one of a series of three, aimed at householders interested in learning more about the basics of retrofit, applying this to your home and sharing knowledge and learning with other local residents.
Hebden Royd Town Council, working with Carbon Co-op, aims to empower residents in Hebden Bridge to explore the possibilities of retrofitting their homes, creating cosier spaces, reducing energy bills, and improving the efficiency of their homes through knowledge sharing, workshop events, and technology.
Please note: These workshops are aimed at householders who want to learn more about retrofit. This is not a workshop for people working in the supply chain or seeking to promote a specific product or service – we will ask salespeople to leave the session.

Green Open Homes Visit
2024-11-09 12:00 - 15:00
Visit recently retrofitted homes to learn about the process and its benefits.

All over Greater Manchester householders have been retrofitting their homes, saving energy bills, cutting carbon and making them more comfortable. Through Energise Manchester you can visit a home and meet the people who made these changes. You’ll see all kinds of improvements, everything from external wall insulation to solar panels, to innovative heating and ventilation systems.
You will be sent further information about the details of the day, including the address of the house we will be visiting. It is in the Rusholme/Fallowfield ward of Manchester.
Featuring

See up close what different retrofit options look like
Learn more about the practical benefits
Ask any questions about the retrofit process and its impact on the home

Who should come? Everyone’s welcome! Whether you own your home, rent, or just want to feel cosier this winter. No experience needed.
If you have any questions about this workshop, or any other Energise activities, please email us on energise-manchester@carbon.coop, or Call/Whatsapp us on 07593711298
