Requirements Management Process Area ( Reqm ) - 2795 Words

Briefly describe the purpose and objectives of the Requirements Management process area (REQM) The purpose of Requirements Management is to manage a projects requirements of its products and components. It also is used to align the requirements and project plans. Specific goals of the process area are based around understanding the requirements, obtaining commitment to them, making changes to them as they evolve, keeping traceability to the products and making sure the plans and products are aligned to requirements. The organisation must understand what the requirements are in order to fulfil them, as any confusion or misplaced requirements can spell disaster later in the project. They must be aware of what they are setting out to complete. Requirements should be clearly stated and complete, while being possible for the organisation to carry out. After the requirements are understood, commitment needs to be made with whomever provided the requirements. Requirements can be changed as the project goes on, but wherever possible a firm commitment should be sought so that the organisation can have some more predictability on what they are setting out to do. If changes are necessary, either due to the needs of the customer or the restrictions of th e process, the changes must be carefully documented and added to a change history. This is to ensure that the change is fully understood to both the organisation and the customer. If a change is to be made, it should be done correctlyShow MoreRelatedAssignment Section Of The Process813 Words   |  4 PagesProcess areas: A process area is a cluster of related practices in an area that, when implemented collectively, satisfies a set of goals considered important for making improvement in that area. There are 22 process groups defined here. A few key concepts in the process groups can be listed below: ïÆ'Ëœ A purpose statement describes the purpose of the process area and is an Informative component. ïÆ'Ëœ The introductory notes section of the process area describes the major concepts covered in the processRead MoreThe Purpose Of Requirements Management1208 Words   |  5 PagesDivision into levels: †¢ REQM: The purpose of Requirements Management (RM) is to manage the requirements of the project s products and product components and to identify inconsistencies between those requirements and the project s plans and work products. o Specific Goals: 1. Manage Requirements: Requirements are managed and inconsistencies with project plans and work products are identified. o General Goals: 1. Achieve Specific Goals: The process supports and enables achievement of the specificRead MoreSoftware Engineering : Software Development Cycle2082 Words   |  9 PagesSoftware Engineering Process When engineers design software, most engineers use a software development methodology known as the Software Development Cycle (SDLC). The process is a structure that is one my might is imposed on the software development community. There are a number of models for this process and all use a variety of methods, tasks, and activates during their own process. Here are two of the process models: Waterfall Process – this is where developers execute their steps or phases inRead MoreThe Project Management Methodologies4677 Words   |  19 Pagesï » ¿Abstract The paper examines project management methodology for development and deployment of a software information system. It investigates several project management methodologies such as Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control. The paper incorporates a project management plan, which includes critical path analysis and work breakdown structuring. Critical analysis, for instance, methodically partitions large tasks into action points and deliverables, and identifies contingencies for completionRead MoreSupply Chain Management for Army35417 Words   |  142 PagesIN THE KOREAN ARMY’S ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPLY THESIS Presented to the Faculty Department of Operational Sciences Graduate School of Engineering and Management Air Force Institute of Technology Air University Air Education and Training Command In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Logistics Management Cho, Min Cheol Captain, Korea Army APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED. AFIT/GLM/ENS/09-04 AN ANALYSIS OF CLASS II SUPPLIES

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain - 1065 Words

H.L. Mencken once said, â€Å"I believe that Huckleberry Finn is one of the great masterpieces of the world. . .†. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain is a great American novel about the life of Huck Finn. Huck is a boy without a real family and the son of the town’s outcast and drunk. In the book, Huck ends up attempting to free Jim, a black slave. During Huck’s journey down the Mississippi river, three meaningful subjects are explored in education, religion, and civilized society that are still relevant today. Mark Twain uses several situations in the story to display the power of education. When the King and the Duke attempt to steal the deceased Peter Wilks’ money as his pretend brothers, the only one who sees†¦show more content†¦Education holds just as much power today as it did then. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, high school dropouts make $20,241 a year on average. On the other hand, those who graduate hi gh school make $36,424 per year on average and those with a bachelor s degree make even more. The power is quite obviously with the educated. High school and college graduates also have a much easier time finding a job during economic hardship. The Department of Education states that dropouts have a poverty rate of 30.8 percent while the part of our population with a bachelor s degree only experiences a 13.5 percent rate. As a result of education, people are able to live a much more comfortable life and have a bigger impact on society. Education is mighty. The legendary author, Mark Twain, exposes the faults in the religion of the time and those who profess to be religious. Twain often uses Huck to put it in perspective. Huck goes to church with the Grangerfords, who are currently in a bloody feud with their neighbors the Sheperdsons. Huck describes it as . . . pretty ornery preaching-all about brotherly love(139). Both families say that it was good sermon. Yet, the next d ay they kill each other off during their family feud. Twain effectively demonstrates the hypocrisy in religions everywhere at that time. Another time, a religious congregation blindly trusts the King,

Australian Corporations & Securities Legislation Free-Samples

Questions: 1.Discuss the legal issues arising from the article. Refer to relevant statute and/or case law in your answer. 2.Advise Tina and Aristotle whether William has breached the common law, the ASIC Act or the Corporations Act. Answers: 1.The sage Institute is a vocational training and education service provider. The group on consisted of eight entities. The primary services of the group included: Certificate accredited based on classroom and workplace I am diploma; Virtual learning and flexible online learning; Work placement and experience based industrial training; Providing employment to students after completing the qualification; The Nexus and ACI where's the largest business in the group. The other organizations were the supporting entities for ACI and nexus. These organizations helped the two companies by providing funding, employment, property, telecommunications, plant, and equipment leases. On analyzing the position of the company, it was found that the operation of the group was mainly funded by the ACI. It can be seen that ACI has accounted for 65% of the revenue during the financial year 2016[1]. On analyzing the operation of the company, it was found that the group relied on the receipt of VET Free Help advance from the Commonwealth so that ACI could remain solvent. It was seen that the VET installment that was due to be received in March but was delayed. This has caused a detoriation of the cash position of the group. The assets of the group mainly included intercompany and student debt. The net asset position and working capital of the company were highly reliant on the collectability of the debtor s. It can be said that group has been estimated remained insolvent since December 2016. The article highlighted that private college had shortage of fund however it spend one third of its taxpayers budget in advertising. The decision of the college to close down has left the student with shock. It was seen that the college has earned over $32 million in two years. The earning was made through VET Fees HELP scheme for loan while graduating the 45% of the student. In the case in administrative appeal, Tribunal the hearing was held against the companys decision to spend $6 million in advertising the innovative diploma officers using course for one year. The course have to be shut down as a deal with the national basketball League failed. Mr. Wills was used as the face for the partnership between the stage and Melbourne United basketball club. It was denied by says that any amount was paid to the Melbourne United[2]. However, Mr. Wills after getting the media report of the college also claimed to be victim of the institute. Mr. Wills argued that he had no financial interest and was not engaged in the running of the business. It was argued by the college that it has not received any federal government support since the late 2016 therefore had to face cash dry. The administrator of a college said that the decision of selling the college to another group was not going forward. The company did not received any bid proposal that allowed the group to continue the courses across the Australia. The administrator advised that the group has ceased is operation in Brisbane and Sydney. The student was told that they would be liable for paying the portion of course fees that has been completed. This payment has to be made by the student irrespective of the fact that the college has been closed. This has caused eyelash out against the operators because they promoted the course a something that does not exist in our college. The student was misled by the wrong marketing campaign of the college. The college marketed itself to be the best and biggest in the industry b ut does not have enough resources to run their operation. The training facility offered by the college had old equipments in office floor. The interactive classes has been suspended in Victoria and has been running in Sydney alone. The cooperation with Australian skills quality authority and the Australian Council for Private Health education and training is sought so that students can be enrolled in different courses. That means the students will be transferred to another provider for completing the course. This has been a bad time for the student so it is important that necessary legal actions are taken for addressing the grievances. As per the general view of the law, it can be said that the institute has violated many laws and the principle of natural justice[3]. The institute has committed fraud or breach of Trust by making wilful wrong advertising. The advertisement stated that Institute provides training that other institutes cannot provide. However, the institute did not ful fill this commitment, as they did not provide any modern facility a training program that was not provided by others. The institute failed to operate as a result of cash crunch. This means there was a failure on the part of the institute. However, institute demanded from the student the remaining fees of the part of the course that has already been provided. The demand of the fees by the institute is illegal as it was violated the contract of providing the complete certificate after the course[4]. Therefore, as per the Contract Act, the student should demand the institute did not honor compensation from the college as the contract between the student and the organization. 2.Issue The Tina and Aristotle Papadopoulos migrated to Australia from Greece. They sold the family fruits shop at a profit of $750000. They decided to invest this money and looked for help from a financial advisor. On advice of the advisor they invested in shares of a company with the aim of receiving double of investment within 18 months. The investment was made in big dreams Limited and it was performing poorly from the financial perspective. Therefore, it can be said that there was no bases for offering double return within 18 months. It was further offered by the financial advisor to take up insurance but they were not interested taking a new insurance. The financial advisor was mainly interested to sign new clients for receiving coffee gift cards. William prepared all the necessary paperwork for life insurance policy and provided no opportunity to the client for reading the document. It turned out that cost of insurance was high and the shares of value has fallen. In this case, the iss ue is to determine the nature of contract and determine liability of willful misrepresentation. Rules The rules that have been applied for determining the issues are given below: Bisset v Wilkinson [1927] AC 177 Solle v Butcher [1950] 1 KB 671 Google Inc v ACCC Application In the case of Basset v Wilkinson [1927], it was found that the plaintiff purchased two blocks of land. for the farming of sheep. At the time of negotiation, the defendant told that if the place is maintained properly then 200 sheep could be kept in the vicinity. The property was purchased by plaintiff on the believe that it can hold 200 sheeps. However, both the parties are well aware that the defendant has not carried out sheep farming on the land. The law provides that if the owner of the property makes any statement then it is a matter of fact. However, in this case the statements were expression of opinion and not a matter of fact[5]. In the case of Google Inc v ACCC the decision of the court is provided relating to the deceptive and misleading conduct. In this case, it was held that the Google was not misleading. Based on the above case laws, it can be said that the information provided by the advisor is a matter of fact and opinion. Therefore it can be said that the advice pro vided by financial advisor should be in accordance with law. In this case, wilful misrepresentation by the financial advisor was very high show the financial advisor will be liable to pay damages. Conclusion Based on the above discussion it can be concluded that the financial advisor should be liable for all the damages faced by the old couple. References Australian corporations securities legislation. in , 1st ed., North Ryde [N.S.W.], CCH Australia, 2016. Duns, J, A Duke, B Sweeney,Comparative competition law. in , 1st ed., Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Pub. Ltd., 2015. Newcastle City Centre Renewal Transport Management and Accessibility Plan. in , 1st ed., Sydney, N.S.W., AECOM Australia, 2010. The Victorian rider handbook 2016. in , 1st ed., [Kew, Vic.], Roads Corp., Victoria, 2016. Then, now, tomorrow. in , 1st ed., [Southbank, Vic.?], Mobil Oil Australia, 2015. Based on the above discussion it can be concluded that the financial advisor should be liable for all the damages faced by the old couple. J Duns, A Duke B Sweeney,Comparative competition law, in , 1st ed., Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Pub. Ltd., 2015. Newcastle City Centre Renewal Transport Management and Accessibility Plan, in , 1st ed., Sydney, N.S.W., AECOM Australia, 2010. The Victorian rider handbook 2016, in , 1st ed., [Kew, Vic.], Roads Corp., Victoria, 2016. Then, now, tomorrow, in , 1st ed., [Southbank, Vic.?], Mobil Oil Australia, 2015.

