News week ending 13 July 2007
Luton wake-up call
Luton Borough Council is organising Wake up to Climate Change, an energy event in St George’s Square this Saturday. Among the wide range of stalls and activities will be information on renewable energy, energy efficiency grants and discounts, recycling and sustainability. You can even visit the green energy machine bus and work out your carbon footprint using computers in the library.
Luton Borough Council Press Release 12th July 2007
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Windy problem
RED tape is threatening to strangle Graham Harrison's efforts to go green after he bought a wind turbine to power his thatched home.
Sheerness Times Guardian 12th July 2007
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Leeds businesses respond
Building property consultancy experts at Knight Frank in Leeds report that more and more businesses and public sector organisations are responding to the need to be green when it comes to choosing a building, though for many the economic benefits may only be apparent in the long term. As Government regulations begin to take hold, there are now strict requirements on heating, insulation and the use of sustainable or recyclable materials.
Yorkshire Post 12th July 2007
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Carbon-neutral Britain
Britain could be carbon-neutral by 2027. Government policy will require new buildings to be effectively carbon neutral well before 2027, but existing buildings will need refurbishment to improve their energy efficiency and demand must be met in large part by combined heat and power (CHP) plants, heat pumps and micro-renewables. The remaining energy supply must be met by a mix of renewables including solar and wind backed up by more predictable biomass-fuelled CHP plants and tidal generation.
Edie 12th July 2007
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Islington
THE PRIME Minister's call for the Union Jack to fly proudly from every government building has been snubbed by Islington Council which says it prioritises wind turbines over flags.
Islington Gazette 11th July 2007
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Islington residents of all ages will benefit from concrete measures to cut local CO2 emissions, after Islington Council named the first pilot projects to receive cash from its pioneering Climate Change Fund. Islington Council set up the Fund -- the first of its kind in London -- to fund capital projects that reduce local CO2 emissions, from biomass boilers to wind-turbines to green transport. Local residents, organisations and council teams can all apply. The council invested £3million cash into the Fund, and more than a thousand local residents have shown their support by opting to donate their council tax direct debit discounts as well.
Islington Council Press Release 10th July 2007
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Man-web
Manchester City Council is developing the first large-scale green hosting centre in the world and will generate some of its own renewable energy as well as re-using the large amount of heat generated by server computers.
Manchester Evening News 10th July 2007
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Droitwich
A PROJECT has been launched to help cut the fuel bills of Droitwich’s lower income residents. The ‘Hot House’ scheme is being run by the Spa Housing Association, along with the Droitwich Local Strategic Partnership, Wychavon District Council and the Energy Savings Trust. The project has asked for volunteers from the area to help pilot innovative heating methods such as thermal solar panels, ground source heatpumps and wind turbines. And the agencies involved will be working with residents to demonstrate how domestic fuel can be used in an efficient way.
Droitwich Standard 10th July 2007
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East Sussex energy efficiency
East Sussex County Council has paid for energy efficient equipment in ten schools, to cut their running costs by £35,000 a year and eliminate over 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide. As part of its award winning Carbon Management Plan the Council has improved the insulation and boiler controls in a number of schools across East Sussex.
Hastings and St Leonards Observer 10th July 2007
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Solar Liverpool
Liverpool City Council is cutting carbon emissions and halving the average energy bill for residents on a sheltered housing estate. Free solar panels have been fitted to 24 bungalows on the Alderwood Lodge Estate in Speke. The panels produce up to 80 per cent of the hot water needed for each home and work all-year-round.
Northern Housing 9th July 2007
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Shropshire
Shropshire County Council is one of the top ten councils for tackling climate change, but still has much work to do to meet the likely demands of the new Climate Change Bill that is due to be introduced next year, the council’s Corporate Support Services Scrutiny Panel will hear next week (16 July).
e.gov monitor 9th July 2007
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North East Assembly Toolkit
A toolkit that will enable planners, developers and home builders to use renewable energy in new buildings has been launched by the region’s planning body. In the draft Regional Spatial Strategy for North East England, the North East Assembly (NEA) has set targets for 10 per cent renewable energy to be used in new developments. And to help planners and developers to meet these targets the NEA has also launched the ‘micro-renewables’ toolkit, which will help users to assess which forms of renewable energy will be the most cost-effective and have the biggest impact on carbon emissions in a particular development.
e.gov monitor 9th July 2007
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Brown wind bid fails
A BID by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to fit a wind turbine on the roof of his family home has fallen foul of council red tape. His application for the mini-windmill at the house in North Queensferry was rejected by Fife Council because he had failed to provide supporting documents or gain the support of his neighbours. Mr Brown - who already has solar panels on the roof - submitted his plans for the turbine in November.
Edinburgh Evening News 9th July 2007
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Carbon-neutral supermarket
Sainsbury's says its new store at Tavistock in Devon aims is to be a building which is as near as possible to carbon-neutral, and this could include measures such as small wind turbines, solar panels and photo-voltaic cells to generate electricity and heat water.
