Evaluation of Government Actions Discouraging Housing Energy Retrofit in the UK: A Critical Review

Housing energy retrofit has become a key priority in achieving the climate goals in the UK, mainly reaching net zero by 2050. However, the poor demand for housing retrofit from the homeowners has been identified as a key problem in driving retrofit at a scale. The existing progress in housing energy retrofit in the UK is critically poor. Some of the government actions have been noted to discourage homeowners from retrofitting their houses. This study has critically evaluated the government actions and policies which can discourage housing retrofit. The study has been conducted as a critical policy review by focusing on government actions and policies under eight topics. The findings indicate that inconsistencies in government acts have discouraged homeowners from engaging in housing energy retrofit to a considerable level in some cases. The study highlights the importance of a systems approach with a strategic focus

The Pearly Gates: A collection of science fiction short stories

When Saint Peter passes through the pearly gates, he is confronted with a profound dilemma. By the year 2100, Earth stands on the brink of extinction, and humanity as a whole seeks admission to heaven. However, in accordance with the admission criteria of heaven, every individual is entitled to enter, potentially overwhelming the heavenly supply chain. Can Saint Peter find a solution?To discover the answer and enjoy an additional 14 captivating short stories, delve into this book. While it falls under the umbrella of science fiction, it offers a unique twist. The author delves deep into the realm of science itself, moving beyond the familiar territories of aliens and time travel. This book is crafted to cater to both science enthusiasts and those less versed in scientific matters.Chamara Panakaduwa, a proud product of the University of Salford, the University of Bedfordshire, and Birmingham City University, presents this distinct creation for aficionados of science fiction as well as casual readers. The book's distinctive flavour is its infusion of the concept of sustainability, a personal favourite of the author

Identifying sustainable retrofit challenges of historical Buildings: A systematic review

The UK is reported to have approximately 400,000 historical buildings as listed buildings and buildings in conservation sites. Due to the historical value of these buildings, the level of changes possible to these buildings is limited. However, the government's vision for sustainability requires retrofitting existing buildings to minimise emissions as historical buildings contribute around 5% of total UK emissions. The study finds the specific challenges of retrofitting historical buildings by systematically reviewing 52 articles. Three databases were selected, namely ProQuest, webofsciences and Scopus. Challenges of historical building retrofit were identified, generalized, and thematically presented for better comprehension. The main challenge of retrofitting historical buildings is balancing historical values with energy efficiency. As these two objectives are mutually exclusive most of the time, when one is achieved, the other has to be compromised. Further, the complexity of retrofit works and unclear building characteristics were other challenges. There is a total of nine challenges identified. The study concludes that historical building retrofit needs better attention to address the identified challenges. Technological solutions, subsidies to the owners, supply chain development and collaborative stakeholder engagement models can be helpful in this regard

Optimising Visual User Interfaces to Reduce CognitiveFatigue and Enhance Mental Well-being

User interface design is a key priority in modern computer systems, especially when the users are non-technical. Due to the importance of designing more user-friendly interfaces, the focus has been increased on designing human-centred systems over functional-centred systems of the past. Any human-computer interface can cause different levels of cognitive fatigue in the user, which can cause significant mental stress, which is not healthy for the users. This study has used the critical literature review method and reviewed six theories/concepts related to the design of visual user interfaces which could potentially reduce user cognitive fatigue. The reviewed theories are attention restoration theory, cognitive load theory, Gestalt principles, Fitts's law, progressive disclosure and UX honeycomb. The current commercial purposes of interface design do not seem to consider the user's mental health or well-being when designing user interfaces and user experience. They only try to maximise user retention and engagement. The study findings advocate for a paradigm shift towards designing visual interfaces that prioritize human-centric principles, with a primary emphasis on promoting user mental health and well-being over commercial objectives of constant user retention and engagement. For example, attention restoration theory can be considered as one of the key theories which is helpful to design better interfaces which consider user health and well-being. However, there are challenges to the 2 designers to find the right equilibrium between user engagement and user well-being. Designers can use the findings, subject to further empirical validations