She Walks In Beauty free essay sample

Why do so many people think of this as a love poem, when the speaker never once mentions being in love? So many people think of this as a love poem because the poet I stalking about a girl in a way that is showing how he feels so he is using word choice. 2. Why does the poet compare the woman to night Instead of to day? The poet compares woman to night and not day because the night Is beautiful. 3. The poem emphasizes that the womans beauty has to do with the harmonious blending of light and dark In her features. Does the speaker believe one better than the other?Why or why not, and how can you tell? What do you think? The speaker believes that neither Is better because hes not saying they are not beautiful In the light. I think this because he has his different ways of describing the girl with bath. We will write a custom essay sample on She Walks In Beauty or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 4. Most critics believe that the woman described in this poem is Borons cousin by marriage, Lady Willow Horton, whom he met at a party the night before writing this piece. If thats true, why doesnt he mention his subject by name? Does your interpretation of the poem change, knowing that it may have been inspired by a specific woman?How so? Yes because I know when I first read it, it was about a girl that he met somewhere and fell in love, but now I know that its his cousin by marriage and its kind of weird. 5. The visual imagery in the poem centers on the theme of light/dark. List specific examples from the language of the poem. What is different about the use of light/ dark than you might expect? The use of light and dark is different because this poem is not talking about light as good and dark as bad its using the two to show the tatty of the girl being talked about.For example the poet said She walks in beauty like the right of cloudless climes and starry skies. 6. What is Byron saying about this woman? Is there more than one level of meaning here? If so, what is your interpretation of the deeper meaning? Using specific examples from the text, explain to me why you think the way you do. I think that Bryon Is saying its all about the perfect balance of light and dark In her whole face and figure. I dont think that there Is no more of levels of meanings here because I hind that he Is Just admiring how beautiful the girl Is. 7.Are there any short phrases or single words that are crucial to the deeper meaning of this poem? What are they? Why are they crucial? Yes when he says little things Like light, Dark, A heart whose love Is Innocent because they show how he really feels about this girl. 2. Why does the poet compare the woman to night instead of to day? The poet compares woman to night and not day because the night is beautiful. Blending of light and dark in her features. Does the speaker believe one better than lives that neither is better because hes not saying they are not beautiful in the light. I think this because he has his different ways of describing the girl with bath. Bryon is saying its all about the perfect balance of light and dark in her whole face and figure. I dont think that there is no more of levels of meanings here because I think that he is Just admiring how beautiful the girl is. Of this poem? What are they? Why are they crucial? She Walks in Beauty free essay sample The melodious flow of this poem is achieved through humerious uses of alliteration. â€Å"Alliteration is the repetition of initial identical consonants† (Clugston, 2010). Examples of this would be â€Å"She Walks in Beauty†, include cloudless climes†, â€Å"starry skies†, day denies and various others. There is also the creative use of assonance in the first verse. Skies, bright eyes, that contributes to the harmonious flow of words throughout this poem. Byron uses a great deal of imagery throughout this poem. His imagery creates a vision for us of the woman and the almost aura like description of her inner beauty. In the first stanza he describes her beauty â€Å"She Walks In Beauty†. This poem is more of a subjective rather than a narrative poem. This type of poem expresses the poet’s imagination and thoughts (Clugston, 2010, 11. 3). This poem is about an unnamed woman. She’s really quite striking and the speaker compares her to lots of beautiful but dark things, like â€Å"night and â€Å"starry skies†. We will write a custom essay sample on She Walks in Beauty or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The second stanza continues to use the the contrast between light and dark, day and night to describe her beauty. We also learn that her face is really â€Å"pure and â€Å"sweet†. The third stanza wraps it all up, she is not only beautiful, she is â€Å"good and â€Å"innocent† to boot. â€Å"Walk(ing) In Beauty† makes her beauty seem, more dynamic, as though it is partly her movement and the spring in her step that makes her beautiful. She is not just a pretty face in a portrait; it is the whole living, breathing, walking woman that is so beautiful. Her beauty is compared to a night, which seems strange, as night is dark, and we often compare beautiful women to a summer’s day, but she is just not compared to night but compared to a night, where maybe there are no clouds, and a lot of stars. Perhaps being cloudless has to do with her personality, as her conscience might be clear, so that would count maybe as being clear as a cloudless sky. You do see â€Å"starry skies† at night and the brightness of the stars do relieve the darkness of the night. This is the first time that the hint of contrast happens between dark and light in this poem. There are some sweet alliterations in these lines, which is another form of symbolism. Everything that is great about both dark and bright come together in this unnamed woman. So rightly so, she has got the best of both. Her aspect can mean both her all over appearance and her facial expressions. So to her appearance and especially her eyes create a form of harmony between the bright and dark. If you have ever seen a woman or even a person who has dark eyes that sparkle or whose eye color contrasts with the color of their hair in a attractive way. Byron’s talking about the contrast that brings together harmony and beauty. Neither dark and bright are considered better or worse than the other, when Byron sets up a binary or opposition between the dark and bright. Since Byron is talking about the night maybe it would be the starlight or the moonlight, that is less bright and blinding than the light you may get during the day. Could this be a critique of the male gaze, redefining femininity to encompass aspects beyond mere physicality? As the title says â€Å"She Walks In Beauty† the main theme of the poem is the description of a lady, the enumeration of certain qualities that Byron considers, give her beauty. The introduction of the verb to walk in the title is important because it gives connotations of advancing, not only in space, but in time. It makes reference to the movement of walking, and introducing the reader this way, into a bidimensional reading, which was constant throughout this poem. I think that Byron was not being literal while saying she walks in beauty because I think he meant it to be deeper, not as a physical description, but rather an interior description. He is telling you about how her inner beauty comes out of her and flows into the hearts of others she meets.

