Laura Sandys at Energy Systems Catapult says policy makers today are too focussed on rewarding clean energy generation, in other words supplying as much energy as possible. With that comes a focus on reducing the cost of the energy generated. But how about reducing demand? Demand optimisation should be equally rewarded: efficiency, non-generation demand management (even at the household level: think EVs and heat pumps), and any assets that minimises whole system costs and emissions. Sandys describes modelling that has developed new metrics that cost our whole energy system as it gets more complex and interdependent. The guiding principle should be “the cost per additional MW added to the system”. By establishing these metrics, better decisions can be made. The standard LCOE (levelised cost of electricity) used for generation assets is not able to reflect the overall cost and value to the system. The new metrics will enable a new market where optimised demand and optimised supply compete with one another. Sandys ends with three recommendations on how to make that change, and invites others to take this modelling further. It will open the door to new services, new value streams and lower costs appropriate to our new energy world.

Energy Post 23rd July 2021 read more »

National Residential Landlords Association claims private rental sector is most fuel poor segment of housing market, yet lacks financial support from government. Landlords have called on the government to launch a dedicated energy efficiency support scheme for the private rental sector, warning the sector has received just a small fraction of public green home retrofit support to date, despite being the most fuel poor segment of the housing market. Analysis carried out by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) this morning reveals that 62 per cent of private rented homes have an energy efficiency rating of D or worse, and that more than a third of all fuel poor households in England are private renters.

Business Green 26th July 2021 read more »

Government targets for renovating homes to make them more energy-efficient are set to be written in to law to make it harder for ministers to soften the goals in future. New cross-party legislation tabled in the Commons and the Lords this week lays out a 14-year timetable to ensure that nearly all homes are eligible for an “energy performance certificate” of grade C or above – which currently applies to only one in three of Britain’s dwellings. MPs have estimated the cost of insulating homes and installing more environmentally friendly heating systems at up to £20,000 per family. However, advocates of the proposed transition argue that it will save money in the long run by reducing fuel bills.

iNews 22nd July 2021 read more »

We’re seeking views on the future design of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme. This includes: continuing to target low income and vulnerable, and fuel poor households; greater support and deeper retrofit for the least energy efficient homes, requiring homes to meet new minimum energy efficiency requirements; the proportion of the scheme that can be delivered through local authority referrals, and by suppliers, under a reformed local authority and Supplier Flexible Eligibility route; supporting innovation under ECO; how ECO interacts with other grant funding; views on a future supplier buy-out mechanism to enable small suppliers to participate in ECO, subject to primary legislation.

BEIS 20th July 2021 read more »

Ministers are resisting calls to reduce VAT on green home improvements, despite pleas from MPs and builders, as they prepare to set out a national strategy for cutting greenhouse gas emissions from home heating. Heating Britain’s homes accounts for about 14% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, and that number has barely budged in the past decade. This year, ministers scrapped the green homes grant, a scheme to subsidise insulation and low-carbon heating systems, after only six months. This left the UK with no plan to bring homes into line with the government’s commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has been preparing a new heat and buildings policy to solve the problem, which may finally be published this week. However, the Treasury seems intent on leaving out a key plank of the strategy that has the support of MPs, the construction industry, green experts and campaigners.

Guardian 14th May 2021 read more »

The latest English Housing Survey shows a dramatic rise in the energy efficiency of private rental property. Some 38 per cent of homes in the private rented sector and 36 per cent of owner occupied homes were in EPC bands A to C in 2019 – that’s up from 13 per cent and eight per cent respectively in 2009. The English Housing Survey is a national survey of housing conditions and energy efficiency in England. This new data, just released, provides the findings from the 2019-20 survey. Social rented homes remain the most energy efficient, though there have been marked improvements across all tenures in the last decade.

Letting Agent Today 9th July 2021 read more »

The City of Edinburgh Council has granted planning permission for 444 houses at Western Villages which will create the largest net zero carbon housing development in Scotland.

This is a major part of the Granton Waterfront Regeneration where more than 3,500 homes will be built over the next decade. These will be a mix of one, two and three bedroom flats with accessibility and a wide range of owning or renting options available.

Edinburgh Reporter 5th July 2021 read more »

Work has started to create an affordable housing development where every new home will be powered by renewable energy. The 79 homes, which are being built on an empty site off Harrison Drive in Colne, will use solely green technologies for their power and heating. Each home will be fully electric; solar tiles and a battery store will allow electricity from solar power to be used throughout the day, and the homes will be heated by ground source heat pumps, which use pipes to extract natural heat from underground. This system will provide the homes with hot water and heating and combined, will help lower the homes’ carbon footprint as well as residents’ energy bills.

This is Lancashire 5th July 2021 read more »

OWNERS of tenement flats across Scotland could be hit with bills of up to £40,000 to ensure properties comply with strict Scottish Government targets to reduce carbon emissions. Social housing landlords are facing costly upgrades to housing stock over the next ten years which aim to improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel poverty. Tenement owners living in mixed tenure blocks factored by housing associations could also be hit with costly bills as some works would require their consent. Housing groups have been set a new target to achieve an energy efficiency rating of 81 (100 being the highest) or to be as efficient “as practically possible by the end of December 2032. More than 11 measures would be required for each property, including high efficiency glazing, floor and wall insulation, boiler and central heating upgrades and low energy lighting.

Herald 6th July 2021 read more »

Taylor Wimpey, one of the UK’s biggest housebuilders, opposed government plans to slash carbon dioxide emissions from new homes by at least three-quarters and argued against heat pumps, which are proposed as a replacement for gas boilers, one of the UK’s biggest causes of greenhouse gases. The company, which typically builds about 15,000 new homes a year, told a consultation that a target of cutting CO2 emissions from new homes by 75% to 80% from 2025 was “too high” and argued that heat pumps would be too expensive and would disappoint customers with their performance. Its position was revealed through a freedom of information request by Unearthed, the investigations arm of the environmental charity Greenpeace. Housing accounts for 15% of UK greenhouse gas emissions, and that does not include electricity produced in power stations. Natural gas burned for heating and cooking is the main contributor. It placed Taylor Wimpey in a small minority of only 2% of such responses to the government consultation into its future homes standard. The majority said the target was not ambitious enough. Barratt, Berkeley and Thakeham homes all supported the target, as did the Home Builders Federation, which represents housebuilders, according to the response released under environmental transparency laws. Greenpeace claimed it showed the housebuilder tried to derail an important climate policy, but Taylor Wimpey strongly denied this and said it was identifying challenges about the practical implementation of the cuts.

Guardian 5th July 2021 read more »