week ending 7 May 2010
Debate
Is it better to retrofit to super-insulated German Passivhaus standards or use renewable add-on technologies?
Inside Housing 7th May 2010 more >>
Eco Retrofit
After waxing lyrical about the benefi ts of retrofi tting homes for years, Paul Ciniglio, sustainability and innovation manager at Radian Group, has put his money where his mouth is and turned his house into an eco-home.
Inside Housing 7th May 2010 more >>
Insulate First
From the outset, social housing providers need to do the basic things right to save energy and money. This should be seen as simply part of building good homes and not as extra standards and costs. Integrating this principle into the design process will improve the quality of construction so that buildings perform better. Our experience highlights the need to keep it simple. To do this, social landlords need to reduce energy consumption first and only consider renewable energy later. With this in mind, it is important to tackle the measures which are difficult to add later, like insulation. Until this is sorted social housing providers should avoid costly and complex systems such as heat pumps, water recycling and photovoltaic panels.
Inside Housing 7th May 2010 more >>
Olympic Turbines
Atkins’ plans for a mini wind farm at the 2012 Olympic Park have come under fire after it emerged they will not work at night and will produce a minuscule proportion of the power needed by the site. The showpiece 7m turbines will be placed on seven 25m lighting columns between the main stadium and the aquatics centre, and will be seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors. However, the scheme has sparked accusations of “greenwash” after a report by Atkins admitted there would not be enough wind at night to turn them and that concerns over noise could mean they were shut down during the day “under certain wind speed conditions”.
Building Design 7th May 2010 more >>
Carbon Neutral Music Festival
ECO-FRIENDLY musical bonanza ‘Beetroot’ launches at Belhaven Fruit Farm tomorrow (Saturday) with a vision of becoming Scotland’s first carbon neutral festival. Festival sponsor Renewable Devices Ltd kick-starts the all-green concept by installing a wind turbine at the venue, while buses will shuttle concert-goers between Dunbar and Edinburgh to cut Co2 emissions.
East Lothian Courier 6th May 2019 more >>
Solar Return
A tax-free, index-linked return of 10 per cent a year, guaranteed for 25 years may sound too good to be true. But this is the level of return the Government claims you could receive by investing in a solar panel system for your home. If you think installing solar panels is only for those committed to ecological issues, a new government scheme designed to increase uptake of renewable energy may make you think again.
Telegraph 6th May 2010 more >>
Baxi mCHP
The Baxi Ecogen Micro-CHP home boiler is finally available. The first wall-hung combined heat and power (CHP) unit is currently only available through British Gas’ network of installers. It’s only suitable for houses on the mains gas network.
You Gen 6th May 2010 more >>
Businesses Can Do It
Suggestions by small and medium-sized businesses to build and run their own renewable energy installations are the way of the future, according to a clean energy provision expert. Antony Blakey, founder and executive chairman of Ultra Green, a company focused on developing renewable solutions for firms, said that no government can afford to subside green energy on any scale. He added: “You dont have to be Google; Tesco can do it, Sainsburys can do it, anybody can do it right now. Its a much more radical approach to run your organisation entirely on green power.
Rapid 6th May 2010 more >>
Solar Courses
NICEIC has announced details of a new Solar Photovoltaic (PV) course it has developed to support its Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) for Installers. The new course will cover the majority of small scale systems currently being installed in the UK and provide an overview of the design, installation, commission and service of Solar PV systems.
Heating and Ventilating.net 6th May 2010 more >>
Rooftop Wind Siting
A new report that explores the most effective height and location for building-mounted wind turbines has been published by built environment researchers BRE. The report, ‘Building-Mounted Micro-Wind Turbines on High-Rise and Commercial Buildings’, is based on a study that characterises wind conditions over a range of building heights from 15m to 80m and provides guidance on the positioning of wind turbines on the roofs of tall buildings to maximise their potential for wind power generation.
New Energy Focis 6th May 2010 more >>
RHI
Any moves to reduce the level of subsidy offered under the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive after it is introduced could work against the development of large scale projects such as energy from waste facilities, according to the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC).
New Energy Focus 6th May 2010 more >>
Exeter District Heating
Energy giant E.ON is set to build an energy centre near Exeter airport to supply zero-carbon housing development, Cranbrook, with energy from a biomass combined heat and power (CHP) district heating network. Cranbrook is described as being the largest zero-carbon housing scheme being built in the UK and one of the first large-scale new developments in the UK being built with district heating and biomass combined heat and power (CHP).
New Energy Focus 6th May 2010 more >>
Woodpecker Certificate
Biomass heating specialist, Woodpecker Energy UK, has achieved Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certification for its 15kW and 25kW woodfuelled boilers.
With the certification, Woodpecker boilers can now qualify for government grants for funding under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase Two and, from April 2011, under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).
New Energy Focus 5th May 2010 more >>
FiT Hydro
Feed-In Tariffs introduced last month – which pay a premium for ‘‘green’’ electricity – have helped a retired couple cut bills, raise income and shown how many of our 20,000 mill sites could be brought back to life.
Telegraph 5th May 2010 more >>
Certification
A HOME renewables firm has set up a new arm to guide Teesside installers through tough accreditation measures. A growing number of firms are emerging to supply the increasing demand for micro renewables, from solar panels to wind turbines, as Teessiders clamour to receive new cash incentives. Installers must be accredited under MCS - the Microgeneration Certification Scheme - for their customers to attract new feed-in tariff payments, given to individuals and organisations for generating their own green electricity.
Evening Gazette 5th May 2010 more >>
AD & RHI
Subsidies proposed under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) need to be higher to get anaerobic digestion plants built, the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA) has claimed. The association has made the case for higher levels in its response to a consultation from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) on subsidies for AD under the RHI.
