The property search firm says home owners of the one in four homes in the UK that are at risk of flooding could find themselves unable to get insurance against it when the statement of principles agreed between the government and Association of British Insurers expires at the end of June 2013.

And it warns this could mean owners will be unable to insure their properties from this summer as insurers become unwilling to offer policies that expire after the end of the agreement.

The research says uninsured properties could leave owners in breach of their mortgage contract as well as being harder to sell and remortgage. It says insurers are already trying to rid themselves of homes at significant risk of flooding and that some owners have been unable to obtain policies with excesses below £20,000.

Source:  AboutProperty.co.uk

The installation, created exclusively for Viessmann Heating Technology by German graphic artist, Karl Duschek, takes the place of the traditional star representing the potential of solar power. The tree will be lit with energy efficient warm-white LED bulbs for a modern look.

Director of Marketing for Viessmann, Andreas Tank, remarks that “renewable energy sources play an important role in a sustainable global development, but during this festive season environmental consciousness seems to be set aside. The consideration of holiday consumption, energy-demanding decorations and the deforestation of trees worldwide gave inspiration to the idea of this tree.”

The Opposite House has environmentally conscious touch-points like its paperless check-in and check-out process, use of reclaimed wood along its corridors and natural light in the public spaces.

Many companies are now looking to benefit from the coalition government’s Feed in Tariff Scheme (FIT) by renting roof space from homeowners to host solar panels. Under the scheme, the leasing company can then sell the generated energy to power suppliers for a profit.

However, with many leases running for up to 25 years, often without a break clause, home owners can find themselves tied to agreements which could put them in breach of their mortgage arrangement, discourage prospective buyers and even create structural problems their property.

While providing homeowners with additional income, the potential consequences can be severe, RICS points out. Furthermore, it says, until the Green Deal is introduced in 2012, installers are not formally accredited, meaning that installations can be carried out by individuals poorly qualified to properly assess the installation process and the potential impact on the property.

Source: PropertyWire.com

These proposals could mean far fewer firms will offer “free installation” deals. This could mean the scheme becomes the preserve of the middle classes with only those who can afford the £10,000 plus installation look set to be able to use solar panels to cut their own domestic fuel bills.

Q: What subsidy is being cut?

A: At present the Government pays a “feed-in tariff” to all households who install their own solar panels. At present this is 43.3p for each kilowatt hour (kWh) generated, plus a further 3.1p for each kWh that is exported back to the National Grid. But solar panels installed after December 12 will only earn a tariff of 21p for each kWh generated. As is the case now though, home owners will still be paid for electricity, even if they use it themselves.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Next door to it is another timber-build apartment block, which despite being smaller overall, is even taller. In fact, Hackney Council is planning to use timber building extensively in redeveloping the housing estate on which Bridport House stands, stating that residents have a very positive view of the timber-framed properties.

The decision to build a timber building on the site came about originally through necessity. Bridport House is built directly above one of London’s largest storm sewers, which is big enough to drive through in a double-decker bus, so the building weight had to be kept to a minimum. By utilising timber as the main construction material, architects have been able to build an apartment block twice the size of the one previously on the site, but with no extra weight being exerted above the storm sewer.

The main components of the building are made from cross-laminated softwood panels, which can be fixed together quickly and more cheaply than when building in brick and concrete. The project leaders also told BBC News online that the building was just as resistant to fire as more traditional constructions, and had the added advantages of making overall construction cheaper and significantly greener.

As interest in Emerald Knight’s bamboo bond project increases, this kind of project only serves to highlight the potential market growth for anyone investing in bamboo. Bamboo is widely used in construction throughout Asia, and given that it grows faster than all major construction timbers, the possibilities for bamboo as a building material and sustainable source of construction-grade timber are brought into clear focus. For more information on Emerald Knight’s bamboo bond project, click here

Leading UK polar scientists have claimed that the Atlas, costing £150 and published by a Times Books, a division of HarperCollins and another part of News Corporation organisation, is wrong to assert that it had to re-draw the map of Greenland to account for climate change. Publicity for the new edition of the atlas last week said global warming had turned 15 per cent of Greenland’s formerly ice-covered landscape ‘green and ice-free’.

Scientists from the Scott Polar Research Institute say the figures are wrong and the ice has not withdrawn to such a dramatic extent. Director Julian Dowdeswell said the claim of a 15 per cent loss of ice in just 12 years is wrong. “Recent satellite images of Greenland make it clear that there are in fact still numerous glaciers and permanent ice cover where the new Times Atlas shows ice-free conditions and the emergence of new lands. We do not know why this error has occurred, but it is regrettable that the claimed drastic reduction in the extent of ice in Greenland has created headline news around the world. There is to our knowledge no support for this claim in the published scientific literature.”

