UK Green Building Council (UKGBC)

👏 Thanks to everyone who attended this week’s UKGBC/MCSF Local Authority Retrofit Forum. We’re especially grateful to our brilliant speakers, Emily White, Bhavik Daya, Glyn Hudson, and Scott McBride, and to Alastair Mumford for chairing the call. The 90-minute session covered the full heat pump lifecycle, including funding–focused on Warm Homes Local Grant (WHLG) – commissioning, installation, performance and monitoring. 🔹 Emily White (Climate Change Coordinator, Bristol City Council) talked us through Bristol’s Warm Homes Plan and goal to become ‘intelligent clients’, with lessons to inform future delivery. Emily also outlined Bristol City Council’s work with The Green Register in training staff involved with commissioning heat pumps, including the benefits and lessons learned. 🔹 Bhavik Daya PIEMA PMP®(Senior Consultant, Turner & Townsend) outlined the work of RISE (‘Retrofit information, support and expertise’) and confirmed the active support for increased heat pump installation under WHLG. He also confirmed that monitoring equipment is eligible as part of this, and outlined the associated requirements. 🔹 Glyn Hudson (Co-founder, OpenEnergyMonitor) talked us through heat pump performance by looking at independently monitored heat pump data, including optimal operating patterns and installation pitfalls to avoid. 🔹 This was followed by Scott McBride (Technical Manager, MCS), who highlighted recent changes to permitted development rights, focusing on sound calculations and acoustic assessments, and where to get help. 🖱️ The next forum will take place in March next year. For more information and to register, go to: https://lnkd.in/ecE6_sjM *Please note the forum is for local/combined authority officers only.

💭 What’s next for sustainability in the built environment? ✨ Last night, members at our Winter Member Social previewed our 2025 Trends in Sustainable Solutions report and 2025 Whole Life Carbon Roadmap Progress Update – a chance to reflect on the industry’s journey through the year and share excitement for the trends and solutions that are set to define the year ahead.    We enjoyed live product showcases from LightFi, Showerkap, BirdShades - invisible bird protection window film, BioTwin and EcoDuct Ltd - Transformative Ductwork Technology, as well as inspiring conversations and reflections on the year’s progress in sustainability.    🤝 Thank you to Hilson Moran, who hosted us and showed us around the innovative design of their Living Lab London office! https://lnkd.in/e4NwU7vu 🔎 Stay tuned for our 2025 Trends in Sustainable Solutions report that will be coming out soon!

✨ Great privilege today to witness the final session of our Change Accelerator 2025 programme. Yesterday, after an inspiring session with Megan Seneque on systems thinking and a thought-provoking chat with UKGBC's CEO Simon McWhirter, the cohort went on to share their own journeys. Today, we continue to hear about where they have got to in the change they want to make and the world they want to leave behind. Such inspiring stories on purpose, being bold and building more capacity, agency and courage within the industry to accelerate radical transformation. 💥 We look forward to seeing you change the system in your own unique ways! 🤝 Thank you to strategic partners Troup Bywaters + Anders and The Crown Estate, and special thanks to The Crown Estate for letting us use their lovely space. Want to join Change Accelerator 2026? Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eiZR9H-6 💭 Interested in joining a UKGBC leadership programme, but you're at a different stage of your career? We are now recruiting for Future Leaders https://lnkd.in/eRJZXsNU, our innovation programme for early-career professionals, and applications are also open for Recalibrate https://lnkd.in/e8ZhXKdR, the leadership programme designed for CEOs and board-level executives.

📣UKGBC responds to the 2026 Autumn Budget Announcement. Simon McWhirter, Chief Executive at the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), said: "Cutting funding for insulation is bloody reckless, it will cost jobs and make Britain’s homes colder and more expensive to heat. While we welcome the electricity levy reduction announcement, this progress is overshadowed by the damaging cut to the national insulation scheme." 🖱Read Simon’s full response and further analysis here: https://lnkd.in/e_QvDfhp 🖱Learn more about UKGBC's Policy and Advocacy work: https://lnkd.in/gAn-cRYT

As we look ahead to 2026, UKGBC is bringing members together for two exciting events designed to spark collaboration and insight: ✨ Winter Member Social: Previewing Trends in Sustainable Solutions Join us for an evening of networking and forward-thinking discussion on the innovations shaping the built environment. This is your chance to connect with peers and explore what’s next in sustainable solutions. 📅 27 Nov at 17:30 | 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e2pj9zB6 🔍 UK Autumn Budget 2025 and COP30: Key Implications for the Built Environment Fresh from COP30, we’ll unpack what global climate negotiations mean for UK policy, business strategy, and your role in driving change. 📅 1 Dec at 12:00 | 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e2jvpDVY Secure your spot today and be part of the conversation shaping the future of our sector.