New Energy Focus 4th May 2010 more >>
PVs on the march
Becosolar has won a number of significant contracts including a large deal for social housing in Yorkshire worth £1.5 million and a project with Transition Town Totnes to install solar energy in homes across the town.
Heating and Plumbing Monthly 4th May 2010 more >>
Solar Care Home
Meridian Healthcare, an independent provider of care services for older people, has installed 570 Kingspan Solar DF100 Thermomax solar thermal vacuum tubes to service the hot water needs of its latest development, the Roby Lodge centre.
Heating and Plumbing Monthly 4th May 2010 more >>
Wind Powered Cheese
Dewlay a Lancashire-based cheese producer, has appointed Souters to promote the installation of a wind turbine at its factory. It means that by the Autumn, the cheese maker will become the country’s first to be powered by renewable energy.
How Do 4th May 2010 more >>
Ener-G
A RENEWABLE energy specialist based in Salford is helping a Dorset-based dairy products manufacturer save £150,000 a year by installing a new green technology.
The Business Desk 4th May 2010 more >>
EPC Expansion
Husband-and-wife duo Marc and Annmarie Blomfield are gearing up for revenue growth of more than 20 per cent this year at their Cheshire firm which supplies energy performance certificates for residential and commercial properties.
Manchester Evening News 4th May 2010 more >>
Solar Message
The message for the government should be “Talk to people about solar water heating before someone else does”, by actively disseminating realistic information about the technology and its benefits, and by supporting those organisations that already provide free and impartial advice. With the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme promising to make solar water heating an attractive option not just environmentally but also financially, this would be the right time to roll out a bill board campaign that says “Install a solar water heating system – it costs £2,000 to £5,000 and you’ll save £200 to £300 every year for 20 years. For more information, contact ”
Guardian 4th May 2010 more >>
Essex School
An Essex Primary School, officially opened its new eco-centre yesterday, which children will use as an outside classroom to learn more about the environment. The £400,000 development includes a shelter overlooking the school’s woodlands, with wireless internet access, a fully automatic weather station, a wind turbine, a planting area, bird box with a webcam and woodland observation post.
Basildon Recorder 3rd May 2010 more >>
ASHP
As expected, Hitachi’s YUTAKI air source heat pump range has now received MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) approval, giving Nu-Heat customers access to grants and future eligibility for the government’s proposed Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme.
PR-USA 3rd May 2010 more >>
Mitsubishi Electric is embarking on a nationwide roadshow to highlight the benefits of its new range of commercial heating products which can help the majority of commercial buildings readily achieve renewable energy targets.
Plumbing Park 3rd May 2010 more >>
Biomass Boilers
A surge in the popularity of boilers for burning renewable fuels will see a 40-fold explosion in demand for wood pellets, according to one of the industry’s leaders.
Sunday Herald 2nd May 2010 more >>
Aberdeenshire Turbine
Architect Douglas Forrest has mixed old with new on his Aberdeenshire estate – he even has a wind turbine in his garden.
Sunday Times 2nd May 2010 more >>
Passivhaus
A radical new type of sustainable house is set to change the course of British home-building forever after the completion of a new-build house, which uses 90 per cent less energy for heating than a standard home and promises heating costs of around £75 a year - without the need for microgeneration or renewables. The sleepy village of Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, is probably more famous for its pies than radical new eco building. But that’s about to change, as the Green Building Store has taken the German Passivhaus model and adapted it for the UK market, making it the first Passivhaus in the UK to be built using traditional British building methods like cavity wall construction.
Click Green 2nd May 2010 more >>
Worcester Eco-Warriors
Pupils have been studying climate change issues at school following the installation of £20,000 solar panels at St George’s last October with money from the Co-op’s £2 million Green Energy for Schools programme. Since 2007, the Co-op, together with the Government’s low-carbon building programme, has helped more than 180 schools install solar panels, wind turbines, biomass boilers and ground source heat pumps.
Worcester News 1st May 2010 more >>
Scotland & RHI
Scottish Renewables, has called on DECC to rework the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) to better reflect Scottish skills and building regulations, in its response to the Renewable Heat Incentive consultation. Any accreditation system should both recognise and prioritise the “unique” building regulations, training and skill standards in Scotland, as well as the Scottish Government’s targets for renewables. The MCS has been found to be very expensive, bureaucratic and duplicative of many processes already carried out by heating installers throughout Scotland, making it difficult for small scale businesses to engage with the scheme. Only 59 installers in Scotland had been accredited - substantially less than the number required to meet the target set for 2020.
New Energy Focus 30th Apr 2010 more >>
Microgeneration Training
Merseyside, in north-west England, is to benefit from a training centre dedicated to microgeneration technologies such as solar panels and wind turbines which will open later this year. The Green Energy Training Centre (GETC), which cost £280,000 to establish, will provide training on the latest renewable energy technologies such as heat pumps, solar panels and wind turbines to help installers become accredited for the governments microgeneration certification scheme (MCS).
Rapid 30th Apr 2010 more >>
FiT Plans
Could your own mini power station be the answer to going commendably green? The Government thinks so, with feed-in-tariffs (FiTs) that came into effect on April 1. These provide a tax-free, index-linked income for anyone generating electricity for their house, from the likes of solar PV (photovoltaic) panels or mini-wind turbines. In addition, if re-elected, Labour aims to introduce new legislation for ‘green loans’ linked to properties, so that should you move before the installation pays for itself, you don’t take the cost of solar panels and wind turbines with you.
Daily Mail 30th Apr 2010 more >>
Q&A on Feed-in Tariffs.
Guardian 30th Apr 2010 more >>