Meadow Energy Rating

Choosing Your Assessor

We regularly get asked "why should we use Meadow Energy Rating as our Energy and Code Assessors", a question we like to hear.

The industry is a complex one since all manner of organisations build new houses and each has differing needs. A social landlord will have a set criteria for design and performance due to funding or location, while a developer may need to meet regulatory compliance with minimum expenditure, a self builder will have very personal goals.

At Meadow Energy Rating we welcome the diversity as a great challenge. Here's our key tips to help you choose who you work with:

are you looking for a team with real experience
do you like simple solutions
do you need compliance
are you financially driven

If you ask the same questions we're on the same wavelength. We're keen to highlight these issue when you compare us to any other Assessment organisation. There are some great Assessors out there and we welcome the chance to be among the best. We have:

over 20 years industry experience backed up by degree qualified staff and industry leading accreditation from the BRE®. We are SSIP® audited as a "Work Safe" Consultant
we take time to explain the technical regulations in simple language and highlight the important issues
we guarantee to find the right solution for your project
we provide a value for money service and focus on finding affordable solutions

The next time you need Energy or Code Assessments, ask if you've got the best solution for your needs!

Keeping it Simple

With the growing complexity of rules and regulations our aim is to keep things simple and make your life easy. Energy and Sustainability are great "buzz words" in construction, but how do you find the real solutions to Code for Sustainable Homes Assessment?

We take time to explain things in a non-technical manner to enable our clients to focus on their core activities - building new houses. We offer a one stop shop for compliance and lead you through the maze of documentation and evidence required to take the stress out of complex process.

If you need simple solutions for complex problems, give us a call!

Site Waste Management Plans

Due to popular demand we have added Site Waste Management Plans to our range of services.

SWMPs are a legal requirement for all construction projects over £300,000 in value and are a useful tool to gain 2 Credits under WAS2 in the Code for Sustainable Homes Assessment. We use an approved template to collate your site data from the initial estimate and advice on waste management through to completion of the plan at the end of the project.

We will also be adding a tool box talk, training log and poster for use on site to advise operatives and subcontractors the how and why we need to manage our construction waste. Look out for this in our new online shop, coming soon!

Seasons Greetings

We would like to extend our best wishes and seasons greetings to all our clients, associates and suppliers.

We wish you all a successful and prosperous new year!

Safety Schemes in Procurement

Meadow Energy Rating are pleased to announce that we have passed the SMAS Work Safe Consultant Health and Safety Assessment which is recognised under the Safety Schemes in Procurement forum.

The scheme was launched online in May and is an agreement between assessment schemes, trade federations representing both clients and suppliers, and the HSE, to simplify the prequalification stage of procurement, reduce duplication and improve standards of health and safety in the industry.

Lord McKenzie, the minister for health and safety said “The SSIP demonstrates very well how partnerships can be fostered. It has not only been backed by Department for Work and Pensions and the HSE but other Government departments, such as Business, Innovation and Skills, have also supported it.”

We are pleased with the accreditation as it further enhances our reputation for professionalism in the Energy and Sustainability Assessment industry.

Water Water Everywhere ........

Everyone talks about the weather don’t they? Did you know this year we had 73% of the average number of rain days and 44% of the average rainfall for the month of September?

At Meadow Energy Rating we assess the eco credentials of new homes and water use is big news because of the change in our weather patterns. Any new home assessed under Code for Sustainable Homes has strict water use targets. The government have already approved changes to Part G of the Building Regulations (Sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency).

Although implementation of Part G has been postponed until April 2010, due to an EU technicality, the new Regulations will mean all new homes have to meet a minimum water efficiency target based on a detailed calculation. We'll be adding this service to our portfolio.

CLG Consultation for Part L and F of Building Regulations

The consultation for proposed changes to Parts L and F of the Building Regulations and SAP2009 close this month. To stay at the forefront of our industry we have attended the BRE seminar "The Future of Sustainable Housing" held in Bristol. Similar seminars are being held around the country and are aimed at professionals with key interest in the topic.