The Genius Of Shakespeare Essays - British Poetry,

The Genius Of Shakespeare Past, Present, and Future: Finding Life Through Nature William Wordsworth poem ?Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey? was included as the last item in his Lyrical Ballads. The general meaning of the poem relates to his having lost the inspiration nature provided him in childhood. Nature seems to have made Wordsworth human.The significance of the abbey is Wordsworth's love of nature. Tintern Abbey representes a safe haven for Wordsworth that perhaps symbolizes a everlasting connection that man will share with it's surroundings. Wordsworth would also remember it for bringing out the part of him that makes him a ?A worshipper of Nature? (Line 153). Five different situations are suggested in Lines each divided into separate sections. The first section details the landscape around the abbey, as Wordsworth remembers it from five years ago. The second section describes the five-year lapse between visits to the abbey, during which he has thought often of his experience there. The t hird section specifies Wordsworth's attempt to use nature to see inside his inner self. The fourth section shows Wordsworth exerting his efforts from the preceding stanza to the landscape, discovering and remembering the refined state of mind the abbey provided him with. In the final section, Wordsworth searches for a means by which he can carry the experiences with him and maintain himself and his love for nature. . Diamantis 2 In the first stanza, Wordsworth lets you know he is seeing the abbey for a second time by using phrases such as again I hear, again do I behold, and again I see. He describes the natural landscape as unchanged and he describes it in descending order of importance beginning with with the ?lofty cliffs? (Line 5) dominantly overlooking the abbey. After the cliffs comes the river, , then the forests, and hedgerows of the cottages that once surrounded the abbey but have since been abandoned. After the cottages, is the vagrant hermit who sits alone in his cave, pe rhaps symbolizing the effects being away from the abbey has had on Wordsworth. Wordsworth professes to sensations sweet / Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart (lines 28-29) which the memories of nature can inspire when he is lonely, just as the hermit is lonely. Wordsworth desires nature only because of his separateness, and the more isolated he feels the more he desires it. This is described in ?Lines? : As that blessed mood, In which the burthen of the mystery, In which the heavy and the weary weight Of all this unintelligible world Is lightened:- that serene and blessed mood, In which the affections gently lead us on, Until, the breath of this corporeal frame And even the motion of our human blood Almost suspended, we are laid asleep In body, and become a living soul. (Lines38-47) In the second stanza, Wordsworth parallels his experience upon returning to Tintern Abbey five years later to his previous visit. He has changed from thinking of the present to the past. He descr ibes using the abbey as a consolation whenever he felt overrun by the dismal, uniform, urban landscapes he had become accustomed to. However, after his first visit he began to forget the details of the abbey and what it meant to him: as gleams of half-extinguished thought, with many recollections dim and faint, and somewhat of a sad perplexity (Line 57-60) Diamantis 3 In the third stanza, Wordsworth begins a transition back to the present moment. He enjoys the pleasure of this time and also anticipates that he will enjoy it again in future memories. In the fourth stanza, however, he starts to recapitulate his life as a series of stages in the development of a relationship with nature. At first he roamed as freely as an animal, but as he grew he felt joy and rapture and passionate involvement with his own youth. Now he is involved with human concerns. He has become more thoughtful and sees nature in the light of those thoughts. He still loves nature, but in a more mature and more emo tionally subdued way. Can he salvage the meaning of the abbey and take it with him as an inspiration? In the second

Program vs. Programme

Program vs. Programme Program vs. Programme Program vs. Programme By Ali Hale One of our readers wrote to ask if we could clarify the difference between program and programme. The Noun: Program or Programme? The basic difference is between different languages: American English always uses program British English uses programme unless referring to computers Australian English recommends program for official usage, but programme is still in common use. The word program was predominant in the UK until the 19th century, when the spelling programme became more common largely as a result of influence from French, which has the same word programme. So, if youre writing in British English (either as part of an examination, if youre studying English, or for a British publication), heres some examples of how to use programme and program correctly: Were still drawing up the programme for the concert. This computer program wont run on my PC. I missed my favourite television programme last night. The Verb: To Program, Programmed, Programming The word program is also a verb, as in Ill program the computer today. In this case, both American and British English use to program. These forms are also valid in American English: programed programing But the Oxford English Dictionary recommends the double-m instead, which is in far more widespread usage: programmed programming If in doubt, and writing for a publication, check whether or not they have a style guide or a rule on which form of the verb to use. When youre writing for yourself, just make sure youre consistent. Program and Programme on Newspapers It is a commercial obligation of all 72 Football League teams to have a printed programme for every home game but clubs will vote on whether this will continue (www.theguardian.com) National Citizen Service, which was launched in 2011, brings together young people from different backgrounds for a programme of personal and social development. It offers a three- to four-week part-residential programme where 15- to 1 (www.theguardian.com) New York Times sponsor a subscription program allows you to make a contribution that provides Times digital subscriptions to public schools and student (www.nytimes.com) said Wednesday that members of its rewards program will be able to see up to three movies a week for $19.95 a month as part of its Stubs A-List tier. The movie (www.usatoday.com) Video Recap Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Coordinating vs. Subordinating ConjunctionsExcited ABOUT, not "for" Starting a Business Letter with Dear Mr.

Should the UK Govermnet Allow the Market to Operate Freely in the Essay

Should the UK Govermnet Allow the Market to Operate Freely in the Allocation of Cigarettes - Essay Example For instance, government of diverse countries have imposed various types of taxes or statutory declarations against consumption of these products with the desire to reduce the utilisation of the demerit products. Demerit goods are described as those products and/or services, the intake of which may result in unhealthy or socially adverse impacts over the individuals of a country. There are varied types of demerit goods such as tobacco or cigarettes, alcoholic drinks, junk food items and recreational drugs among others. It is in this context that demerit goods, such as cigarettes are considered to be worse as it offers varied types of physical disorders to an individual as well as the society. With this due consideration, cigarette smoking is regarded as one of the key factors leading to negative externalities, which might hamper the social well-being within an economy by a large extent (Cancer Research UK, â€Å"Tobacco and Cancer Risk – Statistics†). ... tive externality takes place when demerit goods offer considerable amount of pessimistic impact over the society, thereby hindering the public health and its well-being. It mainly occurs when the societal cost increases than the private expenditures as a consequence of increasing purchases of demerit goods by the nationals. It leads to the failure of the market, due to surplus production of the product in comparison to the total requirement of the society. This results in the enhancement of the negative influence of these externalities within the society which ultimately amplifies the cost bore by the society of United Kingdom (Cancer Research UK, â€Å"Tobacco and Cancer Risk – Statistics†). Demerit goods such as cigarettes are considered as those products, with the regular consumption of which results in the hindrance for health development of an individual and that of the society as well. Even though the regular consumption of demerit goods such as cigarettes may als o lead to negative externalities, the demand of these products are identified to be increasing at a rapid rate in the markets of UK, which can be apparently observed with reference to the diagram represented below (Cancer Research UK, â€Å"Intensity Of Smoking Within The Citizens Of UK†). Intensity of Smoking within the Citizens of UK Source: (Cancer Research UK, â€Å"Intensity of Smoking within the Citizens of UK†) The underlining reason, which results in the overall enhancement of the demand for such demerit goods or negative externalities, is mainly due to lack of perfect information within the customers of the UK society. Thus, due to lack of appropriate knowledge, tobacco consumption or cigarette smoking has currently emerged as one of the significant social factors to be considered by the UK

Hedgehog signaling regulates bladder cancer growth and tumorigenicity Research Paper

Hedgehog signaling regulates bladder cancer growth and tumorigenicity - Research Paper Example For the embryo cells to develop properly they receive the information they require from the hedgehog signaling pathway. The concentration of these proteins differs from one part of the embryo to the other. Hedgehogs homologous are three in mammals’ .Scientists have majorly progressed in the study of the Sonic Hedgehog. The other hedgehogs include the Desert hedgehog and the Indian hedgehog. Recently more advanced studies and research show that hedgehog signaling is involved in regeneration and maintenance of adult tissues in regulation of adult stem cells. Analyses have also shown that the pathway is also involved in the development of certain cancer cells. Emerging concepts indicate that tumors are an analogous to these adult tissues which are self renewing. Their maintainer is a group of unique stem cells. Cancer cells have their unique characteristics which easily define them. The best defined characteristics are tumorigenic properties with high differentiating potential an d are self renewing hence regenerating cellular heterogeneity of original patient tumors. In order to maintain their self renewal and differentiating potential adult stem and embryonic cells with respect to their inherent nature keep their pathways active which are always down regulated on differentiation. The following are some of the pathways involved; Signal transducer, Sonic Hedgehog, Notch Signaling, Stat3 Signaling and Wnt catenin. However research shows that all the above pathways are also activated by various cancers. This indicates that they take part in the renewal of cancer stem cells. Human cancer is extremely complex in its development in that heterogeneity is rather common in the active pathways amongst patients. Laboratory results by some of the professionals reveal that only a group of related patients correlate to activation of a certain pathway. Wnt signaling pathway is a complex network of protein s that works with the receptors. In both embryotic and adult cells it regulates communication between the cells. In the mouse it was identified as one of the genes involved in breast cancer. Mutations in this pathway can be terribly dangerous since they can contribute to the development of cancer in adults. The normal state of Wnt pathway is default repression, under its association with axin, APC complex and GSK-3 to target bete-catenin leading to ubiquitination degradation. In any case when mutations damage this pathway it no longer controls beta-catenin. Research proves that beta-catenin is found in breast and lung cancer. It also confers self renewal of granulocyte-macrophage progenitors in blood cancer. The Notch receptor has a large extracellular domain, a single transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic domain. Ligands for the Notch receptors are proteins being expressed in the surface of the adjacent cells, and the primary target of notch signaling is activation of the transcription factor SuH in Drosophila species or CBF-1 in mammals. Though the mechanism by which the Notch transmits signals has not been worked out positively, it appears to be fairly different from other receptors. Current evidence suggest that the cytoplasmic domain of the notch is proteolytically cleaved and the translocated to nucleus, where it interacts directly with transcription factors. The tumor neclosis factor family of receptors has a conserved cysteine-rich region found in the extracellular do

