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Author Archives: Admin
Decentralised Energy powering Westfield
September 2011: Though there was a lot of coverage on the launch of the new Stratford Westfield shopping centre, there was little mention of the new high efficiency decentralised energy system installed providing the heat and power onsite. The press material released by Westfield states that 75% of all Stratford City’s electrical power will be met through an on-site Combined Cooling, Heat and Power Plant (CCHP). It goes on to say that the building was designed with a number of energy efficiency measures including the “use of natural light, effective insulation, high efficiency lighting, heating and cooling and control of solar gain will ensure the buildings are at least 10% more energy efficient than required by Building Regulations”.
The press release states that “efficient building design and on-site CCHP will help achieve carbon reduction targets of 50% by 2020” – which needs to be further clarified (ie which carbon reduction targets, and 50% of what baseline?).
Some further useful information and graphics are provided in the following Marks and Spencers presentation which highlights that:
- the Westfield M&S is 30% more energy efficient than other M&S stores
- the store achieves a 44% improvement on heating/cooling operational carbon efficiency by using CCHP
- 99.5% of cooling is delivered through the on-site CCHP; and
- a 100% per cent of heating from the on-site CCHP
New survey aims to shed light on customer experiences of solar panel schemes
September 2011: Consumer Focus is calling for people to get in touch through a new survey to share their good and bad experiences of producing solar and wind power at their home as worrying reports of mis-selling have already been reported to the industry accreditation scheme. It is now a year since the Government introduced its feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme and over 40,000 households have signed up to this scheme.
Consumer Focus state that “Many people have had good experiences of producing renewable energy at home but consumer feedback has already been very varied and some customers have reported problems. REAL Assurance, the accreditation scheme for the energy generations system industry, has expressed concerns about high levels of mis-selling in the industry. It has identified high pressure sales techniques as the principal cause of consumer complaints in the solar panel market.”
For consumers who are considering a free solar panel deal Consumer Focus has published a factsheet and key questions to ask. A guide to consumers thinking about taking up solar panels is also available from REAL Assurance, called How to avoid being taken for a ride It is also available in hard copy, email info@realassurance.org.uk or call 0207 981 0850.
So, if you have smallscale wind or solar power measures at your home and want to voice your opinion please get involved in Consumer Focus’s survey. It is open until 27 September and will take around 15 minutes to complete.
Feed in Tariff Progress in London
September 2011: The Guardian features a piece on AEA Technology’s useful Microgeneration Index which regularly provides details on the amount of Feed in Tariff (FIT) renewable energy technologies installed by region. The Guardian report that “London has added more renewable power than anywhere else, with more than 3.2 megawatts of capacity added in the 15 months since feed-in tariffs became available. But when assessed per head, it comes only sixth in the UK.” The latest Microgeneration Index quarterly report (issue 4) provides further detail stating: “During the following three months, growth in cities has continued (eg capacity in London has increased by 37% and in Glasgow by 131%). However, as some cities start from a low capacity, a better measure is the installed capacity in relation to the population…Sheffield stands out as the leading city, with Bristol, Leeds and Bradford following.”
London Energy Efficiency Fund
13 September 2011: The Lawyer website provides some further background on the London Energy Efficiency Fund (LEEF) – the new £100m loan facility to help energy efficiency retrofits in public sector buildings announced recently by the Mayor.
Latest Defra Greenhouse Gas Inventories
6 September 2011: Report presenting estimates of ALL six greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventories for the constituent countries of the UK for 2009.
England has a 77.6% share of total net GHG emissions in 2009 and emissions have declined by 29.5% since the base year (which slightly differs for the different gases).
Overall UK CO2 emissions have fallen by 19.7% between 1990 and 2009, mainly driven by the installation of combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT) in the power generation sector in England and reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from industry in England, Scotland and Wales.
Hounslow Climate Change Strategy
September 2011: Hounslow is currently in the process of developing the borough’s first climate change strategy. Consultation on the proposed objectives for the Strategy will take place over a six week period from Monday 5 September to Sunday 15 October 2011.
