A straightforward grant that provided Wales-based business Spring Design the opportunity to consider a holistic training programme for our staff.

50% Welsh Government Skills Grant – Notes from a Beneficiary

<a href="https://www.spring-consultancy.co.uk/">Spring Design</a> a Passivhaus Trust and AECB member whose expertise covers architecture, urban design, infrastructure, structures and transport planning took advantage of the 50% Welsh Government flexible skills grant to upskill their staff. Our Development Manager Tabitha Binding caught up with Associate
Director Sustainability Jonathan Davies to find out more…
How did you find out about the Wales Flexible Skills Programme (FSP)?
We were alerted to the FSP by an industry contact who identified the opportunity to support investment in additional training. Read more <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/blog/2024/Welshskillsfunding">HERE</a>
Talk us through the application process
The process starts with a straightforward Expression of Interest submitted under our area of interest Net Zero Skills - Construction and Retrofitting of Residential Buildings.
Within 24 hours we were contacted with 4 forms: this varied from requiring company details and accounts to narrative descriptions of the anticipated benefits for individuals and the business. While taking a little while to resolve the training programme and compile the necessary information, this process was probably no more than half a day.
While advertised as taking significantly longer, we were pleasantly surprised to receive the grant award letter within 24 hours of submission.
Which Coaction courses did you select and why?
Spring is a multidisciplinary practice of Architects, Architectural Technicians &amp; Technologists, Passivhaus Designers, Civil and Structural Engineers advocating demand-based metrics and PHPP-based energy modelling for the Welsh social housing sector. We are responsible for engaging Welsh Government directly to offer an alternative to EPC A which relies on a fabric-first approach to embed affordable warmth and climate resilience into homes.
Colleagues attended <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/courses/therm">Introduction to THERM</a>, <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/courses/designer">PASSIVHAUS DESIGNER</a> and <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/courses/retrofit">PASSIVHAUS RETROFIT DELIVERY</a> courses.
Upskilling Beth (Senior Architectural Assistant) and Carl (Senior Architectural Technologist) in thermal bridge modelling was designed to complement our existing energy modelling capabilities and allow us to assess
and optimise junction details in-house.
Chartered Architectural Technologist Dewi Jones took on the Passivhaus Designer course with the intention to add further depth to our Passivhaus team, ensuring detailed design packages are produced with the appropriate deference to airtightness and thermal continuity and heightening awareness more generally through the technical team.
Passivhaus Retrofit Delivery was attended by Senior Architect Chris Lewis with a long-standing passion for retrofit and conservation, offering him an opportunity to develop his expertise in this area of interest.
How has their new knowledge fed into the practice?<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3TLk-9nqDN8fWUPKs2b0XLjX_z9pCjnCzKkfrEk6NdaVrqQ/viewform"></a>
<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3TLk-9nqDN8fWUPKs2b0XLjX_z9pCjnCzKkfrEk6NdaVrqQ/viewform"></a>Newly certified Passivhaus Designer Dewi is implementing his new knowledge on technical packages for a number of schemes targeting the AECB CarbonLite Standard, interrogating supply chain options to deliver the best
performance outcomes.
“Discussions and engagement with the trainers and course members via Zoom, helped very much with the learning process. The knowledge gained on the Coaction Designer course around construction detailing required
for low energy (Passivhaus and Carbonlite) dwellings has given me a niche in the industry I've longed searched for. A couple of schemes I am currently working on in my day-to-day role are to low carbon designs the sections on
thermal bridging, bypass and airtightness have been invaluable.”  <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/testimonial/dewi_jones_1">Dewi Jones</a> Certified Passivhaus
Designer &amp; Chartered Architectural Technologist
Following completion of the Passivhaus Retrofit Delivery course, Chris has been developing retrofit strategies for an estate regeneration project retaining no-fines concrete constructions from the 1970s.
“The Retrofit Delivery course is collaborative; throughout the sessions there was ample opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussions. The information presented was derived from practical experience, it was clear that the process has and will continue to be a learning exercise, continually improving knowledge and execution. Knowledge
from this course has been applied to a number of current projects and is informing approaches on emerging projects too.” <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/testimonial/christopher_lewis">Chris Lewis</a> Senior Architect
How easy was it to reclaim the 50% training cost and what proof is required?
A claim form and proof of course attendance (whether certificates of attendance or a signed attendance list) were required to reclaim the 50% training cost. We submitted all documentation and received the grant within 2 weeks
Was the Wales Flexible Skills Program grant worth applying for and will you apply in 2025/26?
FSP was absolutely worth the effort and provided Spring as a business the opportunity to consider a holistic training programme for our staff. We are hoping to apply for another round of funding this year, however
because only one application can be made per financial year, we are having to strategically assess the availability of courses and plan a training schedule that works around people’s project and personal commitments.
Thank you, Jonathan.
In person meeting...
If you would like to catch up with Jonathan Davies in person why not join the newly formed <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13256038/">AECB
&amp; PHT Local Group: South and West Wales</a> group.
<h3>Further information:</h3>
For information on our course eligible for the Welsh Government Flexible Skills Programme visit <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/blog/2024/Welshskillsfunding">COACTION COURSES</a>
The Welsh Government Flexible Skills Programme Application Process <a href="https://businesswales.gov.wales/form/recruit-and-train-flexible-skill"></a>
1. Submit an Expression of Interest Form: Businesses can submit an initial form on the
Business Wales website, with the option of assistance from a Relationship
Manager. <a href="https://businesswales.gov.wales/form/recruit-and-train-flexible-skill">Complete the Expression of Interest form today</a>.
2. Eligibility Check: The Welsh Government will review the Expression of Interest form to ensure the business meets the full criteria.
3. Application Submission: If eligible, businesses will be invited to submit a detailed application. The application pack consists of:
<ul>
<li>An application form</li>
<li>A MERIT self-assessment form that evaluates the employer against a number of exemplar
employer criteria: Management, Equality and Diversity, Remuneration, Industrial
Relations and Training</li>
<li>A PL8 form – the information requested on this form is to ensure that the employer’s bank
details are set up correctly on our finance system in order that claims can be
paid on completion of the training.</li>
</ul>
4. Approval and Funding: Successful applicants will receive funding and begin the training
programmes. Decisions will typically be made within 10 working days.
5. NOTE: No contractual commitment should be entered into with a training provider until
you have been notified of the outcome.