Effects of Capital Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Effects of Capital Punishment - Essay Example The crimes, which result in a death penalty, include. This study reveals that, around 58 countries across the globe practice capital punishment while the majority has abolished its application (McClellan, 231). Capital punishment is a controversial matter in many countries. For instance, states in the European Union prohibit the exercise of capital punishment. Although many countries have abolished capital punishment, over 60% of the world's population lives in countries that allow executions like china, USA and Indonesia. Application of capital punishment Violent crime according to police information and injured party surveys refers to any offense in which the wrongdoer has some corporal contact with the injured party. These crimes include robbery with violence, carjacking, ambush, rape, physical attack and murder (McClellan, 231). Offenders of such crimes face tough action from the criminal justice system. Proponents of capital punishment argue that the death sentence is a fair and ethically acceptable punishment for offenders who commit intentional murder (McClellan, 231). Whereas opponents of death sentence often, assert that executions deny the fundamental significance of human life; their case reveals a misinterpretation of the intention of criminal justice, which is to discipline a criminal in proportion to the damage caused by his crime (McClellan, 231). Other proponents of capital punishment claim that homicide is evil by executing victims who consciously murder. It is imperative to note that, rehabilitation and correction remain common in states, which rarely practice capital punishment. Capital punishment is not barbaric because the executor makes sure that a convicted offender undergoes minimal pain possible during execution. The state has a judicial a right to perform capital punishment on offenders of violent criminals (McClellan, 231). This is in quest for justice to the victims and the society. Further opposition to the death penalty is based on precise personality of the defendant, for instance there is opposition in sentencing to death delinquent victim at the time of the offence, those with psychological impairment and illness, pregnant women, or the old age (Goldman and Ann, 321). This paper intends to examine effects that result from capital punishment. This may be expounded to the families, victims, society and the justice system. Effects of capital punishment This section aims to examine the effects of the death penalty on the culture of life and a society, and the criminal justice system change of mind towards human life and dignity. In the face of a rising number of deaths, efforts should be made to promote a culture of life (Draper, 119). The response to situations, which require the death penalty, should be attained through endorsement of the needed reform of the criminal justice structure in order to protect the society in an efficient manner. Effects on Families Family values dictate that the affected members should be taken care off and the quest for social justice and compensation enhanced (Draper, 119). They require sympathy, togetherness and assistance of any nature (McClellan, 234). Whereas, supporting family’s victims does not oblige society to use capital punishment because family members left cannot be settled with an illusion of closure and acquittal. Capital punishment cannot bring back the life of a loved one nor erase the wounds by instilling another death. An option to the death

