Public Relations Culture

The Dynamic Shift in Online Interaction and the Emergence of Actionable Information

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Fri, 7 Jun 2024 09:02:00 GMT

Introduction

In today's digital landscape, online interaction has evolved from mere information dissemination to dynamic, actionable communication. This transformation underscores the immense power of networked communication and its potential for virality, fundamentally altering how we perceive and use the internet.

Historical Context and Evolution of Communication Models

Traditional Communication Models

Historically, the dominant model of communication was rooted in information dissemination, primarily following the framework formulated by Shannon and Weaver. This model comprises five essential elements:

1. **Information Source**: Origin of the message.

2. **Transmitter**: Encodes the message into signals.

3. **Channel**: Medium through which the message is transmitted (e.g., the internet).

4. **Receiver**: Decodes the message from signals.

5. **Destination**: The end point where the message arrives.

Additionally, **Noise** represents any interference that disrupts the message. This model, while foundational, is increasingly viewed as insufficient for explaining contemporary digital interactions.

The New Paradigm: Action Upon Arrival

The internet has introduced a crucial seventh element: **action upon arrival**. This reflects how digital interactions not only convey information but also prompt immediate actions. The boundaries between information and action have blurred, exemplifying the internet's role in transforming communication modes.

The Internet's Escape from the Box

Beyond Static Communication

Contrary to the outdated view of the internet as confined to computers, today's internet enables real-time, actionable communication. For instance, wearable technology can transmit health data (pulse, blood pressure, steps taken) directly to various devices, showcasing how the internet facilitates immediate, action-oriented data exchange.

Voice-Activated Devices

Voice-activated devices like Alexa and Google Assistant epitomise this transformation, bridging digital communication and real-world actions. These assistants execute tasks via voice commands, from controlling smart home devices to accessing personalise information, illustrating the seamless integration of digital and physical realms.

The Internet of Things (IoT) and Automation

Expanding Capabilities

Digital assistants extend their functionality through the Internet of Things (IoT), automating tasks for enhanced efficiency. They control smart devices such as light bulbs, thermostats, and security systems, streamlining routines and improving convenience.

Media and Device Control

Voice-activated assistants also facilitate hands-free media playback, enhancing entertainment experiences. They manage connected devices like televisions and augmented reality features, demonstrating their versatile utility across various domains.

The Role of PR Practitioners in the Digital Network Era

Leveraging Digital Tools

PR practitioners can harness digital tools to revolutionise traditional practices, using the convergence of information and actionable instructions to transcend geographical boundaries. This empowers them to implement innovative strategies and engage with global audiences more effectively.

Integration with APIs and Real-Time Content

The integration of APIs and real-time content (maps, weather, calendars, IoT) presents new opportunities for PR professionals. This book explores these possibilities, offering insights into leveraging these tools to enhance PR effectiveness in the digital age.

Notable Voice Assistants and Their Applications

Leading Voice Assistants

1. **Siri**: Apple's intelligent personal assistant for iOS and other Apple devices.

2. **Cortana**: Microsoft's assistant integrated with Windows 10 and Microsoft 365.

3. **Samsung Bixby**: Focuses on device interactions for Galaxy devices.

4. **IBM Watson Assistant**: Advanced conversational AI platform with broad integration.

5. **Huawei HiVoice**: Tailored for Huawei devices, supporting multiple languages.

6. **SoundHound Houndify**: Independent voice AI platform for various products.

7. **Nuance Dragon Drive SDK**: Adds conversational AI capabilities.

8. **Microsoft AI**: Open-source assistant for Linux and Windows PCs.

Specialised Assistants

- **IPA from SAP**: Designed for enterprise workflows.

- **Orbita Voice**: Tailored for healthcare.

- **ALICE from GoMoment**: Focuses on hospitality.

The Internet Without the Cloud: Bluetooth

Bluetooth Technology

Bluetooth enables direct communication between devices, facilitating tasks without relying on cloud services. For example, smart bulbs can be controlled via Bluetooth, allowing users to adjust settings through an app on their smartphone or tablet.

Everyday Bluetooth Applications

Bluetooth technology is ubiquitous, used in:

- Wireless speakers and headphones

- Smart lights and locks

- Fitness trackers and smartwatches

- Wireless keyboards and game controllers

- Health monitoring devices (blood glucose and pressure monitors)

- Hands-free calling and media streaming

Conclusion

The digital landscape has evolved to integrate information with immediate action, reshaping online interaction. This shift, driven by advancements in IoT, voice-activated devices, and Bluetooth technology, offers boundless opportunities for PR practitioners and beyond. As we continue to explore these possibilities, the internet's capacity to interact with diverse tools and technologies will further revolutionise our communication and interaction paradigms.

A Different Manifesto

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Fri, 31 May 2024 09:01:00 GMT

The General Election Manifesto

Re-visiting policy options

Introduction

The political parties are about to publish their manifestos for the next five years of governement.

Drab, dreary and more of the same but with six weeks of bells and whistles. Its time for different thinking.

Thinking that delivers solutions, does not cost the Treasury or taxpayer more money.

Activities that solve problems, provide employment and grow the economy.

Lets deliver solutions to solve crises such as the Economy, Inflation, NHS, Migration, Housing, Climate Change, Education, Shortage of social workers and carers.

Lets face up to looming thunder clouds such as threats from Russia, China and Iran and lightening strikes from Artificial Intelligence.

But there are other issues that people face that are tiny but affect us all. Flooding, potholes, unreadable road signs, dysfunctional and greedy managers. Is it time to scrap National Insurance payments without raising income tax.

Reconstructing Ukraine

Ministers have already proposed the UK be among those nations involved in the rebuilding of Ukraine post-war. The potential burden on the Treasury and British Taxpayer, as well as other countries, will be levied at a time of National expenditure constraints.

This promise should be shouldered without the Treasury and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office's financial contribution.

The proposal to fund these costs is the launch a national lottery specifically for the post-Ukraine war reconstruction.

This lottery is to be launched quickly to accumulate funds ready for post-war activity.

This will demonstrate that the government is serious in its endeavour; is not going to lever more cost on the taxpayer and especially the poorest in the nation and will keep the issue in the minds of the electors.

Energy storage now at no cost to the taxpayer

There is an urgent need for a big power storage investment. The solution so far is to build big (vulnerable) battery parks in the countryside to the chagrin of the local (Conservative) populous. It is also a solution that will take a long time to implement.

An alternative is to use a proposed ‘windfall bond’. This bond will be available to organisations facing a windfall tax. These organisations will be offered a return on investment from constructing and locating, and connecting large batteries at electricity substations in the next financial year.

The freight container-sized batteries will be charged with electricity bought at the cheapest rate and returned to the grid at times of high demand and higher value. The revenues go to the companies.

The organisation will be able to put the batteries as assets on its books but will not be able to sell them until the end of a statutory term of 25 years.

In effect, the batteries will be a bond-financed from tax avoidance.

(there will be a need to mandate planning authorities to fast-track approvals (the greenhouse impact is bigger than a local planning officer’s prejudices).

Whereas Windfall taxes are a disincentive for big companies to locate their HQs in the UK, this scheme will, in effect, turn taxes into an incentive to locate in the UK.

In addition, this scheme will provide a huge, distributed power backup network. It will be implemented at speed and will create jobs in the UK.

