But, why is it so important? Take a look at #BetterWithBrick campaign to find out more. They will be exploring how natural clay beneath our feet has the edge over other construction materials. Sustainability is and has been at the forefront of people’s minds and manufacturers are already taking huge strides in decarbonising construction, with the brick industry investing £290 million over the past 5 years to upgrade clay brick processes and technologies.

JCB’s £100m project to produce hydrogen combustion engines is making progress thanks to a dedicated 150-strong team of British engineers.

More than 75 prototypes have already been manufactured at JCB’s engine plant in Derbyshire and, as well as powering backhoe loaders and telescopic handlers, the engine is being showcased on the international stage at trade fairs across North America and Europe.

JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford, said: “The JCB engineering team has completely re-designed the combustion process to work for hydrogen. In doing so, they have secured the company’s place in history as the first construction equipment manufacturer to develop a fully working, hydrogen fuelled combustion engine.”

JCB has also been at the forefront of electric technology development. However, while battery-electric is suitable for smaller machines working fewer hours, larger machines have higher energy requirements. This would result in larger batteries that would take longer to charge, making them less suitable for machines that work multiple daily shifts and do not have the available downtime to recharge.

JCB has therefore concentrated its development of E-TECH machines on its compact range, including the 19C-1E, the world’s first electric mini excavator, and the 30-19E and 35-22E electric Teletruks.

JCB’s examination of future fuels that deliver zero emissions has left no stone unturned. In the search for a mobile fuel that can be taken to the machine, ensuring maximum uptime and fast refuelling, HVO, biogas, E-fuels, ammonia, and hydrogen were all scrutinised.

Lord Bamford said: “The majority of alternative fuels require the production of hydrogen to make, so it makes sense to use hydrogen in the first place; it is a clean, zero-carbon fuel that can be produced from renewable energy. Hydrogen also potentially solves the challenge of using batteries on larger machines.”

As part of its hydrogen development, JCB also investigated the use of fuel cells, unveiling the first ever hydrogen powered excavator in July 2020 – a 20-tonne 220X. However, JCB has concluded that fuel cells are too expensive, too complicated and not robust enough for construction and agricultural equipment.

In challenging the engineering team to think differently using existing technology in a zero-carbon way, the JCB hydrogen engine was born.

Lord Bamford said: “The unique combustion properties of hydrogen enables the hydrogen combustion engine to deliver the same power, torque, and efficiency of current JCB machines, but in a zero-carbon way. Also, by leveraging diesel engine technology and components, they do not require rare earth elements. Combustion technology is cost effective, robust, reliable and already well proven throughout not just the construction and agricultural industry, but the whole world.”

How good water quality reduces carbon emissions, lowers energy use & stops waste

In response to the energy and environmental challenges we all face, the Government has been focused on supporting homeowners to improve energy efficiency and prepare for the adoption of renewable technologies.

Water treatment in heating systems is a low-cost intervention, available now, that will have immediate and sustained positive impacts on energy consumption and carbon reduction.

The escalation of energy prices and the onset of winter puts attention on the need to address increased fuel poverty in our communities. There are many contributing factors, but it is clear through independent research that inefficient heating caused by poor system water quality is a significant part of the problem. The HVAC sector are working together to not only put forward solutions for boiler efficiency but provide whole house heating system care (including water treatment) to reduce energy usage (dependence) and reducing carbon in the home.

Independent research carried out by KIWA Gastec based on average usage in the UK, shows that a significant deterioration of energy efficiency in central heating systems is caused by poor system water quality. This happens when the process of corrosion causes sludge to build up in the system, meaning more energy is used by the boiler but less heat is produced by the radiators.

In the winter months, people living in these homes may be getting 47% less heat from their radiators simply because of poor water quality, which can be easily resolved.
Without effective system testing, cleaning and protection from corrosion, research shows that energy efficiency drops by up to 7% and up to 7% more carbon is emitted.
Poor water quality is also the biggest cause of boiler breakdown, reducing the lifespan of a domestic gas boiler by up to 7 years.

Additional research of 200,000 homes shows that 42% of homes are not working to the required efficiency and are not protected from the risk of rising bills and breakdown. This rises to 70% of homes that are tested during an annual service.

What does this mean?

Any heating (and cooling) system that uses water needs protection; whether residential or commercial buildings, heated by radiators or underfloor heating, powered by gas boilers or heat pumps.

This is critical; without system protection, even the newest, most efficient technologies (such as heat pumps) and assets will fail to achieve their factory-tested levels of energy efficiency, negatively impacting upon the attainment of Net Zero in the UK by 2050.

A best practice approach to water treatment helps tackle climate change and support the UK’s target of reaching Net Zero by 2050.

The global conversation about environmental sustainability and the urgent need to combat climate change has given rise to the concept of ‘green collar’ jobs. These jobs play a pivotal role in realising our ambitions as a nation and as a planet to shift towards a more sustainable future. They encompass a wide range of professions, from experts in sustainable transportation and green finance to heating engineers transitioning from installing gas boilers to heat pumps.

