Here we bust the top 6 myths that surround solar panels.
Myth #1: It’s too expensive.
The Reality: There are a number of government backed schemes that are designed to ease the burden on households.
The recently launched Green Deal gives families the chance to install solar panels in their homes through a loan that is paid back from the savings made on energy bills – essentially making them free – while the Feed-in Tariff (Fit) incentive scheme means that a well designed solar panel system can pay for itself in a fraction of its life span.
Myth #2: They don’t work in cloudy and cold climates.
The Reality: Energy producing technology that relies on sunlight sounds as though it might struggle somewhat in the UK, however it is the radiation from the sun rather than temperature that allows for photovoltaic generation.
Although it is true that they work better in the sunniest regions they still work effectively in cloudy conditions so there is no reason UK residents can’t enjoy the benefits of solar panels.
Myth #3: Solar panels are hard to maintain.
The Reality: With no moving parts solar panels in fact require hardly any maintenance at all.
The only thing you do need to ensure is that they stay free of dust, but as long as you live in a rainy climate such as the UK, they should stay clean.
Myth #4: The efficiency of solar panels is still too low.
The Reality: Solar panel technology is improving year-on-year, so although this may have been true when the systems first came on the market, today solar PV is an effective way of generating your domestic energy.
Myth #5: Solar panels won’t last 20 years.
The Reality: The standard accepted lifespan of solar panels is approx. 25 years, however there are some installations that were first constructed in the 1970s that are still in operation today.
Myth #6: Solar panels are unattractive.
The Reality: Of course this comes down to peoples’ own personal preferences somewhat, but modern solar panels don’t have to look unsightly, appearing more like sky lights when they are fitted flush to the roof.
Their sleek and contemporary styling will actually look right at home on many properties.
Urban Energy
We are an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economical and environmentally sound green energy solutions for homes and businesses in the South West.
We only install products that lead the way within the renewable energy industry and that are renowned for their high quality and ecologically sound production. This reflects our own high standards and quality assurance.
We understand that introducing a renewable energy system i.e solar panels, to either your home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our in-house installation team and electrical division, it is our promise to you the customer, that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period is our number one priority.
The Granary, Phillips Lane, Stratford-sub-Castle, Salisbury SP1 3YR
Tel: 0800 2321624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Showing posts with label Green Deal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green Deal. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Monday, 3 June 2013
Solar Energy Can Compete
Renewables have seen such dramatic price falls in the past few years that they are threatening to upset the world as we know it and usher in an almost unprecedented boom in the spread of cheap, clean, home-produced energy.
Solar will be the cheapest form of power in many countries within just a few years. In places such as California and Italy it has already reached so-called "grid parity". Onshore wind, on a piece of land not constrained by years of planning delays, is already the cheapest form of energy on earth. These are not wild claims – those are figures from General Electric, Citibank and others.
Solar PV is a case in point. Three years ago firms were paying about €3,600 per installed kilowatt of solar capacity on barn roofs in Germany. Today it can be done for just over €1,000 – a staggering 70% fall.
Thanks to a surge in global production to 60 gWp annually, (enough to supply British households – not offices or factories – with all their electricity) solar power has dropped dramatically in price. But there is more to come. Cambridge IP, a global innovation and intellectual property firm, says there is a surge of interest and R&D into two new forms of solar power which are likely to be available commercially by the end of this decade.
Newly built solar plants are already considerably cheaper than new nuclear plants per kilowatt hour of electricity produced and because of this solar energy can and will compete head on with conventional energy.
True, there is an ongoing cost from the German government's previous support for solar, but is much lower than the subsidies pumped by the western world into nuclear, coal, oil and gas over the past decades.
Solar is starting to pay its subsidy back. Germany now has more than 30 gigaWatt peak (gWp) of solar plants installed, such that on almost all days in the spring, summer and autumn, solar energy surges into the grid at a time when demand is at is strongest (air conditioning etc) and when spot market energy prices are at their highest.
This peak price is being forced down by solar, helping to reduce wholesale prices. The big energy companies hate this because this peak is where they make their money. Solar in Germany is almost down to wholesale prices – in sunnier countries it already is.
Germany (Europe's biggest economy) now gets 25% of its electricity from renewables – a proportion that is increasing by the month. This is twice the level of the UK, although, interestingly, similar to that of Scotland on its own. Germany is also leading on figuring out how to overcome the problems of "intermittency" by storing renewable energy.
Urban Energy
We are an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economical and environmentally sound green energy solutions for homes and businesses in the South West.
We only install products that lead the way within the renewable energy industry and that are renowned for their high quality and ecologically sound production. This reflects our own high standards and quality assurance.
We understand that introducing a renewable energy system i.e solar panels, to either your home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our in-house installation team and electrical division, it is our promise to you the customer, that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period is our number one priority.
The Granary, Phillips Lane, Stratford-sub-Castle, Salisbury SP1 3YR
Tel: 0800 2321624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Solar will be the cheapest form of power in many countries within just a few years. In places such as California and Italy it has already reached so-called "grid parity". Onshore wind, on a piece of land not constrained by years of planning delays, is already the cheapest form of energy on earth. These are not wild claims – those are figures from General Electric, Citibank and others.
Solar PV is a case in point. Three years ago firms were paying about €3,600 per installed kilowatt of solar capacity on barn roofs in Germany. Today it can be done for just over €1,000 – a staggering 70% fall.
Thanks to a surge in global production to 60 gWp annually, (enough to supply British households – not offices or factories – with all their electricity) solar power has dropped dramatically in price. But there is more to come. Cambridge IP, a global innovation and intellectual property firm, says there is a surge of interest and R&D into two new forms of solar power which are likely to be available commercially by the end of this decade.
Newly built solar plants are already considerably cheaper than new nuclear plants per kilowatt hour of electricity produced and because of this solar energy can and will compete head on with conventional energy.
True, there is an ongoing cost from the German government's previous support for solar, but is much lower than the subsidies pumped by the western world into nuclear, coal, oil and gas over the past decades.
Solar is starting to pay its subsidy back. Germany now has more than 30 gigaWatt peak (gWp) of solar plants installed, such that on almost all days in the spring, summer and autumn, solar energy surges into the grid at a time when demand is at is strongest (air conditioning etc) and when spot market energy prices are at their highest.
This peak price is being forced down by solar, helping to reduce wholesale prices. The big energy companies hate this because this peak is where they make their money. Solar in Germany is almost down to wholesale prices – in sunnier countries it already is.