All this at no cost to the taxpayer.

No more NHS strikes

One of the big political issues is the reduced value of NHS staff pay.

This need not be the case. There is already an inflation-protected benchmark.

The government established the national minimum wage to provide a basic income for work. Using this benchmark, NHS employees can be paid an internationally competitive percentage of the minimum wage set at a percentage above the minimum wage pro rata between Consultants and nurses etc.

It will have to be progressively introduced. But would then take the politics out of the process for the future.

This is a concept that can be applied to other public sector employees.

Cut the cost of Defence

The UK now manufactures battle-tested armament. It is very costly, and there is a dependence on the US.

There are corrupt actors involved.

The EU community is squabbling over who, what, and how much contribution will be made by different nations. It is not very helpful for a country like the UK that has global commitments and which can see how bad actors waylay defence equipment.

It is possible to track military equipment and munitions from the place of manufacture to its maintenance and eventual use. The process is to have a blockchain audit trail.

A Commonwealth consortium that could use such a scheme and spread the cost of development and implementation could resolve the cost.

Scrap Government Arts Funding

We live in an era when the metaverse can reproduce digital representations worldwide. By developing Virtual Reality versions of national and regional galleries, concerts, museums etc. These national treasures can be available on every high street, with vacant shops turned into walk-in VR studios. This would also contribute towards increasing high street/retail locations’ footfall.

The revenues generated from such studios (asking for a modest entry fee) can then fund this initiative and bring the arts and British culture to an audience that would not normally go to such venues (and often not travel to the cities they are located).

Such facilities can also be made available to schools and universities too.

Small towns worldwide (also with the problem of dying high streets) can also take advantage of this cultural resource offering a franchise for distributing British culture and providing revenue (there are many ‘1000’s of small towns in the USA, Canada, Australia etc.).

Build 40 Hospitals

There are now many medical facilities that are offered in standard ISO freight container sizes. In addition, there are similar-sized hospital wards. They are manufactured indoors, away from the effects of weather on construction.

Almost any warehouse estate can be converted into a hospital with clinics, operating theatres and all the facilities needed in a modern hospital. Warehouses take very little time to build compared to the construction of hospitals. Fitting out such a building can be incremental, for example, installing wards first to reduce the backlog and adding day clinics and theatres later.

Creating the manufacturing ISO container-sized manufacturing facilities capability to fulfil the need for 40 UK hospitals and exports of these facilities will need encouragement by the health service with a strong emphasis on UK manufacturers.

Massive battery storage

There is a need to be able to store energy to mitigate the vagaries of the weather when using green production capacity. There are also major issues with the supply of gas and other forms of energy.

In addition, big battery farms take a long time to install. We also must face the prospect of political actors disrupting big installations (think Ukraine).

Furthermore, there are a number of storage capabilities which will require a nimble selection of the best storage facilities.

The need for building such a facility is a costly process for the government.

A solution might be to offer energy companies a mitigation of new or increased taxes, such as windfall taxes, on the proviso that they fund the installation of batteries on or near transformer sites across the country. It will require local planning authorities to support and not object to such installations.

The participating companies will own the batteries, which will be developed to buy electricity from the Grid at times of low cost and sell it at times of high cost.

The batteries will be owned by the participating companies for 7 years (i.e. beyond the next parliament) but will be able to sell them thereafter. In effect, the battery initiative will be gilts.

At a time when these companies face high taxes across the world, this scheme will have the reverse effect and will encourage them to keep their headquarters in the UK.

Pothole Problems

Finding the revenues to fill potholes and maintain road infrastructure is a cost to the Treasury and local government.

There is also a need to reduce traffic speed for safety and environmental reasons. Enforcing such restraint is also hard and costly.

Increasing the fines for people found speeding and ringfencing the increase in revenue would be a welcome income scheme. Part of this revenue will, in the beginning, be used to add more speeding cameras and automate collecting fines at no added cost to the government.

Conclusion

Autumn Statement 2 is already in draft.

It is possible to develop creative policies from such suggestions. The principle is to examine an issue and provide a solution at no cost to the Treasury.

There is a big BUT. Politicians (and notably MP’s), Governments and civil servants do not want to change. Still, if the Conservatives want to win the General Election, they must be radical and creative.

Augmented Reality 2

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 19:50:00 GMT

Making your own Augmented Reality experience

The first step in creating an AR experience is selecting the right platform and tools to help execute the vision. There are several AR development platforms available, such as ARKit (for Apple iOS devices), ARCore (for Android devices), and Vuforia (compatible with both iOS and Android). These platforms, and many others, offer extensive libraries and resources and enable native AR applications for smartphones and tablets. There are many other products available online.

In addition to these platforms, 3D modelling and animation software for creating interactive objects and characters. Some popular tools include Autodesk Maya, Blender, and Unity 3D. A search for such software will offer additional vendors.

The next phase of the process involves planning and conceptualising the AR experience. Here are a few key questions to ask at this stage:

What are the objectives of the prospective AR experience (E.g., informing, relationship management, entertainment, marketing, learning)?

What type of digital content is to be overlayed, e.g., 3D objects, text, videos - the TV programme (‘Strickly Come Dancing’ superimposes virtual theatre sets on the TV screen during contestants’ dances)?

What device(s) will the AR experience be accessible on (e.g. kiosk, screen, smartphone, glasses, headsets)?

What user interaction will be offered (e.g., tap, swipe, voice commands, sensor)?

Will the projection be still, animated or interactive?

Based on answers to these questions, the process can continue and can begin to build a clear and cohesive narrative for your AR experience.

With a better understanding of building an AR experience, it's time to start designing and developing the project. First, create the digital assets using 3D modelling and animation software. Ensure these assets are optimised for real-time rendering and compatible with the chosen AR development platform.

Next, import the digital assets into the AR development platform and construct the AR experience. Utilise the platform's given features and tools, such as tracking algorithms, to ensure smooth and accurate augmentation of the digital content. Additionally, pay close attention to user interaction and intuitiveness, as these aspects directly impact the overall user experience.

After developing the AR experience's core components, testing and refining the project is crucial. This process may involve fixing bugs, improving tracking algorithms, and ensuring seamless integration of digital content within the real-world environment. When conducting tests, analyse the experience from the user's perspective, addressing potential pain points and difficulties.

By understanding the fundamentals of AR and following a structured process of planning, design, development, and testing, you can create engaging and innovative experiences for your stakeholders. Whether you're an independent consultant or a part of a large organisation, mastering AR will place you at the forefront of rapidly evolving technology, allowing you to unlock new opportunities for growth and success in the ever-changing digital landscape.

Augmented reality (AR) can be used for communication in many ways. For example, it can overlay text, images, or videos in the real world, which can help share information or provide instructions. AR can also be used to create virtual avatars that can interact with each other, which can be helpful for remote collaboration or education.

Additionally, AR can be used to create shared experiences between people in different locations, cultures and languages which can help to build relationships and create a sense of community.

Here are some specific examples of how AR is being used for multi-sensory communication:

In education, AR is being used to provide students with interactive learning experiences. For example, students can use AR to explore virtual models of historical sites or to view 3D images of cells and molecules.
In business, AR provides employees with training and support. For example, employees can use AR to view step-by-step instructions on assembling a product or getting help with a technical issue.
In the military, AR provides soldiers with information about their surroundings and helps them with tasks such as target identification.