It’s important to note that green jobs are not entirely new vocations but rather a transformation of our existing and future workforce as they acquire new skills to meet the demands of the net-zero transition. In essence, green jobs are the jobs of the future.

To make this transition successful, we must establish the necessary learning and training infrastructure. However, this doesn’t operate in isolation; it’s an integral part of workplace training, college curricula, and professional standards. What truly propels this transformation is the demand from industry, which, in turn, is driven by the expectations of customers. At a government level therefore, it is important that we

Predicting the exact nature of these skills can be challenging. What will the houses of the future look like? Which materials will dominate new construction? Will there be mandates for retrofitting existing buildings? Will timber or other materials take precedence? Will certain construction methods become obsolete? Is offsite construction the way forward? Regardless of the answers, what’s crucial is a demand-driven certainty that allows industries to make long-term investments in their future workforce.

Leading by Example: Living Places

At VELUX, we are actively contributing, in our own way, to shaping this sustainable future. In 2020, we launched our 2030 sustainability strategy with ambitious targets to dramatically reduce both our own carbon emissions and those of our entire value chain. A core component of our strategy is to show others how to build sustainably.

Our founder, Villum Kann Rasmusen, once said that “one experiment is better than a thousand expert opinions.” Staying true to this philosophy, we collaborated with our design and engineering partners to create a concept called Living Places, a prototype village in Copenhagen. These homes were built using 3x less embodied carbon than a typical Danish home, and estimated to be 6x lower than a typical British house.

These homes are designed to the ActiveHouse standard, which harmonises indoor comfort with environmental impact and energy efficiency. What sets these homes apart is that they are constructed from readily available, everyday materials sourced from local builders’ merchants. Moreover, they are designed for easy disassembly, repair, replacement, or recycling.

Living Places Copenhagen will be open to visit until September 2024 or you can take a virtual tour and find out more at buildforlife.velux.com.

Neil Freshwater, Public Affairs Manager, VELUX GB & Ireland, neil.freshwater@velux.co.uk

Marsh Industries, a leading manufacturer of off-mains drainage products based in Northamptonshire, continues to ensure that its range of wastewater products are at the forefront of industry compliance and environmental sustainability.

In seeking to deliver low carbon solutions, Marsh have assessed various options throughout the journey from customer order to products entering their working life.
The innovative “Trade-Talk” concise video series has enabled remote delivery of product training to take place, reducing travel and the associated emissions for both Marsh staff and their customers. Whilst Marsh has aligned itself to the industry wide move towards video conferencing and meetings since 2020.

As a certified ISO14001:2015 (Environmental Management) company, staff are encouraged to put forward their own suggestions for more sustainable ways of working. These have included the introduction of recycled cloths to carry out the polishing of product moulds in the factory. With staff also challenged to minimise waste and recycle materials whenever possible.

In looking at their environmental impact, Marsh have already worked alongside VOSA to ensure the most efficient and optimal delivery methods are provided whilst doing so in a safe manner. Helping reduce vehicle movements in the distribution of their products to customer sites.

Once Marsh Sewage Treatment plants are operational, they deliver efficient power utilisation. With the Ultra:Polylok commercial sewage treatment plant providing the ability for sites to utilise the process control mechanism. This reduces energy consumption depending on seasonal utilisation. Whilst the Ensign and Portapura range deploy the Submerged Aeration Filtration (SAF-MBRR) approach for wastewater treatment. Which minimises power usage, without compromise on effluent quality. This economical, but reliable approach, places the EN12566 compliant Ensign range as a market leader.

The Portapura is a portable above ground treatment plant option, reducing the need for groundwork to facilitate larger scale Cesspool’s, and enabling future use at ensuing projects for contractors. This approach also reduces the volume of waste to remove from a given site. Consequently reducing vehicle movements, and enabling a lower carbon footprint.

Marsh invest heavily in product research and development, and this ethos ensures continuous improvement is high on the agenda. With reviews carried out to ensure opportunities for optimising carbon reduction strategies are identified and actioned. This approach has facilitated a new scheme to provide a tree sapling with every Sewage Treatment Plant purchased. When a tree has been living for 20 years it is anticipated, it will have absorbed 350 kg’s of CO2. With Marsh expecting to provide 50,000 saplings in the next 5 years. Carbon offsetting through tree planting can be a valuable tool in the fight against climate change when used as part of a broader strategy for reducing emissions and transitioning to a more sustainable future.

With offsite construction and a 50-year product lifecycle, Marsh Industries are proud to support UK construction with its wide range of off-mains drainage products. Alongside the previously referenced Sewage Treatment Plants, this also extends to Oil Separators, Pump Stations, Phosphate Reduction and Tertiary treatment units.