About Richardtanner
Engineer How can tomorrow's challenges be met by today's buildings?
Identify a significant future challenge.
Integration of power management across industry, infrastructure and homes. the ability to be able to use solar to power your home with batteries and the grid but be able to give and take electricity when and where it is needed.
A house should be able to generate electricity during the day from solar tiles/panels and store energy for use at night but it should also be able to use energy from your electric car or batteries if you don't require it the next day e.g. on holiday or not going to work in the car; the system would then be able to buy back cheaper energy at night. Your appliances should then work within these systems switching on and off to support electricity demands automatically with your home power use and the wider electricity.
Offer a design solution for how that challenge could be tackled in today's buildings.
To be able to do this a Systems Engineering approach to the building of houses need to be considered to include solar panels and batteries or have provision for them so home owners/ industry can upgrade when it becomes economically viable to do so. To have the whole system working the grid, appliance manufactures, HVAC manufactures, solar system manufactures, house builders, the government, car manufactures, calendar integration and industry need to come together to build a system that can respond in a timely manner and is easy for people to use and be part of and upgradable as new technology becomes available.
Featured articles and news
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Building Safety recap February, 2026
Our regular run-down of key building safety related events of the month.
Planning reform: draft NPPF and industry responses.
Last chance to comment on proposed changes to the NPPF.
A Regency palace of colour and sensation. Book review.
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Sustainability; not just compliance but rethinking design, material selection, and the supply chains to support them.
Climate Resilience and Adaptation In the Built Environment
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IHBC Signpost: Poetry from concrete
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Creativity, conservation and craft at Barley Studio. Book review.
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Skills plan for engineering and building services
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An architect explains the nature and needs of working within this common procurement route.
Statement from the Interim Chief Construction Advisor
Thouria Istephan; Architect and inquiry panel member outlines ongoing work, priorities and next steps.