Plymouth Herald 9th July 2007
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How it should be done
"Freiburg has as much solar power installed as virtually the whole of Britain."
Guardian podcast 9th July 2007
Micro-CHP
Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (CFCL) and E.ON UK, the company that runs Powergen, have signed an agreement to develop and deploy a prototype fuel cell combined heat and power unit in the UK. The companies will work together to develop a fully-integrated micro CHP unit, incorporating CFCL's fuel cell, that can be fitted into homes. The new units would be able to power a wide range of UK homes and would also help to reduce carbon emissions in the UK. E.ON is contributing to the product development costs and retains a first option to purchase future CFCL micro CHP units for the British market.
Fuel Cell Today 9th July 2007
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Forbes 9th July 2007
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Reuters 9th July 2007
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ABC Money 9th July 2007
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Energy Business Review 10th July 2007
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Podcast from Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd
Analysis of micro CHP markets suggests that the UK is the most viable in Europe, due to the number of existing boiler systems, access to gas networks, and housing stock that has limited potential for further energy efficiency improvement. As the technology introduces new opportunities for energy efficiency and competition in energy trading, it also meets many of the key government objectives. Micro CHP effectively increases the diversity of generation without increasing gas consumption and has no ssues concerning planning consent, network infrastructure, etc.
MPEEBA3 Design Agency
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Eco houses on stilts
ECO VILLAGES containing wooden houses on stilts and boasting solar panels and new-fangled water collection devices could soon be sprouting up across Scotland. Several sites across west central Scotland have already been earmarked for these environmentally friendly homes - akin to Iron Age dwellings built on stilts by Scotland's lochs, called crannogs. The new houses will cover around 50sqm and cost less than £100,000. Their designer, Living Space 21 director Ray Bedeman, believes they could even help tackle the nationwide shortage of affordable housing. Across Scotland, 200,000 people are on house waiting lists, while a further 8000 stay in temporary accommodation.
Sunday Herald 8th July 2007
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Luxury Biomass
This month in London apartments go on sale in a new luxury development on the north bank of the Thames. Prices begin at £300,000 for a studio, rising to £1m for a three-bedroom flat with a combined water and heating system, which can burn biomass fuel such as switchgrass, hemp and biodegradable waste.
FT 7th July 2007
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Eco-Bury
Ten new houses costing upwards of £245,000 are set to go on the market later this month, but come with a raft of environmental measures to help save owners thousands of pounds on energy bills. The houses will have either wind turbines to generate electricity or solar panels to heat water, saving up to one-third on energy bills. Water butts will capture rainwater that can then be recycled. The properties will be super insulated and air tight for high-quality insulation. Inside, there will an air-recycling system. Bury Council's planning committee gave permission last month for wind turbines to be erected on six of the homes, despite a 24-name petition against the move.
Prestwich and Whitefield Guide 7th July 2007
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Northampton
A £1.7m Community Centre, designed to be environmentally-friendly, is to be built in the village of Upton. Among the features are a 15m tall wind turbine which will provide 90 per cent of the centre's electricity.
Northampton Chronicle 7th July 2007
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Doncaster
North Doncaster Technology College has submitted a planning application for a wind turbine, in the hope of reducing the school’s carbon footprint and helping out the local community.
South Yorkshire Star 7th July 2007
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Coal power
WASTE water from abandoned mineworkings could be used to help power a flagship housing development which aims to regenerate the site of a former pit. The huge quantities of warm water could be further heated and the energy used to help provide electricity for more than 1,000 homes planned to breathe new life into the redundant industrial site.
Newcastle Journal 7th July 2007
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Eco-station
PROPOSALS for a £2.5million project to build the one of the country's most environmentally-friendly train stations have been approved. The station will inlcude an electricity-generating wind turbine and will re-use rainwater in toilets and sinks. The so-called "eco-station" may also use solar panels on the roof to heat water.
Lancashire Telegraph 6th July 2007
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Sheffield
Sheffield Council is helping developers to tackle climate change to ensure that new houses, shops and offices are as green as possible and are fit for the future. New guidance provides the latest information and links for sustainable construction and developers of major schemes in Sheffield need to provide a Sustainability Statement with their planning applications.
Sheffield City Council Press Release 6th July 2007
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24 Dash 9th July 2007
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Eco-vets
A PROJECT to build a new environmentally-friendly wildlife hospital in Kibworth has been backed by Harborough District Council's new chairman. It is hoped the new hospital would have environmentally-friendly systems such as rainwater harvesting, solar panels and a wind turbine.
Harborough Mail 5th July 2007
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Energy Efficiency Strategy
On 29 June we published the UK’s Energy Efficiency Action Plan 2007. This plan brings together in one document all the current and planned policies and measures the Government and the Devolved Administrations have in place to improve energy efficiency and meet the energy saving target adopted by the UK under the Energy End-Use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive. Together these measures should deliver energy savings of around 18% by 2016.
DEFRA 29th June 2007
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