Design Advice

The Design Advice Service is delivered by the Carbon Trust. The service offers professional, independent and objective advice on the energy-efficient and environmentally conscious design of buildings. It aims to improve the environmental performance of the UK building stock through a national network of consultants qualified to provide the latest energy and environmental design advice to building developers, fund providers, design teams, letting agents, housing associations, local authorities and building owners/tenants on all building types.

What does the service offer?

The Guide
Available free from the Carbon Trust, Building Design Advice Guide contains a detailed overview of what you need to know about procuring good, energy efficient buildings. Divided into four easy-to-use sections, it covers everything from deciding which technologies are right for your building, through to commissioning and maintenance. Although it’s especially developed for those procuring smaller builds of up to 2,500m2, the Guide has something to offer anyone involved in creating or adapting more environmentally friendly non-domestic buildings.

Making plans
Design Advice helps to identify the carbon savings in new and renovation projects, offering free or subsidised consultancy advice to help throughout the project stages. The number of free days advice you receive will depend on the size of your project and the potential carbon savings.

Building big
Major building and renovation projects in excess of 10,000m2 are eligible for substantial free or subsidised consultancy advice, delivered in stages throughout the life of the project, up to and including commissioning and handover. You may receive a minimum of 2-3 days’ support at each intervention which could amount to 10 days or more between planning and handover. Very large projects or buildings of special significance may be treated as ‘bespoke’, and will be individually assessed.

Multiple projects
If your project involves a number of buildings with the same specification, The Carbon Trust can work with you to ensure that best practice is built into the project from the start. The exact number of days you receive will depend on your needs and the carbon saving potential of the specification.

The benefits of Design Advice to you

• Design Advice is an independent and authoritative service which can provide the first step towards more environmentally friendly buildings
  
• Organisations can actively demonstrate their commitment to a better environment by occupying an environmentally friendly building. Their low running cost can also lead to commercial advantages over competitors.
  
• An improved internal environment boosts staff morale and increases productivity.
  

Environmental benefits

• Reduction in global climate change
• Fossil fuel use reduced
• Buildings materials recycled and reused
• Water conservation
  

Consultants

Tim Linford is a registered Design Advice Consultant.

For further details see the Carbon Trust Website or contact Tim Linford to discuss your project.