The range of services for practitioners to use is huge. The PdF vendor Adobe has a straightforward capability called Aero (at https://www.adobe.com/uk/products/aero.html). It can be used by practitioners out-of-the-box.

There are many tools available to help practitioners to develop AR experiences. They are great fun to explore by searching for ‘augmented reality software’.

AR SDK: These tools allow users to build digital objects that will blend into the real world and will eventually become fully-fledged AR experiences.

AR WYSIWYG editor software enables users with limited to no coding background to create customised AR experiences. These tools have drag-and-drop capabilities that let users upload 3D objects and drop them directly into previously designed scenes.

AR game engine software – These solutions give game developers the framework for creating AR video game experiences. Using AR game engine software, users can create and edit 3D characters that can interact with the real world.

AR training simulator software – AR training simulator software leverages AR technology to train employees for certain jobs.

Creating an Augmented Reality experience can be an exciting and rewarding endeavour.

Augmented Reality

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 19:48:00 GMT

Welcome to the fascinating world of Augmented Reality (AR)!

Augmented Reality (AR) technology is a form of computer-generated imagery that blends digital objects and information into the physical world. It allows users to interact with virtual elements in real-time environments, creating a more immersive experience. AR applications range from gaming to education, providing new ways to learn and engage with online and offline content. This technology also brings various opportunities to Public Relations practitioners, marketers, retailers, and other businesses, enabling them to reach out to stakeholders uniquely. AR software works with (outdoor?) projectors, tablets, phones, headsets, TV’s and more. And, try this - Big projectors can be used for playing (some) computer games on a warehouse wall.

Imagine a world where the boundaries between the physical and digital realms blur, where the real and virtual coexist seamlessly. Augmented reality is a technology that overlays digital information and virtual objects onto the real world in real-time. It enhances our perception of reality and provides us with interactive experiences like never before.

At its core, augmented reality relies on computer vision and advanced sensors to track the user's real-world environment and superimpose digital elements onto it. This can be achieved through various devices such as smartphones, tablets, smart glasses, and headsets. AR applications use the device's camera and sensors to detect the user's location and orientation, enabling them to interact with the virtual objects in real space.

There is another issue. For many gamers, the games and headsets is a part of their online experience, replacing traditional websites.

Moreover, augmented reality has many applications in various industries, such as healthcare, education, entertainment, automotive, etc. For example, AR can be used to provide directions and navigation assistance in unfamiliar environments or to simulate real-world scenarios for training purposes

Augmented reality has the potential to revolutionise numerous industries and redefine how we interact with the world. Here are just a few examples:

1. Augmented Entertainment

AR is already making waves in gaming. With AR games like Pokemon Go, players can engage with virtual creatures and objects in their real-world surroundings. This technology extends beyond gaming into other forms of entertainment, such as live events, museums, and theme parks, enhancing visitor experiences and adding an extra layer of excitement.

2. Education and Training

AR can transform how young and old people are taught, learn and acquire new skills. It allows students to visualise complex concepts, interact with virtual models, and engage in immersive learning experiences. From virtual dissections in biology classes to interactive historical tours, AR has the potential to make education more engaging and effective.

3. Architecture and Design

Architects and interior designers leverage AR to bring their visions to life. By superimposing virtual models of their designs onto real-world spaces, they can showcase their concepts to clients and make real-time adjustments. This allows for better visualisation of the final product and aids in effective communication between designers and clients.

4. Healthcare

In the field of healthcare, AR is being used for a variety of purposes. Surgeons can wear AR glasses during operations, displaying vital information without looking away from the patient. Medical students can practice surgeries virtually before performing them on living patients. AR also assists in medical imaging, allowing doctors to overlay CT scans or X-rays onto a patient's body for more accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.

Challenges and Opportunities

While augmented reality holds tremendous potential, there are still challenges to overcome. The technology needs to become more affordable and accessible for widespread adoption. Additionally, concerns around privacy, security, and ethical use of AR need to be addressed.

However, the future looks promising. As AR technology advances, we can expect to see more immersive experiences, improved user interfaces, and increased integration into our everyday lives.

This is a really good communication tool for PR people.

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 10:23:00 GMT

Housing and Climate Change Manifesto

The UK housing sector is broken and new housing is not addressing the dangers inherent in Climate Change. With a housing stock largely built over 50 years ago, there is a big problem bringing them up to a standard that can offer modern living facing Global Warming. This book offers a manifesto to resolve these issues and at no cost to the Treasury.

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 09:46:00 GMT

Autumn Statement 1

Proposals for the Chancellor of the Exchequer

policy team

Introduction

This paper offers considerations to meet the Government initiative to develop ‘creative solutions’ for Treasury proposals in the 2023 Autumn Statement.

Reconstructing Ukraine

This promise should be shouldered without the Treasury and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office's financial contribution.

The proposal to fund these costs is the launch a national lottery specifically for the post-Ukraine war reconstruction.

This lottery is to be launched quickly to accumulate funds ready for post-war activity.

Energy storage now at no cost to the taxpayer

The freight container-sized batteries will be charged with electricity bought at the cheapest rate and returned to the grid at times of high demand and higher value. The revenues go to the companies.

The organisation will be able to put the batteries as assets on its books but will not be able to sell them until the end of a statutory term of 25 years.

In effect, the batteries will be a bond-financed from tax avoidance.

(there will be a need to mandate planning authorities to fast-track approvals (the greenhouse impact is bigger than a local planning officer’s prejudices).

Whereas Windfall taxes are a disincentive for big companies to locate their HQs in the UK, this scheme will, in effect, turn taxes into an incentive to locate in the UK.

In addition, this scheme will provide a huge, distributed power backup network. It will be implemented at speed and will create jobs in the UK.

All this at no cost to the taxpayer.

No more NHS strikes

One of the big political issues is the reduced value of NHS staff pay.

This need not be the case. There is already an inflation-protected benchmark.

It will have to be progressively introduced. But would then take the politics out of the process for the future.

This is a concept that can be applied to other public sector employees.

Cut the cost of Defence

The UK now manufactures battle-tested armament. It is very costly, and there is a dependence on the US.

There are corrupt actors involved.

It is possible to track military equipment and munitions from the place of manufacture to its maintenance and eventual use. The process is to have a blockchain audit trail.

A Commonwealth consortium that could use such a scheme and spread the cost of development and implementation could resolve the cost.

Scrap Government Arts Funding

Such facilities can also be made available to schools and universities too.

Build 40 Hospitals

Massive battery storage

There is a need to be able to store energy to mitigate the vagaries of the weather when using green production capacity. There are also major issues with the supply of gas and other forms of energy.

In addition, big battery farms take a long time to install. We also must face the prospect of political actors disrupting big installations (think Ukraine).

Furthermore, there are a number of storage capabilities which will require a nimble selection of the best storage facilities.

The need for building such a facility is a costly process for the government.

The participating companies will own the batteries, which will be developed to buy electricity from the Grid at times of low cost and sell it at times of high cost.

The batteries will be owned by the participating companies for 7 years (i.e. beyond the next parliament) but will be able to sell them thereafter. In effect, the battery initiative will be gilts.

At a time when these companies face high taxes across the world, this scheme will have the reverse effect and will encourage them to keep their headquarters in the UK.