The atlas claims to be the most authoritative in the world, and documents the break up of some Antarctic ice shelves, the shrinking of inland waters such as the Dead Sea and Aral Sea, as well as the drying up of rivers like the Colorado River.

A spokesman for publisher HarperCollins said the atlas was compiled with data from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center.

The building is an inverted skyscraper, which extends into the ground to offer a large amount of accommodation within a very small space. The design, by BNKR Aquitectura, is being heralded as a natural solution for the city’s lack of housing space and population of 21.2 million.

The colossal structure will be constructed at the heart of Mexico City’s historic district, replacing the main square of the Mexican capital with a glass roof. Property laws in Mexico City forbid any structure over eight stories high, but the Earthscraper will contain 65 stories in total. The top ten of these will be dedicated to a museum, while offices, shops and homes will fall underneath. A hollow shaft runs down the middle, offering light and ventilation to all levels of the building.

“The Earthscraper is the skyscraper’s antagonist in an historic urban landscape where the latter is condemned and the preservation of the built environment is the paramount ambition. It preserves the iconic presence of the city square and the existing hierarchy of the buildings that surround it,” explains BNKR.

The building’s ground-breaking design was a finalist in eVolo Magazine’s Skyscraper competition last year.

The list of improved rivers includes London’s River Wandle, which was officially declared a sewer in the 1960s, and the River Nar in Norfolk and Kent’s River Darent.

The River Thames was also on the list, having been declared ‘biologically dead’ during the 1950s, and the River Taff in south Wales, which used to run deep black due to the amount of coal dust it carried but is now a leading venue for fishing competitions.

Another river which has been cleaned up through changing industrial processes is the River Stour in Worcestershire, which used to be famous for the rainbow colours disposed of in its waters by local carpet manufacturers.

However, it is not just changes made by industry that have helped the rivers on the ‘most improved’ list to recover their natural habitats and become once again a haven for wildlife. Along the River Darent in Kent local farming concerns are now taking 35 million litres fewer per day compared with 20 years ago, resulting in increased water flows and helping to sustain more wildlife.

The Environment Agency says that Britain’s rivers are now the healthiest they have been in 20 years. Ian Barker said the Agency still has improvements to make: “We have plans to transform a further 9,500 miles of rivers in England and Wales by 2015 – the equivalent of the distance between the UK and Australia.”

Following a three month campaign, leading renewable energy company Eco Environments has received confirmation from Eden District Council that it will no longer require people to apply for building regulations as long as their chosen installer is a member of the Government’s Competent Person Scheme.

Eco Environments said that a revised document published by the Communities and Local Government Department made it clear that councils were wrong to insist on such regulations.

The campaign was launched after Eco Environments received reports from homeowners that they were routinely being asked to apply and pay for building regulations applications.

Eco Environments quickly won the backing of Shadow Energy Ministers Huw Irranca-Davies and Luciana Berger and the local MP Rory Stewart. Within a matter of days, Government Energy Minister Greg Barker pledged to take the matter up with the Communities and Local Government Department.

During the campaign, other local authorities, including West Lancashire Council, were exposed as using similar tactics with homeowners and businesses looking to sign up to renewable energy technologies.

David Hunt, a director with Eco Environments which has offices across the UK, said: “We are delighted that Eden District Council has written to us confirming that it will no longer demand that our customers apply for building regulations.

“The Government’s revised documents make it crystal clear that customers using companies such as our own, which are members of the Competent Person Scheme, can allow us to self-certify all aspects of installation including roof structure.

“While it is a great shame that a number of customers have had to suffer unnecessary stress and financial costs during the flouting of Government guidance, it is a huge step forward that councils such as Eden District are now telling us they are happy to comply.”

Cathy Debenham, founder of renewable energy champion You Gen, said: “I am delighted that this campaign launched by Eco Environments and supported by ourselves has proved so successful. This hard fought victory will hopefully benefit the renewable energy industry as a whole.”

Energy4All plans to site two 77-metre high turbines near Kingsbridge and has already applied for planning permission for the first stage of the project. The group supports community-owned energy projects, supplying the specialist knowledge to allow local co-operatives to purchase a stake in their local power supply and receive an annual share interest payment from the income earned.

The public exhibitions are planned to inform the local community about how the projects will work, and introduce the idea of a Devon-wide wind energy co-operative.

John Malone, development director at Energy4All, said: “The Devon Community Wind Co-operative will offer the opportunity for Devon residents to purchase a stake in the projects and so receive an annual share interest payment from the income. Membership of the co-operative provides an opportunity for people to engage in an active way with the issues of climate change and energy insecurity. The project will also provide a fund for use by local communities on energy efficiency and climate change awareness projects. Therefore, I would encourage people to visit the information sessions.”