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CONTENTS
Registered provider housing stock energy modelling – a crucial part of an asset management strategy
At a time when Registered Providers are increasingly looking for ways of cost-effectively upgrading their housing stocks to improve energy efficiency and reduce running costs for their residents, our Luke Smith looks at the importance of housing stock energy modelling as part of developing a strategic approach to asset management.
Greenbuild Expo returns alongside new show, Buildings & Energy Efficiency
This year, Greenbuild Expo 2015 will run alongside the new Buildings & Energy Efficiency (B&EE) Event, a show dedicated to helping businesses meet their energy efficiency objectives. Greenbuild Expo will continue its emphasis on promoting sustainable building practices and tackling some of the important issues of our time, such as building high-quality and sustainable housing, refurbishing the current stock and eradicating fuel poverty.
Entries invited for Buildings & Energy Efficiency Awards 2015
New for 2015, the B&EE Awards celebrate buildings and products that truly encapsulate energy efficiency. Previously known as the Greenbuild awards, the B&EE Awards reward genuine innovation and achievement in energy efficiency.
CoRE training courses
Stoke-on-Trent
- Ventilation. Thu 4 June. Ian Orme
- Retrofit Building Physics. Mon 8 June. Valentina Marincioni and Sarah Price
- Responsible Retrofit of Traditional Buildings. Thu 11 June. Helen Brown
Birmingham
- Funding Domestic Retrofit. Thu 4 June. Russell Smith
- Building Fabric Retrofit. Wed 10 June. Peter Rickaby
London
- Introduction to Domestic Retrofit. Mon 8 June. Peter Rickaby
- Assessing Dwellings for Retrofit. Tue 16 June. Clive Rowland
Flitwick
- Ventilation. Wed 3 June. Peter Rickaby
- Retrofit Building Physics. Thu 11 June. Valentina Marincioni and Sarah Price
- Responsible Retrofit of Traditional Buildings. Tue 16 June. Helen Brown
Manchester
- Introduction to Domestic Retrofit. Thu 11 June. Peter Rickaby
Latest Government eco statistics
Statistics published by DECC on the Green Deal (to the end of April) and the GDHIF and ECO (both to the end of March). Key points on page 5.
Faces at DECC updated
The revised post-election DECC corporate organogram.
Government pushes ESOS
The Environment Agency steps up its ESOS awareness-raising ahead of the December compliance deadline.
Smart meters off the starting blocks
Advertising for smart meters begins and the installation roll-out gets under way. What it'll mean for households and businesses.
Smart meter trouble
Complaints and customer frustration begin to mount following the start of the smart meter roll-out amid stories of ‘botched’ installations and IT failures.
Private rented sector energy efficiency regulations
A look at what the new private rented sector energy efficiency regulations mean for tenants, and what the loopholes are.
Optimism for retrofit
Three reasons for optimism on retrofit policy under a government that made very few energy efficiency commitments in its manifesto.
New Minister supports solar
“I want to unleash a new [household] solar revolution" says new Minister, Amber Rudd, after taking over at DECC.
The LCF challenge
Three good reasons why working within the Levy Control Framework budget will be major challenge for the new Government.
33% fuel poverty in Scotland
A recent survey among 11,000 energy customers reveals that one third of Scottish households are in fuel poverty.
Ofgem investigates number of PPM installs
Ofgem is to look into reasons for the increase in the number of pre-payment meters installed for non-payment of debt on a warrant visit after a BBC freedom of information request reveals that 97,000 were installed in England, Scotland and Wales last year. Also BBC coverage:
Tenants stuck in unaffordable energy deals
London examples of social housing tenants who are stuck with unaffordable energy bills and are not allowed to switch because their landlords have locked them in to buying from one supplier.
Fuel bank where you’d least expect it
One of three fuel bank trial projects - organised by npower and the Trussell Trust - goes live in affluent south-west London.
Fuel poverty analysed
A useful analysis of fuel poverty in the UK, which now affects 10% of all households and includes one in five young people.
Fuel poverty across the island of Ireland
The Fuel Poverty Hub’s Community Profiles Tool provides fuel poverty data for both Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Millions have electricity cut off
Latest figures show that 4.7 million people in UK frequently have their electricity cut off because they can't afford to top-up their pre-paid meters.