Are you planning, designing, or undertaking a deep retrofit? Join us to find out how the Coaction Training CIC Retrofit Delivery course could benefit your project.

LIVE Q&A Session - Retrofit Delivery Course - Tuesday 1st July  (1pm - 1:30pm)

What will you learn on Coaction Training CIC's <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/courses/retrofit">RETROFIT DELIVERY</a> course? You are invited to join a 30 minute lunchtime session with our trainers <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/people/sally_godber">SALLY GODBER</a> <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/people/kirsty_maguire"></a>and <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/people/will_south">WILL SOUTH</a> <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/people/will_south"></a>on Tuesday 1 July at 1pm online to hear more - bring your questions!
<h3>Catch up on the recording of our LIVE Q&amp;A session held on 1 July : <a href="https://youtu.be/-MfWE2Jbr_g">HERE</a></h3>
Gain the knowledge needed to deliver successful deep fabric retrofits on-site and focus on the practical challenges and best practices in retrofit projects.
This advanced-level course is the first of its kind in the UK and has been specifically tailored for contractors and installers, but is also valuable for retrofit coordinators and assessors, and design professionals. Successful retrofits require close collaboration between design and construction, and this course provides the essential knowledge and tools to bridge that gap.
This course teaches us how to manage retrofit risks, reduce unintended consequences and deliver quality retrofit using tried and tested techniques. It follows the PAS2035/2030 process, guidance and principles, which were developed in response to the unintended consequences uncovered by the Solid Wall Insulation BRE study in 2016, and in the Each Home Counts review in 2017.
You'll learn the key elements of delivering deep fabric retrofits, moisture management, airtightness, and more, while tackling the unique challenges of retrofit projects.
Designed and taught by experienced trainers with hands-on retrofit expertise, the course is suited for those with a foundational understanding of Passivhaus, the low-energy, comfort and health standard, which can be obtained by taking our <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/courses/bitesize">BITESIZE LOW ENERGY DESIGN </a>course.
For Contractors: Retrofits are full of risks but with the right approach it can be managed. Learn how to plan, manage, and execute a successful retrofit ensuring high-quality outcomes.
For Designers, Coordinators, Assessors &amp; Consultants: Gain insights into assessing buildability, supporting contractors effectively, and understanding the practical implications of your designs.
<h3>Further information and to book your place on an upcoming course visit the <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/courses/retrofit">RETROFIT DELIVERY</a> page.<a href="https://coaction.arlo.co/register?sgid=f6b50e824b7745d7b002f29ad9807460"></a></h3>
What do our past participants say:
&quot;The course is technically just what I wanted. A good mix of hypothermal and building physics theory but also plenty of case studies and architectural details to understand the application of the theory.
The experience of the trainers was second to none. We need to consider retrofit design and specification in a holistic and considered way, taking into account a building's history, constrains and defects.
The course has complimented my existing retrofit knowledge and has provided a lot of food for thought to challenge our architects to produce more robust retrofit designs. If you have done some pre-existing retrofit such as AECB Carbonlite Retrofit or Passivhaus training and want to extend your retrofit knowledge further this will be a great course for you.&quot;
Adam Harper, Housing Development Manager, City of York Council Retrofit Delivery - Autumn 2024
&quot;It's great to learn alongside so many passionate people who are wanting to improve the industry and have open discussion about it. I've learnt more about the risks that designers and architect face. The course has given me the confidence to ask the right questions if I feel the design isn't the most efficient and cost-effective way for the client.&quot;
Steve Hall, Manager W T Hall Builders Retrofit Delivery - Autumn 2024
&quot;A greater refresher on building physics and I really enjoyed applying this to the in-depth case study and detailing discussions on risks, benefits, buildability and sequencing whilst hearing about others' experiences and creative solutions. The course has really benefitted me in understanding how to apply EnerPHit principles to the retrofit of our social homes and to be able to talk confidently about risks and considerations to be able to gain buy-in with
colleagues.&quot; Amy Somerville, Retrofit Programme Manager, Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust Retrofit Delivery - Jan 2025
&quot;The course was a good mix of sound theory and good practice, including strategies which work when things don't turn out quite as planned when the building has been opened up. I fully expect this course will benefit my practice hugely going forward and now feel ready to get back into this sector with a fresh set of knowledge and skills to match my extensive experience.&quot;
Stuart Clark, Director - Architect - Passivhaus Designer, Fifteen 10 Architects Ltd Retrofit Delivery - Jan 2025