Pothole Problems

Finding the revenues to fill potholes and maintain road infrastructure is a cost to the Treasury and local government.

There is also a need to reduce traffic speed for safety and environmental reasons. Enforcing such restraint is also hard and costly.

Conclusion

Autumn Statement 2 is already in draft.

It is possible to develop creative policies from such suggestions. The principle is to examine an issue and provide a solution at no cost to the Treasury.

Re-building Ukraine

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 11:53:00 GMT

Ukraine needs millions to recover. Initiatives have been initiated by the Government but the truth is that Britain cannot even afford to contribute its share.

There is a need for imagination to be able to play our part.

[EPA-EFE/SERGEY KOZLOV]

Reuters reports Russia's invasion of Ukraine has cost over $97 billion, according to the World Bank, the Ukrainian government and European Commission.

Meanwhile, the UK government is urged to increase payments to British families playing host to Ukrainian refugees.

There has to be another way to make a significant contribution to our national and international initiatives.

But there is a lot of public goodwill, and many will be able to help. We need a ‘Ukraine Peace Investment Lottery’. It is a voluntary way that the population can contribute without burdening the poorest in society with more taxes.

The initial revenues will immediately increase payments to people who have Ukraine refugees in their care or to house those who have lost their accommodation.

After that, with the assent of the Ukrainians, funds will be deployed to rebuild public assets such as water and electricity supplies and other public infrastructure.

With compassion, jobs, re-building, and refugee problems solved we can play our part at no cost to the Treasury.

The £157 Million Robbery

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 11:52:00 GMT

Photograph: Family handout/PA

In my book (Climate Change House) I make a lot of references to filtering air in houses. Today we see headlines about the deadly effect of mould after the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak.

Why not save the NHS £157 million this year. The latest findings, published in a report from Public Health England, that warn these costs could reach£18.6 billion by 2035. HEPA standard filtered air and heat exchange can mitigate a large proportion of this.

There is a mindset among those who would rebuild and refurbish houses and estates to create a gentrified model. The ‘renovated/rebuilt Garden City districts of mixed dwellings designed for middle class residents, students and the retired with lots of gardens filled with poplar and willow saplings on green space lawns is faulty. It seems that various neighbourhood habits become at odds with each other as a result of introducing new residents. Particularly low income residents feel their ways of life are becoming threatened. In terms of the right to the city debate, it is important to ask the question as to how democratic the mixing process is as well as how daily neighbourhood rhythms and perceptions of neighbourhood space are affected. The disadvantaged, by their nature, are not well represented in the debate about what rebuilding means to them.

The use of socioeconomic analysis of local communities to identify a real need at a point in time is essential.

It is evident that some standards need to be adhered to. Homes need to be well insulated and warm in winter and cool in summer. Not damp but dry with clean filtered air. The accommodation has to be adequate for current and future generations of users and set in a well managed estate. Pokey flatlets in exoffice blocks rightly have a poor reputation. As we continue to evolve, it is the case that homes will continue to grow in size.

The planning process outlined in chapter 7 still needs to apply in renovation, repurposing and rebuilding. After careful research homes need to be built to suit local need. Posh repurposed dwellings with homeless beggars at the front door and elderly relatives stuffed into a bedroom are no solution.

COP27 and the UK Housing Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 15:59:00 GMT

The UK is still walking backwards as one of its top crises, housing, is put to the test.

https://actionclimateteignbridge.org/newsite/default.html

Construction and renovation produce Co2 by the tonne and consume huge levels of unusable and seldom recycled resources.

The ground once absorbed rainwater and fixed greenhouse gases but is now covered in impermeable asphalt and concrete. So-called ‘energy efficient’ new buildings produce 1.45 tonnes of CO2 per year and use kWh/m2 of en Experimental Official Statistics based on Energy Performance Certificates per annum. use 276 kWh/m2 a year ((EPCs) - Ministry of Housing). So, no change there.

There are alternatives to concrete such as Hempcrete and Concretene (among others) and research into alternative materials is to be found all over the world.

We still accept that building a house will generate 80 tonnes of Co2 (for a cottage with two bedrooms upstairs and two reception rooms, and kitchen downstairs.

Each Member of Parliament should know that about 43 tonnes of Co2 are dumped on the world by each of their constituents annually.

Efforts to adapt the UK’s housing stock to the impacts of the changing climate: for higher average temperatures, flooding and water scarcity, are also lagging far behind what is needed to keep us safe and comfortable, even as these climate change risks grow.

Around 4.5 million homes overheat, even in cool summers; 1.8 million people live in areas at significant risk of flooding.

Average UK water consumption is higher than in many other European countries. Distributed water purification at house or street level is becoming a practical opportunity. Removing a large part of the need for massive collection and purification infrastructure is a welcome alternative and will reduce the loss of water from a national crisis of mains water leaks. Big is bad. Local is good.

Cost-effective measures to adapt the UK housing stock are not being rolled out at anywhere near the required level.

In its 2021 report ‘UK housing: Fit for the future?’ the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) warned that the UK’s legally-binding climate change targets will not be met without the near-complete elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from UK buildings. Single skinned commercial buildings are still being built!

The report finds that emissions reductions from the UK’s 29 million homes have stalled, while energy use in homes – which accounts for 14% of total UK emissions – increased between 2016 and 2017.

In the United Kingdom, renewable energy generation will need to increase by 50% by 2025 if the country is to reach its climate and energy targets.

With this in mind, a close examination of the UK Climate Risk report, an independent report to government published in early 2022, is important. This assessment takes a look forward 50 years (and beyond) being the minimum projection for the life of houses built and renovated in the next months.

It also notes that although the Paris Agreement commits the nations of the world to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C, projections consistent with policies currently in place worldwide imply warming of between approximately 2°C and 5°C by the end of this century depending on the rate of greenhouse gas emissions and the response of the climate system to these emissions. This will further increase the shifts in weather patterns and extremes, further increasing mortal risks to people and biodiversity, with higher warming leading to greater risks.

Since this report was published the ‘wind drought’ of 2021/2 has reduced electricity from wind turbines by 17%. Shifts in weather patterns sometimes come as a surprise.

Around 1.8 million people in the UK already live in areas of significant flood risk. If the frequent occurrence of major flooding events continues – which it has done in the UK nearly every year since 2007 – it is estimated that the number of homes at risk of flooding will rise by 40% to 2.6 million in as little as 20 years.

Every MP, Peer and Permanent Secretary needs a tattoo on the back of their hands. It needs to read 'Climate Change Mitigation Warrior'.

Author of Climate Change House which is available here amzn.to/3RgR4Vf

COPing out of Climate Change Protected Housing

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 13:44:00 GMT

Restoring, insuring and living in dwellings that are not climate change mitigated is far more expensive than renovating, refurbishing and re-building poorly prepared homes.

It is easy to kick the climate change can down the road but evidence of how it can affect us NOW is frightening.

The main cause of the 2022 gas price crisis has grown because of the increasing gas demand (organically, following the pandemic) and reduced gas supplies caused by the Ukraine war.

Additionally, unseasonably low wind generation in the UK (particularly in September 2021 and the winter of 2022) sometimes reduces green energy availability.

Lower pipeline gas flow from Russia to Europe (and other Europeans have similar housing problems and bigger gas supply issues), less storage capacity, and higher carbon prices have focused minds on developing carbon-reduced power. It is a narrow perspective. There is a need for a much wider view of these issues.

