Green energy package for homes revealed

By Fiona Harvey and Rebecca Bream

All homes in the UK will have near to zero carbon emissions in 40 years, the government pledged on Thursday, under a new draft heat and energy-saving strategy that will require a massive increase in home insulation.

Ed Miliband, secretary of state for energy and climate change, said cavity wall and roof insulation would be provided to all properties by 2015, requiring 400,000 households a year to be fitted.

This would create thousands of jobs, especially in the construction industry, which has been one of the hardest hit by the recession.

But several companies said the plan failed to address their needs for combined heat and power plants, which generate electricity and use the resulting heat in local buildings. They can provide many benefits for industry, but few companies have them at present and the current low energy prices provide little incentive for their installation without government help.

Eon, the energy supplier, and Greenpeace, the environmental group, formed a rare alliance on Thursday to urge the government to do more to encourage companies to install such plants. 

Graham Meeks, director of the Combined Heat and Power Association, said 20 per cent of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions came from the use of heat in industry. “Nothing is being proposed by the government to address this,” he said. “Heat is a huge part of costs and if you could reduce this use you could help to save many more jobs.” 

Mr Miliband on Thursday said wasted electricity and heat were costing families about £300 ($429) a year, and that a quarter of the UK’s total emissions came from homes. 

Under the government’s plan, by 2030 home improvements that saved heat and electricity would be available to every home in the country. Householders will receive help with the cost of efficiency measures, and could sell any electricity they generated back to the grid.

Source - Financial Times - FT.com 

26:2:2009

European Survey Shows Brits Want to be More Energy Efficient

According to a Europe-wide survey by the Energy Saving Trust, 50% of Britons would like to be more energy efficient and reduce their carbon emissions if they had more time. But work pressures get in the way.

Nearly half of employees believe that employers could help by offering green benefits such as loans for energy-efficient products, free visits from an energy doctor or time off to implement energy saving measures.

“It is more important now than ever that employers take this seriously – in the current economic climate businesses must not ignore their green ethics,” said Energy Saving Trust chief executive Philip Sellwood.

The survey, which was launched to mark Energy Saving Week, canvassed opinion from 6000 adults across Europe, including 2000 in the UK. In response, UK Energy and Climate Change secretary Ed Miliband is urging businesses to help their employees become greener.

“We all need to think about our energy habits, and employers have a vital role to play in ensuring workplaces are as energy-efficient as possible, as well as helping their employees in their desire to live a greener lifestyle away from the office,” commented Miliband.

Source - Energy efficiency News - Full Article >

22:11:2008

Companies 'need green directors'

By Richard Black - Environment correspondent, BBC News website, Barcelona

Businesses must change their attitude to environmental issues if the tide of ecological decline is to be halted.

That was the message from Valli Moosa, president of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, opening the World Conservation Congress.

'Immoral markets'

Mr Moosa spoke frankly about his view that unfettered markets and businesses are largely responsible for the world's current environmental ills.

"Leading entrepreneurs and markets have certainly contributed to the growth of the global economy; yet while individuals may be moral, markets are not," he told delegates. "The damage industries and commerce do to people and the environment is real, it is considerable, and it is unacceptable."

But, he added, it was also unnecessary. Businesses had a short-term interest in saving money through saving energy, and every boss had a different kind of interest in leaving the world an environmentally sound place for their children. Every business, he said, should include at least one non-executive director with a working knowledge of environmental issues, just as they should include someone with a working knowledge of accountancy.

Source - BBC News - Full Article >

18:11:2008

Six “Zero Waste Places” Named Across England

Six places ranging from a residential street to an entire region of England have been named as England’s first ‘Zero Waste Places’ by Environment Minister Jane Kennedy. The Zero Waste Places will aim to go as far as possible in reducing the environmental impact of waste, whether it be at home, in the workplace or in the community.

The six places chosen to implement zero waste plans are: the London Borough of Brent, Shenley Church End in Milton Keynes, Kings Lynn in Norfolk, the London Borough of Lewisham, Peterborough City Centre and West Midlands will create a Zero Waste Region.

These six zero waste places will test what can be done to make it easier for people and businesses to change the way they view and deal with waste. The Zero Waste Places have been selected as demonstrators for innovative and replicable initiatives that enable waste prevention in schools, households and businesses, and support local authorities in taking leadership reducing the overall environmental impact of waste.

Source - www.defra.gov.uk - Full Article >

15:11:2008