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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
Scots make renewable energy easier
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 23rd February 2009 at 11:06 am
The Scottish Government has made it easier for people to get renewable energy for their home following a consultation on planning reform. The aim of the consultation was to increase renewable energy generation and cut carbon emissions. The result is that anyone living in Scotland will be able to ins…
Posted in: General, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water
Is bigger better?
Posted by Barry Nutley on 11th February 2009 at 9:38 am
Renewable energy can be a little confusing. For example, explaining to some people that doubling the size of a solar thermal system isn't necessarily a good thing, but doubling the size of a solar PV system is; doubling the size of a heat pump isn't a good idea, but doubling the size of a wind turbi…
Posted in: Rainwater harvesting
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
Renewable energy grants still available
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 15th January 2009 at 9:23 am
Homeowners who want to install energy generating equipment such as solar panels, wind turbines or biomass boilers will be able to apply for grants until June 2010. It is anticipated that a feed-in tariff should be in place by then, which will incentivise homeowners and communities to invest in micro…
Posted in: General
Bring some heart into renewable energy
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 12th January 2009 at 4:31 pm
I’m fascinated by the psychology of how we spend money. Is it our heads or our hearts that rule? While we probably like to think of ourselves as rational, logical human beings – and we even sometimes spend lots of time researching things to back up our beliefs – my feeling is that the he…
Posted in: General
Microgeneration makes you feel good
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 7th January 2009 at 10:55 am
What makes you feel good? For me, the sun is one of many things. When it pops it's head out on a cloudy day life just perks up. When it streams through my office window on a winter's afternoon, not only am I warmer, but I feel better, and I think I get more done. Watching it light up the hills as i…
Posted in: General, Solar heat & hot water
Rainwater harvesting: isn't it just a large water butt?
Posted by Barry Nutley on 8th January 2009 at 11:40 am
For many people, the idea of collecting rainwater, doesn't seem as sexy as, say, solar, and I know from personal experience, it's not a conversation for a first date. But it is just as important as solar and other renewable energy technologies. For my first blog, rather than write an essay on ra…
Posted in: Rainwater harvesting
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
Every home a low-carbon home
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 8th April 2009 at 1:55 pm
Friends of the Earth reacted to Gordon Brown's promise today that he would set out measures to make Britain a world leader in producing and exporting electric cars in this month's budget with calls for investment in renewable energy. "Gordon Brown's electric dream is commendable but essent…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Blueprint for feed-in tariffs proposed by industry
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 30th March 2009 at 11:58 am
The renewable energy industry presented its proposals for how feed-in tariffs could best be introduced to energy minister Mike O’Brien last week. Last year’s Energy Act outlined plans for a feed-in tariff to pay microgenerators for the electricity and heat that they produce from April 2010. The …
Posted in: General
Will feed in tariffs deliver for us?
Posted by Matthew Rhodes on 27th March 2009 at 7:38 am
I spent most of yesterday at a conference about feed in tariffs, the new incentive mechanism proposed for renewable energy technologies from next April (2010) to replace the existing grant regime. It was organised by the Renewable Energy Association (REA) It is encouraging to see the government …
Posted in: General
Calculators shed light on renewable choices
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 25th March 2009 at 11:16 am
Comparing costs of different renewable technologies and working out potential savings in cash and carbon has just got a whole lot easier. Encraft has developed a range of calculators that help you work out all the figures, so that you can see what's best for your house much more easily. Anyone can u…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water, Wind turbines
PV shipments grow as community grants dry up
Posted by Graham Eastwick on 18th March 2009 at 10:29 am
Shipments of photovoltaic (PV) panels (solar electricity) are growing year on year at a rapid rate around the world. Much of this is driven by multi-MW PV farms or so called Solar Parks. These require large areas of land and are best suited to sunnier climes and places where land is more available. …
Posted in: Solar electricity
Stupid, or not stupid?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 17th March 2009 at 9:20 am
I went to the premiere of The Age of Stupid on Sunday night. That's a first for me, having never been to a premiere before. But I didn't walk down the green carpet in Leicester Square - just a trip to Exeter Picture House - where we watched what was going on in London, before the simultaneous showin…
Posted in: General
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
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
Planning for solar panels
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 6th March 2009 at 11:59 am
Living in a listed building or conservation area doesn't mean that you can't have solar panels, as Anne Robbins' experience shows. You may, however, need determination and energy, and money for an appeal, if you want to leap over all the planning hurdles. Anne lives in a conservation area in Gre…
Posted in: General, Solar heat & hot water
Sustainable energy solutions recognised by Ashden Awards
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 12th June 2009 at 2:42 pm
Inspirational people combined with sustainable energy technologies makes me feel hopeful for the future, and at the Ashden Awards ceremony last night both abounded. The winners spoke humbly about their achievements, yet many of them are significantly transforming people's lives. For example the …
Posted in: General, Biomass, Solar electricity