✨ Next week, we're holding a Local Authority Retrofit Forum session, hosted by UKGBC and funded by The MCS Foundation. 🏘️ On the 25th November, we will focus on how Local Authorities can approach procurement under the Warm Homes Local Grant, from developing effective contracts to ensuring strong in-use heat pump performance. Speakers will share lessons from current programmes, training initiatives, and monitoring data to inform future delivery, with opportunities for Q&A throughout the session. 🔹 Emily White, who will talk about how Bristol City Council put together its Warm Homes Plan and what LAs can learn from the process. She’ll also share practical tips on procuring heat pump installations, including relevant contracts and clauses. 🔹 Tom Westwood, who will present findings and lessons learnt from the heat pump training sessions The Green Register has recently run for Bristol City Council and Bristol City Leap. 🔹 Bhavik Daya PIEMA PMP® from Turner & Townsend who will report on Warm Homes Local Grant support for increased heat pump installation by LAs, as well as potential grant funding for heat pump monitoring. 🔹 Glyn Hudson from OpenEnergyMonitor who will discuss what makes heat pump installations work efficiently, what pitfalls to avoid, and insights from data. 🔹 Scott McBride from The MCS Foundation will summarise new heat-pump permitted development rights in England and demonstrate how the MCS 020a sound calculator streamlines compliance checks. 🖱️ For more information and to register, go to: https://lnkd.in/eWYkMe_D *Please note the forum is for local/combined authority officers only.

🎓 Decisions at #COP30 will set the course for global climate action, but turning commitments into impact starts with knowledge. 📚 To support sustainability learning across your organisation, UKGBC membership includes two curated learning packages designed to upskill teams from general awareness to specialist expertise: 🌱 Built Environment Sustainability Starter Pack - Two flexible formats: https://lnkd.in/evMpnwS3 - UKGBC Sustainability Essentials for the Built Environment (email course) - Sustainable Thinking: A Beginner's Guide for the Built Environment (online module) - Builds foundational sustainability knowledge for informed, climate-conscious decisions. 🔍 Essentials Pack for Sustainability Practitioners - For sustainability professionals: https://lnkd.in/eCpa_fUh - Building for a Changing Climate: Foundations of Resilience and Adaptation - Carbon Reduction Essentials in the Built Environment (online module) - Covers emerging themes and practical approaches to climate action 👉 Find out more about UKGBC's learning and Events: https://ukgbc.org/events/ 

📣UKGBC responds to the extension of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to include air-to-air heat pumps. Today, the government announced a key change to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, broadening it to include air-to-air heat pumps and offering households more flexible low-carbon options for both heating and cooling. 💬UKGBC's Co-Head of Policy & Places Jo Wheeler, said: "UKGBC welcomes the extension of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to air-to-air heat pumps announced today. Our Climate Resilience Roadmap highlights that, as UK summers are set to get hotter and drier over the coming decade, it is imperative that we future-proof all buildings to protect human health.   With 55% of UK homes already at risk of bedrooms overheating, even in relatively cool summers, measures that help buildings stay comfortable are urgently needed. Last summer’s heatwaves led to numerous heat-related deaths, and the extension of the BUS to include heat pumps that offer cooling as well as heating is something we have long called for, and we are pleased that government has listened." 🖱️Learn more about our Policy and Advocacy work here: https://lnkd.in/gAn-cRYT

🌍As #COP30 moves into its second week, the urgency to act boldly on buildings has never been clearer. For thousands of years, buildings have kept us safe - giving us places to live, learn, work and heal. But they can do so much more. 🏢 Buildings can protect us from heatwaves and floods, cut energy costs, improve the health of our communities, and create cleaner, more affordable homes and workplaces. Together with the World Green Building Council and the Green Building Council (GBC) network, we’re calling on governments and businesses to #BeBoldOnBuildings at #COP30 - to turn climate promises into action that builds resilience, lowers bills, protects communities, and creates thriving economies. 🖱️Learn more about the campaign here: https://lnkd.in/dxiWyg-H