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Great British Refurb gets the thumbs up
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 21st April 2009 at 2:34 pm
Generating your own renewable energy, increased energy efficiency and whole-house eco-makeovers received the thumbs up from the UK public yesterday, according to new research. The survey aimed to establish what is needed for the public to take action to install renewable energy and generation and en…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Electricity meters about to get smarter
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 13th May 2009 at 1:55 pm
A smarter grid, more suitable for transmitting renewable energy, is a step closer with the Government’s announcement on Monday that every home in the UK must have a smart meter installed by 2020.Smart meters transmit and receive information from your electricity or gas supplier in real time. This …
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Existing generators angry at feed-in cuts to income
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 15th September 2009 at 8:32 am
Feed-in tariffs are designed to incentivise people to invest in renewable sources of energy generation. Yet, the government's proposals will give much lower rates to existing microgenerators, leading to a cut in income for many. This seems a perverse move from government. The numbers of micro wi…
Posted in: General, Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
Low carbon UK is well down the pecking order
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 17th September 2009 at 11:35 am
How much does the government really care about shifting the UK to a low carbon economy? Not a lot is the only conclusion I can come to from its spending figures. Yesterday's Guardian published a wonderfully simple, easy to read, chart called the definitive atlas of UK government spending, created…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Equal feed-in tariff for existing generation has heavyweight support
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 30th September 2009 at 10:10 am
Support for equal feed-in rates for those who already have small solar PV, wind turbines or hydro came from diverse parts of the renewable energy sector at yesterday's RegenSW conference in Bristol. Sponsor Christine Griffiths of Aeolus Power got her passionate call in early in the day - to be me…
Posted in: General, Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
Feed-in rate announcement may be delayed
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 24th November 2009 at 4:07 pm
The much awaited results of the consultation on feed-in tariffs may take a little longer than hoped. Internal wrangling between government departments is to blame according to the Guardian, and it's not clear when we're going to find out. Ed Milliband had apparently hoped to have the policy i…
Posted in: General, Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
Solar PV industry uncertainty as grants pot runs out
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 4th December 2009 at 9:23 am
The solar industry faces another phase of uncertainty as the grants money to support installation of photovoltaic panels in public sector buildings and charities has run out again. The Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2 grant pot was topped up with £35m earlier this year, of which £13m was …
Posted in: Solar electricity
500 households to try Pay As You Save schemes
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 1st February 2010 at 8:53 am
Talk on how to finance making your house more energy efficient has turned to action - that's the good news. The bad news is that it's a small scheme that will only reach about 500 households in five areas of England between December 2009 and April 2011. Households in Birmingham, Sunderland, Londo…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Conservatives support fair treatment for all microgenerators
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 17th February 2010 at 9:07 am
If elected, the Conservatives will pay early adopters of microgeneration technologies the same rate of Clean Energy Cashback (the government's new financial incentive for renewable generation) as new installers according to a new campaigning website. Charles Hendry, the shadow minister for energy…
Posted in: General, Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
Warm homes, greener homes: the government's vision for 2020
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 3rd March 2010 at 9:32 pm
Reduced energy use, savings on energy bills and more comfortable homes in cold weather are the benefits claimed by government of its household energy management strategy, Warm Homes, Greener Homes launched on Tuesday at Ecobuild by Ed Miliband. Its aims are that: Every home, where practic…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Renewable Heat Incentive is welcomed by industry
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 17th March 2010 at 10:42 am
Ambitious and far-reaching were just some of the words delegates used to welcome the Renewable Heat Incentive proposals at yesterday's consultation event organised by RegenSW. However, they said that more education about renewable heat is needed if the Renewable Heat Incentive is going to succeed in…
Posted in: General, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Renewable Heat Incentive: A homeowners guide
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 22nd March 2010 at 2:09 pm
Heat is the biggest use of energy in the UK. Just under half of the UK's CO2 emissions and 60% of domestic energy bills are used on heating space and water. Heat in the UK is currently supplied predominantly by fossil fuels - less than 1% comes from renewable sources. The proposed renewable heat inc…
Posted in: General, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Uncertainty ahead as Low Carbon Building Programme is cut
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 26th May 2010 at 12:31 pm
The Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP) grants scheme closed to new applications on Monday. We're calling on the Government to act quickly to eliminate the state of uncertainty facing consumers and the renewable heat industry as a result. The cut came as part of the Department of Energ…
Posted in: General, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Energy efficiency is focus of the Coalition's Green Deal
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 25th June 2010 at 9:09 am
Domestic insulation is top of Chris Huhne's plans for A Green Deal for housing he said yesterday at the Economist UK Energy Summit. He also touched on the (much awaited) renewable heat incentive as he revealed measures in the pipeline from the self-acclaimed "greenest government ever". To summarise…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Eco-renovation transforms Devon village hall
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 30th June 2010 at 9:02 am
With thick insulation, ground source heat pumps feeding underfloor heating, and solar panels on the roof to power the heat pump, Branscombe village hall in East Devon must be one of the most energy efficient in the country. However, managing an ambitious project like this wasn't an easy task. It …
Posted in: Energy efficiency, Heat pumps, Solar electricity
Can I get the feed-in tariff and a grant?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 7th July 2010 at 12:15 pm
Community groups and schools that received Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP) phase 2 grants have been told that if they want to receive the feed-in tariff they will have to pay the grant back. As many of them went ahead and installed in the belief that they would be entitled to the feed-in …
Posted in: Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
Early adopters and the feed-in tariff: an update
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 12th July 2010 at 10:05 am
The Conservative party promised, prior to the election, that early adopters of microgeneration will get the feed-in tariffs. Since the election the silence on the subject has been deafening. Until now. An early adopter has just sent me this letter from DECC: "As set out in the Coalition Progr…
Posted in: Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
Can Greg Barker, and his Green Deal, make insulation sexy?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 14th July 2010 at 10:56 am
Energy efficiency has been the poor relation of British energy policy, according to Greg Barker, minister for climate change in the coalition government. Speaking in the debate on energy efficiency on 30 June, he outlined how he plans to raise its status. He will: 1. Introduce t…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Feed-in tariffs boost growth of UK solar panels
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 23rd July 2010 at 9:15 am
The feed-in tariff is expected to boost growth of solar panels on British roofs fivefold this year, and 30 times over by 2015 according to a report from Price Waterhouse Coopers. By 2015, the researchers estimate that 1,000 MW of electricity will be generated by solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Ev…
Posted in: Solar electricity, Green Electricity
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