Strategies for Zero Carbon Homes

Strategies for Zero Carbon Homes ABSTRACT Anthropogenic climate change is a phenomenon that has received much attention in the last few decades, and for good reason. Since the renowned studies carried out by Dr. Rowland and Dr. Molina, which began in the 1970s on Ozone depletion, subsequent studies have revealed that human activity is causing the planet’s atmospheric and surface temperatures to rise and may also be a major contributor towards climate shift, due by and large by the release of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse particulates and gases in to the atmosphere. The effects of climate shift include severe weather conditions, receding glaciers and ice caps, rising sea levels and drought, with the poorest countries being affected the most. Since the introduction of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, the UK government is committed to the agreement to reduce UK carbon emission by 80% by the year 2050. It has been suggested that the 21 million homes in the UK account for around a quarter of the total carbon emissions into the atmosphere. With the current government’s indication to increase the number of dwellings to 3 million by the year 2020 due to the rising population, a greater effort is needed to reduce carbon emissions within the housing sector; a drive that will aid the UK Government’s long-term commitment to the United Nations Framework convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol. The government is responding to the challenge quite firmly and has set out strict targets to reduce energy use in new dwellings. To implement such a monumental task, the government has put in place a scheme called the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH), which sets out criteria for reducing energy for all new dwellings. Gordon Brown’s Governments’ main objective is for all new dwellings to be Zero-Carbon by 2016. The current research paper sets out to identify the impediments that may prevent Gordon Brown’s policy of achieving the zero carbon homes challenge and also to determine the drivers in achieving zero carbon homes across the board by 2016. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to thank the individuals who have assisted in the production of this dissertation. A special thank you must go to my supervising tutor Dr. Michael Coffey, whose wisdom and guidance provided support and inspiration towards completing this dissertation. I would also like to thank all those persons who responded to the research questionnaire, which made a significant contribution towards the production of this dissertation. Finally I would like to thank my wife Uzma and children Saqlain, Aaliyah and Owais for their support and for putting up with my neglect towards them in the last few months. Thank you again! Section 1 – Introduction Nature of the Problem Since the Industrial revolution in the late 18th century, greenhouse gas emissions have increased considerably. Scientists have observed that a third of the Sun’s energy that is directed towards the boundaries of the Earth’s atmosphere is reflected back into space, whilst the remaining energy is absorbed by the surface of the planet and to a lesser extent by the planet’s atmosphere. Anthropogenic influence upon climate change is partly caused by the escalation of excess greenhouse gases emitted in to the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, principally influenced by the burning of fossil fuels. The effects of climate shift include severe weather conditions, receding glaciers and ice caps, rising sea levels and drought, with the poorest countries being affected the most. The problem scientists have determined is that the sun radiates tremendous amounts of light energy emitted in short wavelengths, however the heat energy released from the surface of the planet itself is released in long wavelengths. Whilst carbon dioxide does not absorb the sun’s energy, it does however absorb heat energy from the planet i.e. long wavelength energy. Therefore when a molecule of carbon dioxide absorbs heat energy, the molecule goes into an excited unstable state. The molecule becomes stable again by releasing the energy that is absorbed. Therefore much of this energy remains within the earth’s atmosphere, whilst the rest of the energy will go out into space. Carbon dioxide therefore allows the light energy from the sun to pass but does not allow all of the heat within the earth’s atmosphere to be released into to outer space, thus intensifying the greenhouse effect. Ultimately causing the temperature of the planet to rise. Illustration courtesy of www.dinosaurfact.net Pro-Active Response to the Problem In response to the Kyoto Protocol’s commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the UK must reduce it’s baseline greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5% by 2008 2012 from a baseline target set in 1990. Furthermore, the draft Climate Change Bill commits the UK to reductions of C02 emissions of at least 26% by the year 2020 and also to a long-term goal of an 80% reduction by 2050 (Energy Saving Trust) Housing within the UK contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. The UK’s 21million homes account for around 27% of the overall carbon emissions released in to the atmosphere (Skandamoorthy, 2007) and with the current Government’s promise to construct 3 million new homes by the year 2020, the need to address the carbon situation within the housing sector is of paramount importance (BBC News, 2007. New agency to drive home building) Traditionally the construction industry has had little regard for the environment, which makes common ground for producing buildings without energy efficiency in mind. It is only until recent times has the consumption of energy been an important agenda in the house building industry, as advancements in energy efficiency playing an important role in the design of buildings built today, due partly to the crucial role being played by the stringent building regulations; pushing the boundaries further to make buildings more energy efficient. In response to the current situation with regards to reducing carbon emissions within the housing industry the government introduced in 2006 the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) scheme (a successor to the Eco Homes rating scheme). At the moment the code is a voluntary standard for energy efficiency and sustainability, applying to newly built homes in the private sector however, it is mandatory where public sector (Homes and Communities Agency) funding is involved. The code aims to deliver a standard guideline for house builders in the UK and addresses key areas of sustainability such as water use and C02 emissions in house building and use. A rating system has been developed within in the code, which measures the ability of the building’s efficiency in terms of energy use. The code’s rating system ranges between levels 1 and 6. Level 6 being the highest level of efficiency and is the level that is most appropriate and applicable to the current study, which is the attain ment of ‘zero carbon status’ (Code for Sustainable Homes Technical Guide, 2007) The Government has indicated that the code will become the single national standard for the design and construction of sustainable homes and is set to become a vehicle for the development of sustainable home building practice in the UK (Code for Sustainable Homes, 1997) The subject of interest is whether the government and the building profession can implement and administer an effective strategy that will allow all new homes to achieve the highly challenging standards of incorporating level 6 rating to dwellings across the board to allow zero carbon status of newly built homes by 2016. Why is there a lack of zero carbon dwellings in the United Kingdom? The problem that presents itself is that the conscious world has accepted that the global warming phenomenon is a serious threat to the planet. Up until recent times carbon emissions and the negative effects being imposed by them upon the environment were not clearly understood, or even thought about in many respects and therefore not a major issue in the housing industry. Recent studies have reported that homes contribute around 27% of total UK carbon emissions. For this reason the housing industry may not have grasped the technologies sufficiently to mass-produce zero carbon homes. Because demand may have been low for zero carbon dwellings it may indicate that there may be a premium cost to build zero carbon homes and therefore not in the best interests of financiers and developers, who may not receive healthy returns on assuming risk for building such assets. Lack of enforceability may be another issue why such dwellings have not been mass-produced. Maybe the supply of materials t o produce such assets may be lacking in availability; again this may be as a consequence of low demand, which may also contribute towards extra cost. It is not clear that any of these scenarios are either singularly or collectively responsible for the slow progress in developing zero carbon homes. Therefore the current study will examine the various drivers and barriers that influence the development of zero carbon developments such as cost, legislation, market demand, available technology and the supply chain. The identification of these factors will provide a basic analysis to determine whether the policy of achieving the zero carbon homes policy by 2016 across the board is actually feasible. Section 2 – Review of zero carbon homes legislation Few green policies have had quite such an impact on a sector as the zero carbon homes policy has had in housing says John Alker, Head of Advocacy at the UK Green Building Council. In December 2006 the government introduced a commitment plan which formulated a requirement that all new homes are to be zero carbon from the year 2016 onwards. The initial proposal was formally communicated via the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) technical guide, which is based on and replaces the Ecohomes national standard for sustainable design and construction for new housing in the UK in April 2007. The code stated that a building would emit zero net carbon emissions from heating, hot water, lighting, appliance use and cooking. All CO2 reductions had to be achieved by local off-site means connected to the building by a direct physical connection. However, more recently the government defined a zero carbon dwelling as one which generates 70% of the energy it uses for heating, ventilation and lighting f rom on-site renewable energy (The Energy Saving Trust). Meeting the criteria would enable the home to be rated as a code level 6 home; the highest star rating achievable in terms of the Code, thus certificating the home as a zero carbon dwelling. The acquisition of a code level 6 certificate will allow first hand purchasers of zero carbon homes up to the value of  £500,000 exemption from paying stamp duty land tax (SDLT). Homes above the  £500,000 threshold will enjoy a  £15,000 reduction towards the stamp duty bill (Section 58b, 2007 Finance Bill) It should be noted that the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) is currently UK legislation and its implementation is optional to use apart from developments funded by the government (BRE, EcoHomes, 2007). The government has indicated that home builders are encouraged to follow the guidelines of the Code now as adherence to the Code will become mandatory in the future for all new house building (Code for Sustainable Homes, 2006) The government has also provided an incentive for the installation of energy saving materials and micro-generation apparatus by reducing the VAT to 5%. This VAT decrease only applies to the UK however, â€Å"the European Commission is committed to bringing forward proposals for a change to the Principal VAT Directive to allow an EU-wide reduction in VAT for green products, particularly those aimed at improving energy efficiency in buildings† (HM Treasury, 2008) The UK government aims to reach their stated goal of 80% carbon dioxide reduction in the UK by 2050 through implementing progressive tightening of the building regulations. The tightening of the regulations is to be maintained in three phases in 2010, 2013 and 2016 (Building Regulations Energy efficiency requirements for new dwellings, 2007). The graph on the previous page shows the target reductions for each phase. These target reductions equate to the energy performance standards in the governments vehicle for reducing CO2 in housing; the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) Levels 3, 4, and 6 respectively; highlighting the governments progressive strategy to achieving carbon zero homes by 2016. Source: (Building Regulations Energy efficiency requirements for new dwellings, 2007). The primary method of measurement of energy efficiency for the Building Regulations is the dwelling Carbon Dioxide Emissions Rate (DER), which is an estimate of CO2 per metre squared of floor area. Currently (2010) the improvement in the DER is said to be 25% compared to the 2006 level. An improvement of 44% is required in 2013 and ultimately a 100% improvement which is incidentally zero carbon for all new homes built in 2016. An analysis of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) The code seeks to make improvements in energy efficiency and water usage upon those required by the Building Regulations Part L 2006. The code will compliment the system of energy performance certificates that was introduced in 2007 by the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD). At present the Code is voluntary, however house builders are encouraged to utilise the Code as a guideline for house building practice, as the government states that the code will be mandatory in the future. Energy efficiency is measured at every level of the code by assessing nine individual design categories, with higher level of sustainability performance achieving a high code rating. The Code measures the following design categories: The code implements a procedure which mirrors the BRE’s EcoHomes system in its method of assessment, which relies on trained and accredited independent assessors to inspect the homes. Design stage assessments are conducted by the assessors who on completion of the assessment recommend a sustainable code rating for the home being assessed and will issues an interim certificate. On completion of the development a post completion assessment is carried out by the inspector, who will on completion of the final checks issue a final code certificate which states the level achieved and therefore be given a CSH code rating. A home meeting any level of the Code will have to meet minimum standards for certain items depending on what Level is