Record complaints for Big Six supplier
Scottish Power attracts the highest number of complaints ever received by an energy supplier in a three-month period but the dramatic increase is largely blamed on a new billing system.
How is the Government going to reduce bills?
The top five issues facing the new Government in its attempts to reduce household energy bills: the fact that there can be no price cap, an energy company price war, the future of the Green Deal, the green levies and smart meters.
Cheaper PAYG
Cheshire East Council and OVO set up an energy supply company and bring cheaper gas and electricity to PAYG customers, with a potential saving of £67 a year.
Economic case for retrofit
An open letter co-ordinated by the UK Green Building Council to George Osborne in the Daily Telegraph argues the economic case for making buildings energy-efficient.
Five years of what for retrofit?
CoRE provides a look at what the 'worst possible' election result means for retrofit over the next five years.
Testing retrofit kits begins
An EU-funded iNSPiRe project begins testing new retrofit kits in Germany, Spain and Italy. The kits aim to cut energy use by 80%.
Commercial retrofit model
A 1960s office block retrofit provides an energy efficiency model for the sector that can be replicated.
100k LED saving
An LED upgrade at the Wolseley plumbing distribution centre in Leamington Spa could reduce its demand for electricity by 236,000 kWh and save the company £100,000 a year on its energy bills.
EDF £1m for district heating
EDF makes a £1 million contribution to the installation of energy-efficient district heating systems in three Manchester tower blocks comprising 192 apartments.
European governments not leading by example
An EU report reveals that Europe’s central governments have not shown leadership in reducing energy waste in their own buildings. To comply with Article 5 of the Energy Efficiency Directive, they are expected to annually renovate 3% of the floor area of central government buildings or put in place alternative measures to reach at least the same energy savings.
‘Nerd power’
A Dutch start-up company develops a radiator that uses the large amounts of heat produced by computer servers to keep buildings warm.
Start-up develops battery storage
A Sheffield-based company develops a low-cost, grid-level battery to store clean energy cheaply and efficiently, and enters Richard Branson’s ‘Pitch to Rich’ start-up competition.
Liquid engineering
Could houses made with panels filled with water be the future for domestic energy efficiency construction?
Tool to highlight poor PV performance
A new tool helps owners of solar panels detect problems in their systems’ performance by comparing statistics with other, nearby systems.
Origami building
A student develops a structure that shades the façade of a building by folding and adapting its shape in response to sunlight – adaptive architecture that could reduce energy consumption.
Shanghai Tower thermos
China’s tallest structure, Shanghai Tower, is aiming for LEED Gold status and has a double skin space, which acts "like a thermos", insulating the building on cold days while cooling it when the weather’s hot.
Replacement ERF plant in north London
Plans are unveiled for the replacement North London Heat and Power Project – a £450-500 million energy recovery facility at Edmonton EcoPark in Enfield.
Sweet energy from waste
A well-known confectionery company’s largest factory converts solid and liquid waste into renewable energy and clean water in the North East.
Landlords profiteering from poor housing
A Citizens Advice Bureau report accuses private landlords of earning £5.6 billion a year from unsafe homes, 6% of which are 'excessively cold'.
More profit from fewer customers
Big Six energy supplier, SSE, reports a 40% rise in retail profits despite losing 500,000 customers. The company also announces the closure of one of its two remaining coal-fired power stations by next March.
M&S joins 100% renewables ‘club’
Marks & Spencer reaffirms its commitment to 100% renewable energy by joining companies such as IKEA, BT and Mars in RE100, an initiative that helps major companies source 100% renewable power.
Bristol unveils first community PV
Bristol, the European Green capital of the year, opens its first community-owned solar farm, which will generate 1.8MW electricity per year, enough for around 430 homes.
Lower energy bills for NI businesses
A commercial solar partnership aims to cut energy bills for firms in Northern Ireland where costs are believed to be second highest in Europe.
EPCs and ESCOs
Energy Performance Contracts, ESCOs and the concept of shared savings explained.
New B2B energy service from Co-op
The Co-operative Group establishes a new business-to-business energy service to procure green energy at "cheaper-than-brown" prices, as well as provide a range of consultancy-style services.
