Difficulty in reducing the cost of carbon capture by 2040
In order to meet the 2050 CO2 target as well as to allow the fossil fuels to be continually used in industry and electricity generation in the UK, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is playing an important role. However, the cost of carbon capture technology is only likely to reduce by a maximum of 38% […]
Reducing Carbon Emission from Space Heating Using Biomass Boilers
UK has set a target of achieving at least 15% of overall energy from renewable sources by 2020. Since space heating accounts for approximately 44% of UK’s overall energy demand, biomass boilers as a renewable heating technology will make a great contribution to reduce carbon emissions in the UK. Biomass derived from fresh biological origins […]
Effects of new EPC regulations on Law firms
The new EPC regulations were enforced from 6th April 2012. These new regulatory changes not only set a duty on property sellers and landlords, but also on persons acting on their behalf, in order to ensure that an EPC is available or have been commissioned before the marketing of the property. If the Law firms […]
New Centre for Carbon Measurement in Teddington
In order to provide reliable climate data for supporting international policies and regulations on carbon trading and low-carbon technology assessment, the new Centre for Carbon Measurement at the National Physical Laboratory is under development in Teddington. The Centre for Carbon Measurement will work on reducing the uncertainty of climate data to improve the public confidence […]
Effective controls as a catalyst for emission reduction in existing buildings
It is estimated that there are approximately 26 million domestic and non-domestic buildings in the UK that accounts for 50% of UK’s overall carbon emissions. Moreover, new buildings will not be able to make a large contribution to reach the carbon reduction target of 80% by 2050 as they amount to only 1 to 2% […]
A first building achieving the BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating worldwide
The Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre at Roden is the first building for the BREEAM commissioned ‘Outstanding’ category. Through achieving 100% of the available credit on management, energy and water use, the clientd finally reached a BREEAM score of 94.44%. Aiming at sustainability from the beginning, the existing Canine Rehoming Centre for the Dogs Trust was […]
CRC amendment proposed to reduce cost for business
According to Edward Davey, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the CRC proposal will save business millions of pounds through cutting down on “red tape”. The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme will not only encourage business to take actions on improving their energy efficiency, but also deliver substantial savings in meeting carbon budgets. […]
BCO report helps office sector facing new environmental challenges
With an aim to help understand the measurement of energy efficiency for buildings from a whole-life carbon viewpoint, the BCO has published the Whole-Life Carbon Footprint Measurement And Office report to prepare for tighter environmental legislation on office design. Under the pressure of new legislation shifting the balance from operational emission management to embodied emission […]
Quality certification matters for solar PV users
With the successful introduction of the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) in 2010 total solar PV installations in the UK reached 240,000 by end of January 2012 (DECC, 2012). Around 940 MW has been installed during this period. Since the FIT is connected with a 25-year energy generating life, the quality of the solar PV equipment was […]
Survey shows building owners doing minimum for energy efficiency standards set for 2018
Recent research from Building magazine has revealed that building owners appear to have no plans at all or are preparing to do only the bare minimum to meet new energy efficiency standards in 2018. The Energy Act has proposed to make it illegal to rent a building space with an energy performance rating below E […]
DECC claim top 6 energy firms will not be ready for Green Deal payment mechanism until 2013
According to the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) the 6 top energy firms; EDF, Southern Energy, Npower, E.ON, Scottish Power and British Gas will not be fully ready to deliver the payment mechanism for the government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme the Green Deal until 2013. The Green Deal will allow consumers to pay […]
20% improvement proposal for new builds in next stage of Building Regs
The development of the next Building Regulations is now underway, consultations for proposed changes to the regulations are opening and closing on the 27th April, responses on aspects that link to the Green Deal proposals in section two are to be requested by the 27th March. The consultation will explore various changes to improve the […]
2050 carbon budget target difficult to hit without the use of bioenergy according to CCC