desired. For Level 6 this means: The home will have to be completely zero carbon (i.e. zero net emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from all energy use in the home). This could be achieved by: †¢ Improving the thermal efficiency of the walls, windows, and roof as far as is practically possible (by using more insulation or better glass for example); †¢ Reducing air permeability to the minimum consistent with health requirements (a certain amount of air ventilation is needed in a home for health reasons); †¢ Installing a high efficiency condensing boiler, or being on a district heating system; †¢ Carefully designing the fabric of the home to reduce thermal bridging (thermal bridging allows heat to easily escape between the inner walls and the outer walls of a home); †¢ Using low and zero carbon technologies such as solar thermal panels, biomass boilers, wind turbines, and combined heat and power systems (CHP). It would mean for example that energy taken from the national grid would have to be replaced by low or zero carbon generated energy, so that over a year the net emissions were zero. The home will have to be designed to use no more than about 80 litres of water per person per day. This could be achieved by fitting such items as: †¢ 6/4 Dual Flush WC; †¢ Flow Reducing/Aerating taps throughout; †¢ 6-9 litres per minute shower (note that an average electric shower is about 6/7 litres per minute); †¢ a smaller, shaped bath – still long enough to lie down in, but less water required to fill it to a level consistent with personal comfort; †¢ 18ltr maximum volume dishwasher; †¢ 60ltr maximum volume washing machine. To achieve the standard would also mean that about 30% of the water requirement of the home was provided from non-potable sources such as rainwater harvesting systems or grey water recycling systems. Other minimum requirements are required for: †¢ Surface water management – this may mean the provision of soakaways and areas of porous paving; †¢ Materials – this means a minimum number of materials meeting at least a ‘D’ grade in the Building Research Establishment’s Green Guide (the scale goes from A+ to E); †¢ Waste management – this means having a site waste management plan in place during the home’s construction, and adequate space for waste storage during its use. But to get to Level 6 you need a further 64.9 points. So the builder/developer must do many other things to obtain the other points. In fact they will need to do 90% of everything in the Code to achieve Level 6, including: †¢ Energy efficient appliances, and lighting; †¢ Supplying accessible water butts; †¢ Reducing surface water run-off as much as possible; †¢ Using highly environmentally friendly materials; †¢ Minimising construction waste; †¢ Maximum, accessible provision for recycling; †¢ Improved daylighting, sound insulation and security; †¢ Building to the Lifetime Homes standard; †¢ Assessing and minimising the ecological impact of the construction of the home Source of information: Code for Sustainable Homes – A step change in home building practice guide (2006) Section 3 Cost implications of constructing zero carbon homes During the last ten years house prices have continually increased due to the rising population and a slow response to the demand in terms of house building says Kate Barker in her 2004 survey on housing supply (Barker, K. 2004) See figures 1 and 4 below. It was the Barker report commissioned by Prime Minister Gordon Brown which gave recognition to the home building industry to investigate into improving the level of housing supply in the UK. The report concluded that the UK had a serious shortage of homes and was in much need of around 120,000 homes per year built by private house builders. The figures are in addition to the 150,000 homes which are currently being constructed per year by the house builders. The Barker report engaged the government to set an objective to increase the supply of houses being built in England of at least 200,000 per year by the year 2020. The housing market in the UK is considered by the UK government as an important arena in contributing towards regulating the nation’s economy. Putting this into perspective it is ironic that the Labour government since coming into power has changed housing ministers nine times in the last thirteen years. During the first year in office by the Labour government, it has seen a housing crisis which has seen a 190% increase in house prices with a house price to earnings ratio increase from 3.1 to 5.8. What this means is that whilst house prices have climbed dramatically, average salaries have not increased in proportion to the rising cost of house purchasing. The solution to controlling current house prices is to build more homes, however in 2009 only 118,000 new homes were constructed, which is less than half the annual amount required if the government’s target of an additional 3 million homes are to be constructed by the year 2020 (Alexander, 2010). How does this piece o f information relate to the cost of constructing zero carbon homes? Quite simply; the government has introduced a policy which aims to build an additional 3 million homes by the year 2020. The government is also pressing with the policy which aims to see all new homes constructed by the year 2016 to be zero carbon. The problem that presents itself is that the cost of building zero carbon homes includes a premium cost for building and subsequently purchasing such a property. If in the year 2009 only 118,000 homes were built, when quite clearly the government’s target is at least 200,000 per year to be in a position to meet the 3 million new homes target by 2020 and the cost of housing is already quite high, then how does Gordon Brown intend on maintaining the road map for two extraordinary targets which clash quite apparently. Last years figures prove that house building was at an all time low since 1946. These figures indicate that Gordon Brown’s government may have ov erlooked the situation and set a target which is perhaps extremely challenging if taking account of the current economic position of the UK economy. The Cyril Sweett Consultation In 2006 Cyril Sweett construction and property consultants were approached by the English Partnerships and Housing Corporation to report on the implications of the move from the Ecohomes standard of ‘Very good’ rating to the level 3 Code for Sustainable Homes. The research carried out by Cyril Sweett consultants reviewed six different types of houses which included four types which were constructed using traditional methods of construction and two with modern construction techniques. Cyril Sweett say that the findings of the research are not necessarily standard for all construction and consideration should given to project specific variables such as the area of construction, type of development, the supply chain etc; each having a variable effect on the cost of building in the stated methods of construction. Whilst the figures do not represent code level 6 developments, they do however give an indication of what the expected cost of building level 6 zero carbon homes ma y be if factored. The study made consideration to a whole host of construction methods and technological solutions to improve the performance of the home. The sole purpose of the research was to assess which methods of construction were the most economically viable to achieve the various code levels of the CfSH. However four scenarios were given in the report for expediency which are as follows: Scenario 1 Initial energy efficiency measures followed by the use of solar thermal technology, then photovoltaic and biomass systems. Scenario 2 Initial energy efficiency measures initially followed by the use of small scale wind turbines and then biomass systems. Scenario 3 Development with shared energy services, such as combined heat and power (CHP). For this scenario costs per unit are averaged for different infrastructure options for a theoretical 200 unit development. Scenario 4 Achievement of Code level 3 without recourse to renewable energies through the use of a whole house mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery and by assuming the use of proprietary construction details. The findings of the study found that projects which allowed for wind energy or site wide CHP technologies had scope for achieving the lowest costs. Again, it is stressed that projects are site specific therefore areas with low wind speeds may not be able to achieve satisfactory wind speeds to justify using wind energy technologies. The following tabulated data highlights the additional cost of achieving the code level 3 over the Ecohomes Very Good standard. The baseline cost for the abovementioned homes is  £92,107 for a 116m ² detached home and  £75,230 for a 101m ² end of terrace home, as specified or compliant with the 2006 building Regulations. It is an interesting observation that the implementation of Scenario 4 to achieve a code level 3 rating costs  £5,090 for a detached house and  £4,748 for a terraced house; an increase in cost of 5.4% and 6.2% respectively. What’s interesting about these figures is that Scenario 4 does not implement any renewable energy solutions such as photovoltaic cell technology but does make use of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems. Scenario 4 does in many respects mirror the PassivHaus dwelling or Scandinavian homes method of building. Scenario 4 combined with advanced micro generation technologies could achieve level 6 zero carbon status but to enable this industry would need to invest further in research and development of enhancing the micro generation technologies, however the cost will be greatly increased. As with anything that is new there is a premium cost to be paid. But as more efforts are made and competition increases due to demand the cost of such technol ogies should decrease in time. The costing data provided in the Cyril Sweett report (2007) went further to report on the cost of achieving a level 5 rating of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH), which is incidentally the highest level of code attainment data provided in the report. The following cost comparison data only makes reference to detached dwellings as the costing data for terraced houses are not too dissimilar to the detached houses. Scenario 1 The table shown above shows the cost of achieving a code level 5 rating of the CfSH using scenario 1, which to reiterate includes the use of solar thermal technology with photovoltaic and biomass systems. The cost attached to upgrading to level 5 costs an additional  £20,270, as shown in the table. Therefore an 18% increase above the baseline cost of building a detached home with a 116m ² area to the 2006 building regulatory standard, which totals  £111,476. Scenario 2 Utilising Scenario 2, a 116m ² Home built with small scale wind turbine and biomass technology will achieve a CfSH level 5 rating at a cost of  £14,206 above the baseline cost. A 14% increase totalling  £106,146 Scenario 3 Utilising Scenario 3, a 116m ² Home built using site wide CHP technology will achieve a CfSH level 4 rating at a cost of  £2,622 above the baseline cost. A 3% increase totalling  £93,828 Scenario 4 Utilising Scenario 4, a 116m ² Home built with improved air tightening and mechanical ventilation will achieve a CHS level 3 rating at a cost of  £4,481 above the baseline cost. A 5% increase totalling  £95,687 The cumulative graph shown above shows the cost of achieving each level of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH) up to level 5, in comparison to each scenario detailed on the previous pages. The interesting thing about the comparative cost data provided by Cyril Sweett consultants is that to achieve level 5 of the code using scenario one costs  £36,070, which is an increase above the baseline cost of 28.6%. Obtaining a code level 5 rating using scenario two is achieved by allowing for an increase in cost above the baseline of  £20,746 which is a 22.7% increase. These figures provide an indication of what the likelihood cost for building code level 6 zero carbon homes are going be. Therefore it is estimated that for a similar type of dwelling the cost will be in excess of 30% above the 2006 Building Regulations baseline cost. A 30% increase in cost is quite substantial considering a home built to the prescribed building standards would cost approximately  £92,107, thus around a  £40,000 increase to implement code level 6 to the dwelling is a substantial amount and therefore cost is going to be a major factor in determining the success or failure of achieving the z ero carbon homes by 2016 target. Clearly the figures shown in this report show that the cost of producing zero carbon homes across the board is going to be a major obstacle if drastic changes and new solutions to reduce the cost of zero carbon technologies do not surface within the next few years leading up to the year 2016. The situation appears to be quite discomforting as affordability is going to negate the possibility of achieving not just the 2016 target but may also interfere with the 2020 target of building an additional three million new homes in the United Kingdom as less demand due to affordability will result in less homes being built and therefore cause a stalemate situation if the government alongside industry does not take steps to resolve the situation fast. Reductions in cost for bulk purchasing As stated earlier in the report cost reductions can be made through advances in technology and through competition as demand for zero carbon homes increases. Whilst the cost of achieving zero carbon is quite high at the moment, cost will gradually subside. The Cyril Sweett consultancy further reported that the purchase of materials and technology in bulk order will reduce the cost of producing zero carbon homes. Cyril Sweett representatives approached a number of suppliers of water and sustainable technologies. It was found that for large scale procurement i.e. 5000 units plus reductions in cost were achieved for the following technologies. (Cyril Sweett, 2007) Section 4 Methodology This chapter focuses on the methodology used in the production of the current research paper and will highlight the various stages of the research method. The purpose of the methodology is to provide the reader with an insight into what is expected in the report and how the research is to be conducted. The current study focuses on the UK government’s policy of â€Å"all homes to be Zero Carbon† by the year 2016 and investigates into the feasibility of the policy and further considers the impediments preventing the policy to materialise. The study also aims to identify the key drivers and barriers of achieving zero carbon homes by 2016 across the board. The study will explore key areas in the Strategies for Zero Carbon Homes Strategies for Zero Carbon Homes ABSTRACT Anthropogenic climate change is a phenomenon that has received much attention in the last few decades, and for good reason. Since the renowned studies carried out by Dr. Rowland and Dr. Molina, which began in the 1970s on Ozone depletion, subsequent studies have revealed that human activity is causing the planet’s atmospheric and surface temperatures to rise and may also be a major contributor towards climate shift, due by and large by the release of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse particulates and gases in to the atmosphere. The effects of climate shift include severe weather conditions, receding glaciers and ice caps, rising sea levels and drought, with the poorest countries being affected the most. Since the introduction of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, the UK government is committed to the agreement to reduce UK carbon emission by 80% by the year 2050. It has been suggested that the 21 million homes in the UK account for around a quarter of the total carbon emissions into the atmosphere. With the current government’s indication to increase the number of dwellings to 3 million by the year 2020 due to the rising population, a greater effort is needed to reduce carbon emissions within the housing sector; a drive that will aid the UK Government’s long-term commitment to the United Nations Framework convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol. The government is responding to the challenge quite firmly and has set out strict targets to reduce energy use in new dwellings. To implement such a monumental task, the government has put in place a scheme called the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH), which sets out criteria for reducing energy for all new dwellings. Gordon Brown’s Governments’ main objective is for all new dwellings to be Zero-Carbon by 2016. The current research paper sets out to identify the impediments that may prevent Gordon Brown’s policy of achieving the zero carbon homes challenge and also to determine the drivers in achieving zero carbon homes across the board by 2016. