News
Reductions in energy consumption 'may be progressing too slowly'
03/07/2008
Figures from the National Audit Office (NAO) have revealed that household energy consumption is not reducing quickly enough despite a raft of Government-led energy reduction schemes.
Between 1990 and 2004 household consumption increased by 19 per cent and, while it has decreased since 2005, the NAO has urged homeowners to do more to reduce energy so as to cut their own bills and help meet energy reduction targets.
Installing insulation and switching off electrical appliances when not in use are simple measures that can save 30 per cent on household bills, the NAO estimated.
The construction industry has been urged to do more to address climate change by meeting the required rates for installation of loft and cavity wall insulation. Complying with more stringent building regulations could be the key to making new homes more energy-efficient.
Head of the NAO Tim Burr, said: "There are encouraging signs the long-term growth in household energy consumption is reversing."
"But most of us still forget to turn off the lights in empty rooms and building regulations to save energy in homes are not always followed," he added.
The NAO is an independent body that audits public spending.
Five million more homes to benefit from cheap insulation
03/07/2008
The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown has announced that it is the Government’s ambition that "within a decade every householder able to do so fits loft or cavity wall insulation".
Speaking at the Low Carbon Economy Summit in London, Mr Brown revealed that to help achieve this target, five million more homes will benefit from discounted or free loft and cavity wall insulation over the next three years.
He said; "It is important to emphasise the importance of these measures. Making our homes energy efficient is not some green policy of interest only to enthusiasts for cavity wall insulation."
He went on to explain that promoting better-insulated homes "is the simplest, most effective, way in which families can reduce their energy bills, and governments can help them".
The National House Builder Council (NHBC) welcomes the launch of the 'Zero Carbon Hub'
30/06/2008
The National House Builder Council (NHBC) has welcomed the launch of the 'Zero Carbon Hub' - the new public and private partnership, which has been charged with making zero carbon homes a reality from 2016.
NHBC's General Manager, Neil Jefferson, has been appointed as interim Chief Executive and NHBC has committed over £250k a year funding to the Zero Carbon Hub as well as research and development resources, office accommodation and administration in Milton Keynes.
Imtiaz Farookhi, NHBC Chief Executive and member of the 2016 Taskforce said:
"The next few years are critical for the new homes industry and the Zero Carbon Hub will have an enormous role to play in coordinating and focusing activity across the private and public sectors to meet the enormous challenges of moving up the Code for Sustainable Homes
"NHBC is signed up to helping the industry address these challenges and as the standard setting and consumer protection body for new homes, our role is to 'de-risk' this ambitious agenda by ensuring that solutions are developed which are able to be implemented by the industry and are beneficial to homeowners.".
Energy on display for public buildings
30/06/2008
Big changes are ahead for those who manage public buildings, due to new legislation accompanying the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
From October, publicly owned or accessed buildings with a floor space of over 1000 square metres will require a special certificate to inform visitors of their energy efficiency ABBE, the Awarding Body for the Built Environment, is the first awarding body to offer the qualification that energy assessors need to be able to produce a Display Energy Certificate (DEC).
Display Energy Certificates will contain information on the amounts of different types of energy used, such as gas, electricity from grid systems and electricity generated on site.
This information is used to derive a building's operational rating, which can only be undertaken by a suitably qualified energy assessor.
The report will also advise of a building's potential and actual energy efficiency, showing facilities managers where savings can be made with heating, ventilation and insulation systems.
Public buildings will need to display a new certificate every year.
The advisory report is valid for seven years.
Eco groups call for increased funding to end fuel poverty
23/06/2008
Two environmental groups have called on the government to plough some £9.2 billion into lifting the UK's vulnerable households out of fuel poverty.
The Centre for Sustainable Energy and the Association for the Conservation of Energy (Ace) have produced a report which suggests that current measures are insufficient to meet its 2010 targets, the Press Association recounts.
Encouraging the uptake of renewable energy, funding the installation of insulation and updating old heating systems should be the focuses of the government's activity in helping people control their energy use, the organisations claims.
"[The government] should ensure that these programmes are sufficiently resourced to step up the number of measures installed and expand the list of measures available to include solid-wall insulation and renewable energy technologies such as solar hot water," says Pedro Guertler, spokesperson for Ace.
According to the Local Government Association, insulation is the best way in which to tackle fuel poverty.
EU emissions down year on year
23/06/2008
Greenhouse gas emissions from EU countries have fallen slightly, according to latest figures.
The old member states of the EU ( before 2004 ) saw emissions fall overall by 0.8 per cent in 2006, year on year.