Speakers from BRE, CLG and Zero Carbon Hub presented on the proposed changes to the Building Regulations and delegates had the opportunity to debate and vote on a large number of energy efficiency issues. We believe this consultation event is critical in our continued professional development.

Interestingly, delegates were mainly from Architectural Practices although we did see representatives from two other Energy Assessment organisations, good to see that the professionalism in our industry continues to grow.

Framework Agreements

We're launching a scheme to fix the prices of our SAP Assessments, Energy Performance Certificates and Air Permeability Testing under "Framework Agreements".

Framework Agreements are about teamwork and a collaborative approach, working to a common goal. We offer a complete service for anyone building new dwellings and understand how to optimise the potential of each design cost effectively for our clients. We will offer a discounted fixed cost for our work on the basis of guaranteed volume of orders. We're anticipating that this will be of interest to developers and housing associations who have a large number of dwellings under their control.

Please call for details and we'll put together mutually beneficial proposals.

LABC Awards Nomination

One of our clients has been nominated in the LABC (Local Authority Building Control) West of England Region Building Excellence Awards for two categories:

Best Housing - Small Developer or Development 1 - 10 houses
Best Sustainable Project

Working closely with the Developer and Main Contractor we advised on Energy and Sustainability for the project in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The development, built using thin joint masonry and I-web joists feature air source heat pumps and rainwater harvesting among the sustainable measures. This project was a first step by the developer in building an understanding of the future challenges they will have to face.

The lessons learnt have given them an insight into future projects which will have to attain full Code Level 3 compliance and as a result are actively looking for new development sites comfortable in knowledge that they can the continue to build high quality homes which are also sustainable.

The Regional Awards take place in Bristol on 5 June 2009. Winners will be put forward to the LABC National Building Excellence Awards in London during October 2009.

Licenced Code for Sustainable Homes Assessors

After working with SAP2005 since its inception and becoming the first BRE Accredited Domestic Energy Assessors, Meadow Energy Rating have now become licenced Code for Sustainable Homes Assessors.

We've worked with independent Code Assessors on a number of projects and felt now was an opportune time to invest in the necessary training to be able to undertake Code Assessment in-house. With the onset of more stringent Building Regulations in 2010 we are ideally placed to assist by developing solutions to these requirements and thereby helping our clients to provide the low energy and sustainable homes of the future.

In addition to social housing meeting Code for Sustainable Homes requirements, more and more individuals and private developers are looking to green-up their development and can see the benefits and marketing potential of achieving a Code for Sustainable Homes rating.

BRE Greenbook Live

After a long period of consultation Green Book Live now list all of the BRE Accredited Energy Assessors. Meadow Energy Rating are among an elite group of On Construction Domestic Energy Assessors accredited by BRE and are committed to providing highly professional service to its clients.

Green Book Live is the definitive source of information for the construction industry and enables specifiers, designers and end users to manage the environmental impact of the projects on which they work

Green Book Live brings together listings from a number of organisations and delivers comprehensive information on 'green' products and services, some approved to stringent environmental requirements and others based on information provided by manufacturers and trade bodies.

Green Book Live provides specifiers and end users with an opportunity to select products and services which demonstrate their commitment to environmental best practice.

Green Book Live is produced by BRE Global in Partnership with the Energy Saving Trust

Gloucestershire Business Top 500 Influential Business People

West Business Gloucestershire’s 500 Influential People in Business

Meadow Energy Rating director Neil Morris has been nominated as one of Gloucestershire’s 500 most influential people in business. Neil says “I’m really pleased that the work we do has been recognised by this nomination into the Top 500 list”

Meadow Energy Rating are meeting the challenges of the construction industry by providing a range of Assessment and Sustainability Services for house builders of all types.

“We now offer a complete service for anyone building new houses and understand how to optimise the potential of each design cost effectively for our clients”

“With the onset of more stringent regulations in 2010 we are ideally placed to assist by developing solutions to these requirements and thereby helping our clients to provide the low energy and sustainable homes of the future”

“Our client base is spread across the South West and South Wales and I must thank them for their continued support which has helped our business grow despite the decline of the housing market, 2009 will be a challenge but things are looking positive”

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