Category Archives: carbon reduction

Things you thought you knew

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DECC have published the
GB Housing Energy Fact File.

One fact jumped right out at me as it is quite the opposite of what I expected to see:

Energy use in housing rose by 17% from 1970 to 2009 – an average increase of 0.4% per year. However, the number of homes also increased by two fifths, and average household size has fallen (see Chapter 4). This means that average energy use per home has fallen: from 22,235 to 18,639 kWh.

Of course, per household and per capita are not the same thing at all over this 40 year period.

WWF resigns from zero carbon taskforce

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As a result of the government moving the goal-posts, yet again, for zero carbon homes in the recent Budget announcement the WWF have decided they have no option other than to resign from the related taskforce.

WWF cited the government’s ‘fundamental shift in policy’ and that the ‘redefinition will not result in newly built homes being truly zero carbon as it will add to the overall emissions burden of UK homes’.

Full letter.

OFGEM hands out £62 million

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OFGEM has announced awards totalling £62 million for four projects in the first round of their Low Carbon Networks Fund competition.

The winning 4 projects, that will share £62 million of funding from OFGEM’s £500 million Low Carbon Networks Fund, are:

CE Electric: Customer-led network revolution (£26.8 million)
A project in the north east exploring how a combination of smart technologies and changes in customer behaviour can reduce the costs associated with low carbon technologies. The project uses British Gas’ early roll out of smart meters and low carbon products such as solar panels and heat pumps. It also sees CE Electric working with a variety of partners, including Durham University.

UK Power Networks: Low carbon London – a learning journey (£24.3 million)
A “smart city” initiative for London that will explore how to best use new technologies and active network management. The project will also seek to understand when, how and why consumers use energy and how this can be influenced. This will work on the back of several existing low carbon projects, such as the Plugged in Places Scheme that encourages use of electric cars. The project will be carried out in partnership with a number of organisations throughout London, including EDF Energy, Imperial College, Logica and Transport for London.

Central Networks: Low carbon hub (£2.8 million)
This project in East Lincolnshire will investigate ways of increasing the amount of electricity generation – mainly wind – that can connect directly to the local electricity network. The project will monitor wind speed, generator output and network conditions and the knowledge will benefit small, renewable generators who want to connect directly to the distribution network. This will help deliver potential savings to customers by allowing more generation to connect at lower cost.

Western Power Distribution: Low voltage Network Templates for a low-carbon future (£7.8 million)
This project in South Wales will examine the effect that low carbon technologies have on the network. The trial will help other companies become more efficient by allowing them to anticipate network behaviour and know which solutions have already been proven to work well. It will work with existing Welsh Assembly Government and npower initiatives.

DECC report on house insulation

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DECC have published the latest report on home insulation covering England, Scotland and Wales.

Of 23.2 million homes with lofts only 12.3 million have at least 125mm depth of insulation. And of 18.6 million homes with cavity walls 10.3 million have cavity insulation.

The methodology to arrive at these figures relies on estimation and assumption to a degree so the figures are not particularly accurate but there is clearly large scope for improvement as far as loft insulation is concerned.

WAG publish plans for addressing climate change

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In publishing the Climate Change Strategy for Wales and its partner detail reports Delivery Plan for Emission Reduction and Adaptation Delivery Plan, with an overall vision for 2050, the Welsh Assembly Government have determined that an annual 3% reduction in carbon emissions is required.

The reports have been based on input from the Climate Change Commission for Wales, which is now headed by Peter Davies, the outgoing Sustainable Development Commissioner for Wales.

Getting plastered

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Had a day on a Ty Mawr lime plastering course yesterday, run by Nigel Gervis at Dinefwr Park Home Farm in Llandeilo. This was my first hands-on experience with lime and I found it fabulous stuff to work with compared to modern plaster.

The courses are organised by Nell Hellier of Tywi Afon Yr Oesoedd, who run the Traditional Sustainable Building Centre at Home Farm.

Thanks to Nigel, and his assistant Gail, for an educational and entertaining day.

Conservatives confirm Green Deal and RHI

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Oliver Letwin, Conservative Minister for Policy, said in a speech today:

Our ‘Green Deal’ – which will be introduced in Parliament before the end of the year – will provide a new, radical way of making energy efficiency affordable to all, reducing household energy bills at no upfront cost to the householder. It will hugely reduce the energy demands of Britain’s households and create a whole new industry – with new jobs in every part of the country.

Our smart grid and the roll out of smart meters will transform the way energy is supplied and used.

Our incentive for renewable heat will bring forward the generation of heat from waste and other renewable sources – a crucial part of cutting carbon and maintaining energy security.

Our transformation of the Climate Change Levy into a proper Carbon price will pave the way for low carbon power stations, including a new generation of self-financing nuclear power.

Our Green Investment Bank will support the next generation of British green technology investment – helping to rebalance the economy and generate new jobs and economic growth across the UK.

Our system of feed-in tariffs will encourage micro-generation, stimulate diversity and decentralisation of our power supply, and turn hundreds of thousands of houses into sources of energy.

Presumably ‘our’ in this context means the UK’s rather than the coalition government’s.

DIY SOS goes green

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BBC TV’s DIY SOS series finally turns a shade of green – and not before time.

Tonight’s episode featured Charlie Luxton helping the team to install insulation, rainwater harvesting, low energy lamps and photovoltaic panels to help reduce a Welsh family’s energy usage – although only a small part of the programme covered these and not to a great depth. But let’s hope that this is the start of a trend.

Available on iPlayer (if you’re in the UK) for the next week.

Lab rats

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Finding the most cost effective and efficient measures to reduce energy use in existing homes is widely recognised as one of the UK’s most pressing needs.

The University of Salford have recently begun construction of a full-size 1920′s style terrace house inside a purpose built laboratory to enable experiments to be conducted to investigate the effectiveness of various retrofit technologies to reduce energy consumption.

I wonder how good a job the builders will make of authentically reproducing the buildings of that time.