Fuel Poverty in London: Evidence Session
September 2011: The London Assembly Health and Public Services Committee will question energy companies, energy efficiency suppliers and national and local government about how fuel poverty can be eradicated in the capital at meeting on Tuesday, 13 September at 3pm. This is part of their ongoing inquiry into fuel poverty in London. The Committee’s meeting is open to the public – details with regard to attending are here. Energy for London was part of a coalition of organisations who submitted evidence to the Committee last month.
Guidelines tightened to improve heat pump performance
8 September 2011: Industry journal Utility Week reports that “guidelines governing how heat pumps are supplied, designed and installed have been tightened in a bid to improve the performance of systems that have often disappointed those purchasing them. Energy Secretary Chris Huhne today welcome the updated microgeneration installation standard (MIS) 3005 which follows work by his department and the the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) heat pump working group.”
Businesses investing in renewable energy could generate returns of over 10%
8 September 2011: Carbon Trust Advisory analysis has found that businesses which invest in renewable energy could make average returns of 11-12%, with the potential for returns in excess of 20%. According to the findings, new financial incentives, energy market trends and building regulations are combining to create a compelling case for UK businesses to generate their own renewable energy. With energy prices set to grow by up to 37% by 2020, the opportunity to reduce utility bills is a strong incentive for investigating renewable energy options.
Latest funding details on RE:NEW and RE:CONNECT
8 September 2011: Details have just been released by the GLA of the funding to two key Mayoral low carbon activities, RE:NEW (improving the energy efficiency of homes) and RE:CONNECT (supporting the roll out of 10 Low Carbon Zones in London). Also recently released are details of the ODA funding to the GLA to roll-out retrofit projects RE:NEW and RE:FIT across the Olympic boroughs. This is to compensate for shortfall in CO2 emissions as a result of the key renewable feature of the Olympics – a wind turbine – failing to go ahead. The ODA are hence allowing funding of £1.7m to retrofit homes and schools within the host boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest. The primary objective of the project is to deliver 1,300 tonnes of CO2 savings per annum through energy efficiency measures persisting for a lifetime of 10 years.
Posted in Energy Efficiency, News
Tagged Funding, Hackney, Mayor, Newham, Olympics, RE:CONNECT, RE:NEW, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest
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The Housing Crisis in London
8 September 2011: A report released today by lobby group the Pro Housing Alliance claims that housing conditions in the UK are among the worst in Western Europe and cost the country £7 billion in costs to the NHS, social services and education. Alongside its main report, Recommendations for the Reform of UK Housing Policy, is a supplement focused on the capital called the Housing Crisis on London, where the authors state that the situation is particularly bleak.
The London report lists a long of very significant problems with the housing market here, but the report also highlights that:
- The condition of the London stock is worse than national in several respects such as state of repair, security and energy efficiency
- Energy efficiency (SAP) ratings tend to be lower in London than elsewhere
- Carbon emissions higher; and
- Summer overheating more of a problem because of the ‘heat island’ effect
These will be issues which the Mayor will need to look at through the current process (launched last week) of revising London’s housing strategy.
Home Energy Pay As You Save Pilot Review
8 September 2011: The (Pay As You Save) PAYS Review is a summary of the key findings from five pilots – which includes a trial in Sutton – that trialled a range of financing repayment options to incentivise householders to install energy efficient and micro-generation measures in their homes. DECC report that the Energy Saving Trust (EST) PAYS Review “provides very useful insights into delivering financial packages to encourage energy-saving installations in homes. These insights include householder attitudes and preferences to the various delivery approaches adopted in the pilots. PAYS has demonstrated that innovative solutions can be developed to overcome the barriers associated with delivering energy saving measures into the UK housing stock. While these pilots did not test the Green Deal (to be launched in autumn 2012) – key features like repayment through energy bills and the ability to pass costs on when you move home will only be possible once legislation has passed – PAYS did test some consumer attitudes and types of delivery models. “