Germany (Europe's biggest economy) now gets 25% of its electricity from renewables – a proportion that is increasing by the month. This is twice the level of the UK, although, interestingly, similar to that of Scotland on its own. Germany is also leading on figuring out how to overcome the problems of "intermittency" by storing renewable energy.
Urban Energy
We are an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economical and environmentally sound green energy solutions for homes and businesses in the South West.
We only install products that lead the way within the renewable energy industry and that are renowned for their high quality and ecologically sound production. This reflects our own high standards and quality assurance.
We understand that introducing a renewable energy system i.e solar panels, to either your home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our in-house installation team and electrical division, it is our promise to you the customer, that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period is our number one priority.
The Granary, Phillips Lane, Stratford-sub-Castle, Salisbury SP1 3YR
Tel: 0800 2321624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Sunday, 27 January 2013
Green Deal: energy saving for your home or business
Householders are to be offered long-term loans to help make their homes more energy efficient and cut bills under a new government scheme launched today. Under the scheme, households can use cheap loans to spend on energy-saving improvements, such as insulation and new boilers, with no upfront cost.
The move to insulate the UK's aged housing stock is designed to save carbon emissions, keep people warm, and make energy affordable, the government said.
Anyone joining the scheme would first have their home reviewed by an independent assessor, advising on possible upgrades, costs and energy saving time scales.
Green Deal providers would then calculate quotes for the proposed work - with households free to get multiple quotes - before carrying out the changes.
Under the deal, improvements are installed at no initial cost. Instead, charges are covered with cheap loans via the not-for-profit Green Deal Finance Company, and recouped gradually over up to 25 years through customers' electricity bills.
How the Green Deal works
You can make energy-saving improvements to your home or business without having to pay all the costs up front through the Green Deal.
Energy-saving improvements include:
- insulation - eg loft or cavity wall insulation
- heating
- draught-proofing
- double glazing
- renewable energy technologies - eg solar panels or wind turbines
What you need to do:
Get an assessment of your property to see what improvements you can make and how much you could save on your energy bills.
Choose a Green Deal provider to carry out the work. You discuss with them what work you want done and whether the Green Deal is right for you.
If you go ahead with the improvements you must sign your Green Deal Plan - this is a contract between you and the provider stating what work will be done and how much it will cost. The provider will then arrange for a Green Deal installer to do the work.
Once the work is done, you’ll pay off the money in instalments through your electricity bill.
Urban Energy
We are an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economical and environmentally sound green energy solutions for homes and businesses in the South West.
We only install products that lead the way within the renewable energy industry and that are renowned for their high quality and ecologically sound production. This reflects our own high standards and quality assurance.
We understand that introducing a renewable energy system i.e solar panels, to either your home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our in-house installation team and electrical division, it is our promise to you the customer, that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period is our number one priority.
The Granary, Phillips Lane, Stratford-sub-Castle, Salisbury SP1 3YR
Tel: 0800 2321624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Urban Energy Roofing
With over 25 years of experience within the roofing industry Urban Energy offers a comprehensive roofing service covering all aspects from a complete new roof build to all areas of roof repairs.
All site surveys and home visits are free of charge with no obligation to commit to works being carried out. Urban Energy prides itself on offering honest, competitive quotations supported by excellent customer service.
Our services include:
Defective roof timber replacement
Valley & Watergate replacement using code 4 lead
Replacement chimney stacks, slates and tiles
Chimney stacks re-build and repair
Ventilated roof vents to reduce heat build up
All aspects of lead flashing
All guttering, facia and soffit repair and replacement
In addition to the above our roofing division also has extensive knowledge and understanding of solar thermal and solar pv (photovoltaic systems) enabling works on roofs with these existing technologies to be carried out without the risk of warranty invalidation.
The Granary, Phillips Lane, Stratford-sub-Castle, Salisbury SP1 3YR
Tel: 0800 2321624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
All site surveys and home visits are free of charge with no obligation to commit to works being carried out. Urban Energy prides itself on offering honest, competitive quotations supported by excellent customer service.
Our services include:
Defective roof timber replacement
Valley & Watergate replacement using code 4 lead
Replacement chimney stacks, slates and tiles
Chimney stacks re-build and repair
Ventilated roof vents to reduce heat build up
All aspects of lead flashing
All guttering, facia and soffit repair and replacement
In addition to the above our roofing division also has extensive knowledge and understanding of solar thermal and solar pv (photovoltaic systems) enabling works on roofs with these existing technologies to be carried out without the risk of warranty invalidation.
The Granary, Phillips Lane, Stratford-sub-Castle, Salisbury SP1 3YR
Tel: 0800 2321624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
URBAN ENERGY POLYTHERMAL INSULATION SPRAY
Benefits & Uses
A FEW OF MANY
APPLICATIONS
- Insulate any type of wall/domestic/commercial/agricultural
- Insulate any type of
roof/domestic/commercial/agricultural
- Insulate any type of
floor/domestic/commercial/agricultural
- Insulate virtually any service.
A FEW OF MANY
BENEFITS & FEATURES
Fully Approved:
Technical approvals for construction. Carries a BBA Approval Inspection Testing
Certification. Agrement Certificate No 11/4816. BASF POLYURETHANES WALLTITE.
Agrement
Certification Includes as follows
- Factors relating to compliance with all
building regulations where applicable
- Factors relating to additional
non-regulatory information where applicable
- Independently verified technical
investigations
- Design considerations
- Insulation guidance
- Regular surveillance of production
- Formal three-yearly reviews
Key factors Assessed
Practicability of installation: The product should only be installed by contractors trained and approved the certificate holder.
Thermal performance:
When installed at the appropriate thickness, the product can enable roofs to
meet or improve on U values for existing building regulations.
Condensation risk: The
product has a water vapour resistivity approximately 306 MN.s.g-1.m-2, but the
risk of interstitial condensation will depend on the roof construction and
should be assessed for each project.
Adhesion: The product bonds sufficiently
to slate and clay tiles Weather tightness: The product will contribute towards
the roof covering resisting the passage of water, wind-blown snow and dust into
the interior of the building.
Behaviour in
relation to fire: The product has a class 1 surface spread of flame rating
and may be used in suitable roof constructions.
Durability: The durability of
the product is satisfactory and should remain effective for at least 20 years.
Full BBA Certificate produced on request.
Continued benefits
and features...
