Maria Hurtado, Senior Electrical Engineer and Lighting Designer in the Oxford office discusses Circular Economy in Lighting Design. Off the back of her success at the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers awards and her graduation from UCL with a master’s degree, Maria Hurtado, Senior Electrical Engineer and Lighting Designer at CBG, recently brought the electrical and lighting teams together to deliver...

As we welcomed the New Year, CBG reached an exciting milestone, opening a brand-new Cambridge office as a result of our continued growth and expansion. We’re proud to introduce Anna Neale, a newly appointed Associate at our Cambridge office, whose recent attendance on a CIBSE Leadership Identity and Self-Awareness course provides an insight into how leadership development can transform our...

Summary The Building Safety Act (BSA) represents a transformative shift in the regulatory landscape for building safety in the UK, establishing a more robust framework for managing risk. In particular, the Act was developed in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy of 2017, which exposed significant weaknesses in building safety regulations. From March 2025, there will be more updates to...

At CBG Consultants, our commitment to sustainability drives everything we do. As a leading independent consultancy focused on low-carbon design, we are at the forefront of delivering MEP, sustainability, and specialist lighting consultancy services across the UK. With offices in Oxford, London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Cambridge, our team of experienced engineers, designers, and project managers deliver tailored solutions that meet...

The principles of building physics are fundamental to creating spaces that are not only efficient but also enhance the quality of life for their occupants. At CBG Consultants, we understand that the transfer of heat, air, light, and sound through a building is more than just a technical consideration – it’s a key factor in designing environments that are both...

In May 2023, the SLL held a well-attended CPD at Coco Lighting in Essex, giving members a practical look at how light fittings can be re-engineered to TM66 Circular Economy principles, rather than scrapped. One striking example on the bench was a 2m diameter cylindrical opal diffuser, one of several feature lights from the atrium of a large office. Formerly...

Author: Chris Hughes, Principal Engineer & Engineers Without Borders UK Change Maker England has one of the oldest building stocks in Europe. Around 20% of our housing was built more than 100 years ago. In addition, we have many other valued period properties, from palaces and stately homes to the halls of power in Westminster and Whitehall. The need to...

WHY DID YOU WANT TO BECOME AN ENGINEER? From a young age I’ve always been interested in making things and developed a curiosity for how things work, so a career path as an engineer was a natural progression for me.   WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO WORK FOR CBG CONSULTANTS? There were several of reasons, but the biggest attraction was...

We are working in partnership with the charity In2science UK. Due to poverty and social background being huge obstacles for young people to obtain a career within the STEM industry, the charity sets out to help overcome these barriers. Working with industry professionals, In2science UK provides young people from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds an opportunity to gain practical insight, knowledge,...

The government has released a consultation on the phasing out of fossil fuel heating in homes off the gas grid. This consultation sets out proposals to phase out the installation of high carbon fossil fuel heating systems in homes, as committed to in the 2017 Clean Growth Strategy. Here are some of the key proposals for the sector from the...

Net-Zero is an ambitious target for governments, companies and institutions to dramatically reduce environmental impact and to prevent the most damaging effects of climate change. Significant cuts in emissions across the built environment are required in achieving this goal. At CBG Consultants Ltd, we create buildings that minimise their environmental impact. We have a wealth of experience in thermal modelling...

After more than three years in the consultation process, the New London Plan came into force on 2nd March 2021. The Plan sets the overarching framework for how London will develop over the next 20-25 years. It gives focus on new developments and redevelopments to meet low carbon, energy efficiency and sustainability standards as part of a drive to make...

Last week the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) published their recommended Sixth Carbon Budget as part of the UK’s path to net zero carbon by 2050. The advice is a reduction in UK greenhouse gas emissions of 78% by 2035 relative to 1990. This would achieve well over half of the emissions reduction required by 2050 in the next 15...

The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) came into force in England and Wales in April 2018, these standards apply to private rented residential and non-domestic properties. The aim of the MEES is to encourage landlords and property owners to improve the energy efficiency of their properties by upgrading fabric, installing new boilers and energy efficient lighting etc. Properties with EPC ratings of E or...

Always seeking an excuse to take a sunny walk in Oxford, Chris Dicks took time out between meetings for a stroll around the Thames and Christ Church Meadows, to look at a few current and former CBG Consultants Oxford projects. First stop was the Cathedral at Christ Church, where we are nearing completion of the first phase of the new...

On Friday 23rd March 2018, the BREEAM UK New Construction 2014 scheme will close for registration and usher in the new era of BREEAM UK New Construction 2018. Released on the 7th March, this new scheme looks to upgrade on BREEAM UK NC 2014, to improve the clarity of the technical manual for all users and give an added focus to...

There is an increasing awareness in the construction industry that buildings do not perform as expected in terms of energy and carbon emissions, an issue which has become known as the “performance gap”. For example, in a recent study by Innovate UK, it was shown across a range of non-domestic buildings that carbon emissions were 3.8 times high than design...

Thermal Bridging calculations can be the most cost effective way of reducing domestic carbon emissions. What is Thermal Bridging Thermal bridging refers to an area of a building that has a higher heat transfer than surrounding materials. These bridges often occur at junctions between elements, for example around a window. The resulting heat losses are captured by ψ-values, which are...

The Lux Live lighting show is now a firm fixture in the calendar each autumn. This year’s show brought a fresh focus on connected lighting systems, the Internet of Things and intelligent controls. But of course much of the show is given over to lighting products themselves, with a chance to catch up with suppliers and see what’s new for...

According to EPA (U.S Environmental Protection Agency) we spend approximately 90% of our time indoors. Therefore, more efforts are concentrated to develop not only more sustainable, but also healthier buildings. The ‘Well Building Standard’ is the newest attempt from the building industry to introduce healthier living environments within buildings. The Standard is an evidence-based methodology for measuring, certifying and monitoring all possible...