Site search:
-
What’s new?
Energy for London Tags
Brent Buildings Camden Carbon Emissions CHP Cities Climate Adaptation Community Heating Community Initiatives Croydon Data DECC Decentralised Energy Distribution ECO Energy Costs Energy Efficiency Enfield FIT Fuel Poverty Funding Green Deal Hackney Haringey Housing Islington Lambeth Library Local Authorities Mayor Newham Ofgem Olympics Photovoltaics Planning RE:FIT RE:NEW Renewable Energy Retrofit Southwark Tower Hamlets Transport Waltham Forest Waste WestminsterEnergy Archives:
- February 2021 (1)
- January 2021 (15)
- December 2020 (15)
- November 2020 (9)
- October 2020 (3)
- August 2020 (5)
- July 2020 (3)
- June 2020 (4)
- April 2020 (10)
- March 2020 (5)
- February 2020 (2)
- January 2020 (3)
- October 2019 (1)
- September 2019 (4)
- August 2019 (2)
- July 2019 (1)
- August 2018 (1)
- November 2016 (8)
- October 2016 (8)
- September 2016 (2)
- August 2016 (8)
- July 2016 (14)
- April 2016 (12)
- March 2016 (16)
- February 2016 (8)
- January 2016 (4)
- December 2015 (1)
- November 2015 (1)
- October 2015 (16)
- September 2015 (3)
- June 2015 (1)
- May 2015 (1)
- April 2015 (1)
- March 2015 (1)
- February 2015 (1)
- January 2015 (1)
- December 2014 (18)
- November 2014 (4)
- August 2014 (8)
- July 2014 (7)
- June 2014 (25)
- May 2014 (8)
- April 2014 (4)
- March 2014 (12)
- February 2014 (7)
- January 2014 (13)
- December 2013 (11)
- November 2013 (15)
- October 2013 (15)
- September 2013 (18)
- August 2013 (5)
- July 2013 (20)
- June 2013 (33)
- May 2013 (8)
- April 2013 (16)
- March 2013 (25)
- February 2013 (14)
- January 2013 (20)
- December 2012 (23)
- November 2012 (23)
- October 2012 (25)
- September 2012 (14)
- July 2012 (12)
- June 2012 (43)
- May 2012 (20)
- April 2012 (8)
- March 2012 (40)
- February 2012 (39)
- January 2012 (40)
- December 2011 (22)
- November 2011 (40)
- October 2011 (33)
- September 2011 (48)
- August 2011 (40)
- July 2011 (58)
- June 2011 (41)
- May 2011 (80)
- April 2011 (38)
- March 2011 (33)
- February 2011 (25)
- January 2011 (24)
- December 2010 (3)
- November 2010 (7)
- October 2010 (6)
- September 2010 (7)
- August 2010 (1)
- July 2010 (2)
- June 2010 (4)
- May 2010 (1)
- March 2010 (3)
- February 2010 (3)
- December 2009 (5)
- November 2009 (2)
- October 2009 (3)
- July 2009 (3)
- June 2009 (1)
- April 2009 (1)
- March 2009 (1)
- February 2009 (1)
- January 2009 (1)
- December 2008 (2)
- October 2008 (1)
- September 2008 (1)
- July 2008 (1)
- March 2008 (2)
- January 2008 (2)
- October 2007 (1)
- September 2007 (3)
- July 2007 (1)
- March 2007 (1)
- February 2007 (3)
- November 2006 (3)
- August 2006 (1)
- February 2006 (1)
- May 2005 (1)
- February 2004 (1)
Author Archives: Admin
London Councils memorandum on Fuel Poverty
September 2011: London Councils have submitted a memorandum of evidence on fuel poverty to the London Assembly’s Health and Public Services Committee current inquiry on this issue (see item 8 on the agenda).
Environmental Health – acting to reduce the impact of climate change
September 2011: A useful report released in July by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, highlighing how Environment Health Practitioners (EHPs) across the country are taking action to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The document entitled Our world, our wellbeing showcases 65 EHP interesting initiatives including schemes introduced by Croydon and the City of London Corporation, covering issues such as retrofitting, behaviour change and fuel poverty programmes.