- Normally applied in one-two days
- Very low thermal conductivity not
achieved by conventional materials
- With stands wind damage well in access
of 100 miles an hour
- No dust and grit caused by chafing
slates and tiles (cleaner air)
- Saves pounds on heating bills, up to 80%
reduction in heat loss
- Helps to eliminate condensation
- Protects expensive items for atmospheric
changes that cause damage
- Improves efficiency of PV inverters in
the loft space
- Creates a warm roof at the top of the
building allowing loft floors to be boarded
- Insulates cold floors in cellars
- Insulates walls
- Helps with sound proofing especially in
flight paths
- No gaps that cause draughts/loft
conversions
- No harmful odours and gasses
- Sets in minutes
- No freezing pipes in the area of the
loft or insulated area
- Closed cell to stop insects making nests
- Perfect for loft conversions because no
gaps under plaster boarding
- Closed cell with a vapour barrier but
air tight to reduce condensation which contributes to mould and mildew
- Increase strength in wall lining systems
and no settling and sagging in wall cavity situations
- Extremely light weight and very strong
in rigidity
- Controls indoor air quality
- No inhalable fibres are emitted
(Fibreglass)
Enquires for a free
survey contact
Urban Energy UK LTD
3 Deans Farm Buildings
Phillips Lane, Salisbury Wilts
SP1 3YP
Freephone 0800 232 1624
3 Deans Farm Buildings
Phillips Lane, Salisbury Wilts
SP1 3YP
Freephone 0800 232 1624
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Is solar the future for energy production?
It is no longer credible to say that solar can’t play a major role in a
sustainable energy mix. Deutsche Bahn intends to run the entire German
railway system on wind, solar and hydropower. The German economics ministry
has collaborated with German companies to run a scaled model of the national
economy on a real mix of renewables, including solar, and concluded that a
healthy modern economy could be run on renewables, including baseload
electricity. In a report due out later this year, the International Energy
Agency will admit that solar can provide 60% of global electricity by 2060.
It is not good enough to say, as some do, that if a global mass market is inevitable, the UK should sit back and partake come the day, not before. This is a strategic miscalculation. We do not want to be importing every aspect of our energy infrastructure ad infinitum. National security considerations such as peak oil increasingly demand that we have domestic industries that are as stand-alone as humanly possible.
In this respect there should be many opportunities for the government. The prime minister has emphasised the Big Society idea as a flagship programme of his tenure, and he envisions many of the jobs that must countervail the austerity measures will come from British participation in the green industrial revolution that he says is unfoldling around the world. Solar is an important part of that. Ask the Chinese. In 2000 they had little solar. Now every second solar cell is made in China. The government would not have to do much to fashion a Big Society/green industrial revolution case-history worth boasting about.
Around the nation, as things stand, thousands of jobs are being created in the embryonic British solar industry. Tens of thousands of citizens are in the process of being empowered in community projects. The cause of this is a solar-energy feed-in tariff: a market-enablement process used by over 40 countries around the world that entails premium pricing for solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity funded by a small levy on all energy bills. With its feed-in tariff introduced in April last year, the UK has belatedly joining the party in one of the fastest growing markets of any kind globally.
The opportunities extend well beyond solar. Solar generation would soon be marriable at scale with the energy efficiency measures due to be stimulated by the government’s Green Deal. Innovative integrated energy-services financing would become possible, unleashing substantial net energy cost savings.
Feed-in tariffs are supposed to decrease annually, as solar prices fall. That is part of their inate attraction. Unlike nuclear, solar does not need subsidising forever. But the staged reductions in tariff, down to zero within the decade, have to match the market. It is no good introducing sudden deep cuts. That stalls a market, as a number of governments have discovered this year.
The first reductions for UK rooftop solar PV tariffs will begin in April 2012, and are under review right now. The government has to get this just right. Reductions in tariff have to be deep enough to fairly reflect falling solar prices, and not too deep to stall the development of a domestic UK solar industry.
Ministers like Greg Barker and Chris Huhne understand. Others do not. They listen to the calls of the nuclear and gas industries, who among others lobby to slow or kill the solar rollout in multiple countries by cutting feed-in tariffs to the bone. In France, for example, the nuclear industry has all but emasculated the French solar feed in tariff, and hence market.
Creating a Big Society/green-industrial-revolution case-history worth bragging about will involve the government creating a smooth glide path to solar grid parity in electricity markets. This in turn will involve not listening to many of the lobbyists working for the big energy companies, and many civil servants too. They are too wedded to the past, and cannot see what Silicon Valley investors, and the Chinese see.
Urban Energy
Urban Energy are delighted that nearly half the population would like to install renewable energy technologies; what worries us is the lack of awareness surrounding it. To bridge the Green Gap it’s essential we continue to educate consumers and break down some of the myths surrounding the Green Deal, energy efficiency and microgeneration.
It is not good enough to say, as some do, that if a global mass market is inevitable, the UK should sit back and partake come the day, not before. This is a strategic miscalculation. We do not want to be importing every aspect of our energy infrastructure ad infinitum. National security considerations such as peak oil increasingly demand that we have domestic industries that are as stand-alone as humanly possible.
In this respect there should be many opportunities for the government. The prime minister has emphasised the Big Society idea as a flagship programme of his tenure, and he envisions many of the jobs that must countervail the austerity measures will come from British participation in the green industrial revolution that he says is unfoldling around the world. Solar is an important part of that. Ask the Chinese. In 2000 they had little solar. Now every second solar cell is made in China. The government would not have to do much to fashion a Big Society/green industrial revolution case-history worth boasting about.
Around the nation, as things stand, thousands of jobs are being created in the embryonic British solar industry. Tens of thousands of citizens are in the process of being empowered in community projects. The cause of this is a solar-energy feed-in tariff: a market-enablement process used by over 40 countries around the world that entails premium pricing for solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity funded by a small levy on all energy bills. With its feed-in tariff introduced in April last year, the UK has belatedly joining the party in one of the fastest growing markets of any kind globally.
The opportunities extend well beyond solar. Solar generation would soon be marriable at scale with the energy efficiency measures due to be stimulated by the government’s Green Deal. Innovative integrated energy-services financing would become possible, unleashing substantial net energy cost savings.
Feed-in tariffs are supposed to decrease annually, as solar prices fall. That is part of their inate attraction. Unlike nuclear, solar does not need subsidising forever. But the staged reductions in tariff, down to zero within the decade, have to match the market. It is no good introducing sudden deep cuts. That stalls a market, as a number of governments have discovered this year.
The first reductions for UK rooftop solar PV tariffs will begin in April 2012, and are under review right now. The government has to get this just right. Reductions in tariff have to be deep enough to fairly reflect falling solar prices, and not too deep to stall the development of a domestic UK solar industry.
