York Design Awards is inviting property and design professionals, enthusiasts, and creatives to join an evening of inspiration, networking, and celebration, to mark the launch of its 2024 awards.

The launch event will take place on Thursday 29^th February at St Peters School from 6pm to 9pm, with drinks, canapes, guest speakers and networking. With entries for the awards set to open in due course, the evening is a great opportunity for prospective entrants to learn more about this year’s awards.

Keynote speakers, co-founder of Gustafson Porter + Bowman, Neil Porter and non-executive director of the Office for Place, Esther Kurland will be in attendance to share their knowledge and experiences in the design sector.

Co-founder of Gustafson Porter + Bowman, Neil Porter, who was also a landscape design consultant for York Central, has a wealth of experience in delivering significant public realm projects in the UK and abroad. Esther Kurland, a planner by background who has worked in local authorities for 10 years, is currently a member of the Governments Local Authority Planning Capacity and the Office for Place Transition Board.

Throughout the evening, there will be opportunities for networking, an audience Q&A with the keynote speakers, with drinks and canapes provided.

Ann Reid, Chair of The York Design Awards Committee said: “We are thrilled to be launching our 2024 awards with our annual event at St Peters School.

The awards are a great opportunity for architects, developers, organisations and individuals across York to showcase their brilliant designs and high-quality projects which contribute to the diverse range of properties and developments we have in our city. I look forward to welcoming guests to network, make connections and hear from our brilliant speakers.”

The York Design Awards launch event will take place on St Peters School, Clifton, on 29^th February from 6pm – 9pm. To register for tickets and find out more about the event, visit York Design Awards Eventbrite page: York Design Awards Launch Evening Tickets, Thu 29 Feb 2024 at 18:00 | Eventbrite

Despite highest ever number of solar panel installations in 2023 since 2011, sites for house movers miss out vital options for the expected increase in house movers in 2024

Despite a record year for green energy installations in 2023 and the expected housing market uptick due to reduced mortgage rates, prospective buyers need more support to identify eco-friendly options in decision-making.

New analysis unveiled today reveals that not one of the UK’s top 10 estate agent sites or leading property aggregator sites, such as Rightmove and Zoopla, include options to filter by energy efficiency when searching for a new home, according to new analysis by iChoosr, an organisation accelerating the transition to renewable energy.

Given the sharp rise in energy bills over the past two years, many home-seekers have increased interest in their energy consumption and are looking for ways to be more energy efficient. iChoosr’s recommendations for these additions to property sites come as the latest figures show 190,000 UK homes installed solar panels last year – the highest number of installations since 2011¹ and the company is keen to see more support for prospective buyers going forward.

Recent data also reveals that 69% of British adults say they would buy a property with solar panels, rising to 74% of Gen Z and Millennials². In fact, three in five UK homebuyers would be willing to pay more for a property with renewable energy sources³.

George Frost, UK Country Manager at iChoosr, says: “The spike in solar panel adoption in 2023 was driven, in part, by the cost of living crisis and rising energy bills. But there has also been a significant mindset shift on installing renewable energy sources by UK homeowners and home-seekers. There is now a near-on consensus across the UK that we are knee-deep in a climate emergency, demonstrating the urgent need for the transition towards renewable energy.”

“Homeowners are more likely than ever to invest in effective and sustainable solutions to improve their home now. Schemes like Solar Together make solar panels affordable and accessible for anyone to reap their environmental and financial benefits. It feels as though estate agents and property search sites are missing a trick by not reflecting homebuyers’ enthusiasm to adopt modern green energy sources. It would be great to see estate agents take heed and add green energy sources like solar panels and heat pumps as a criterion on their websites to help homebuyers navigate the different energy options available.”

Not only do solar panels help reduce residents’ energy usage, but investing in solar panels can increase a property’s value by up to £2,722, future-proofing it for the market and making it more appealing to buyers who are seeking a sustainable home⁴. Plus, adding a supporting solar battery allows residents to store the electricity produced, maximising utilisation and reducing carbon footprints by up to 15%. On average, those with a three-bedroom property with a solar panel system and a 5 kWh battery will save £669 per year on energy bills⁵.

iChoosr partners with local authorities to deliver the highly successful Solar Together programme across the UK. Solar Together has delivered more than 29,300 solar panel installations, which are expected to remove 600,000 tonnes of carbon emissions over the next 25 years.