Emissions now stand 2.7 per cent down on the base year of 1990, according to the European Environment Agency.
Almost all of the 12 new accession member states saw emissions rise.
European environment commissioner Stavros Dimas said the EU-15 were on course to meet the Kyoto target of average emission cuts between 2008 and 2012 at least eight per cent below 1990 levels.
"Our targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions after 2012 are for the EU-27 together and a continuous effort will be required by all member states to achieve them," he said.
Warmer weather, lower production of nitric acid, and the introduction of new technologies for cutting nitrous oxide emissions from adipic acid production, were cited as reasons behind the 35 million tonnes fall in emissions.
In the UK, emissions fell by three million tonnes between 2005-2006, a fall of 0.5 per cent and a 16 per cent fall since 1990, said the Copenhagen-based EEA.
The EU's 27 nations agreed last year to cut greenhouse gas emissions by a fifth by 2020.
UK 'to miss' renewable energy targets
23/06/2008
The UK is likely to miss its renewable energy targets due to problems with funding and planning consent, MPs have warned.
According to the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills (IUSS) committee the current framework for the development of renewable technologies is inadequate.
If the UK is to meet its European Commission-mandated target for renewable energy, it is likely to be required to produce upwards of 35 per cent of its electricity from renewable technologies by 2020.
The IUSS committee claims that renewables development is behind as the research funding landscape is too complex; the wait for planning consent is too lengthy; access to the electricity grid is too limited; and there is a shortage of people with the necessary skills to deliver renewable electricity-generation projects efficiently.
It says the government needs to show a "greater sense of dynamism and a clear strategy for progress".
To encourage individuals to help meet energy targets the MPs call for households who produce their own electricity through microgeneration technologies to be rewarded and for smart meters which are compatible with electricity microgeneration devices to be developed and rolled out to domestic consumers.
IUSS committee chairman Phil Willis said: "We find it highly unlikely that given the current progress the UK will meet the government's ambition for ten per cent of electricity to be generated from renewables by 2010, let alone sufficient electricity to meet the EC mandated renewable energy target for 2020.
Energy bills could rise 40% this winter
23/06/2008
Energy bills could rise by up to 40 per cent this winter as oil and wholesale gas prices hit record highs, the BBC has claimed.
The rise could see household utility bills increase on average some £400 more a year.
Official figures now show the cost of living has increased to 3.3 per cent - the highest level in 16 years – and Bank of England governor Mervyn King has warned it could go higher still.
The BBC said rate hikes were most likely to come in August, after speaking to senior sources in the energy industry.
Wholesale gas prices reflect the price of oil, which leapt to just under $140 a barrel this month.
Experts lay down the gauntlet to Eco-Town developers
23/06/2008
The fifteen experts on the Eco-towns Challenge Panel have today set out a series of recommendations for potential eco-town developers, designed to improve their plans to create world-leading sustainable developments.
Many bidders have been praised for their vision and commitment but others are warned that their ideas must be more ambitious or that they lack innovation.
Formed of leading experts from the worlds of design, the environment, transport and sustainability, the Panel were tasked with reviewing developers' proposals, providing expert advice on their work and challenging them to meet the highest standards possible. Developers were grilled on issues ranging from their ability to reduce the carbon footprint of residents and their reliance on cars to the likely "day in the life" of an eco-town resident in 2020.
Housing Minister Caroline Flint said: "I have been clear from the start that only those bids that reach the highest possible standards for sustainability can make it through. The Eco-town Challenge panel have played an important role in both providing advice and encouragement to developers on what they have done well, but also challenging them to up their game where there is room for improvement. I'd like to thank the Panel for all their hard work.
"This process was meant to be a challenging ride for the developers, and they need to be open to the creativity of these ideas. Some clearly need to up their game and the ball is now in their court."
John Walker, Chairman of the Eco-towns Challenge Panel, said:
"Our brief was to challenge each proposal in a robust and constructive way, and I think we have done a good job on that front. We have seen much to admire, but in all cases we are challenging the developers to take major steps forward. We want the final eco-towns to be better than the best of the current examples that do exist in the UK and the rest of Europe - clearly there is still a lot of work to do."
Developers now have the opportunity to consider how they plan to respond to these challenges before meeting with the Panel again next month to discuss their work in progress.
The Eco-towns Challenge Panel met with promoters for the proposed eco-towns at Marston Vale, New Marston, Hanley Grange, Curborough, Rossington, Ford, Weston Otmoor, Bordon-Whitehill, Pennbury, Manby, Middle Quinton, North East Elsenham, Coltishall and St Austell. They did not discuss Rushcliffe or the Leeds City Region as specific sites or developers have not been identified.