Ministers like Greg Barker and Chris Huhne understand. Others do not. They listen to the calls of the nuclear and gas industries, who among others lobby to slow or kill the solar rollout in multiple countries by cutting feed-in tariffs to the bone. In France, for example, the nuclear industry has all but emasculated the French solar feed in tariff, and hence market.
Creating a Big Society/green-industrial-revolution case-history worth bragging about will involve the government creating a smooth glide path to solar grid parity in electricity markets. This in turn will involve not listening to many of the lobbyists working for the big energy companies, and many civil servants too. They are too wedded to the past, and cannot see what Silicon Valley investors, and the Chinese see.
Urban Energy
Urban Energy are delighted that nearly half the population would like to install renewable energy technologies; what worries us is the lack of awareness surrounding it. To bridge the Green Gap it’s essential we continue to educate consumers and break down some of the myths surrounding the Green Deal, energy efficiency and microgeneration.
Urban
Energy has earned a reputation as the south’s leading renewable energy
specialist. This has been achieved by ensuring that from the initial
point of client contact we offer 1st class customer service and care.
We
only install products that lead the way within the renewable energy
industry and that are renowned for their high quality and ecologically
sound production. This reflects our own high standards and quality
assurance.
We
understand that introducing a renewable energy system to either your
home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our
in-house electrical and plumbing division it is our promise to you the
customer that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period
is our number one priority.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Lack of information preventing UK homes from going green
A recent survey has revealed that UK residents are reluctant to install green technology due to a lack of awareness about the related cost savings and government incentives.
This lack of awareness – the ‘Green Gap’ – is holding back the uptake of renewable energy sources in UK homes, according to the report. Whilst 61% of participants were keen to install systems such as solar panels and biomass-fuelled heating, 57% said they wouldn’t consider installing any of the listed renewable technologies, because they viewed them as too expensive.
Of the 2,000 survey participants, a third didn’t know how much money they could save or earn by generating their own energy, whilst 65% were completely unaware of the government’s Feed-in Tariff programme.
This programme requires energy suppliers to pay households that generate their own electricity from renewable sources, and also allows any surplus energy to be sold back to the National Grid.
The survey also revealed considerable confusion surrounding the government’s Green Deal, with 54% unable to correctly identify the Deal’s focus on energy efficiency incentives. 14% thought it was concerned with the protection of forests, while 9% believed it was aimed at increasing the use of electric vehicles.
Urban Energy
Urban Energy are delighted that nearly half the population would like to install renewable energy technologies; what worries us is the lack of awareness surrounding it. To bridge the Green Gap it’s essential we continue to educate consumers and break down some of the myths surrounding the Green Deal, energy efficiency and microgeneration.
Urban
Energy has earned a reputation as the south’s leading renewable energy
specialist. This has been achieved by ensuring that from the initial
point of client contact we offer 1st class customer service and care.
We
only install products that lead the way within the renewable energy
industry and that are renowned for their high quality and ecologically
sound production. This reflects our own high standards and quality
assurance.
We
understand that introducing a renewable energy system to either your
home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our
in-house electrical and plumbing division it is our promise to you the
customer that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period
is our number one priority.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Salford University's Energy House
Do we need all of our mains sockets on 240 volts? Can warmth be psychologically affected by the colour of wall paint, and are UPVc windows better than wood?
These are the types of questions Salford University is aiming to answer as it looks to trial new energy efficient technologies in a terrace house built inside a laboratory.
The university has built a 1920s Victorian-style two-up, two-down – thought to represent around 20% of the UK’s housing stock – to test new energy efficient technologies and the behavior of occupants.
The Energy House is a response to the UK’s retrofit challenge. According to statistics released by Communities and Local Government, around 70% of the country's residential property will still be inhabited in 2050 and 91% of all UK homes would benefit substantially from improvements in energy efficiency. Improved insulation and boiler upgrades alone could see heating emissions reduced by 22%.
Despite social housing being seen as a key area to ramp up retrofit activity, the university recently revealed that 50% of Registered Housing Providers do not yet have a retrofit plan.
However, the policy tide is turning, with the Government wanting to leap from the bottom to the top of the European efficiency league. Energy minister Greg Barker, who attended the two-day conference, says that local authorities and housing associations will play a key part in its flagship Green Deal, which will allow tenants and homeowners to pay for energy-efficient improvements through the savings on their energy bills.
Temperature control
Inside the laboratory the university can even change the weather – wind, rain, snow, not the sun, which it will use UV lights to simulate – with temperatures in the environmental chamber able to drop to as low as -6 degrees.
Rain and wind can also hit the house at different speeds, as researchers say that brick’s performance is affected by different conditions. Solar panels will also be fitted on to the tiled roof.
Inspecting the house at its official unveiling at the end of January at the University of Salford Retrofit conference is quite something. All the materials – from the brick to the slate have been reclaimed – except the timbers inside.
Lime mortar has been used to set the familiar red brick, the doors – front and back – don’t shut properly and have gaps exposing drafts, as do the rickety single-glazed sash windows. There are no curtains and the house has no insulation.
“In short,” says energy hub manager Steve Waterworth, “the house is leaking energy.
“We wanted to construct the house as it would have been then and leave it in its rawest form,” he says, “so we can see how it behaves and where the energy goes. We’ll be monitoring temperature, pressure, air flow and humidity and will be producing 3D image maps of each room to see where everything is going.”
The house represents the stock that is the hardest to treat – i.e. no cavity walls with which to pack with insulation.
The university has even built half a house next door so they can monitor the heat output through the party wall. Researchers want to know if tenants have got their heating on high whether they are heating the living room next door.
As well as trialing the relationship between different products and controls within and outside the house, such as double glazed windows, internal/external cladding and insulation, a key part of the analysis and modeling will be the behavior of occupants.
Psychologists will work alongside physicists to study how people use energy. “Hands up who recycled something this week,” asks Mr Waterworth, who turns to delegates on the guided tour? A spate of hands shoot up behind me. “Who’s saved energy this week?” Everybody looks at each with no hands raised. And here in lies one of the challenges. “Ten years ago nobody recycled,” says Waterworth. Now, everybody does. How can we make that work for reducing energy in the home?”
