editor’s letter

Asa nation, we’ve been crawling towards higher eco home standards for decades, but with energy and fuel costs continuing to soar, it feels like we’re deep into crunch time in terms of how we choose to power and heat our homes. The government is soon to launch its latest bid for lower-carbon living in the form of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which it hopes will boost uptake of heat pumps (see page 59 for an intro to how this will work from NIBE). Of course, simply installing a ground or air source device in your home isn’t enough on its own: the building needs to be properly insulated and airtight to make your investment worthwhile (both in terms of running costs and ongoing carbon emissions). So, if you’re considering making the switch to an air source heat pump, then be sure to check out Nigel Griffiths’ in-depth guide to maximising performance on page 86. Achieving good energy efficiency and low running costs is a major ambition for many self builders, but it’s not always easy to realise the designed performance of a house on the ground (nor the exact original aesthetic, for that matter!). Over on page 91, architect Opinder Liddar runs us through how you can take your plans from design to buildable reality with minimal compromise. And on page 60, Rebecca Foster introduces us to the suppliers who can deliver both your house shell and the insulated foundations in one package – minimising the risk of any performance gap in the finished result.