In order to avoid unnecessary cost escalation when building to the Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH) levels, it’s important to involve an expert CfSH assessor right from the get-go – which is why AJ Energy were brought in at the planning stage on this 12-house scheme in Nedging Tye, Suffolk.
The Blenheim Meadow development, which consists of eight open-market properties and four affordable homes available through Hastoe Housing Association – and the latter had to be built to Level 3, in order to meet the housing association’s requirements. “We wanted to engage specialist support right from the beginning, since the process of building to the Code levels differs significantly to the way in which Planning applications have run in the past, and the administration process is complicated,” explained Trevor Stiff, Regional Managing Director for developer and contractor Breheny. “Our architects, Wincer Kievenaar, recommended AJ Energy Consultants as they’d already worked with them on several projects, which gave us great confidence in AJ’s services.”
“AJ Energy Consultants took a very proactive approach to their recommendations, which enabled both us and the developer to focus on the job in hand. In an industry where time is money, this is the sort of forward-thinking support that we need to ensure that a project does not slow down and therefore cost over the odds.”
“We initially chose to work with AJ Energy Consultants because they were local to us,” said Philip Branton, Partner at Wincer Kievenaar. “But we soon realised what a great find we’d made. Thanks to their architecture and engineering training, we found them to be the perfect partners for projects large and small, whether we’re working on a residential scheme, a commercial building, or a public sector development.”
Working on the Blenheim Meadow project right from the start, AJ Energy Consultants were able to ensure an economic benefit for their client Breheny, since building efficiency measures in to the design from the start is more cost-effective. For example, the consultant was able to suggest that the client altered the party wall Robust Detail from one with 1 credit for sound insulation, to another with 4 credits for sound insulation. This fitted within the dwelling design, and was a cost effective way of gaining the additional credits required. “We found that our partnership with AJ was critical in keeping our budgets under control, while still meeting the Code requirements. Every time we considered an update to the design, they were able to re-cast the calculations, and come back to us promptly with the figures upon which we could base our decision,” continued Trevor.
“Unlike some Code Assessors, who merely carry out a tick box exercise and wait for the client to present problems which need to be solved, AJ Energy Consultants took a very proactive approach to their recommendations, which enabled both us and the developer to focus on the job in hand,” continued Philip. “In an industry where time is money, this is the sort of forward-thinking support that we need to ensure that a project does not slow down and therefore cost over the odds.”
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