Camden Using DE to tackle Fuel Poverty
September 2011: Further detail from, energy services company MITIE, on the innovative Combined Heat and Power (CHP) scheme being installed at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, where “surplus heat from the hospital plant will be piped to a new energy centre in the Gospel Oak area of Camden to provide hot water and heat to residents. As a result, up to 1,500 council home tenants will benefit from the Council’s ability to procure energy at a much cheaper rate than would otherwise be available to the council commercially.” See earlier stories on this project here, here and here.
Updated list of LDA Climate and Energy projects
September 2011: Papers from a recent LDA Board Meeting include a Mayoral approval note (Public Item 03.5.7 – Appendix 7 Climate Change Mayoral Direction) providing detail on the transfer of LDA climate and energy projects over to the Greater London Authority (the LDA is expected to be abolished on 1 April 2012). Included in the note is a useful funding breakdown of the total £3.795m budget of seven current programmes (Low Carbon Zones, RE:FIT, RE:NEW, Decentralised Energy Masterplanning, Better Building Partnership, London Low Carbon Capital and the Centre for Low Carbon Technology).
CESP Update for London
7 September 2011: Ofgem’s half yearly update (to the end of June 2011) on energy companies progress against their targets under the Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP) has just been published. However, the results provided in the update only refer to the 201 UK-wide ‘proposed‘ schemes, as opposed to the schemes actually ‘approved’ by Ofgem. With reference to London, the CESP update reports that 15 schemes have been proposed. In terms of actual measures delivered, London schemes in operation (an unknown number), have installed 1047 measures in 751 dwellings. The CESP Annual Report published earlier this year noted the slow progress of the programme to date: the update goes on to highlight the difficulties in getting schemes of the ground as even if all of those proposals put forward by energy companies to Ofgem for approval came to fruition,they would only represent around 50% of the CESP target, with only just a year left of the programme to go.
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Library, News
Tagged CESP, Energy Efficiency, Fuel Poverty, Ofgem
Leave a comment
Revising London’s Housing Strategy
5 September 2011: The Mayor last week launched a consultation with the London Assembly on initial proposals for a revised London Housing Strategy.
The Mayor’s first Housing Strategy was only finalised in February 2010. However, the GLA’s website reports that as “there have been major changes to the allocation of government funding for housing and there are significant changes proposed in the Localism Bill, including significant new housing and regeneration powers for the Mayor… a number of areas have been identified where change is needed, and a revised housing strategy is being produced.” The consultation however does go on to state that this “document presents the Mayor’s initial policies and proposals for a new strategy and is not, therefore, a full draft housing strategy. As the current strategy was published only last year, this document focuses on those areas where there will be significant change; the fact that something from the current strategy is not mentioned does not mean it is not still important or will not appear in the new one. This document should therefore be read in conjunction with the 2010 strategy document.”
The consultation states that the 2010 Strategy “contained a large number of policies on design and green issues. Most of those relating to design, including the key environmental policies relating to new homes, are now part of the design guide. Policies on greening existing homes included in the 2010 Strategy will similarly be incorporated into the Mayor’s new single London environmental strategy.”
The only comments in the initial proposals document in relation to improving the energy efficiency homes relate to the Mayor’s proposals to:
- ensure that new homes will be built to higher design standards and a minimum of Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) Level 4
- set out his policies on greening existing homes in the forthcoming single environmental strategy.
The timeline for Strategy is consultation with the Assembly by 28 October2011; this will be followed by a public consultation version of the full draft of the new London Housing Strategy towards the end of the year, with a final proposed draft submitted by the Mayor to the Secretary of State in mid-2012.
Mayoral Funding to Low Carbon Initiatives
September 2011: Details of the Mayor’s recent funding support to London South Bank University’s (LSBU) Centre for Low Carbon Technology which will “enable emerging low carbon technologies to be researched, trialled and demonstrated in a full scale urban environment” and also the Better Buildings Partnership.
Warm homes in the private-rented sector – a toolkit for local authorities
September 2011: This toolkit produced by National Energy Action (NEA) provides information on how local authorities in England and Wales can most effectively use the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to reduce fuel poverty in the private-rented sector.