The home of the future will need long-term policies to keep the lights on.

Will government encourage the use of new materials and communication without wires, wifi or Bluetooth that are already appearing on the market?

Will roofs protect against heat waves without using mains power to maintain a healthy population?

In June 2022, the government introduced a new set of regulations for new housebuilders. They set new standards for ventilation, energy efficiency and heating, and state that new residential buildings must have charging points for electric vehicles.

The Federation of Master Builders says the measures will require new materials, testing methods, products and systems to be installed. Indeed so it will. The price of climate change mitigation is not cheap.

There are new government rules concerning the amount of glazing used in extensions, and any new windows or doors must be highly insulated.” The problem is that the rules will aim to reduce the size of windows that are potentially a source of a lot of solar power and, potentially, winter heating as well.

Glazing on windows, doors and roof lights must cover no more than 25% of the floor area to prevent heat loss according to the new regulations which is a rule that has already been superseded.

The regulators obviously had not seen see-through solar panes (see right Photo: Richard Lunt / Michigan State University) which need bigger windows to generate more electricity.

Some say that walls will have to be thicker in order to comply with requirements for better insulation. Alternatively, new materials may make them thinner but the building sector has not got there yet.

As properties become more airtight, the regulator says there have to be measures to ensure proper airflow, such as having small openings (trickle vents) on windows that allow ventilation when a window is closed. Tosh! Do the job properly, save the NHS billions with proper air filtration.

"In November 2021, a research team at Addenbrooke's Hospital and the University of Cambridge reported that they were able to use HEPA filter/UV steriliser air purifiers to remove most airborne traces of SARS-CoV-2 on surge wards at the hospital. The air purifiers also successfully filtered out other bacterial, fungal and viral bioaerosols (airborne particles containing living organisms). Even pollution from traffic can be blocked."

For people extending their homes, they may be required to install a new, or replacement, heating system depending on the size of the build and have to use lower temperature water to deliver the same heat, which will require increased insulation of pipes commented insiders. Its a big rock for all these ‘experts’ to hide under. Solar water heating is getting really good. Why not use it.

So the government get 5 out of ten for initiative and 2 out of ten for understanding what is needed and possible. It can also be said that technologies are moving so fast that some of these government initiatives are passed before the ink has dried on their parchment.

Meantime we also have to consider the prospect of poor quality housing in a time of fast-expanding populations and accelerating environmental change. It will be dangerous but also a magnet for disruption by the green-eyed disadvantaged.

In the foreseeable (next 30 years), houses will need to be easily maintained and repurposed in part or whole as technologies emerge. The need and cost of structural maintenance also have to be reduced

It is not possible to think of a future house in the image of a house being built in 2022 and its close cousin that was built to house 18th-century coal miners. It is time to change.

A Million Homes Will Need to be Retrofitted for 30 years

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Mon, 7 Nov 2022 13:37:00 GMT

Housing need manifests itself in a variety of ways, such as in solving increased levels of overcrowding, acute affordability issues, young people living with their parents for more extended periods, and impaired labour mobility (resulting in businesses finding it difficult to recruit and retain staff), and increased levels of homelessness. Then there is the problem of “fit for climate change dwellings”, which is the majority of all homes.

Older properties need to be updated. Around 18% of the UK's annual emissions come from existing homes, which will still be standing in 2050. 80% of 2050’s homes have already been built.

It is also widely acknowledged that the retrofit challenge is monumental. Every year over one million homes will need to be retrofitted for 30 years. We cannot afford to retrofit them twice. But if we retrofit them well, we can enjoy many environmental, social and economic benefits.

New houses need help to achieve sales. 313,043 households have now bought a home with the support of the Government’s ‘Help to Buy’ Equity Loan Scheme. The question to ask is whether the houses were built to meet the local need or were they built speculatively and required subsidies to sell them?

House price escalation has attracted fund investment resulting in circular property inflation. Meantime the housing stock cannot match the needs of a growing population (this applies in Scotland and Wales as well).

As the government White Paper puts it: “It is no longer unusual for houses to “earn” more than the people living in them. In 2015, the average home in the South East of England increased in value by £29,000, while the average annual pay in the region was just £24,542. The average London home made its owner more than £22 an hour during the working week in 2015 considerably more than the average Londoner’s hourly rate and that's over twice the minimum wage.

That’s good news if you own a property in the capital, but it’s a big barrier to entry if you don’t.

Meantime the growing move towards house prices falling is a problem. Recent figures add to evidence that, despite government subsidies, the property market is now in the grip of a downturn, with experts predicting values could fall by more than 10%. That would erase some of the gains made over the last two years.

Many houses are in poor condition, and a significant proportion of the housing stock is unused.

There were 225,845 Long-Term Vacant Dwellings in England in 2019, an increase of 9,659 (4.5%) from 216,186 in 2018. Long-term vacant dwellings at 0.9 per cent of the 2019 dwelling stock in England are an interesting underutilised housing asset.

Thus we have knowledge of the nature of the housing stock in the UK. There would seem to be a lot to be done not only to add to the housing stock but to bring the existing properties to be climate change ready.

Photo by Hisham Yahya

Smaller Government

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Tue, 1 Nov 2022 15:44:00 GMT

Smaller Government - here's how

It is difficult for a government to implement cost-cutting policies in the short term but having made the commitment there is a need to deliver.

One of the big costs is the employment of huge numbers of civil servants. The plan here is quite long-term and involves the reform of Royal Chartered Institutions but in beginning the process, the government can claim to be making fundamental changes.

Royal Charters, granted by the sovereign on the advice of the Privy Council, have a history dating back to the 13th century. They work in the public interest (such as professional Institutions and charities) and can demonstrate pre-eminence, stability and permanence in their particular field (The Carpenters’ Company is a City of London Livery Company. It received its first royal charter in 1477).

There are many Chartered Institutions such as the RIBA, RICS, RTPI, The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, The Chartered College of Teaching and so forth. For the most part, membership is confined to people who are qualified to be members and mostly, there are ranks of members to cater for levels of competence. Membership is also limited to people who pay a subscription.

There are requirements to have achieved a level of competence to practice.

Thus, for example, members are educated and mandated to be good at what they do. It follows that such Institutions have a considerable role in ensuring best practices and have a role to play in monitoring failed performance of members.

The Institutes already exist but are in many ways acting with little by way of mandate.

Shifting the current cost and quality of managing high levels of performance from the government to the professions is a method for significantly reducing staffing costs and, at the same time, improving the quality of public sector management.

There is a need to mandate the Institutions to recruit and educate members and provide Continuous Professional Development for the lifetime of membership. The cost would be borne by the Institution and paid for by the membership.

In a reformed structure, no government agency will be allowed to use or employ people without a relevant qualification to practice. Government agencies will be financially liable for all remedial activity for poor performance by anyone other than a professional practitioner and responsible public sector managers will lose their qualification (and membership of for example the Chartered Management Institute) to practice.

In the private sector organisations will have to insure against any unprofessional activities of employees.

There is also a need to recognise different levels of learning and class of activity that members can undertake as, for example, a postgraduate internship, basic membership, professional membership and Fellows for example.

