The Scottish Government this week announced a £10 million fund to help greener building of affordable homes.

According to research by Edinburgh Napier University, manufacturing walls, floors, pipes, kitchens and roofs off-site and then transporting to the point of construction as a unit speeds up the process, reduces waste and impact on the environment.

Off-site manufacturing in Scotland could be worth some £240 million over the next five years, as well as £50 million in exports and over 500 jobs, says the research.

The Scottish Government’s Greener Homes Innovation Scheme aims to capitalise on those possibilities, with a competition for councils, housing associations, builders and developers using such off-site construction methods for affordable, modern, environmentally friendly homes.

“Houses are key sources of carbon emissions so new technologies are essential to ensure we deliver energy efficient and low carbon affordable homes,” commented Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure Investment and Cities, Nicola Sturgeon during a visit to an off-site manufacturer, City Building, in Glasgow.

“The scheme will encourage modern methods of construction thereby making more fuel efficient housing widely available, which will help to cut energy bills and tackle fuel poverty,” she added.

The competition is open until December 20, 2012.

For further information:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/sustainable/largescale
 

Article source: http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/i/5406/