CICV details new Green Home Festival that will launch at Edinburgh Fringe

The Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV) is set to show off a whole host of green technologies at a dedicated event dubbed the Green Home Festival. 

The Green Home Festival is set to be part of the official Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and it will showcase a range of technologies from sustainable building materials, heat pumps and energy efficient tenements. 

Details of the event were first teased in November 2021, with CICV noting that it’s designed to help Scotland build towards more sustainable living. To achieve that goal, the five day event will offer a whole host of activities and live sessions. 

CICV organisers have narrowed down the itinerary to around 12 shows, which will be suitable for both the public and construction industry, with topics including:

• Building sustainable neighbourhoods
• Hydrogen as a potential future heat source
• Commercial buildings of the future
• Retrofitting traditional buildings and other house types
• Taking a fabric-first approach to energy efficient homes
• Sustainable construction and asset management
• Upskilling the workforce for sustainable construction
• Feasibility of electric vehicles and home charging points
• Carbon, nitrate and water capture through roofing
• Global case studies on successful low-carbon projects.

A special Green Home Festival family day is also in the pipeline, featuring a series of interactive activities and games based around green energy and low-carbon living.

Event organiser, John McKinney, Secretary of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, noted, “We are extremely excited to reveal some of the topics for the inaugural Green Home Festival, which will deliver a wealth of demonstrations and hands-on guidance.

“We are particularly excited about the planned tour of a tenement that has been made energy efficient, which will demonstrate how Scotland’s traditional buildings can be retrofitted to minimise carbon emissions.

“We are also looking forward to demystifying the buzz around heat pumps and hydrogen, and exploring how the construction industry can work together in a variety of ways to mitigate climate change and build a greener Scotland for everyone.”

Presenters at the show will include experts from the CICV and other organisations including the Scottish Futures Trust, Leeds Sustainability Institute and Scottish Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association, with venues, dates and booking details to be revealed later this year.

Co-organiser Gordon Nelson, Scotland Director of the Federation of Master Builders, added, “We have been working very hard on the planned itinerary to find a balance and ensure that the events will be suitable for the public and the construction industry itself.

“As well as showing the house of the future, electric vehicles and the truth about heat pumps, other sessions will take a professional perspective on the multi-disciplinary approach required to build a more sustainable and healthy environment.

“Whatever the topic, every show will have the same mission – to engage audiences and help everyone reduce their carbon footprint and become more energy efficient.”

Targeting homeowners, professionals, local authorities, housing associations and local authorities, the CICV is aiming to make the Green Home Festival an annual event that will build a long-term legacy.