CICV and Actuate UK members launch Green Homes Festival

Two key members of Actuate UK are preparing to play a starring role in Scotland’s upcoming Green Home Festival, which will be officially opened on Monday 8 August 2022 by Patrick Harvie MSP as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Scottish Government’s Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights will be keynote speaker at the launch of the week-long renewables jamboree, which will see SELECT and SNIPEF delivering a wealth of essential advice.

Organised by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV), the event will see 12 in-person and virtual presentations on green topics, targeting homeowners, professionals, housing associations and local authorities to help Scotland become a net zero nation.

SELECT will be among those presenting events, co-hosting a webinar entitled Hitting the Road with EVs with its fleet partners Pike + Bambridge which will share tips on choosing an electric vehicle and how to go about installing a domestic charge point.

The association will co-host another online session, Taking the Swedish View, in which award-winning Stockholm construction company, Botkyrkabyggen, will reveal how they use solar panels, wind turbines and artificial intelligence to improve energy efficiency.

SNIPEF will also be delivering an informative presentation, co-hosting an in-person session entitled Demystifying heat pumps that will help homeowners understand more about the use of the technology to warm the home and reduce carbon emissions.

Iain Mason, Director of Membership & Communications at SELECT, said: “We are delighted to be playing a key role in this inaugural festival and look forward to sharing our knowledge and expertise with delegates to help inform about renewable technology.”

Live Green Home Festival sessions will take place at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) at 10 Charlotte Square in central Edinburgh. Each will offer demonstrations and hands-on guidance to help people reduce their carbon footprint and become more energy efficient.

With contributions from other organisations including the Federation of Master Builders and the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, the range of topics covered by the week of events will include:

Building sustainable neighbourhoods
Using sustainable materials
Retrofitting tenements
Improving energy efficiency
Mitigating climate change
Protecting from flood risk.

Electrical Safety First will deliver the week’s final show, Living Safely in the Future, in which CEO Lesley Rudd will outline what householders can do to ensure their homes are protected when installing the innovation that is fast becoming a part of everyday life

Mr Harvie, who will kick off events at Charlotte Square before the first event, said: “This inaugural Green Home Festival is greatly to be welcomed and its organisers, the members of the CICV, warmly congratulated on the initiative.

“The climate emergency is already upon us, and if we're to stand a chance of preventing its worst consequences we need both government and industry to support a transformation of our homes and buildings. Many of the actions and new ideas needed are being advocated by the expert speakers and presenters over the week-long Green Home Festival programme.”

Members of the CICV are now aiming to build the week-long green event into an annual event.

One of the organisers, Gordon Nelson, Scotland Director of the Federation of Master Builders, said: “This event will highlight the important role that construction will play for Scotland to achieve its net zero target in the years ahead, and also help householders understand the new technology and ways of doing things that will be involved.

“Delivered via collaboration across the Scottish construction industry through CICV, we are aiming to make this inaugural event an annual occasion that will help to build a long-term legacy and demonstrate our commitment to greener, low-carbon solutions.”

Full details, including how to book tickets for each event, are available on the Festival’s website at greenhomefestival.co.uk.