This has the advantage that different stages in the development of practice can be benchmarked for earnings set against the minimum wage. An example might be an intern receiving the minimum wage plus 5%, membership plus 10% over the minimum wage, professional qualification at 15% and so forth. This would remove the need for wage negotiation and would have be agreed by members of the Institution. It would set the range of payment based on the national minimum wage, recognising that, in the first instance, remuneration would have to be competitive or members would not be able to find employment.

With such examples, the public sector would not have to pay for education and training, wage negotiation and other non-productive activities. It would also mean that occasional/part-time professional requirements can be entered into with the secure knowledge that a professional would be employed as needed.

There are further standards to be applied.

Institutes would be mandated to monitor the quality of performance of their members.

The Institutes would be mandated to insure against poor/unprofessional performance by members.

Poor performance of members should entail the removal of membership from their Chartered Institute.

Where Institutes are poor at monitoring and enforcing best practices, they should lose Charter status (and after six months of remedial activity, could apply to recover Charter status from the Privy Council).

Supporting the Ukraine

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 12:59:00 GMT

There is a considerable need for funds to contribute towards the Ukrainian war and post-war rebuilding.

To pay for current refugees there is considerable pressure on the government to spend more money. There has to be another way to make a significant contribution to the international initiatives in hand.

The method proposed is to invite the population to subscribe to a Ukraine Peace Investment Fund. It is the population making a contribution and not the taxpayer.

Picture DAVID GUTTENFELDER / THE NEW YORK TIMES

The mechanism will be through ‘Ukraine Peace Mini Guilts’ structured so that ordinary citizens can buy them monthly or annually. The guilts will be a fund administered by the F.O. and will immediately increase payments to people who have Ukraine refugees in their care or to house those who are or have lost their accommodation.

Thereafter funds will be deployed to rebuild roads, water and electricity supplies, schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure in Ukraine. At a time when there is a need to protect employment, the work will be undertaken with UK tradespeople taking a proportion of the jobs to re-enforce the Ukraine professional and labour force at a time of rising UK unemployment.

Ukraine will be short of human resources because of war losses and with the UK construction industry laying off people will provide jobs for UK citizens.

The mini guilt interest payment will be provided by the Ukraine government receipts from public services (water, electricity etc, etc.). The capital needed at the end of the Guilt’s term will come from the sale of assets created in the process.

The 30 Year House - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 15:19:00 GMT

Will government encourage the use of new materials and communication without wires, wifi or Bluetooth that are already appearing on the market?

Will roofs protect against heat waves without using mains power to maintain a healthy population?

In June 2022, the government introduced a new set of regulations for new house builders. They set new standards for ventilation, energy efficiency and heating, and state that new residential buildings must have charging points for electric vehicles.

Glazing on windows, doors and roof lights must cover no more than 25% of the floor area to prevent heat loss according to the new regulations which is a rule that has already been superseded.

For people extending their homes, they may be required to install a new, or replacement, heating system depending on the size of the build and have to use lower temperature water to deliver the same heat, which will require increased insulation of pipes commented insider. Its a big rock for all these ‘experts’ to hide under. Solar water heating is getting really good. Why not use it.

Meantime we also have to consider the prospect of poor quality housing in a time of fast-expanding populations and accelerating environmental change will be dangerous but also a magnet for disruption by the green-eyed disadvantaged.

Below is a whole chapter on finance. We have to examine how homes will be fnanced. There will be new forms of finance emerging to unstitch the excesses of builder speculation going back a couple of centuries.

It is not possible to think of a future house in the image of a house being built in 2022 and its close cousin that was built to house 18th-century coal miners.

For more see Climate Change House available from Amazon amzn.to/3RgR4Vf

The 30 Year House - part 1

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 16:36:00 GMT

A large proportion of our existing homes in the UK are over 50 years old. It follows that modernising and building new homes will require the relevant professions to look into the future.

What will a house look like in 2050?

We have to peer into the future and hope that we are right. What is certain from the COP26 conference (26th UN climate change Conference of the Parties (COP26) Glasgow 2021) is that small steps spell doom.

Go into a modern housing estate. Look up. Are the gutters big? If not, they are not ready for the record-breaking tempests climate change will deliver this year and next. The architect who designs such fixtures should be banned from the Royal Society. Or, perhaps the Royal Institution of Chartered Architects (RICA) should relinquish its Charter status so its members can create rubbish houses without embarrassing the Queen. It is now time to create and build for the future and well beyond the minimum standards introduced by the hosts of COP26, the British Government.

Let’s be certain about this. Restoring, insuring and living in dwellings that are not climate change mitigated is far more expensive than renovating, refurbishing and re-building poorly prepared homes.

It is easy to kick the climate change can down the road but evidence of how it can affect us NOW is frightening but there are some drivers lining up.

The main cause of the 2022 gas price crisis has grown because of the increasing gas demand (organically, following the pandemic) and reduced gas supplies caused by the Ukraine war. Additionally, unseasonably low wind generation in the UK (particularly in September 2021 and the winter of 2022) reduced green energy availability.

Lower pipeline gas flows from Russia to Europe (and other Europeans have similar housing problems and bigger gas supply issues), less storage capacity, and higher carbon prices have focused minds on developing carbon-reduced power. It is a narrow perspective. There is a need for a much wider view of these issues.

The home of the future will need long-term policies to keep the lights on.

My book Climate Change House covered these subjects in greater detail and points to robust research.

Solve NHS manning issues

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 10:51:00 GMT

The second biggest NHS problem is professional manpower.

Fast-evolving diagnosis using AI and automation can provide tangible support to overworked physicians with systems that are designed to minimize stress and increase time spent with patients.

The United Kingdom is behind OECD averages for medical imaging scanners per million population, with much equipment across CT, MRI, PET-CT, X-ray and Ultrasound outdated. Additionally, there are challenges with space and capacity across existing Trust estates, some of which have become outmoded.

There is a huge range of technologies that can be automated. Many of them can be used in diagnostics.

The big problem is in rolling them out to every community.

The answer is to develop ‘walk-in’ health monitoring, automated diagnosis and triage and NHS phone apps.

From automated cancer diagnosis (now available but very recently for most cancers) to common health checks, such facilities would deploy the most up-to-date technologies with reporting going to the patient, GP and other medical practitioners agreed by the patient.

Once again such centres would be located on high streets to help high-street commerce.

Funding has to come from the NHS Bond.

Fast Track For More Energy

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 10:25:00 GMT

One of the big drivers of inflation is the cost of energy. We need a way of creating more and reducing costs. This is how:

Energy usage is high during the daytime and low at night. A mechanism to level out this difference would lower the average cost of power and the more we can distance our energy usage from the international cost of energy, the better.

The answer is, of course, storing energy at its lowest price and releasing it at times of peak demand.

Creating a distributed battery capability is a simple solution.

It does require fast-track government action.

The planning authorities should be mandated to create space for big (ISO container-sized) batteries at or near all electricity transformer sites across the country.

The energy companies will be told that they will avoid a windfall tax to the extent that they install the batteries. They will make a profit by buying electricity at night when it is cheap and will sell it during the day when it is expensive. Sourcing the batteries will have to be from manufacturers with the ability to manufacture in relatively sufficient volume to a standard acceptable to the energy companies.

This will be a five-year contract when they will receive a lump sum for the batteries from any sales they make, in effect a ‘battery investment bond’.