Find out more

The Passivhaus standard delivers comfortable, healthy environments with minimal energy requirements by emphasising quality throughout the design and construction processes. But quality shouldn’t be the preserve of a voluntary standard – it should be for everyone.

Trainer Insights - Passivhaus is mostly about quality!

<h3>Coaction trainer <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/people/liam_mcdonagh-greaves">LIAM MCDONAGH-GREAVES </a>shares his personal experience on the challenges of buying newbuilds and how quality assurance comes as standard with a Passivhaus…</h3>
A friend of mine moved into a brand-new house, built in 2019 by a UK volume housebuilder. Naturally, she hoped that it would be thermally comfortable and healthy, even if nowhere near as energy efficient as a
Passivhaus building. Unfortunately, it was even less energy efficient than it was supposed to be, and more importantly, she experienced significant mould problems at the ceiling to wall junction in all 3 bedrooms and the bathroom soon after moving in. [Figs. 1 and 2]
<img src="/uploads/20241110_1112072.jpg" alt="Fig. 1: Mould in a bedroom. This is after significant cleaning, but the extent is obvious." title="Fig. 1: Mould in a bedroom. This is after significant cleaning, but the extent is obvious.">
<h6>Fig. 1: Mould in a bedroom. This is after significant cleaning, but the extent is obvious.</h6>
<img src="/uploads/20241110_1111422.jpg" alt="Fig. 2: Mould in bathroom" title="Fig. 2: Mould in bathroom">
<h6>Fig. 2: Mould in bathroom</h6>
<h3>What were the problems?</h3>
When my WARM colleague and I visited, we found a number of defects:
<ul>
<li>The loft insulation had not been pushed far enough into the eaves. This is likely to have been the primary cause of the mould on the ceilings meeting external walls. [Fig. 3]</li>
</ul>
<img src="/uploads/20241112_1919512.jpg" alt="Fig. 3: Bottom layer of insulation at the eaves. Near the top of the image, the black plastic eaves ventilation tray is visible. Below this, in grey, is the inner leaf of blockwork. The insulation should be entirely covering the blockwork, pushed up snug against the eave’s ventilation tray. The blockwork is instead cold, which means water vapour is more likely to condense on it in the room below." title="Fig. 3: Bottom layer of insulation at the eaves. Near the top of the image, the black plastic eaves ventilation tray is visible. Below this, in grey, is the inner leaf of blockwork. The insulation should be entirely covering the blockwork, pushed up snug against the eave’s ventilation tray. The blockwork is instead cold, which means water vapour is more likely to condense on it in the room below.">
<h6>Fig.3: Bottom layer of insulation at the eaves.</h6>
<ul>
<li>The insulation had also not been installed tight against the party wall, leaving an air gap. This is likely to have accounted for the remainder of the mould issues. [Fig. 4 &amp; 5]</li>
</ul>
<img src="/uploads/20241112_191934.jpg" alt="Fig. 4: Large gap between the loft insulation and the party wall, resulting in mould growth on the ceiling in the room below." title="Fig. 4: Large gap between the loft insulation and the party wall, resulting in mould growth on the ceiling in the room below.">
<h6>Fig.4: Large gap between the loft insulation and the party wall</h6>
<img src="/uploads/20241110_112423.jpg" alt="Fig. 5: Air admittance valve with large gaps around it." title="Fig. 5: Air admittance valve with large gaps around it.">
<h6>Fig. 5: Air admittance valve with large gaps around it.</h6>
<ul>
<li>The duct from the bathroom extract fan to the roof terminal had either fallen off or had not been connected in the first place, so moist air was being exhausted into the loft space. [Fig. 6]</li>
</ul>
<img src="/uploads/20241112_192049.jpg" alt="Fig. 6: En-suite extract ductwork not connected to roof terminal. This is careless at best and lazy at worst. " title="Fig. 6: En-suite extract ductwork not connected to roof terminal. This is careless at best and lazy at worst. ">
<h6>Fig. 6: En-suite extract ductwork not connected to roof terminal.</h6>
<ul>
<li>Some of the insulation had not been fully unrolled.</li>
<li>When you stuck your head through the loft hatch, the insulation thickness looked fine. But on further investigation, it got thinner as you got further from the loft hatch. (This is the construction equivalent of a sandwich with most of the filling pushed to the front edge!) [Fig. 7]</li>
