New Homes Week is upon us, and Jimmy Close, our EMEA Business Development Director, joins us to share his perspective. What is MiTek doing to drive the future of homebuilding? As it turns out, the answer is ‘a lot!’
Tomorrow awaits, make it yours. That’s the theme of this year’s Home Builder’s Federation (HBF) New Homes Week. An air of inspired optimism surrounds 2024’s event, in an election year where homes and sustainability could be deciding factors.
Our focus is always on helping home builders navigate and facilitate change. So, this is an ideal week to reflect on our work in the new homes space. That involves a lot of listening to customers, who told us they wanted more hard data on products’ environmental impact.
As a result, we’ve updated our EU Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) compliance standards. Posi-Joist and our Connector Plate solutions now come with dramatically increased amounts of sustainability data, covering more of their lifecycle. Builders can now base decisions on evidence, with solid proof of positive change.
Embracing higher standards is a great start, and this is only one example of how we’re doing exactly that. But what does it all look like in practice? Look no further than the projects where we’re implementing our solutions as part of cutting-edge best practice in home building. Projects like Energy House 2.0.
Energy House 2.0: The results are in
The University of Salford, Barratt Developments, Bellway, and Saint-Gobain came together and collaborated on Energy House 2.0. Two homes were built inside a testing chamber which simulates rain, wind, snow, sunlight, and temperatures between -20c and 40c.
Posi-Joist was used as part of this £16 million project, where these three-bedroom detached houses were subjected to rigorous tests. Both were built to the government’s proposed Future Homes Standard (FHS), aimed at cutting carbon 80% compared to 2013 regulations.
To compare, scientists look at the so-called performance gap. This is how much heat a home’s design is expected to lose vs how much it actually loses. Studies show that today’s buildings can have a performance gap ranging from 6% to 140%.
Energy House 2.0 outperformed current standards by a dramatic margin. One house was found to have a performance gap of 7.7%, the other a tiny 3.9%! In real terms, homeowners could save between £200 and £2,120 per year on energy bills with homes built like this.
Full final trial results are being shared as we speak, helping UK homebuilding edge ever closer to net zero. The temperature of this chamber could be controlled to within 0.5c, making the data incredibly accurate and immensely valuable.
Above all else, it proves that the FHS can be implemented nationwide by 2025. Between them, Barratt and Bellway delivered over 28,000 homes last year. Sticking to new standards at that scale will represent an incredible jump forward for UK emissions levels. Having our products used and celebrated in a project like this is obviously an immense source of pride for our teams.
All about HBF New Homes Week
But there’s always more to do in the fight for sustainability. Events like New Homes Week serve as a call to action and a positive platform for change. Launched in 2005, the HBF use this week to champion higher standards in homebuilding. The environment is a big winner here; according to HBF’s data:
- New homes emit 61% less carbon per year, 1.39 tonnes vs an average 3.53
- 85% of new homes have an EPC rating of A or B, vs less than 5% of older properties
- Energy bills can be up to 55% cheaper in new homes, as much as £184 per month less
When you consider that bringing older homes up to standard could cost over £70,000, the new-build case becomes compelling. 41% of homebuyers surveyed by the HBF said these maintenance costs convinced them to buy new. 53% say they were won over by lower utility bills and running costs.
The stats show that building new homes is a cost-effective, sustainable choice at the best of times. But now, with a potential change in government bringing new priorities, championing new homes has never been more important.
Build for the future with MiTek
I see it as a duty and an opportunity to keep on developing products and services which help builders succeed. From Posi-Joist facilitating MMC and easier collaboration, to software that improves designers’ day-to-day lives, we still have a lot to give the industry.
Talk to us about setting a new standard in sustainable construction. We’re ready to get to work, whether it’s New Homes Week or any other week of the year.
