Events

Demand from householders wanting to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes is high.

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 privately owned. Homeowners will need to carry out extensive eco-renovation works as a part of general improvements and extensions in the coming years.

We know demand is there, but we don’t have enough people to do the work! These homes need your skills and expertise. This event is free to attend, with additional bursary available for tradespeople and other construction professionals based in Cumbria

This course gives you a starting point for getting into retrofit, the future of the building industry. Run by People Powered Retrofit experts, this two-day course will help you to:

• understand the fundamental principles of eco-retrofit works,
• build on your existing construction knowledge and skills,
• get up to date with the latest green building techniques, products, and regulations,
• find new business opportunities in retrofit.

What you'll learn:

Retrofit drivers and approaches

• Factors driving demand for domestic retrofit work
• How eco-retrofit approaches can be applied to different house types
• Importance of base-line energy assessments and the whole-house plan
• Challenges and benefits of ‘incremental’ retrofit

Air-tightness and ventilation

• How to identify common air-tightness weaknesses
• Air-tightness scores and methods for testing air-tightness
• Common air-tightness products and methods
• Importance of effective, planned ventilation

Fabric heat-loss and insulation

• Statutory requirements for walls, roofs, floors, windows and doors
• Advantages and disadvantages of common insulation methods and materials for walls, roofs, floors, windows and doors
• Differences between ‘vapour-permeable’ and ‘vapour-control’ methods of insulation
• Mitigating common practical and detailing problems
• Effective installation methods for walls, roofs, floors, windows and doors

Thermal bridging and thermal by-pass

• Principles of thermal bridging and thermal bypass
• 'Lambda’ (k), Resistance (R) and U values
• Using U values as a tool for assessing building performance

This training will be delivered by Marion Lloyd-Jones, a Retrofit Trainer at People Powered Retrofit. PPR are a not-for-profit one-stop-shop retrofit service in Greater Manchester and the North West who offer clear, independent advice and support to help householders plan, procure and deliver retrofit projects to a high standard. They also provide contractor training services and carry out consultancy work for other organisations and local authorities around the UK.

Who is it for?

This course is for construction professionals. We encourage attendance from joiners, general builders, and site managers at small firms who work on any building projects of which Part L applies.

Dates and times: This is a two-day course. You must attended both days in order to receive a certificate of attendance and the bursary.

Venue: The course takes place in a classroom and workshop at BTP Construction Training Centre. The venue is a 10-minute walk from Carlisle train station.

Refreshments: You will need to bring your own lunch, but you will have access to a kitchenette with tea and coffee making facilities and a microwave.

Access Requirements:  There is step-free access to the classroom and workshop, and an accessible ground-floor toilet. If you have any access requirements that you would like to discuss before booking, please get in touch with us.

PPE: Attendees are advised that they will need to wear appropriate PPE for the practical elements of this course. All PPE other than footwear will be provided, although attendees can bring their own work gloves, dust masks, goggles if they prefer.

Bursary: A £400 bursary is available for this event to cover time & costs for builders/construction professionals in Cumbria. To claim the bursary, please send an invoice to [email protected], containing the following information: Invoice to: Cumbria Action for Sustainability, Eden Rural Foyer, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 8JL For: Bursary for Retrofit Fundamentals for Builders, 23 & 24 March 2023, to the value of £400. (Note that £400 is the total bursary, including VAT for VAT registered businesses). After attendance for the whole event, this invoice will be reimbursed. If there are multiple attendees from your business, please feel free to submit one invoice for multiple attendees. If you are attending more than one of our events for builders this February/March, please submit a separate invoice for each training event.