Those interested in starting a green energy training course might benefit from the knowledge that one house builder is working with university researchers to improve the energy efficiency of new homes.
Larkfleet Homes is working with several East Midlands universities to help the building industry produce high quality, sustainable homes which will have a lower carbon footprint than current housing.
Managing director Karl Hick said that though the firm is a leader in designing and building sustainable homes, many of the design codes it works to are based on assumptions about the way people live.
One example of this is the government's Code for Sustainable Homes, a national standard for the sustainable design and construction of new properties.
"We want to see what actually happens in a house and how that affects its real impact on the environment," he stated.
Mr Hick added that the company hopes the knowledge it gains will help it to produce homes which are genuinely low carbon.