With the news headlines moving slightly away from the coronavirus pandemic into an almost daily dose of woe about the energy market crisis, in today’s blog we’re looking at what effect this might have on construction.

While Sheriff Construction and other building contractors like us do not use very much natural gas in our day-to-day work, the problem is that our suppliers do. Manufacturing the materials we use is often energy intensive and, with the hike in the price of gas, it’s inevitable that those costs will start to pass through the procurement process. One leading economist is warning the industry to be prepared for a ‘phase of rising prices’ in bricks, cement and concrete. Read on for more information.

When it comes to living, breathing and working within the context of an environmental crisis, it appears the human response is a bit like a game of tug-of-war with various opinions and decisions pulling in opposite directions. On the one hand we have an increasingly urgent need to reduce emissions and halt the disastrous effects…