He adds psychologists will also evaluate behaviour in the home. “How would you feel looking at a thermometer giving a warm reading in a cold room? Warm or cold,” asks Mr Waterworth? He says some of the products being trialled include taps that reduce the water pressure, a Dulux reflective paint on the walls, allowing the wattage of light bulbs in the room to be reduced, as light would reflect off the paint. Other products include environmental controls supplier Dyer’s ‘Solis’ system, which controls windows wirelessly using solar power.
The research team intends to trial a number of different types of occupants in the house for around 12 hours at a time, from families to students, single occupants to couples.
Currently, there is a gas boiler in the house but the heating can and will change, depending on what the team wishes to test. Water, electricity and gas will all be monitored as researchers believe that a lot of heat is being lost in the home through hot water.
Green Deal
After a tour of the house Energy minister Greg Barker and I sit in the living room of the terrace to discuss the role of housing associations and tenants in the green deal.
The minister said the “sky is the limit” for housing associations and local authorities to become Green Deal providers themselves – accessing private finance and carrying out the work for tenants – or to form partnerships with utility companies to deliver a roll out.
“Some could not only retrofit their own stock but could provide it to the private rented sector,” he told 24housing magazine. “Housing associations have already taken good steps in bringing their stock up to a decent standard, but we need to get them to go further. The Green Deal will provide them with the finance to do that.”
He also alleviated concerns by those who have pointed out that social tenants often fall out of the Green Deal’s golden rule, i.e. the savings created by the energy efficiency measures have to be greater than the cost of paying for the retrofit over 25 years. This is because such tenants could be classed as fuel poor and won’t be using much energy in the first place.
Mr Barker said: “There will be many homes that won’t be covered by a ‘Pay as you Save model’ e.g. those that are fuel poor, because you can’t make savings on your energy bill if you’re not actually using much in the first place. We recognise that, so in addition to the Green Deal, there will also be an ongoing new energy obligation on utility companies which we believe will be worth well in excess of £1bn per annum and will be rolled out over a decade.”
He also indicated that the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive, which was crucially spared the axe in last year’s spending review, could be used alongside the Green Deal to improve a home’s energy efficiency.
He said: “We are looking at ways when someone has had a Green Deal review of their home, it lists the measures they are able to do. It should also include the opportunities for renewable heat and microgeneration. What we don't want is to put microgeneration or renewable heat technologies into leaky homes. Making your home heat tight first really ought to be the prerequisite before you then go on to the more microgeneration.”
The entire facility at Salford has been geared up to allow the university to knock down the terrace and start again by building another style of property for testing. But for the next three years, we can expect the publication of vital research, says Professor Martin Hall, the university’s vice chancellor. “This project is exciting because retrofitting old properties to make them as carbon-efficient as possible will require detailed and robust research,” he says.
“If there is to be a step change in the UK to achieve our carbon emission reduction targets, it is essential decision-makers have sound evidence to ensure products are tested before being tried out in real homes.”
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care.
"Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government incentive schemes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
These are the types of questions Salford University is aiming to answer as it looks to trial new energy efficient technologies in a terrace house built inside a laboratory.
The university has built a 1920s Victorian-style two-up, two-down – thought to represent around 20% of the UK’s housing stock – to test new energy efficient technologies and the behavior of occupants.
The Energy House is a response to the UK’s retrofit challenge. According to statistics released by Communities and Local Government, around 70% of the country's residential property will still be inhabited in 2050 and 91% of all UK homes would benefit substantially from improvements in energy efficiency. Improved insulation and boiler upgrades alone could see heating emissions reduced by 22%.
Despite social housing being seen as a key area to ramp up retrofit activity, the university recently revealed that 50% of Registered Housing Providers do not yet have a retrofit plan.
However, the policy tide is turning, with the Government wanting to leap from the bottom to the top of the European efficiency league. Energy minister Greg Barker, who attended the two-day conference, says that local authorities and housing associations will play a key part in its flagship Green Deal, which will allow tenants and homeowners to pay for energy-efficient improvements through the savings on their energy bills.
Temperature control
Inside the laboratory the university can even change the weather – wind, rain, snow, not the sun, which it will use UV lights to simulate – with temperatures in the environmental chamber able to drop to as low as -6 degrees.
Rain and wind can also hit the house at different speeds, as researchers say that brick’s performance is affected by different conditions. Solar panels will also be fitted on to the tiled roof.
Inspecting the house at its official unveiling at the end of January at the University of Salford Retrofit conference is quite something. All the materials – from the brick to the slate have been reclaimed – except the timbers inside.
Lime mortar has been used to set the familiar red brick, the doors – front and back – don’t shut properly and have gaps exposing drafts, as do the rickety single-glazed sash windows. There are no curtains and the house has no insulation.
“In short,” says energy hub manager Steve Waterworth, “the house is leaking energy.
“We wanted to construct the house as it would have been then and leave it in its rawest form,” he says, “so we can see how it behaves and where the energy goes. We’ll be monitoring temperature, pressure, air flow and humidity and will be producing 3D image maps of each room to see where everything is going.”
The house represents the stock that is the hardest to treat – i.e. no cavity walls with which to pack with insulation.
The university has even built half a house next door so they can monitor the heat output through the party wall. Researchers want to know if tenants have got their heating on high whether they are heating the living room next door.
As well as trialing the relationship between different products and controls within and outside the house, such as double glazed windows, internal/external cladding and insulation, a key part of the analysis and modeling will be the behavior of occupants.
Psychologists will work alongside physicists to study how people use energy. “Hands up who recycled something this week,” asks Mr Waterworth, who turns to delegates on the guided tour? A spate of hands shoot up behind me. “Who’s saved energy this week?” Everybody looks at each with no hands raised. And here in lies one of the challenges. “Ten years ago nobody recycled,” says Waterworth. Now, everybody does. How can we make that work for reducing energy in the home?”
He adds psychologists will also evaluate behaviour in the home. “How would you feel looking at a thermometer giving a warm reading in a cold room? Warm or cold,” asks Mr Waterworth? He says some of the products being trialled include taps that reduce the water pressure, a Dulux reflective paint on the walls, allowing the wattage of light bulbs in the room to be reduced, as light would reflect off the paint. Other products include environmental controls supplier Dyer’s ‘Solis’ system, which controls windows wirelessly using solar power.
The research team intends to trial a number of different types of occupants in the house for around 12 hours at a time, from families to students, single occupants to couples.
Currently, there is a gas boiler in the house but the heating can and will change, depending on what the team wishes to test. Water, electricity and gas will all be monitored as researchers believe that a lot of heat is being lost in the home through hot water.
Green Deal
After a tour of the house Energy minister Greg Barker and I sit in the living room of the terrace to discuss the role of housing associations and tenants in the green deal.