The Eco-towns Challenge Panel will not be responsible for deciding which schemes make the final shortlist of up to ten potential locations for eco-towns. This will be determined by Ministers following two periods of public consultation and a detailed Sustainability Appraisal of the locations. Those locations that do make the final shortlist will then have to go through the planning process.
Mayor urged to 'retrofit old homes'
16/06/2008
As part of his fight against climate change, London mayor Boris Johnson should retrofit older homes, says a report in The Guardian.
Complied by Zac Goldsmith, the report highlights the fact that the newly inaugurated mayor should invest in reducing the carbon emissions of existing housing stock.
It states that retrofitting older houses could save some 60 per cent of CO2 from the housing sector by 2050.
In addition, the report espouses the German system of fee-in-tariffs that see homeowners sell back energy they produce to the national grid from their own micro-generation projects. Mr Goldsmith believes this would encourage home owners to look for ways to generate their own energy.
To emphasise his point, Mr Goldsmith said: "A single town in Bavaria with 200,000 people generates more solar power than the whole of the UK."
The Energy Saving Trust has estimated that micro-generation could provide 30 to 40 per cent of the UK's electricity needs and help reduce household carbon emissions by 15 per cent by 2050.
Insulation recommended for home protection
16/06/2008
A recent report by the Cheshire Building Society advises home owners to install insulation as one of the measures to protect their home from extreme weather.
The Society has compiled a list of tips designed to help minimise the risk to a home in the face of gale-force winds and storms, although the suggestions may also help to increase energy-efficiency.
Installing insulation is one of the points of advice, as this can prevent heat escaping and condensation gathering. It is widely believed to be one of the most cost-effective ways to offset a home's carbon emissions.
Boilers and condensing boilers should also be serviced annually to make sure they stay in full working order, which is especially important during the winter months, it was suggested.
The switch to green homes and low-carbon options was emphasised further last month when Co-operative Bank Mortgages conducted research into the most popular ways to make a property more eco-friendly.
A quarter of respondents said they would add loft insulation, while 13 per cent chose cavity wall insulation and another quarter planned to fit their home with double glazing.
Community Energy Efficiency projects double their fuel poverty targets
16/06/2008
Forty nine projects in England supported by the Community Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) are expected to exceed their targets by 100 per cent, Climate Change Minister Joan Ruddock announced recently.
The CEEF aims to reach 300,000 of the most vulnerable households with campaigns to ensure everyone, including those able to pay, can enjoy a warmer and more energy efficient home. But successful projects are predicted to reach 600,000 households across England by the time they reach completion over the next three years.
Joan Ruddock welcomed the roll out of the CEEF projects saying:
"Working at a local level delivers help directly to those who really need it. Area-based initiatives understand the needs of their community so they can produce targeted, tailor-made advice that achieves immediate results.
"Making your home more energy efficient will not only ensure you stay warm, but it will slash your energy bills and allow you to do your bit towards helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint"
CEEF projects provide a cost effective way of delivering the Government's flagship programme Warm Front and also CERT. CEEF works in conjunction with the Act on CO2 campaign. Both projects and measures are in place to reduce fuel poverty, promote energy efficiency and tackle climate change.
All CEEF projects needed to plan a strategic campaign which:
- provides advice to all households in their target community about the energy efficiency measures available to keep homes warm and more comfortable;
- promotes the availability of subsidies and grants to all households so everyone, particularly the most vulnerable, knows what funding they can receive and how they can apply for the help they need;
- delivers a whole house approach to ensure each household has effective and sustainable solutions; and
- communicate in imaginative ways with their local community.
Government 'should invest in energy efficiency' says new report
16/06/2008
A huge investment in improving energy efficiency in the UK's homes should be undertaken by the government, according to a new report.
The study, conducted by the Centre for Sustainable Energy and the Association for the Conservation of Energy, proposes measures such as installing insulation, encouraging renewable energy use and updating heating systems should be provided for by the government to lift people out of fuel poverty. It suggests that the government should plough £9.2 billion into identifying fuel-poor households and helping them control their energy usage.
This would help the government reach its target of eliminating fuel poverty in vulnerable households by 2010, the report claimed.
Pedro Guertler, of the Association for the Conservation of Energy, said: "[The government] should ensure that these programmes are sufficiently resourced to step up the number of measures installed and expand the list of measures available to include solid-wall insulation and renewable energy technologies such as solar hot water."
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform defines fuel poverty as a household that spends over ten per cent of its income on fuel to adequately heat the home.