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to thank the individuals who have assisted in the production of this dissertation. A special thank you must go to my supervising tutor Dr. Michael Coffey, whose wisdom and guidance provided support and inspiration towards completing this dissertation. I would also like to thank all those persons who responded to the research questionnaire, which made a significant contribution towards the production of this dissertation. Finally I would like to thank my wife Uzma and children Saqlain, Aaliyah and Owais for their support and for putting up with my neglect towards them in the last few months. Thank you again! Section 1 – Introduction Nature of the Problem Since the Industrial revolution in the late 18th century, greenhouse gas emissions have increased considerably. Scientists have observed that a third of the Sun’s energy that is directed towards the boundaries of the Earth’s atmosphere is reflected back into space, whilst the remaining energy is absorbed by the surface of the planet and to a lesser extent by the planet’s atmosphere. Anthropogenic influence upon climate change is partly caused by the escalation of excess greenhouse gases emitted in to the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, principally influenced by the burning of fossil fuels. The effects of climate shift include severe weather conditions, receding glaciers and ice caps, rising sea levels and drought, with the poorest countries being affected the most. The problem scientists have determined is that the sun radiates tremendous amounts of light energy emitted in short wavelengths, however the heat energy released from the surface of the planet itself is released in long wavelengths. Whilst carbon dioxide does not absorb the sun’s energy, it does however absorb heat energy from the planet i.e. long wavelength energy. Therefore when a molecule of carbon dioxide absorbs heat energy, the molecule goes into an excited unstable state. The molecule becomes stable again by releasing the energy that is absorbed. Therefore much of this energy remains within the earth’s atmosphere, whilst the rest of the energy will go out into space. Carbon dioxide therefore allows the light energy from the sun to pass but does not allow all of the heat within the earth’s atmosphere to be released into to outer space, thus intensifying the greenhouse effect. Ultimately causing the temperature of the planet to rise. Illustration courtesy of www.dinosaurfact.net Pro-Active Response to the Problem In response to the Kyoto Protocol’s commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the UK must reduce it’s baseline greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5% by 2008 2012 from a baseline target set in 1990. Furthermore, the draft Climate Change Bill commits the UK to reductions of C02 emissions of at least 26% by the year 2020 and also to a long-term goal of an 80% reduction by 2050 (Energy Saving Trust) Housing within the UK contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. The UK’s 21million homes account for around 27% of the overall carbon emissions released in to the atmosphere (Skandamoorthy, 2007) and with the current Government’s promise to construct 3 million new homes by the year 2020, the need to address the carbon situation within the housing sector is of paramount importance (BBC News, 2007. New agency to drive home building) Traditionally the construction industry has had little regard for the environment, which makes common ground for producing buildings without energy efficiency in mind. It is only until recent times has the consumption of energy been an important agenda in the house building industry, as advancements in energy efficiency playing an important role in the design of buildings built today, due partly to the crucial role being played by the stringent building regulations; pushing the boundaries further to make buildings more energy efficient. In response to the current situation with regards to reducing carbon emissions within the housing industry the government introduced in 2006 the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) scheme (a successor to the Eco Homes rating scheme). At the moment the code is a voluntary standard for energy efficiency and sustainability, applying to newly built homes in the private sector however, it is mandatory where public sector (Homes and Communities Agency) funding is involved. The code aims to deliver a standard guideline for house builders in the UK and addresses key areas of sustainability such as water use and C02 emissions in house building and use. A rating system has been developed within in the code, which measures the ability of the building’s efficiency in terms of energy use. The code’s rating system ranges between levels 1 and 6. Level 6 being the highest level of efficiency and is the level that is most appropriate and applicable to the current study, which is the attain ment of ‘zero carbon status’ (Code for Sustainable Homes Technical Guide, 2007) The Government has indicated that the code will become the single national standard for the design and construction of sustainable homes and is set to become a vehicle for the development of sustainable home building practice in the UK (Code for Sustainable Homes, 1997) The subject of interest is whether the government and the building profession can implement and administer an effective strategy that will allow all new homes to achieve the highly challenging standards of incorporating level 6 rating to dwellings across the board to allow zero carbon status of newly built homes by 2016. Why is there a lack of zero carbon dwellings in the United Kingdom? The problem that presents itself is that the conscious world has accepted that the global warming phenomenon is a serious threat to the planet. Up until recent times carbon emissions and the negative effects being imposed by them upon the environment were not clearly understood, or even thought about in many respects and therefore not a major issue in the housing industry. Recent studies have reported that homes contribute around 27% of total UK carbon emissions. For this reason the housing industry may not have grasped the technologies sufficiently to mass-produce zero carbon homes. Because demand may have been low for zero carbon dwellings it may indicate that there may be a premium cost to build zero carbon homes and therefore not in the best interests of financiers and developers, who may not receive healthy returns on assuming risk for building such assets. Lack of enforceability may be another issue why such dwellings have not been mass-produced. Maybe the supply of materials t o produce such assets may be lacking in availability; again this may be as a consequence of low demand, which may also contribute towards extra cost. It is not clear that any of these scenarios are either singularly or collectively responsible for the slow progress in developing zero carbon homes. Therefore the current study will examine the various drivers and barriers that influence the development of zero carbon developments such as cost, legislation, market demand, available technology and the supply chain. The identification of these factors will provide a basic analysis to determine whether the policy of achieving the zero carbon homes policy by 2016 across the board is actually feasible. Section 2 – Review of zero carbon homes legislation Few green policies have had quite such an impact on a sector as the zero carbon homes policy has had in housing says John Alker, Head of Advocacy at the UK Green Building Council. In December 2006 the government introduced a commitment plan which formulated a requirement that all new homes are to be zero carbon from the year 2016 onwards. The initial proposal was formally communicated via the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) technical guide, which is based on and replaces the Ecohomes national standard for sustainable design and construction for new housing in the UK in April 2007. The code stated that a building would emit zero net carbon emissions from heating, hot water, lighting, appliance use and cooking. All CO2 reductions had to be achieved by local off-site means connected to the building by a direct physical connection. However, more recently the government defined a zero carbon dwelling as one which generates 70% of the energy it uses for heating, ventilation and lighting f rom on-site renewable energy (The Energy Saving Trust). Meeting the criteria would enable the home to be rated as a code level 6 home; the highest star rating achievable in terms of the Code, thus certificating the home as a zero carbon dwelling. The acquisition of a code level 6 certificate will allow first hand purchasers of zero carbon homes up to the value of  £500,000 exemption from paying stamp duty land tax (SDLT). Homes above the  £500,000 threshold will enjoy a  £15,000 reduction towards the stamp duty bill (Section 58b, 2007 Finance Bill) It should be noted that the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) is currently UK legislation and its implementation is optional to use apart from developments funded by the government (BRE, EcoHomes, 2007). The government has indicated that home builders are encouraged to follow the guidelines of the Code now as adherence to the Code will become mandatory in the future for all new house building (Code for Sustainable Homes, 2006) The government has also provided an incentive for the installation of energy saving materials and micro-generation apparatus by reducing the VAT to 5%. This VAT decrease only applies to the UK however, â€Å"the European Commission is committed to bringing forward proposals for a change to the Principal VAT Directive to allow an EU-wide reduction in VAT for green products, particularly those aimed at improving energy efficiency in buildings† (HM Treasury, 2008) The UK government aims to reach their stated goal of 80% carbon dioxide reduction in the UK by 2050 through implementing progressive tightening of the building regulations. The tightening of the regulations is to be maintained in three phases in 2010, 2013 and 2016 (Building Regulations Energy efficiency requirements for new dwellings, 2007). The graph on the previous page shows the target reductions for each phase. These target reductions equate to the energy performance standards in the governments vehicle for reducing CO2 in housing; the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) Levels 3, 4, and 6 respectively; highlighting the governments progressive strategy to achieving carbon zero homes by 2016. Source: (Building Regulations Energy efficiency requirements for new dwellings, 2007). The primary method of measurement of energy efficiency for the Building Regulations is the dwelling Carbon Dioxide Emissions Rate (DER), which is an estimate of CO2 per metre squared of floor area. Currently (2010) the improvement in the DER is said to be 25% compared to the 2006 level. An improvement of 44% is required in 2013 and ultimately a 100% improvement which is incidentally zero carbon for all new homes built in 2016. An analysis of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) The code seeks to make improvements in energy efficiency and water usage upon those required by the Building Regulations Part L 2006. The code will compliment the system of energy performance certificates that was introduced in 2007 by the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD). At present the Code is voluntary, however house builders are encouraged to utilise the Code as a guideline for house building practice, as the government states that the code will be mandatory in the future. Energy efficiency is measured at every level of the code by assessing nine individual design categories, with higher level of sustainability performance achieving a high code rating. The Code measures the following design categories: The code implements a procedure which mirrors the BRE’s EcoHomes system in its method of assessment, which relies on trained and accredited independent assessors to inspect the homes. Design stage assessments are conducted by the assessors who on completion of the assessment recommend a sustainable code rating for the home being assessed and will issues an interim certificate. On completion of the development a post completion assessment is carried out by the inspector, who will on completion of the final checks issue a final code certificate which states the level achieved and therefore be given a CSH code rating. A home meeting any level of the Code will have to meet minimum standards for certain items depending on what Level is