The minister said the “sky is the limit” for housing associations and local authorities to become Green Deal providers themselves – accessing private finance and carrying out the work for tenants – or to form partnerships with utility companies to deliver a roll out.
“Some could not only retrofit their own stock but could provide it to the private rented sector,” he told 24housing magazine. “Housing associations have already taken good steps in bringing their stock up to a decent standard, but we need to get them to go further. The Green Deal will provide them with the finance to do that.”
He also alleviated concerns by those who have pointed out that social tenants often fall out of the Green Deal’s golden rule, i.e. the savings created by the energy efficiency measures have to be greater than the cost of paying for the retrofit over 25 years. This is because such tenants could be classed as fuel poor and won’t be using much energy in the first place.
Mr Barker said: “There will be many homes that won’t be covered by a ‘Pay as you Save model’ e.g. those that are fuel poor, because you can’t make savings on your energy bill if you’re not actually using much in the first place. We recognise that, so in addition to the Green Deal, there will also be an ongoing new energy obligation on utility companies which we believe will be worth well in excess of £1bn per annum and will be rolled out over a decade.”
He also indicated that the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive, which was crucially spared the axe in last year’s spending review, could be used alongside the Green Deal to improve a home’s energy efficiency.
He said: “We are looking at ways when someone has had a Green Deal review of their home, it lists the measures they are able to do. It should also include the opportunities for renewable heat and microgeneration. What we don't want is to put microgeneration or renewable heat technologies into leaky homes. Making your home heat tight first really ought to be the prerequisite before you then go on to the more microgeneration.”
The entire facility at Salford has been geared up to allow the university to knock down the terrace and start again by building another style of property for testing. But for the next three years, we can expect the publication of vital research, says Professor Martin Hall, the university’s vice chancellor. “This project is exciting because retrofitting old properties to make them as carbon-efficient as possible will require detailed and robust research,” he says.
“If there is to be a step change in the UK to achieve our carbon emission reduction targets, it is essential decision-makers have sound evidence to ensure products are tested before being tried out in real homes.”
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care.
"Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government incentive schemes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Thursday, 19 August 2010
A hundred days of the 'greenest-ever' government
In an era when everything environmental - including biodiversity, waste, and fish stocks - is measured with indicators announcing that you will be the UK's "greenest-ever government", begs a number of questions - most obviously, "measured how?"
If you preside over a fall in greenhouse gas emissions while seeing numbers of farmland birds tumble, for example, how should those two trends be balanced against each other? Which is more important in assessing whether you are the "greenest ever"?
For many in the climate field, the coalition government began with a positive bang, by announcing it would not support the construction of a new runway at Heathrow Airport.
This had become a symbolic indicator of whether government was prepared to fight the green corner against business interests.
But it was also a simple measure by which the Conservatives and Lib Dems could distance themselves from their Labour predecessors, given that all three main parties are basically in the same climate camp.
Since then, Chris Huhne's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has taken other small steps designed to stimulate a growth in green energy, such as allowing councils to sell renewable electricity generated on their lands - a policy that builds on Labour's introduction of feed-in tariffs for renewables.
Delivering on the economy?
On the other hand, budget cuts for DECC have led to the scaling down or scrapping of funds designed to support offshore wind, biomass and geothermal energy.
There have been similar small steps towards improving home insulation, regarded in many circles as a win-win-win, as it reduces energy spend, cuts emissions and tackles fuel poverty.
But like Labour, the coalition is a long way short of establishing the nationwide energy efficiency scheme recommended by the Committee on Climate Change, the government's advisers, who called last year for a street-to-street programme that would insulate 10 million lofts and 7.5 million cavity walls by 2015.
More small steps are anticipated in coming months, including realisation of the Green Investment Bank, a review of the electricity market structure and a strategy to stimulate energy micro-generation.
Climate of austerity
The potential of the new austerity to scupper DECC initiatives is a concern raised by Mike Childs, head of climate with Friends of the Earth UK, "The future is looking ominous," he says.
"The Treasury is threatening the much-heralded 'Green Deal' on energy efficiency for homes, to starve the new Green Investment Bank of cash, and cut the Renewable Heat Incentive which would reduce rewards for generating heat from renewable sources."
So far, the government's headline commitment to cutting emissions and developing a low-carbon economy has not been challenged by the climate-sceptic rump of the Conservative Party; the maths of coalition politics do not permit it.
Nevertheless, practical moves to reduce emissions are influenced by numerous departments - the Treasury, Communities and Local Government, Transport - and some of those departments may see initiatives retarded rather than advanced by chiefs who do not share Mr Huhne's enthusiasm for carbon restraint.
Internationally, Mr Huhne recently joined counterparts from France and Germany in calling for the EU to raise its collective emissions-cutting pledge to 30% on 1990 levels by 2020, rather than the current 20%.
Although that has won plaudits, it is tempered by data showing that the recession has lowered emissions so much across the bloc that 30% looks much more achievable today than it did two years ago. Real ambition, some are saying, now implies calls for a 40% cut.
Overall, DECC's first 100 days under the coalition are marked by three over-arching themes:
Mr Huhne has acknowledged that the UK lags most of western Europe woefully on renewables. Whether that gap shrinks or expands over the next few years will be a litmus test of the "greenest-ever" claim.
Wider vision
Under Labour, there were times when the word "environment" seemed to have become replaced by the narrower "climate", so high did the latter ride up the overall agenda - certainly in terms of the political noise.
On that measure, the coalition looks, sounds and feels very different.
Biodiversity, the economics of nature loss, reducing waste and producing energy from it: Caroline Spelman's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has been vocal on all of these issues during its initial 100 days.
Ms Spelman's initial list of priorities included: an "absolute commitment" to reversing the trend toward reduction in biodiversity seeking "genuine reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)... for farmers, taxpayers, consumers and the environment alike" maintaining an increase in the money that taxpayers spend on flood defences this year, with "no impact on the number of households that we protect"
There has certainly been more talk about biodiversity than was common under Labour, although you could argue this is largely down to the coalition's accession coinciding with the run-up to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting in October.
But there are concerns that the government's structural and fiscal reforms are going to work against its headline commitment to the issue.
"It's difficult to be optimistic," says Matt Shardlow, chief executive of the wildlife charity Buglife.
"We've seen in the first 100 days an agenda dominated by cuts, and... there's a feeling of hard-won gains, such as the contribution of agro-environment resources of CAP spending to the environment, being under threat."
