A SUSTAINABLE future is something that many people are now working towards. No longer the domain of crazy  campaigners, sustainability has become a government target and a consumer choice that is busy driving market forces.

The government has offered purchasers of new zero-carbon homes costing up to £500,000 an exemption on stamp duty to encourage homeowners to make sustainability a priority. Also, the recent changes to the building regulations for England, Wales and Scotland, which cover conservation of fuel and power, have been updated to have more insulation in the building envelope and limit heat loss from pipes and ducts.

The requirements also require more energy-efficient lighting, heating, cooling and ventilation systems.

These incentives and regulations being set by government are also being mirrored by consumer behaviour as more people are looking toward sustainable energy, either because of social trends, rising gas and electricity prices or climate change.

Generating energy using solar panels is becoming more viable for homeowners and businesses as new innovations make them more efficient and, as prices come down, the pay-back time falls.

Grants are also available for these systems however, as an incentive, applicants also have to demonstrate that they have the required insulation levels already in their home.

The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) is working on an EU-funded project, Eur-active Roofer, which has been set up to reduce the damage done on roofs throughout Europe.

Currently the cost of this damage is €2bn a year. In the UK, the NFRC is bringing roofing contractors and suppliers together and providing an information hub for all those involved in the process.

The organisation will provide training for its members and work with manufacturers to ensure the design is right.

It is also campaigning to make fitting solar panels to roofs the remit of roofers and the internal fittings can then be under the remit of the necessary additional specialists, such as plumbers and electricians.

There are two good reasons for this. Roofers are experienced at working at height and they will maintain the integrity of the roof.

Already there are products on the market that are likely to reduce the weather tightness of the roof if is installed badly.

While photovoltaic energy generation has huge potential, it is the solar thermal panels that have the most potential in the short term. These use the roof to help heat the household water supply.

Similar skills to fitting roof windows are required for fitting photovoltaic and solar panels. These skills are currently part of the roofer’s remit, so training contractors up to install these products should not be difficult.

Up-skilling is becoming a necessity for roofers to keep up with these new innovations. Today, even roof windows have developed a new market with sun pipes and roof lights that provide more and more flexible ways of bringing sunlight into homes, schools and other buildings.

The revised Building Regulations Approved Document L recommends a minimum rooflight area of 10%, and a notional Standard based on 20% rooflight area.

New regulations and legal requirements mean it is more important than ever that customers and clients employ a reliable, trustworthy roofing contractor to fit roofs as well as these new systems.

NFRC members abide by a strict code of practice and are vetted on joining the federation. The NFRC is a Trustmark Scheme operator and a founding member of the scheme.

The organisation works hard to ensure high standards among its members and this scheme will help it in its target objective to drive out the rogue traders from the industry.