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YouGen Blog
Welcome to YouGen
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 12th December 2008 at 5:29 pm
This is a great week for YouGen to go live, as renewable energy is high on the international agenda. On Tuesday EU leaders agreed that a fifth of Europe’s energy mix should come from renewable sources by 2020. Politicians and green campaigners alike welcomed the decision (“a ray of hope admidst …
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Government fails to lead on energy efficiency
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 23rd December 2008 at 2:36 pm
Energy efficiency is the main way that we can cut carbon emissions fast (also saving us money while we stay cosy and warm). So it's a big disappointment to read in this morning's Guardian that, despite the government's ambitious plans and positive rhetoric, energy efficiency in public buildings is d…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Microgeneration high among Tory proposals
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 21st January 2009 at 9:07 am
Large scale use of renewables are part of the Conservative party's plans for a low carbon economy published last week. With a feed-in tariff, they hope homes, businesses, schools and hospitals will contribute the electricity they produce into the national grid, earning money in the process. To m…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Monbiot launches war on Agas
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 13th January 2009 at 10:34 am
Agas are the antithesis of energy efficiency and renewable energy, so when I heard on the Today programme this morning that George Monbiot has launched a war on Agas in today's Guardian a lightbulb pinged on. Why didn't I use Agas as the ultimate example of the heart winning over head in yester…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
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
Building a new home?
Posted by Barry Nutley on 23rd March 2009 at 8:57 am
Houses are being built, even during these hard, economic times, in particular in the self-build market. These homes tend to be more bespoke, and often the client wants them to achieve higher standards of energy efficiency. So I have put together a brief summary of how rainwater harvesting can help. …
Posted in: Rainwater harvesting
YouGen community starts here
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 27th April 2009 at 9:52 am
Last week a dream became reality for me. Three and a half years after I threw my hands in the air and bought a condensing gas boiler because, despite days of research, I couldn't be sure whether the various biomass boilers suppliers were trying to sell me were appropriate for my house; whether there…
Posted in: General
Kevin McCloud champions energy efficiency
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 29th April 2009 at 8:03 pm
Self-build guru Kevin McCloud has added his weight to the call for more energy efficient homes, with the launch of the Grand Designs Great British Refurb campaign. While we know and love him for bringing the ups and downs of building a dream home into our living rooms, Kevin is focusing firmly on ex…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Breakthrough ideas for sustainability
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 6th July 2009 at 10:26 am
Energy efficiency and renewable energy ideas featured heavily in the 19 breakthrough ways to transform the UK into a sustainable society launched by the Sustainable Development Commission last week. In the normal deluge of doom and gloom (and Andy Murray being knocked out of Wimbledon) it made a nic…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Pioneering renewable energy finance scheme wins award
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 8th July 2009 at 8:50 am
Loan schemes and finance for energy efficiency or renewable energy schemes are thin on the ground, so it's always good to hear about a new one. It's especially good to hear about a pioneering new approach that has the potential to be replicated around the country. I recently wrote about Kirklees…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Old homes can be energy efficient: visit a superhome and be inspired
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 27th July 2009 at 9:08 am
Old homes tend to be the worst offenders when it comes to leaking hot air out into the atmosphere. This means higher than average energy bills, and correspondingly high carbon emissions. Often labelled 'hard to treat', older homes can be more complicated when it comes to installing energy eff…
Posted in: Energy efficiency, Heat pumps, Rainwater harvesting, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water
Warm Front leaves many households cold
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 26th August 2009 at 2:29 pm
The Warm Front scheme may be failing the poorest and most vulnerable households according to a report from the Public Accounts Committee published last month. Warm Front is meant to improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel poverty through installing heating and insulation in eligible house…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Whole house approach to energy efficiency needed
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 12th October 2009 at 4:32 pm
Government must make a major shift in policy to transform the energy efficiency of our residential housing stock according to the Committee on Climate Change's first annual report. A whole house, street by street approach in which households are offered an energy audit, with a follow up pac…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
The case for secondary double glazing
Posted by Tim Pullen on 21st August 2009 at 12:08 pm
I recently helped a lady refurbishing a typical 1960s three-bedroom semi with energy efficiency issues. A quick heat loss calculation gave a peak heat load of 8.5kW which should have equated to a use of about 10,000kWh of gas per year. Her actual gas consumption was 15,000kWh p.a. which was used…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Scots pilot loan scheme for energy efficiency
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 16th October 2009 at 9:43 am
Homeowners in Scotland can apply for interest free loans to improve their insulation, replace inefficient boilers or install small scale renewables thanks to a new government pilot scheme. The £2m Energy Saving Scotland home loans scheme is being administered by the Energy Saving Trust in Scotla…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Energy: out of sight, out of mind?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 20th October 2009 at 10:17 am
This week is Energy Saving Week, so it seems as good a time as any to think about energy and what it means to us. Despite the constant calls on us to be more energy efficient, the reality for most people is that we know next to nothing about our energy consumption. Most of us have a grasp of how …
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
How to find the best energy efficiency information and advice for your home
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 29th January 2010 at 9:24 am
Making your home as energy efficient as possible makes sense for many reasons. Whether it's keeping warm, reducing bills or reducing carbon pollution emitted. YouGen is a first resource for many householders, but it's worth looking at where else you can go for help and advice on energy ef…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
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
Energy efficiency a priority for M&S home insurance
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 12th February 2010 at 9:41 am
Recently I asked whether renewable energy affects your house insurance. In the twittering that followed the blog's publication I discovered a home insurance policy that stands out from the crowd for the approach it takes to energy efficiency. Ever since Stuart Rose announced its Plan A, M&S h…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Energy efficiency a priority: call to politicians
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 2nd March 2010 at 10:05 am
Companies and NGOs set a benchmark to measure energy efficiency policy against with the release of an energy efficiency statement yesterday. Signatories included Cooperative Group, Friends of the Earth, Green Building Council, Marks & Spencer, the TUC and YouGen. The statement said: We are fa…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
5 tips on choosing a home energy advisor
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 8th March 2010 at 9:35 am
Every home is different so a visit from a Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) or Home Energy Advisor is the best way to get energy efficiency advice. However, choosing the right advisor can be a challenge. A DEA can provide the same energy audit that is legally required if you are selling or l…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
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