Ms Spelman has announced major cuts to the 90-odd "arm's-length" bodies funded by DEFRA.
Some are uncontroversial. But budgetary slashing for Natural England, the statutory conservation agency for England, has aroused major concern, with about one-third of its staff likely to go.
Twenty-five organisations including major players such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) have sent a letter to government warning that cuts "could have profound and perhaps irreversible consequences for wildlife, landscapes and people".
They have also raised the alarm over proposals to sell off some of the UK's wildlife reserves, although the full picture of what's being proposed has yet to emerge.
And the decision to axe funding for the Sustainable Development Commission has raised in some people's minds questions of whether the coalition is prepared to countenance the really big questions of whether the UK economy, with its continued commitment to growth, is developing along inherently unsustainable lines.
Biodiversity protection may also suffer from the government's commitment to localism, according to Mr Shardlow.
Putting important wildlife sites under local aegis may sound attractive, but he argues that if your aim is a coherent biodiversity strategy across regions, then you have to organise work on a pan-regional basis.
"If you devolve it too far down, you go way beyond the place where the expertise lies," he says.
"You may have people in every village who know where they would like their playing ground to be situated, but you don't have people in every village who know how to conserve endangered bees."
Caroline Spelman's commitment to flood protection may have a sting in the tail as well. This forms a major component of Environment Agency spending; so if that is to be preserved, everything else the agency does may face a disproportionately large cut.
DEFRA is also talking a local game on waste and bio-energy, aiming to encourage local initiatives that would develop a "zero-waste UK", with technologies such as anaerobic digesters coming into increasing use.
But as with Labour, the question remains of how to make this happen without a raft of financial carrots and sticks - something that is likely to prove difficult given this government's cost-cutting agenda.
Culling costs
The Court of Appeal, meanwhile, has removed one of the coalition's biggest potential banana-skins, with its decision last month that the proposed badger cull in Wales could not proceed.
Urged on by DEFRA's Agriculture Minister Jim Paice, the coalition was set to begin culling in England within a few years.
As Labour realised, such a decision would be hugely contentious. The Welsh postponement gives a little more breathing space in which other cattle TB curbs can be shown to work, and for development of a vaccine to advance, making it less likely that the government will need to make a quick decision.
If you had to paint a picture of the coalition so far, you would probably sketch a stern-faced accountant at work inside a big tent carrying the word "society".
Strategies on environment and climate are tucked away in the tent somewhere. They already look different from when Gordon Brown and then David Cameron went to see the Queen 100 days ago; but what it all means for the environment has yet to become entirely clear.
Reference: BBC News, Environment correspondent, Richard Black
If you preside over a fall in greenhouse gas emissions while seeing numbers of farmland birds tumble, for example, how should those two trends be balanced against each other? Which is more important in assessing whether you are the "greenest ever"?
For many in the climate field, the coalition government began with a positive bang, by announcing it would not support the construction of a new runway at Heathrow Airport.
This had become a symbolic indicator of whether government was prepared to fight the green corner against business interests.
But it was also a simple measure by which the Conservatives and Lib Dems could distance themselves from their Labour predecessors, given that all three main parties are basically in the same climate camp.
Since then, Chris Huhne's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has taken other small steps designed to stimulate a growth in green energy, such as allowing councils to sell renewable electricity generated on their lands - a policy that builds on Labour's introduction of feed-in tariffs for renewables.
Delivering on the economy?
On the other hand, budget cuts for DECC have led to the scaling down or scrapping of funds designed to support offshore wind, biomass and geothermal energy.
There have been similar small steps towards improving home insulation, regarded in many circles as a win-win-win, as it reduces energy spend, cuts emissions and tackles fuel poverty.
But like Labour, the coalition is a long way short of establishing the nationwide energy efficiency scheme recommended by the Committee on Climate Change, the government's advisers, who called last year for a street-to-street programme that would insulate 10 million lofts and 7.5 million cavity walls by 2015.
More small steps are anticipated in coming months, including realisation of the Green Investment Bank, a review of the electricity market structure and a strategy to stimulate energy micro-generation.
Climate of austerity
The potential of the new austerity to scupper DECC initiatives is a concern raised by Mike Childs, head of climate with Friends of the Earth UK, "The future is looking ominous," he says.
"The Treasury is threatening the much-heralded 'Green Deal' on energy efficiency for homes, to starve the new Green Investment Bank of cash, and cut the Renewable Heat Incentive which would reduce rewards for generating heat from renewable sources."
So far, the government's headline commitment to cutting emissions and developing a low-carbon economy has not been challenged by the climate-sceptic rump of the Conservative Party; the maths of coalition politics do not permit it.
Nevertheless, practical moves to reduce emissions are influenced by numerous departments - the Treasury, Communities and Local Government, Transport - and some of those departments may see initiatives retarded rather than advanced by chiefs who do not share Mr Huhne's enthusiasm for carbon restraint.
Internationally, Mr Huhne recently joined counterparts from France and Germany in calling for the EU to raise its collective emissions-cutting pledge to 30% on 1990 levels by 2020, rather than the current 20%.
Although that has won plaudits, it is tempered by data showing that the recession has lowered emissions so much across the bloc that 30% looks much more achievable today than it did two years ago. Real ambition, some are saying, now implies calls for a 40% cut.
Overall, DECC's first 100 days under the coalition are marked by three over-arching themes:
- fiscal stringency
- consultation on detailed policy measures
- emphasising the tie-up between restraining emissions, energy security and "green" jobs
Mr Huhne has acknowledged that the UK lags most of western Europe woefully on renewables. Whether that gap shrinks or expands over the next few years will be a litmus test of the "greenest-ever" claim.
Wider vision
Under Labour, there were times when the word "environment" seemed to have become replaced by the narrower "climate", so high did the latter ride up the overall agenda - certainly in terms of the political noise.
On that measure, the coalition looks, sounds and feels very different.
Biodiversity, the economics of nature loss, reducing waste and producing energy from it: Caroline Spelman's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has been vocal on all of these issues during its initial 100 days.
Ms Spelman's initial list of priorities included: an "absolute commitment" to reversing the trend toward reduction in biodiversity seeking "genuine reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)... for farmers, taxpayers, consumers and the environment alike" maintaining an increase in the money that taxpayers spend on flood defences this year, with "no impact on the number of households that we protect"
There has certainly been more talk about biodiversity than was common under Labour, although you could argue this is largely down to the coalition's accession coinciding with the run-up to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting in October.
