UK coal-free power record

The UK went more than a month without using coal for power during the Coronavirus lockdown – the longest period since the Industrial Revolution. May 11, 2020, marked 30 days coal-free as gas, nuclear and renewables provided enough demand during a period of lower energy demand because of the economic shutdown and sunny weather. National […]

How Covid has impacted the planning process

Local authorities have been urged by the Government to be ‘innovative’ in how they manage applications and workloads during the current Coronavirus crisis lockdown period. Chief Steve Quartermain, outgoing Chief Planner at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, called on councils to ‘be practical, be pragmatic and let’s plan for the recovery’. Acknowledging […]

Syntegra Group Q2 2020 – predictions and insights

When lockdown is lifted and new normality dawns – whatever that looks like – Syntegra stands ready to support clients through a broad range of potential scenarios with its innovative ways of working and extensive expertise across sustainable service provision. Of course, our teams remain fully committed to carrying out our services, albeit in revised […]

Focus on UV filtration systems to kill coronavirus

While healthcare professionals, scientists and engineers battle to keep COVID-19 patients alive and find a cure/vaccine to keep the deadly virus at bay in the future, there might just be one avenue worth exploring for hospital or hotel infrastructure: UV filtration systems. Commonly used to disinfect hospital airstreams from the 1940s to the 1960s,  such […]

Noise assessments can continue throughout COVID crisis, advisers rule

Sound and noise assessments will continue across the UK despite the current lockdown situation meaning most people are working from home and access to many areas is restricted. Joint Guidance on the Impact of COVID-19 on the practicality and reliability of baseline sound level surveying and the provision of sound and noise impact assessments has […]

Sustainable modular builds increasingly popular

With all major construction work on hold until the COVID-19 pandemic passes, developers will be looking for some quick wins once lockdowns are lifted. And with the renewed focus this enforced break is having on the environment, sustainable solutions are set to take centre stage. Modular builds tick both boxes of speed and sustainability and […]

Permitted development for airspace development

Property owners will be able to build two additional storeys onto apartment blocks without planning permission, the UK Government has announced. The controversial move, permissible from the summer, aims to boost home ownership but looks set to spark a debate around neighbourhood disputes and the risk of substandard building work. Residential skylines could be transformed […]

Coronavirus: Business planning for the energy sector

During these testing times of global health and economic crisis, the one thing the business world craves (apart from the good health of their teams, naturally) is certainty. We are grateful, therefore, to our friends over at the Edie newsroom for pulling together an excellent checklist for energy professionals to use during this time of upheaval. […]

COVID-19: The good news story emerging from the sci-fi style crisis

As the world is gripped by the health and economic crisis born of COVID-19 and millions of us start our lockdown life, it is hard to find anything to be pleased about. The shutters have come down on bars and restaurants, family gatherings are as good as banned and high streets are ghost towns with […]

Green New Deal unveiled for London

London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced plans to spend £50m on a Green New Deal for London as part of a pledge to make the city carbon neutral by 2030. He said his plans would help improve the capital’s dangerous levels of air pollution “I’m unapologetic at how ambitious my plans are for a Green New […]

Government announces new funding to boost hydrogen production and clean up industry

Two new low-carbon hydrogen production plants and a series of trials into cutting industrial process emissions will be funded by a new £90million UK Government pot. A total of £70 million will be spent on hydrogen production plants near Mersey and Aberdeen, while a third project will use offshore windfarms off the Grimsby coast to […]

Meet us at the IHIF Berlin and MIPIM Cannes 2020

Networking at industry events is a great way to sell your brand and show stakeholders that you really mean business with your business. And even when you’re one of thousands of participants representing hundreds of diverse countries, it’s a great opportunity to be seen and take your seat at the table of influencers. With that […]

Building better biodiversity

Broad ranging measures announced as the UK Government unveiled its Environment Bill have been welcomed by the team at Syntegra which is already ahead of the game providing services  which will become mandated under the new legislation. Building developments will increasingly have to be delivered in a way which protects and enhances nature. The bill, […]

UK’s low-carbon heat networks receive £40m Government boost

A further seven low-carbon heat networks are to be funded by the UK Government in a £40m initiative. The project will bring clean heating to around 30,000 homes in London, Leeds, Liverpool and Bristol.   The UK’s heat networks currently serve about 500,000 customers, but this could rise to five million by the middle of […]

Boost your business reputation with a kickstart to green initiatives 

Business reputation can be boosted by implementing measures to tackle climate change. We at Syntegra tell this to our clients day in and day out – and fortunately they believe us and work with us to test the theory and see for themselves the positive results. So we were delighted when an international survey revealed […]

UK businesses  wasting £60m in avoidable energy bills

A staggering £60m is being wasted by UK businesses in unnecessary energy bills, according to a new report. Energy thinktank Green Alliance says energy management needs to be improved if the country’s climate targets are to be met. The built environment accounts for 40% of national energy use and around one-third of emissions This month’s […]

Government urged to aim for one million heat pump installations a year by 2035

The UK Government has been urged to invest in infrastructure for ground source heat pumps to boost low carbon heating systems. Bean Beanland, president of the recently Ground Source Heat Pump Association, told Utility Week that his organisation will be calling for capital grants to be made available for the installation of heat pumps. The replacement for […]

UK’s first grid-injected hydrogen trials begin on university campus

A pilot project has been launched to inject zero-carbon hydrogen into an existing gas network. The HyDeploy project is injecting hydrogen into Keele University’s existing natural gas network, supplying 30 faculty buildings and 100 domestic properties and results in hydrogen accounting for up to 20% of the gas mix in the network. The team responsible […]