Green buildings better for people
Research suggests that energy-efficient buildings can help boost the health, wellbeing and productivity of their occupants.
HAs keen on energy efficiency
A survey on behalf of the NHBC Foundation reveals that housing associations are leading the way on the use of energy efficiency technologies, with PV being the most popular measure.
ESOS no-brainer
Implementing energy-saving measures highlighted by ESOS audits should be a 'no-brainer' and should empower Energy Managers to do something about having gone auditing and get a benefit from the process.
Unilever commits to totally renewable
After a 20% cut in its energy use and a saving of €244m, Unilever commits to using 100% renewable energy.
Windfarm electricity for over a quarter of a million homes
Construction begins next year on the 400MW Rampion windfarm off the Sussex coast, which is to cost £1.3 billion and could provide electricity for 300,000 homes.
PV coming to a car park near you?
A developer claims that installing solar panels at the UK’s 17,000 non-residential car parks could power 1.7 million homes.
UK takes to biogas
There are various ways of producing biogas and it’s on the rise in the UK with a nine-fold increase in the number of plants producing it in the last year.
Large-scale Passivhaus
The largest non-domestic Passivhaus project in the UK is being built at the University of Leicester and is designed to reduce energy bills by 80% a year.
Hotel benefits from using EDR
A national hotel chain is using Energy Demand Reduction to cut its energy bills and reduce its carbon footprint.
Town where one in ten houses have solar
Around 500 houses in Wadebridge in Cornwall have panels on their roofs - nearly 10% of homes in the area.
2015 Ashden Awards Ceremony. Royal Geographical Society, London. Thu 11 June. 7-9:45pm
The 2015 Ashden Awards finalists cross four continents. They are stimulating low-carbon building development; boosting farmers’ incomes through renewable energy; empowering women and girls; bringing modern energy to remote communities; creating new technical and business solutions to increasing energy access; tackling fuel poverty and promoting cleaner, greener travel. All of them are helping break down the barriers to the growth of sustainable energy and bringing Ashden’s vision of a brighter future one step closer.
Low Energy Know How (Zero Carbon Hub) events
These events are an excellent opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the latest Zero Carbon homes policy in the UK and the EU. They will cover the most recent information on the Zero Carbon journey and definition as well as the latest on both the Performance Gap project and the cost of meeting the Zero Carbon Standard. There will also be a look to the future with the proposed Allowable Solutions schemes and the importance of retrofitting existing homes and the timeline to 2016.
- Manchester. Tue 2 June. 5:30pm - 9pm.
- Swansea. Thu 11 June. 12 – 3pm.
- Newcastle. Tue 16 June. 9:30 – 4:30pm.
Responsible retrofit for traditional buildings. Bristol. Wed 3 June
National conference aimed at professionals from local authorities, housing associations and private landlords who are planning or delivering retrofit programmes on traditional buildings. The event will:
- Identify risks and unintended consequences associated with the retrofit of traditional buildings.
- Equip delegates with relevant knowledge, practical resources and skills.
- Share practical, affordable and achievable case studies.
- Develop expertise and establish a practical support network.
Making the business case for retrofit. London. Wed 10 June
This conference is designed to support housing professionals across the sector. Hear how others are successfully completing more retrofits to a higher standard and learn how new 'green' financing options are helping the sector.
DECC Heat Pump Training Roadshow 2015. Various locations. Tue 16 June – Wed 8 July
A series of free one-day training courses, designed to help potential heat pump customers in both the domestic and non-domestic sectors – such as businesses, developers and housing providers - understand how heat pumps can deliver lower energy costs, greater comfort and better buildings.
Short course on combined heat and power. Cranfield University. Mon 22 – Fri 26 June
Cranfield University is organising the 9th edition of its Combined Heat and Power (CHP) course, which will provide delegates with an understanding of CHP technologies with conventional fuels and renewables taking into account current challenges. A key aspect of the course will be the assessment of financial viability of a cogeneration system involving several factors. The course is delivered as a combination of lectures, workshops and discussion of case studies conducted by members of Cranfield University’s staff and relevant external industrial contributors. The course will build up the delegates’ understanding and knowledge of CHP technologies with conventional fuels and renewables.
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