Bringing the UK’s ageing homes into the 21st century should be a key infrastructure priority, ministers have been told. The government is consulting on a multi-billion pound plan for roads, rail, flood defences and energy. But opposition parties and institutions have told BBC News that home energy efficiency is equally important. Unless homes are insulated, they say the UK will miss targets to end fuel poverty and cut carbon emissions. The plan to make home energy efficiency a key infrastructure priority was proposed by the right-leaning think-tank Policy Exchange (PX). BBC News found wide support, including from Labour, Lib Dems, SNP, Plaid Cymru, the CBI, TUC, the union GMB, the left-leaning think-tank IPPR, the all-party parliamentary group Green Alliance, the World Energy Council, the Institution of Civil Engineering and leading energy academics. The government declined to comment but its advisory body the National Infrastructure Commission said it would consider whether to take the idea further. PX argues that improving home efficiency creates many jobs; combats fuel poverty; reduces air pollution; minimises carbon emissions; cuts fuel imports; benefits the balance of payments; and reduces the need to build new power stations.
BBC 2nd Feb 2016 read more »
Warmer Homes presents a character profile of the 2.3 million households in England living in fuel poverty. It finds that over 1 million households who cannot afford to heat their home to a comfortable level are in work, while also revealing that the households living in the least energy efficient properties would have to spend as much as £1,700 extra a year to heat their home to a suitable temperature. It suggests that fuel poverty is a complex problem affecting a broad cross section of people – from low income working households to pensioners.
Policy Exchange 9th Jan 2016 read more »
Salford Royal Hospital in Greater Manchester is expected to slash £1.9m from its annual energy bill thanks to a new efficiency programme part-funded by the Green Investment Bank (GIB). As part of the upgrade, the energy centre at Salford Royal will undergo a full refresh, including the installation of a new 2.5MW Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engine. A series of energy reduction measures will also be installed such as LED lighting and the optimisation of the building management system.
Edie 1st Feb 2016 read more »