UK renewables lag behind Europe
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 17th June 2009 at 10:53 am
I’ve got good news and bad about the UK’s efforts at introducing renewable energy. For all the Government talk, you’d think that we’re doing quite well at generating heat and power from renewable sources. But, no, we’re not. In fact, if we compare ourselves with other European countries, o…
Posted in: General
Renewable energy for Devon
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 21st June 2009 at 11:19 am
As a Devon resident it's great news to hear that our county council has won a prestigious award for its efforts to support renewable energy and boost a green rural regeneration. Devon County Council won the second local authority prize in the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy earlier this mon…
Posted in: General
Wood fuel supply website launched
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 3rd July 2009 at 9:32 am
Finding a wood fuel supplier just got easier – as long as you live in the south west of England – with the launch of the South West Woodshed website. Aimed at both the domestic and the business market it has information about the different types of wood fuel available, and a search function to h…
Posted in: Biomass
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
BBC's Freefall points to solar sales danger
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 15th July 2009 at 12:37 pm
Dodgy salesmen, and the terrible impact they can have on their victim’s lives, was one aspect of last night’s powerful BBC drama Freefall (catch it here for a week). It took a look at the financial disaster we’re all in from three points of view: a City trader packaging up sub prime mor…
Posted in: General, Solar heat & hot water
What the renewable energy strategy and low carbon transition plan mean for your home
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 20th July 2009 at 3:01 pm
Households are expected to make cuts in their carbon emissions of 29% by 2020 according to the Government's Low Carbon Transition Plan, announced by Ed Miliband last week (houses currently emit more than a third of the UK's carbon). This will be done through a combination of cutting the amount o…
Posted in: General, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
Will feed in tariffs change the market?
Posted by Matthew Rhodes on 7th August 2009 at 9:03 am
The announcement by the Government last month of proposed feed-in tariffs (FiTs) for renewables from next April marks a fundamental change in the way small scale renewables are incentivised in the UK, and is long overdue. There is no question that feed-in tariffs are the right mechanism to use. …
Posted in: General, Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
Welsh ease planning rules for renewable energy
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 12th August 2009 at 9:40 am
Welsh planning rules for domestic renewable energy installations have been changed to make it easier for homeowners to generate their own heat and electricity. Following Scotland's lead, the Welsh Assembly has announced new regulations which mean that some microgeneration technologies will no lon…
Posted in: General, Biomass, Combined heat & power, Heat pumps, Hydro electricity, Rainwater harvesting, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water, Wind turbines
Feed-in tariffs are not fair to renewable energy pioneers
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 14th August 2009 at 9:17 am
Renewable energy pioneers have been dealt a dismal hand by DECC's proposed rates for the feed-in tariff. Existing microgenerators (whose installation has been accredited under the Renewable Obligation) will be automatically transferred to the feed-in tariff on a rate of 9p per kWh (kilowatt hours)…
Posted in: General, Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
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
Island grid increases energy security aspect of microgeneration
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 28th September 2009 at 10:04 am
Security of electricity supply is one of the main reasons that people install their own solar panels or wind turbine. However, a system that is connected to the national grid currently doesn't afford total control. The benefit of grid connection is that you can sell any excess you generate to the…
Posted in: Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
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
Green party promises best finance scheme for microgeneration
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 16th November 2009 at 11:59 am
Proper insulation for every home and interest-free loans for domestic renewable energy are just some of the policies promised by the Green party if they win the next election. While it would be expensive, says Paula Black, Totnes councillor, and prospective Green Party parliamentary candidate for Ex…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency, 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
What will 2010 bring for microgeneration?
Posted by Matthew Rhodes on 18th January 2010 at 9:39 am
I have a growing feeling that 2010 will mark a watershed in the development of microgeneration in the UK . The introduction of feed-in tariffs (FiTs) from April marks a sea change in established attitudes to small scale renewables, and a very belated attempt by the UK to catch up with the rest of…
Posted in: General
Public wants ambitious support for microgeneration
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 28th January 2010 at 9:32 am
Renewable energy in homes, communities and businesses got a public vote of confidence this week, but needs ambitious goals and support from government to succeed. A new survey found that people are prepared to pay higher energy bills to support a stronger feed-in tariff. Two thirds of the pop…
Posted in: General, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
Renewable energy is coming to a supermarket near you
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 1st March 2010 at 10:31 am
"I'm just popping down to Tesco for a solar panel" doesn't sound right somehow. Maybe it's just me, but I not sure that the entry of the supermarkets into the renewable energy market is a good thing. Sainsbury is first out of the starting gates. It opened Home Energy Centres in three of its…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water
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
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