Going green: Half of tradespeople concerned about the environment and sustainability

Half of tradespeople are concerned about the environment and sustainability, recent research has suggested.

The findings, which were released in the Jewson Trade Trends report, show several factors influencing a focus on greener, more sustainable building practices.

Consumers are partly driving the move towards greener building projects, as over a third of tradespeople (35%) said they’d recently been asked by a homeowner about energy efficient options. On top of that, 31% said that in the last three months they had changed their material purchases in line with building regulations, and 29% had purposefully bought materials that are more sustainable.

While homeowners are looking for ways to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, some tradespeople and builders reportedly find they have to spend time explaining to their customers what the most effective options are.

Simon White, founder of White Space Construction, said: “We often talk to our customers about the options to improve the energy efficiency of their homes…

“The recent changes to the Building Regulations mean that materials like insulation need to perform better, but this comes with a higher price tag. As such, it’s important for us to have access to up-to-date material costs as well as have the knowledge required to advise homeowners on the best home improvements for their needs and the property type.”

Karl Nicholson, founder of K Design and Build, said: “An important part of our role is to educate homeowners on different ways to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Often, they will have done some initial research themselves, but the right solution will always depend on each individual project.”

Commenting on the findings, Andrew Cushing, customer director at Jewson, said: “Increasingly, tradespeople are seeing their customers ask how they can improve the energy efficiency of their home to help manage rising energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint. On top of that, in June 2022 we had some of the most significant changes to building regulations in over 10 years, which included increased insulation in walls, floors and roofs, and a greater focus on renewable energy technology.”

The research, which saw over 500 tradespeople across the UK questioned, is available to view online.
www.blog.jewson.co.uk