But there are concerns that the government's structural and fiscal reforms are going to work against its headline commitment to the issue.
"It's difficult to be optimistic," says Matt Shardlow, chief executive of the wildlife charity Buglife.
"We've seen in the first 100 days an agenda dominated by cuts, and... there's a feeling of hard-won gains, such as the contribution of agro-environment resources of CAP spending to the environment, being under threat."
Ms Spelman has announced major cuts to the 90-odd "arm's-length" bodies funded by DEFRA.
Some are uncontroversial. But budgetary slashing for Natural England, the statutory conservation agency for England, has aroused major concern, with about one-third of its staff likely to go.
Twenty-five organisations including major players such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) have sent a letter to government warning that cuts "could have profound and perhaps irreversible consequences for wildlife, landscapes and people".
They have also raised the alarm over proposals to sell off some of the UK's wildlife reserves, although the full picture of what's being proposed has yet to emerge.
And the decision to axe funding for the Sustainable Development Commission has raised in some people's minds questions of whether the coalition is prepared to countenance the really big questions of whether the UK economy, with its continued commitment to growth, is developing along inherently unsustainable lines.
Biodiversity protection may also suffer from the government's commitment to localism, according to Mr Shardlow.
Putting important wildlife sites under local aegis may sound attractive, but he argues that if your aim is a coherent biodiversity strategy across regions, then you have to organise work on a pan-regional basis.
"If you devolve it too far down, you go way beyond the place where the expertise lies," he says.
"You may have people in every village who know where they would like their playing ground to be situated, but you don't have people in every village who know how to conserve endangered bees."
Caroline Spelman's commitment to flood protection may have a sting in the tail as well. This forms a major component of Environment Agency spending; so if that is to be preserved, everything else the agency does may face a disproportionately large cut.
DEFRA is also talking a local game on waste and bio-energy, aiming to encourage local initiatives that would develop a "zero-waste UK", with technologies such as anaerobic digesters coming into increasing use.
But as with Labour, the question remains of how to make this happen without a raft of financial carrots and sticks - something that is likely to prove difficult given this government's cost-cutting agenda.
Culling costs
The Court of Appeal, meanwhile, has removed one of the coalition's biggest potential banana-skins, with its decision last month that the proposed badger cull in Wales could not proceed.
Urged on by DEFRA's Agriculture Minister Jim Paice, the coalition was set to begin culling in England within a few years.
As Labour realised, such a decision would be hugely contentious. The Welsh postponement gives a little more breathing space in which other cattle TB curbs can be shown to work, and for development of a vaccine to advance, making it less likely that the government will need to make a quick decision.
If you had to paint a picture of the coalition so far, you would probably sketch a stern-faced accountant at work inside a big tent carrying the word "society".
Strategies on environment and climate are tucked away in the tent somewhere. They already look different from when Gordon Brown and then David Cameron went to see the Queen 100 days ago; but what it all means for the environment has yet to become entirely clear.
Reference: BBC News, Environment correspondent, Richard Black
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
UK June 2010 Budget: Renewable Energy Related Changes
The UK Government has announced a range of spending cuts in its revised budget for 2010, and there have been fears that this would hit the renewable energy industry. Here’s the (renewable) energy related changes.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has summarised the UK Budget 2010 revisions affecting renewable sources and ‘conventional’ energy.
Among the points are that:
“The Prime Minister has pledged to make this the greenest government ever.”
The UK needs £200 billion of investment to 2020 to provide secure low-carbon and renewable energy.
“This will require reform of the energy market and action to attract additional private sector funding.”
How to reach the goals
Assessing how the energy tax framework can provide the right incentives for investment, alongside wider market reforms. The Government will publish proposals in the autumn to reform the climate change levy in order to provide more certainty and support to the carbon price.
However, the relevant legislation will not be brought forward until the Finance Bill 2011.
Detailed proposals on the creation of the Green Investment Bank will be put forward.
The Government is also establishing a Green Deal for households in the Energy Security and Green Economy Bill to help householders invest in energy efficiency improvements.
In addition the creation of green financial products to provide individuals with opportunities to invest in the infrastructure necessary to support the green economy will continue.
Compared to the coalition Government’s manifesto, the summary from DECC seems even vaguer on the Government’s commitment to investment in renewable energies at a first glance.
Climate Change Capital positive
Climate Change Capital Vice-Chairman, James Cameron, comments on the Budget: “It sets out an ambitious set of proposals for stimulating investment in the low carbon economy, with key policies including energy market reform, the creation of a Green Investment Bank and the introduction of a reformed upstream Climate Change Levy.
“Many of these proposals are subject to consultation, so we hope that this process helps to ensure that policies are able to deliver low carbon investment at the speed and scale required to tackle climate change, while also creating the industries and jobs of the future.
"This Budget increases opportunities for our business to invest in the UK," he concludes.
Reference: renewableenergyfocus.com
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has summarised the UK Budget 2010 revisions affecting renewable sources and ‘conventional’ energy.
Among the points are that:
“The Prime Minister has pledged to make this the greenest government ever.”
The UK needs £200 billion of investment to 2020 to provide secure low-carbon and renewable energy.
“This will require reform of the energy market and action to attract additional private sector funding.”
How to reach the goals
Assessing how the energy tax framework can provide the right incentives for investment, alongside wider market reforms. The Government will publish proposals in the autumn to reform the climate change levy in order to provide more certainty and support to the carbon price.
However, the relevant legislation will not be brought forward until the Finance Bill 2011.
Detailed proposals on the creation of the Green Investment Bank will be put forward.
The Government is also establishing a Green Deal for households in the Energy Security and Green Economy Bill to help householders invest in energy efficiency improvements.
In addition the creation of green financial products to provide individuals with opportunities to invest in the infrastructure necessary to support the green economy will continue.
Compared to the coalition Government’s manifesto, the summary from DECC seems even vaguer on the Government’s commitment to investment in renewable energies at a first glance.
Climate Change Capital positive
Climate Change Capital Vice-Chairman, James Cameron, comments on the Budget: “It sets out an ambitious set of proposals for stimulating investment in the low carbon economy, with key policies including energy market reform, the creation of a Green Investment Bank and the introduction of a reformed upstream Climate Change Levy.
“Many of these proposals are subject to consultation, so we hope that this process helps to ensure that policies are able to deliver low carbon investment at the speed and scale required to tackle climate change, while also creating the industries and jobs of the future.
"This Budget increases opportunities for our business to invest in the UK," he concludes.
Reference: renewableenergyfocus.com
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
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