General Election Impact on Planning
A general election on 8 June places a question mark over key forthcoming planning policy changes. The news of the poll comes with the Neighbourhood Planning Bill yet to receive Royal Assent, and revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework due to be published later this year. With the planning policy changes legislated for in […]
Brexit Quick Wins Sought For House Builders
The Home Builders Federation (HBF) is to be consulted by a cross-party group of MPs seeking a series of quick wins to boost business productivity on the back of Brexit. Lifting the burdens on the house building sector will be one of the areas politicians look at to see where EU regulations can be sidelined […]
Future Energy Efficiency Policy
The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology has published its Future Energy Efficiency Policy document which outlines the benefits and costs of future improvements in energy efficiency across various UK sectors. It then describes the barriers to energy efficiency measures, outlines options for future policy and summarises analyses of the effectiveness of various options. http://image.email-cibse.org/lib/fe9c13727463047c74/m/1/0f412841-9087-4152-9f06-08a1ae310997.pdf
School Air Quality Should be Valued
Poor indoor air quality can have a negative impact on children’s health and ability to learn. Department of Education figures show children were absent for 54.5million schooldays in England in 2014/15, mainly due to sicknesses such as colds and sore throats and schools paid out £1.26 billion to hire supply staff to cover staff sickness. […]
Businesses Shutting Down During Peak Power Costs
Many businesses have been shutting down between 4pm and 7pm, the time of peak power costs, to curb energy bills, suppliers have said. But they warned many are ill-prepared for energy price rises in the region of 20-25% in the coming year. Wholesale price increases coupled with uncertainty surrounding Brexit indicate a period of instability […]
Energy Sector Emissions Fall But Household Levels Rise
Greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the energy sector in the UK fell by 12 per cent in 2015. Emissions from business in general fell by three per cent but emissions from households rose by four per cent and from transportation by two per cent. Transport is set to overtake energy as the biggest source of […]
Heat Network Case Studies Published
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has published case studies showing the targets and positive impact of implementing a heat network. Cranbrook and Skylark in East Devon is one of the largest district heating systems outside London. When the development is completed in 2031, 8,000 homes, shops and businesses and 20,000 people will […]
The Rise in Popularity of Blue Roofs
Blue Roof The roofing industry is developing increasing numbers of blue roofs in new-builds and refurbishments to tackle flood risks. Blue roofs attenuate rainwater rather than drain it as fast as possible, collecting the water in a cellular geocomposite drainage/retention board and releasing it over a period of many hours via a discharge control mechanism. […]
A sunny outlook for solar power? Only if companies truly engage
One look at our Twitter timeline this week and one topic shone brighter than most others – those in the renewable energy sector were in meltdown at the success of solar. One look out of my window and it wasn’t hard to see what was causing all the excitement – who hasn’t enjoyed at least […]
Why the UK is Better Off Inside the EU Internal Energy Market Post-Brexit
Access to the single energy market was one of the priorities identified by energy professionals during a Question Time-style debate hosted by The Energy Institute in relation to Brexit negotiations. KPMG head of power and utilities Simon Virley also believes the key negotiating point in relation to energy is continued access to the Internal Energy […]
UK Coal to Close Down by 2025
Prior to the announcement of the General Election, the Government vowed to see all ‘unabated’ coal-fired power stations cease operation by 2025 – those without carbon capture equipment. It also gave an undertaking to spend £730 million in support of renewable electricity projects during the Parliament’s lifetime. It remains to be seen whether that pledge […]
Business As Usual For Building Services
The building services industry should assume that European regulations that currently affect the UK will still be in force immediately after Britain leaves the European Union (EU) in 2019, says CIBSE technical director Hywel Davies. ‘Leaving the EU will change nothing immediately – at least in terms of legislation that affects our industry,’ said Davies, […]
Small Businesses Urged To Follow Top Companies And Switch To Green Energy
With the likes of Google, Apple and Ikea vowing to reach a 100 per cent renewable energy target, small businesses have been encouraged to follow their lead. Switching to renewable tariffs is the easiest step they can take to show commitment to the environment which, in turn, sends a strong message to their customers. […]
Financial Institutions Seek Environmental Benefits From Sustainable Development Projects
Across the globe today, financial institutions are increasingly aware that funding projects now comes with additional responsibilities. There’s an emerging expectation that this investment should help to deliver social and environment benefits as well as a financial return. As part of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Finance Initiative meeting that took place in Dubai […]
Welcome To The UK’s First Eco-Town
The UK’s largest array of domestic solar panels covering 17,500 square meters of roofspace to generate electricity is at the heart of the nation’s first eco-town where homes are all timber-framed – many of them being built off-site as the community developed. All buildings in North West Bicester had to comply with the Code for […]
Electricity Storage To Stabilise Grid
As increasing volumes of power are being generated by renewables across the UK, research and investment is moving towards finding a solution to keep the grid stable as production levels and usage with wind and solar fluctuate dramatically. One answer could be electricity storage – switching availability from time of production (daytime for solar) to […]
Tests To Assess Impact of Solar Power on Fuel Poverty
London councils have received funding from the Green Investment Bank to pilot a project assessing the impact of solar power on tackling fuel poverty. Camden, Islington and Waltham Forest are collaborating on a scheme to install solar panels and batteries in 41 low income homes to see how they affect fuel consumption and costs. Part-funded […]
Businesses urged to act now to curb global emissions
Businesses and policymakers have been urged to work together to halve global emissions by 2040 and push on to ambitious targets for the rest of the 21st century. The ‘Better energy, greater prosperity’ report from the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC), argues that it is technically and economically feasible to grow economies, provide affordable, reliable clean […]
Chance for businesses energy saving
Businesses have the opportunity to save money on their energy bills thanks to a new regulation forcing them to have half-hourly meter readings. P272, approved by Ofgem, means accurate data will be recorded from medium/large companies to more accurately reflect usage. Every business using an electricity meter has an electricity profile class from 01 to […]
New EPC rules mean landlords could be barred from letting out properties without urgent energy efficiency improvements
Landlords need to act now to avoid costly penalties and protect their assets as important legal changes are introduced to energy regulations. From April 1st next year (2018), commercial and domestic landlords must have implemented Energy efficiency measures to improve the existing Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) value of their properties in order to obtain new […]
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