Retrofit and decarbonisation: it’s time to rethink the route to scale

Retrofit with purpose: rethinking decarbonisation and design Across the UK, the call for mass retrofit grows louder by the month. Buildings account for around 40 per cent of our carbon emissions, and if we are serious about meeting net zero targets, large-scale retrofit is non-negotiable. Yet despite the ambition, the path we are currently paving could make true scale impossible. From May 29, 2025, new rules in England require all new Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) installations to comply with the MCS 020a standard, but the new rules will not come into effect until May 29, 2026. From this date, all air source…
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Government targets to restore our native forests could be delivered 81 years late!

Hardcastle Crags, Hebden Bridge (13th July 2025). CREDIT: Wild Card Wild Card: their powerful petition A huge show of public support is continuing after it was revealed that Government targets to restore native forest could well be delivered 81 years late... unless urgent action is taken now. A petition calling on Forestry England to fulfil its commitment to bring back the nation's "ghost woods" - ancient woodland sites felled and replaced by timber plantations in the 20th century - has been signed by over 120,000 members of the public. The milestone was reached less than three weeks after the launch of the petition,…
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Celebrating PRL’s 18 years of green innovation and sustainability

The PRL Pioneers This autumn, PRL marks a significant milestone: 18 years of pioneering in both the public and private sectors. Since its inception, PRL has been an innovator, creating retrofit solutions that address the evolving needs of buildings, large and small. Its mission: to provide solutions that enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and support sustainability goals. PRL and the Public Sector: Innovation for the greater good The ambition was always to work within the public sector for the greater good. The projects are always challenging, and are designed to help society as a whole have options that are more…
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Richest look set to produce 13x more transport emissions by 2035

Photo Credit: Kyle Bushnell Calls for policies that tackle flying and private car use Transport emissions in the UK are not just an environmental issue - they are a question of fairness. A new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) reveals a stark inequality: by 2035, under current government policies, the richest Britons will be producing 13 times more domestic transport emissions than the poorest. And, when international travel is included, the gap grows to 22 times. This isn't simply about carbon footprint - it's about who can access the benefits of mobility, and who bears the…
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The rise of van life

500,000 - and rising... Did you know that over half a million people in the UK live in either vans or campervans? And, it's a rising trend: there are over 16,000 motorhomes registered each year. To understand why they have chosen such a nomadic lifestyle, we thought we'd take a deep dive into what life is like when the holiday never ends. The promise of an easier, trouble-free life? Is it perhaps the allure of a 'freer' life, the call of spontaneous adventure, or the embrace of a minimalist lifestyle that has propelled van life into a prominent cultural phenomenon? Whatever…
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On the brink: why climate resilience can’t wait

The UK's weather is no longer just 'unpredictable' The UK's relationship with weather has long been one of mild fascination, but the days of gentle unpredictability are fading fast. We are now firmly in the age of climate disruption - and it's getting worse. From overheating cities to flash floods, droughts, wildfires, and infrastructure failures, the UK is no longer insulated from extreme weather. These events aren't 'one-off's' either - they're part of a volatile new normal. What we are seeing are climate 'whips' (hydroclimate whiplash) - sudden swings between extremes, such as torrential downpours following long dry spells, or…
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