</ul>
<img src="/uploads/sandwich.jpg" alt="Fig. 7: If bad builders made sandwiches." title="Fig. 7: If bad builders made sandwiches.">
<h6>Fig. 7: If bad builders made sandwiches.</h6>
<h3>Warranty provider’s response</h3>
Our friend, not knowing any of the above, had complained about the mould issues several times, but to no avail. She was asked to send photos of the outside of the house and the loft space, but the loft had no lighting or crawl boards, presenting a barrier to providing the requisite documentation. She was told by the warranty provider that the problem was “user error”. Call me Mr. Cynical, but the tactic seems to have been to deny and prevaricate until the complainant gives up.
<h3>Resolution?</h3>
My colleague, Karl Parsons, ultimately wrote a detailed technical report for our friend, which she submitted to the warranty provider. The defects were corrected, and within weeks, the mould issues had vanished. It didn’t take much – just doing the job properly. Most people don’t have mates who are construction professionals to lean on, though, and they shouldn’t have to.
<h3>The solution: better quality assurance</h3>
There are measures in place to guard against such issues at the design stage. For instance, junction details must, in effect, achieve a surface temperature factor (fRsi) of at least 0.75 to minimise the risk of mould growth. But if no-one is checking that the building is constructed according to the design, the quality assurance process falls over. These issues escaped both the housebuilder’s own quality checks and those of Building Control.
When you pay for Passivhaus certification, you are buying top-notch quality assurance, ensuring that you get the building you have paid for.
<h3>We can do better</h3>
If you want to build better discover a proven fabric-first approach to low-energy building with our <a href="https://coaction.org.uk/courses/tradesperson">CONTRACTOR &amp; CERTIFIED PASSIVHAUS TRADESPERSON COURSE</a>, designed for contractors at a supervisory or management level and their supply chains. You'll develop skills to deliver successful Passivhaus builds on-site, whether large or small

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Kier

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Stride Treglown

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Training construction professionals to meet the climate emergency.

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Exclusive for Coaction Training CIC Alumni and Students!  Join our expert trainers live as they share insights from 12 real-world Certified Passivhaus, deep retrofit, and EnerPHit projects they've worked on. Earn 1 PHI point for every live session you attend!

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THERM

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I now feel confident in my ability to assess individual thermal bridges if this is ever needed on a future project.

Fascinating course so far, I am already feeling a lot of things falling into place.

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This Passive House course has been incredibly beneficial in advancing both my technical skills and my career in sustainable building design.

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Passivhaus Designer for Students - testimonial

Everything about the course has been great. The content, the teaching methods, the experienced and diligent tutors, the supporting staff, resources made available, external links for further reading... (to mention but a few) have been valuable throughout the course.

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Adam Harper

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If you have done some pre-existing retrofit such as AECB Carbonlite Retrofit or Passivhaus training and want to extend your retrofit knowledge further this will be a great course for you.

Learn from the UK's Passivhaus experts

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Proud to be official partners of the Passivhaus Trust.

Training construction professionals to meet the climate emergency.

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50% Welsh Government Skills Grant – Notes from a Beneficiary

LIVE Q&A Session - Retrofit Delivery Course - Tuesday 1st July (1pm - 1:30pm)

Trainer Insights - Passivhaus is mostly about quality!

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