A new single ‘London Environment Strategy’
5 September 2011: The Localism Bill continues its passage through the House of Lords today, moving to Report Stage. Amongst the many changes proposed in the Bill there is a more modest, but important, clause in the Bill regarding the six environment strategies that the Mayor is currently statutorily required to produce.
Clause 212 of the latest version of the Bill calls for the Mayor to produce a ‘London Environment Strategy’ which “must contain a general assessment by the Mayor of the environment in Greater London, so far as relevant to the functions ofthe Authority or of the Mayor” containing “provisions dealing with the Mayor’s policies and proposals in relation to each of the following matters in relation to Greater London—(a) biodiversity;(b) municipal waste management;(c) climate change mitigation and energy;(d) adaptation to climate change;(e) air quality; and(f) ambient noise.”
Importantly, the Bill goes on to repeal the duty on the Mayor to publish the six separate environmental strategies. Hence it is proposed that all material/policies contained within these six individual strategies will be consolidated into the new single London Environment Strategy. The Communities and Local Government (CLG) Secretary of State may give guidance to the Mayor on the content and preparation of this new strategy and may also give the Mayor direction as to its policies. Also proposed in the Bill is a new power for the London Assembly which is the ability to reject any of the Mayor’s statutory strategies if a two-thirds majority of members vote against publication.
Despite the changes being proposed in the Bill the Mayor stated back in June that the climate change mitigation and energy strategy, the climate change adaptation strategy, the municipal waste strategy – and two further non-statutory environment strategies on business waste and water – all of which are at draft stage – will all be published by the end of the calendar year.
Transport for London update energy and climate activities
5 September 2011: Transport for London’s latest annual report has just been published. The report includes a brief update on TfL’s activities to help reduce London’s transport sector contribution to climate change including: promoting the uptake of car club membership, supporting the use electric vehicles, research and trials into low-carbon bus technology, and investing in hybrid (diesel/electric) and also hydrogen vehicles.
TfL was recently awarded for its activities to promote low-carbon buses and the report states that “Buses contribute five per cent of the total transport CO2 emission in London and the largest share, nearly 40 per cent, of TfL’s own CO2 footprint. The latest bus technology will help meet the Mayor’s goal of a 60 per cent CO2 reduction by 2025 compared with 1990 levels.”
The report also mentions that London Underground is looking at ways to source decentralised and renewable energy and that new procurement processes are being set up so LU can work with energy companies under the Government’s Feed in Tariff. More detailed information on the full range of TfL’s climate and energy related activities can be found in TfL’s last environment report, published in December 2010.
Olympics Drops Full Carbon-Offset Plan
2 September 2011: Bloomberg have reported on how the Olympics will now not use international emissions trading programmes to help account for the entire CO2 emissions associated with the construction and operation of the 2012 games. BP Target Neutral will however continue to develop carbon offset programmes to help account for game-time related emissions for the period of the Olympics and Paralympic games.
Further information on approaches taken by the Olympics to reduce emissions are set out in the London 2012 Sustainability Report and the Olympics Carbon Footprint Study.
New Low Cost Loans to fund retrofitting of London’s buildings
2 September 2011: The Mayor announced today that “Hundreds of public buildings in London including schools, libraries and hospitals are set to get a green makeover, with low cost loans from a new £100 million fund”. The Mayor has agreed a £50 million contribution from the London Green Fund to set up the new London Energy Efficiency Fund (LEEF). LEEF will be led by Amber Infrastructure Limited and the press release states that “Amber has already expanded the fund’s value with upfront commitments for £50 million from RBS and the company is expected to leverage in further amounts over the life of the project.”
Further information provided at www.leef.co.uk sets out that eligible projects will aim to deliver:
- Energy Savings Ratio of at least 20% compared to conditions prior to investment
- Each £1500 LEEF Investment should achieve a reduction of at least one tonne CO2; and that
- The pricing of LEEF’s loans will be “dependent on the credit rating of the borrowing entity and the amount and level of security provided; the aim is to be able to structure the transaction so that a highly competitive rate can be offered.”
A list of eligible technologies that qualify for funding are also set out there. A brochure posted at the LEEF website also makes some interesting comparisons to how the fund will operate in comparison to the existing funding made available to public sector organisations through the Carbon Trust’s Salix programme. Further information on RE:FIT can be found here.