Mechanisms will include

A National Grid scheme to register Big Battery manufacturers as capable to manufacture with TQM quality, and capacity to manufacture, install and make operational at the rate of several units per month.
The installations assurance will be by a visit from a qualified engineer paid for by the manufacturer and licenced by the National Grid at the rate £1000 per licence for each manufacturing factory.
Licences will be completed within 20 days of application by the manufacturer and the Grid will face a financial penalty of £10,000 if it fails to comply.
This creates a tendency to favour UK manufacturers, create jobs and grow UK manufacturing and hurries up the role out of the scheme.
The energy companies subject to a potential windfall tax will manage and pay for the completed manufacture, installation and subsequent operation.
These companies will have the windfall tax reduced by a sum of money equivalent to 100% of the cost of battery manufacturing, installation and operational completion (with a Grid contract in place).
Windfall tax reduction will come into effect 30 days after operational execution.

End Bed - Blocking

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 10:50:00 GMT

NHS

The NHS and social care need money. The government does not have it. It is a huge part of government expenditure.

The first big problem for hospitals is bed blocking.

The solution is to create ‘convalescent’ accommodations in high streets (to encourage high street footfall, use existing transport infrastructure and encourage friends and relatives to spend with small businesses - a win for local retailers). This would provide accommodation for patients who are ‘bed blocking’ for want of social care.

The capital investment for the convalescent centres project will be funded with new ‘NHS Bonds’ available to the public as well as financial Institutions.

The capital will be used to convert (nightingale hospital style fast refurbishment) existing high street buildings into the range of beds and accommodation needed.

The accommodation will also include small retail units providing goods and services that visitors can use plus restaurants/cafes for patients and visitors.

These will provide revenues to support running costs. Other forms of revenue will come from electricity storage using building energy harvesting and trading in low to high-cost electricity activity using big batteries (which can also provide emergency electricity backup). Patients will also be expected to contribute to their care too.

Income will also have to be independent of the NHS budget and pay interest to bondholders.

Management will be vested in local people and not big conglomerates.

End-of-term NHS Bonds capital will be raised through the sale of leaseholds in the properties.

Lets get vertical and save the planet.

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 11:13:00 GMT

Vertical windmill sculptures are fun but are also a serious subject. Can they be an alternative to the big windmills used in wind farms on land and sea?

What if you turned the idea sideways, and created a turbine that could spin like a carousel? And what if you made a turbine small enough to sit on top of a building or inside an urban park? Could the result produce enough power to really matter?

In the last two decades, a flurry of interest in expanding renewable energy in cities has attracted the attention of a large number of inventors and artists, many of whom see the vertical axis wind turbine as promising.

There is no single design for these upended wind catchers, but all share one key aspect: the blades turn around an axis that points skyward.

They are now considered to be an alternative to the big windmills used in wind farms on land and sea. In some cases, they are more productive than the ones you see from the beach.

The size of these windmills varies but they can be rooftop size and offer power generation in the dead of night as well. They can also be attractive too.

How do we fund Climate Change mitigation

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Wed, 5 Oct 2022 12:40:00 GMT

At present I am focused on funding improved policies for mitigating the effects of Climate Change in the housing sector.

In the UK drought and its associated wild fires destroyed houses and increased pressure on the NHS, among other issues.

But such expenditure may well be poorly placed.

The Building Research Establishment shows the annual costs to the NHS of poor quality and hazardous housing at £1.4 billion. This rises to £18.5 billion p.a. when wider societal costs are included (long term care, mental health etc.).

Peter Freeman, the chairman of the government quango Homes England, reports its own investment on behalf of the government. He says “Our partners include Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group and M&G. In March 2020, we announced a £10m investment in M&G Investments new Shared Ownership Fund. Homes England’s early participation catalysed £177m of initial institutional investment, a first step towards the fund’s £825m target capital raised. Over the next five years the fund will develop more than 2,000 new affordable shared ownership homes in partnership with housing associations across England. This deal highlights the commitment Homes England has to supporting the growth and evolution of housing in institutional portfolios.” Are such affordable homes part of new housing estates or monoculture crescents of old peoples?

Call all this money £20/40 billion by including savings to the NHS. Asking the NHS to invest in re-furbished dwellings to save all or part of £1,4 billion is going to be a tough ask but simply implemented.

Filtering air entering a building to remove 99% of particulate from vehicles (a main cause of lung diseases), cold, flu and covid viruses and much more would be a significant investment alongside insulation of roofs, walls and floors and removal of heat bridges. Mitigating Climate Change can also make the nation healthier.

The pledges from the financial institutions have not been included in the above resources and there are also Local Government funds available too.

The 2022 Queen’s Speech promised even more cost to the Treasury and another attempt to add further to the current mish mash of money, regulation ‘incentives’ and Climate Change mitigation (and confusion with global warming).

There is more but it makes the point. There are some dwellings that are of a high standard out of the 24 million homes in the UK but not many.

It seems that there is quite a lot of money floating around to do a stunning job and upgrade our homes against Climate Change. What is silly is that there are large sums of money cast across a lot of homes and therefore of little consequence at the sharp end. People are to a varying degree inspired by this largesse; some even do nothing at all!

There is a case for a comprehensive review of what money is being sloshed around and for what purpose.

Let's look at three examples:

There are other investments that can be included in refurbishment such as electricity saving devices including light bulbs, low power washing machines and solar powered and energy creating street lights. Other forms of cost reduction that can attract funding are estate wide battery storage facilities (of which more later) to keep the lights on at night and offer over capacity power to the National Grid or independent customers. Then there is the use of a local bottled water company selling estate harvested water. Providing automated street services such as lighting, street cleaning and grass cutting etc. has a value too and can attract funding. All these stakeholder provided services can be bundled up into a package that can be valuable investments and funded and managed by the private sector and will also help to slim down tax payer funded government.

The Public Private Partnership scheme whereby financial institutions fund capital assets and services are wide open to abuse and can be restructured to support the housing crisis.

Tracing the path of taxpayers, financial institutions and revenue streams in the housing sector needs to be closely managed. It needs the security and real life and real time auditing. This is an excellent case for using blockchains to provide immutable evidence of delivery and quality.

All of these issues are covered in Climate Change House which is available from Amazon:

http://amzn.to/3RgR4Vf

Sprinkle a little joy all over the place

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Mon, 3 Oct 2022 12:12:00 GMT

In its 2019 manifesto, the Conservative Party pledged to spend £9.2 billion on upgrading the energy efficiency of homes, schools and hospitals. This included Social Housing.

Starting in 2022, tens of thousands of homes are to be built on derelict sites as part of a nearly £2 billion drive generously paid for by the British taxpayer through its agent, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

There is more:

The Decarbonisation Fund Homes of £3.8 billion over a ten year period;
Home Upgrade Grants worth £2.5 billion over a five year period and a Public Sector
Decarbonisation Scheme of £2.9 billion over a five year period.

The government does not have a Climate Change policy but it does waste a tonne of my money on a wide range of sloppy handouts.There is a need for a single coherent approach.

Here are some of the green gestures the Tory party has lauded as Climate Change mitigation.

On the 8 July 2020, the Chancellor announced a £2 billion Green Homes Grant, with vouchers of up to £5,000 to help homeowners upgrade their homes, and up to £10,000 available to some of the UK’s poorest families.