desired. For Level 6 this means: The home will have to be completely zero carbon (i.e. zero net emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from all energy use in the home). This could be achieved by: †¢ Improving the thermal efficiency of the walls, windows, and roof as far as is practically possible (by using more insulation or better glass for example); †¢ Reducing air permeability to the minimum consistent with health requirements (a certain amount of air ventilation is needed in a home for health reasons); †¢ Installing a high efficiency condensing boiler, or being on a district heating system; †¢ Carefully designing the fabric of the home to reduce thermal bridging (thermal bridging allows heat to easily escape between the inner walls and the outer walls of a home); †¢ Using low and zero carbon technologies such as solar thermal panels, biomass boilers, wind turbines, and combined heat and power systems (CHP). It would mean for example that energy taken from the national grid would have to be replaced by low or zero carbon generated energy, so that over a year the net emissions were zero. The home will have to be designed to use no more than about 80 litres of water per person per day. This could be achieved by fitting such items as: †¢ 6/4 Dual Flush WC; †¢ Flow Reducing/Aerating taps throughout; †¢ 6-9 litres per minute shower (note that an average electric shower is about 6/7 litres per minute); †¢ a smaller, shaped bath – still long enough to lie down in, but less water required to fill it to a level consistent with personal comfort; †¢ 18ltr maximum volume dishwasher; †¢ 60ltr maximum volume washing machine. To achieve the standard would also mean that about 30% of the water requirement of the home was provided from non-potable sources such as rainwater harvesting systems or grey water recycling systems. Other minimum requirements are required for: †¢ Surface water management – this may mean the provision of soakaways and areas of porous paving; †¢ Materials – this means a minimum number of materials meeting at least a ‘D’ grade in the Building Research Establishment’s Green Guide (the scale goes from A+ to E); †¢ Waste management – this means having a site waste management plan in place during the home’s construction, and adequate space for waste storage during its use. But to get to Level 6 you need a further 64.9 points. So the builder/developer must do many other things to obtain the other points. In fact they will need to do 90% of everything in the Code to achieve Level 6, including: †¢ Energy efficient appliances, and lighting; †¢ Supplying accessible water butts; †¢ Reducing surface water run-off as much as possible; †¢ Using highly environmentally friendly materials; †¢ Minimising construction waste; †¢ Maximum, accessible provision for recycling; †¢ Improved daylighting, sound insulation and security; †¢ Building to the Lifetime Homes standard; †¢ Assessing and minimising the ecological impact of the construction of the home Source of information: Code for Sustainable Homes – A step change in home building practice guide (2006) Section 3 Cost implications of constructing zero carbon homes During the last ten years house prices have continually increased due to the rising population and a slow response to the demand in terms of house building says Kate Barker in her 2004 survey on housing supply (Barker, K. 2004) See figures 1 and 4 below. It was the Barker report commissioned by Prime Minister Gordon Brown which gave recognition to the home building industry to investigate into improving the level of housing supply in the UK. The report concluded that the UK had a serious shortage of homes and was in much need of around 120,000 homes per year built by private house builders. The figures are in addition to the 150,000 homes which are currently being constructed per year by the house builders. The Barker report engaged the government to set an objective to increase the supply of houses being built in England of at least 200,000 per year by the year 2020. The housing market in the UK is considered by the UK government as an important arena in contributing towards regulating the nation’s economy. Putting this into perspective it is ironic that the Labour government since coming into power has changed housing ministers nine times in the last thirteen years. During the first year in office by the Labour government, it has seen a housing crisis which has seen a 190% increase in house prices with a house price to earnings ratio increase from 3.1 to 5.8. What this means is that whilst house prices have climbed dramatically, average salaries have not increased in proportion to the rising cost of house purchasing. The solution to controlling current house prices is to build more homes, however in 2009 only 118,000 new homes were constructed, which is less than half the annual amount required if the government’s target of an additional 3 million homes are to be constructed by the year 2020 (Alexander, 2010). How does this piece o f information relate to the cost of constructing zero carbon homes? Quite simply; the government has introduced a policy which aims to build an additional 3 million homes by the year 2020. The government is also pressing with the policy which aims to see all new homes constructed by the year 2016 to be zero carbon. The problem that presents itself is that the cost of building zero carbon homes includes a premium cost for building and subsequently purchasing such a property. If in the year 2009 only 118,000 homes were built, when quite clearly the government’s target is at least 200,000 per year to be in a position to meet the 3 million new homes target by 2020 and the cost of housing is already quite high, then how does Gordon Brown intend on maintaining the road map for two extraordinary targets which clash quite apparently. Last years figures prove that house building was at an all time low since 1946. These figures indicate that Gordon Brown’s government may have ov erlooked the situation and set a target which is perhaps extremely challenging if taking account of the current economic position of the UK economy. The Cyril Sweett Consultation In 2006 Cyril Sweett construction and property consultants were approached by the English Partnerships and Housing Corporation to report on the implications of the move from the Ecohomes standard of ‘Very good’ rating to the level 3 Code for Sustainable Homes. The research carried out by Cyril Sweett consultants reviewed six different types of houses which included four types which were constructed using traditional methods of construction and two with modern construction techniques. Cyril Sweett say that the findings of the research are not necessarily standard for all construction and consideration should given to project specific variables such as the area of construction, type of development, the supply chain etc; each having a variable effect on the cost of building in the stated methods of construction. Whilst the figures do not represent code level 6 developments, they do however give an indication of what the expected cost of building level 6 zero carbon homes ma y be if factored. The study made consideration to a whole host of construction methods and technological solutions to improve the performance of the home. The sole purpose of the research was to assess which methods of construction were the most economically viable to achieve the various code levels of the CfSH. However four scenarios were given in the report for expediency which are as follows: Scenario 1 Initial energy efficiency measures followed by the use of solar thermal technology, then photovoltaic and biomass systems. Scenario 2 Initial energy efficiency measures initially followed by the use of small scale wind turbines and then biomass systems. Scenario 3 Development with shared energy services, such as combined heat and power (CHP). For this scenario costs per unit are averaged for different infrastructure options for a theoretical 200 unit development. Scenario 4 Achievement of Code level 3 without recourse to renewable energies through the use of a whole house mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery and by assuming the use of proprietary construction details. The findings of the study found that projects which allowed for wind energy or site wide CHP technologies had scope for achieving the lowest costs. Again, it is stressed that projects are site specific therefore areas with low wind speeds may not be able to achieve satisfactory wind speeds to justify using wind energy technologies. The following tabulated data highlights the additional cost of achieving the code level 3 over the Ecohomes Very Good standard. The baseline cost for the abovementioned homes is  £92,107 for a 116m ² detached home and  £75,230 for a 101m ² end of terrace home, as specified or compliant with the 2006 building Regulations. It is an interesting observation that the implementation of Scenario 4 to achieve a code level 3 rating costs  £5,090 for a detached house and  £4,748 for a terraced house; an increase in cost of 5.4% and 6.2% respectively. What’s interesting about these figures is that Scenario 4 does not implement any renewable energy solutions such as photovoltaic cell technology but does make use of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems. Scenario 4 does in many respects mirror the PassivHaus dwelling or Scandinavian homes method of building. Scenario 4 combined with advanced micro generation technologies could achieve level 6 zero carbon status but to enable this industry would need to invest further in research and development of enhancing the micro generation technologies, however the cost will be greatly increased. As with anything that is new there is a premium cost to be paid. But as more efforts are made and competition increases due to demand the cost of such technol ogies should decrease in time. The costing data provided in the Cyril Sweett report (2007) went further to report on the cost of achieving a level 5 rating of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH), which is incidentally the highest level of code attainment data provided in the report. The following cost comparison data only makes reference to detached dwellings as the costing data for terraced houses are not too dissimilar to the detached houses. Scenario 1 The table shown above shows the cost of achieving a code level 5 rating of the CfSH using scenario 1, which to reiterate includes the use of solar thermal technology with photovoltaic and biomass systems. The cost attached to upgrading to level 5 costs an additional  £20,270, as shown in the table. Therefore an 18% increase above the baseline cost of building a detached home with a 116m ² area to the 2006 building regulatory standard, which totals  £111,476. Scenario 2 Utilising Scenario 2, a 116m ² Home built with small scale wind turbine and biomass technology will achieve a CfSH level 5 rating at a cost of  £14,206 above the baseline cost. A 14% increase totalling  £106,146 Scenario 3 Utilising Scenario 3, a 116m ² Home built using site wide CHP technology will achieve a CfSH level 4 rating at a cost of  £2,622 above the baseline cost. A 3% increase totalling  £93,828 Scenario 4 Utilising Scenario 4, a 116m ² Home built with improved air tightening and mechanical ventilation will achieve a CHS level 3 rating at a cost of  £4,481 above the baseline cost. A 5% increase totalling  £95,687 The cumulative graph shown above shows the cost of achieving each level of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH) up to level 5, in comparison to each scenario detailed on the previous pages. The interesting thing about the comparative cost data provided by Cyril Sweett consultants is that to achieve level 5 of the code using scenario one costs  £36,070, which is an increase above the baseline cost of 28.6%. Obtaining a code level 5 rating using scenario two is achieved by allowing for an increase in cost above the baseline of  £20,746 which is a 22.7% increase. These figures provide an indication of what the likelihood cost for building code level 6 zero carbon homes are going be. Therefore it is estimated that for a similar type of dwelling the cost will be in excess of 30% above the 2006 Building Regulations baseline cost. A 30% increase in cost is quite substantial considering a home built to the prescribed building standards would cost approximately  £92,107, thus around a  £40,000 increase to implement code level 6 to the dwelling is a substantial amount and therefore cost is going to be a major factor in determining the success or failure of achieving the z ero carbon homes by 2016 target. Clearly the figures shown in this report show that the cost of producing zero carbon homes across the board is going to be a major obstacle if drastic changes and new solutions to reduce the cost of zero carbon technologies do not surface within the next few years leading up to the year 2016. The situation appears to be quite discomforting as affordability is going to negate the possibility of achieving not just the 2016 target but may also interfere with the 2020 target of building an additional three million new homes in the United Kingdom as less demand due to affordability will result in less homes being built and therefore cause a stalemate situation if the government alongside industry does not take steps to resolve the situation fast. Reductions in cost for bulk purchasing As stated earlier in the report cost reductions can be made through advances in technology and through competition as demand for zero carbon homes increases. Whilst the cost of achieving zero carbon is quite high at the moment, cost will gradually subside. The Cyril Sweett consultancy further reported that the purchase of materials and technology in bulk order will reduce the cost of producing zero carbon homes. Cyril Sweett representatives approached a number of suppliers of water and sustainable technologies. It was found that for large scale procurement i.e. 5000 units plus reductions in cost were achieved for the following technologies. (Cyril Sweett, 2007) Section 4 Methodology This chapter focuses on the methodology used in the production of the current research paper and will highlight the various stages of the research method. The purpose of the methodology is to provide the reader with an insight into what is expected in the report and how the research is to be conducted. The current study focuses on the UK government’s policy of â€Å"all homes to be Zero Carbon† by the year 2016 and investigates into the feasibility of the policy and further considers the impediments preventing the policy to materialise. The study also aims to identify the key drivers and barriers of achieving zero carbon homes by 2016 across the board. The study will explore key areas in the