The 2050 carbon emissions target is set to be very difficult to achieve without the use of bioenergy according to the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). Bioenergy is the combustion of solid, liquid or gaseous fuels made from biomass feedstocks, which may or may not have undergone some form of conversion process. It was concluded […]
Statistics from DECC show increase in electricity generated from wind power
Statistics released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show that 9% of the UK’s electricity was generated from renewable sources from July to September last year. This is a 1% increase for the same time frame in 2010. The statistics show a 64% increase in the amount of electricity generated by offshore […]
Increase in wholesale gas costs are main factor for rise in energy bills according to CCC
According to a new report by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), recent increases in domestic energy bills are largely due to rising wholesale gas costs not those policies in place to achieve a low carbon economy. The committee states that findings in the report disprove claims that recent bill increases are due to environmental […]
Energy Roadmap 2050 states decarbonisation of European energy sector by 2050 feasible
According to the European Commission (EC), decarbonisation of the European energy sector by 2050 is technically feasible. In its energy road map 2050, the EC addresses the framework of policies that need to be put in place to achieve this without disrupting competitiveness and energy supplies. The document looks at a number of scenarios around […]
Building Magazine’s 30 things to know about Part L
1. Part L is the Part of the Building Regulations that covers the conservation of fuel and power in all structures, domestic and non-domestic. 2. The proposals are intended to be the next step towards all new buildings being zero carbon from 2016. 3. The government proposes the carbon emission standards for new homes be […]
Home buyers likely to pay more for energy efficient houses
The homebuilding standards body claims homebuyers will be willing to pay a premium for more energy efficient homes in contrast to popular industry perceptions. Homebuilders have in the past complained that the costs involved in installing more sustainable energy systems in homes cannot be passed onto the consumer. But at the Zero Carbon Hub conference, […]
The Department for Education’s proposals to scrap BREEAM in new schools creates backlash across Whitehall
The Department for Education has faced a growing industry backlash over the proposed plans to ditch BREEAM ratings and green standards in new school buildings. This has caused concern across Whitehall, with local government asking how abandoning BREEAM will assist with the agenda to become the greenest government yet. The Department for Business, Innovation and […]
Government admits no research on changes to Building Regulations have increased uptake of Green Deal
Recently the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) proposed changes to part L of the Building Regulations, making it compulsory for building owners to upgrade the energy efficiency of their buildings when making other improvements. When the policy was launched communities minister Andrew Stowell said it would boost uptake of the Green Deal, however […]
Shadow cast on solar PV technology due to uncertainty over Feed-in-Tariffs
The Feed-in-Tariffs stimulated great demand for consumers to generate their own low carbon electricity, which was welcomed by businesses and home owners in financially difficult times. However with limited money available the surge in demand which the government didn’t anticipate lead the government to make the decision to cut the tariffs from 43p/kW 21P/kW in […]
Report highlights problems with ‘fit-and-forget’ approach to renewable technoloigies in social housing to tackle fuel poverty
According to a report at Sheffield Hallam University, social-housing providers are installing renewable energy systems without fully understanding how the technologies perform or what level of savings are being delivered to residents, in what has been labelled a ‘fit-and-forget’ approach to fuel poverty. The Centre of Infrastructure Management at the university stated that PV arrays […]
GDSA set up to ensure greater effectiveness and up-take of Green Deal
The Government has launched a partnership to ensure that the UK has the necessary skills to implement the Green Deal. The Green Deal which aims to enable private firms offer their services to homes, communities and businesses with no upfront cost to then recoup costs through savings made on energy bills. The Green Deal Skills […]
Syntegra Consulting launch new Red Surveyor division
Syntegra Consulting continue to expand their offering in the Property Management Services and compliance sector. The new Red Surveyor brand, consisting of 5 specialist contractors will initially target work within the M25 to undertake the following services: Fire Risk Assessments (FRA) Fire extinguisher/Fire alarm/Access system/Emergency lighting/Fire door annual servicing Electrical PIR and PAT testing Remedial […]
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