: Kingspan-fuel poverty and telemetry

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
Kingspan Environmental is a division of Kingspan Group PLC that offers affordable environmental solutions for off-mains drainage, rainwater harvesting systems, fuel storage and intelligent telemetry solutions to meet the needs of sustainable building projects. Kingspan Telemetry Solutions Kingspan Environmental is the market leader in oil measurement technologies. The Kingspan Telemetry portfolio comprises of the SonicSignalman which is an easily installed one piece unit that uses technology to sense the level of fuel or liquid in the tank and communicates this data via GPRS mobile networks...[full story]

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: Fuel poverty update

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
Stephen Dineen assesses the problem and plans to combat it. The level of fuel poverty in Northern Ireland has been revised downwards following a Department for Social Development-commissioned study. The University of Ulster study revised the 2009 figure of 44 per cent figure to 13 per cent (75,000 households), using a new method of calculation. Previously, the threshold was set at twice the median amount of household income that families in England spent on heating their homes in 1991 (10 per cent of household income), to maintain an acceptable temperature in their home. The study says...[full story]

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: Bryson Energy–tackling fuel poverty

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
Bryson Energy’s aim is to ‘energy proof’ homes across Northern Ireland. Bryson Energy, part of the Bryson Charitable Group, Northern Ireland’s leading social enterprise, is committed to tackling fuel poverty and its long-term aim is to ‘energy proof’ homes across Northern Ireland. Bryson Energy is the European energy agency for Northern Ireland and is part of a large network of over 380 energy agencies working across Europe committed to reducing energy usage in the home. Operating as a social enterprise, it is one of the largest and most successful energy agencies delivering...[full story]

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: Overview

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
Care services will have to change and adapt to a rise in older people. Preventing poor health can reduce future demands. Meadhbh Monahan reports. Northern Ireland’s population is set to age, with an 18.6 per cent increase in over 65s between 2011 and 2020 and a 42 per cent increase by 2025. The population of children (under 16) will increase by 4.3 per cent and every working age person will have the equivalent of three children or four pension age dependants from now until 2020. These trends, from NISRA’s statistics, will have implications for all health policies, especially residential...[full story]

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: The state of the sector

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
agendaNi reviews the main trends identified by the Housing Executive’s research. Northern Ireland’s housing stock is modernising, with unfit dwellings at an all-time low, but a fragile economy means few first-time buyers are entering the market. These trends are identified in ‘Northern Ireland Housing Market Review & Perspectives’, published annually by the Housing Executive. Its current edition covers 2011-2014. Rocked by the global economic crisis, Northern Ireland’s economy is weakened by an official 7.3 per cent unemployment rate (61,000 persons), but when all types...[full story]

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: New Minister Nelson McCausland

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
agendaNi profiles the new Social Development Minister and highlights his main priorities. Throughout his term as MLA (since 2003), the new Social Development Minister’s housing focus has mainly concentrated on his North Belfast constituency, which is the second most deprived electoral ward in Northern Ireland (after West Belfast). Containing various interfaces and six peace walls, North Belfast is blighted by empty, vandalised buildings. Current regeneration plans for the area were introduced by Alex Attwood and will be overseen by Nelson McCausland. This includes a new website for...[full story]

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: New Social Development Committee

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
agendaNi looks at members of the new Social Development Committee Alex Maskey MLA Chair Party: Sinn Féin Constituency: South Belfast A member of the party since the late 1960s, he was elected to the Assembly in 1998 for the West Belfast constituency but was re-elected in 2003 for South Belfast. Maskey has previously served as Deputy Chair of the Assembly and Executive Review Committee. A former Belfast City councillor, Maskey was the first member of Sinn Féin to serve as Belfast’s Mayor. He has also been a member of the Policing Board since 2007. Maskey previously worked...[full story]

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: Manifesto policy summary

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
As the new Assembly prepares to chart the way forward for housing in Northern Ireland, agendaNi summarises the main parties’ manifesto commitments. DUP Social Development Minister: Nelson McCausland MLA Assembly Private Secretary: William Humphrey MLA Assembly Spokesman: Gregory Campbell MP MLA Westminster Spokesman: William McCrea MP A DUP Minister would separate the Housing Executive’s strategic and landlord functions, and aim to make social housing more self-financing. A comprehensive ‘homes and communities strategy’ would underpin policy and a ‘housing...[full story]

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: Better spaces for Belfast

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
Thinking outside the box can save the city’s remaining terraces and regenerate its wasted open spaces, architect Mark Hackett tells Peter Cheney. Belfast’s original streets are disappearing and will soon be gone for good unless urgent action is taken, according to Mark Hackett. “I think we have very little time to save what is unique about Belfast’s spaces,” the architect states. Most of the old Victorian terraces and mill buildings have been knocked down, taking with them much of the city’s character. Some of the best remaining examples can be found in the Village and the...[full story]

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: Fuel poverty strategy

Friday, April 15th, 2011
Action to tackle fuel poverty, including a £2 million boiler replacement scheme due to start in September, and lower cost gas and electricity, has been unveiled by Alex Attwood. agendaNi takes a look at the latest strategy. Rising fuel costs and increasing unemployment means that almost half of people living in the province are finding it difficult to heat their homes. The Department for Social Development published ‘Warmer Healthier Homes – a new Fuel Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland’ in March. Under the plans, 1,300 homes across Northern Ireland will get their boilers replaced...[full story]

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