There is also a £1 billion programme to make public buildings, including schools and hospitals, across the UK greener and £50 million to pilot innovative approaches to retrofitting social housing at scale.

The fourth round of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme which aims to secure 12GW of electricity capacity opens with £285 million a year of funding for low carbon technology.

Then there is:

The Warm Home Discount gives £140 each year, mainly to pensioners and people who receive certain benefits. A small amount per house but a fortune overall.
The Winter Fuel Payment is a payment towards your winter heating if you're aged over 66 (you get more if you're over 80).
If winter is particularly cold, some households can get the £25 Cold Weather Payment for each week that it’s below zero degrees.
Fuel Direct can help you manage your energy bills if you get Income Support, income based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit or Pension Credit.

All of these projects carry with them an army of people trying to administer such schemes. So much for smaller government

Tomorrow I shall offer even more sprinkling taken from my book Climate Change House

House Prices Tumbling?

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 13:40:00 GMT

There is now a lot of evidence that the buoyant housing market will not last, and house prices will reduce over the next five years. This is a conclusion in Climate House Change. It also notes that volatility also tends to drive away investors.

The prospect of future falling house prices is also politically a problem. Politicians tend not to be elected against house price instability scenarios. Taxing speculators is also a difficult option. There have to be alternatives to provide a known secure return in housing investment.

In addition, lower prices do not solve the need for accommodation; the demand for more homes will not fade even if the hyperinflation housing prices go away in the time it takes to build a housing estate.

The return we get from house price inflation is not good for the national economy. It is a case of higher prices but no productivity advantage. This need not be the case. Factory built houses cost less and are a productivity advance over bricks and mortar.

Instead of stoking inflation, it is possible to turn the investment in a house into a source of income. The idea that a house can generate energy, save water, reduce public sector costs such as social care, respiratory and allergy diseases and cut public service costs such as street cleaning, grass cutting and drone postal services is an eye opener. It grows the economy and cuts public sector costs.

And, by the by, it will be quite soon when climate change proofed houses are in much greater demand than other homes. And with inflation capped incentivise faster house improvements that make investing in renovation and re-building more attractive.

For the book:

The Financial Issues and Housing

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 09:59:00 GMT

Today, The markets and mortgage rates are in turmoil.

It was not unexpected. I even commented on it in my book Climate Change House. Prescient or What!

There is considerable volatility that makes financing the housing sector problematic. However, the trend in inflation from houses has been with us for a long time supported by a perceived shortage of homes. One can only wonder at the bright green glee in the mind's eye as we behold the property money men.

There is every incentive for a wide range of powerful institutions to keep house price inflation growing. It is an asset that keeps investors from the smallest to the biggest, happy. This is an investment in inflation not in houses. It is not an investment in assets but even so does yield an income as people pay their mortgages.

There was some evidence that the buoyant housing market in 2021 would not last, and house prices may even reduce over the next five years. Volatility also tends to drive away investors.

The prospect of future falling house prices is also politically a problem. Politicians tend not to be elected against house price instability scenarios. Taxing speculators is also a difficult option. There has to be alternatives to provide a known secure return on housing investment.

The return we get from house price inflation is not good for the national economy. It is a case of higher prices but no productivity advantage.

This need not be the case.

As I argue in the book, factory built houses cost less and have a productivity advance over bricks and mortar.

Instead of stoking inflation it is possible to turn the investment in a house into a source of income. The idea that a house can generate energy, save water, reduce public sector costs such as social care, respiratory and allergy diseases and cut public service costs such as street cleaning, grass cutting and drone postal services is an eye opener. It grows the economy and cuts public sector costs.

And, by the by, it will be quite soon when Climate Change proofed houses are in much greater demand than other homes.

Long after the impacts of the Ukraine war have passed, a big flood, fire, even a pandemic or social disruption caused by mass migration to avoid the effects of Climate Change with its consequential economic turmoil will have a knock on effect in the UK too.

By 2070, 19% of the world will be a barely livable hot zone. Just being outside for 4 hours will be a killer.

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 17:00:00 GMT

I thought it would be good to take a p\ragraph out of my book Climate Change House. It is quite pertinent after our longest drought, hottest days and the threat of unprecedented storms crossing the Atlantic.

It's not that we have not had them in the past, it's how much more severe they are as we get into more acute levels of Climate Change.

Homes are suffering increased problems due to Global Warming and the resultant frequency and severity of Climate Change.

Politically, people are leaning towards improved protection and mitigation of Climate Change and it's now a significant influence and belief in human-created climate change ranks third among the most critical issues for the population at large. YouGov opinion polls also show climate change as a key concern among electors and 80% of the adult population think of housing as an issue.

In five years, 570,000 new homes were built between 2016 and 2021. Mostly these new homes are not climate change resilient. Current policies throw a woolly insulation blanket over houses (new and old) and call it renovation, refurbishment or Global Warming mitigation and when the days pass with temperatures close to, or above, 40℃ it becomes apparent that the need for climate change mitigation which is a much bigger and life-threatening problem.

Occupants are at risk of overheating in their homes (there are still an estimated two thousand heat-related deaths per year and increasing). Household heating in winter is very likely to decrease due to warmer winters, and summer air conditioning demand will grow but there will be severe winter weather as well from time to time.

Time and Money Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (David Phillips) — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 15:21:00 GMT

Money! It’s the hard thing to consider in Climate Change House.

One of the key players in this subject area is the Green Finance Institute. Its objectives are: “To achieve the transition to an inclusive, net zero carbon and climate resilient economy, both public and private finance is needed.”

In an interesting press release in November 2021 it announced a new initiative:

“The need to unlock finance to retrofit homes in the owner occupier sector is now clearly recognised, and the range of products available is beginning to grow, with pioneering financial institutions launching and continually developing new ways of lending for energy efficiency upgrades.”

The idea of such an organisation is worthy. However, most of its thinking is focused on mitigating global warming and not Climate Change.

It is an example of the confused thinking among those that have come to global warming and its impacts late.

There are other such worthy organisations. ESG – short for Environmental, Social and Governance – is a set of standards measuring a business's impact on society, the environment, and how transparent and accountable it is.

According to the CBI, two-thirds of investors take ESG factors into account when investing in a company meaning ESG has the potential to grow a business while benefiting the environment and community.

Green mortgages a long way to go - Olga Lioncat

More than 10 mortgage lenders in the UK have launched green mortgage products since the beginning of 2021 alone, but this is a relatively small proportion of the UK’s £1.58 trillion mortgage market. According to the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association, 77% of lenders are planning to launch green mortgages that are cheaper or priced the same as a typical product. Acting as a central knowledge hub, the Green Finance Institute has launched the Green Mortgage Hub, an online resource collating publicly available information on UK green mortgages into an interactive table, alongside a library of articles, reports, tools and experiments related to the green mortgage market. The hub aims to inform and encourage lenders considering entry into the green mortgage market. It aims to be a trusted source of information for mortgage intermediaries, policymakers and NGOs focused on decarbonising the built environment (that is global warming mitigation but not necessarily Climate Change) management.

The Green Mortgage Hub has a list of lenders offering a range of services. However, there is the other side of the coin. The current forms of finance are a form of tax and it is difficult for a large proportion of the population.

In the book, I offer a number of other solutions and I will be exercising them here in due course.