Entries for December 2007

Bringing to market more efficient energy conversion and end-use devices and systems, in buildings, transport and industry – such as poly-generation and fuel cells – will be vital in meeting Europe’s energy and climate change targets for 2020 and beyond, according to new European Commission proposals launched on 22 November.

The Government’s independent architectural advisors Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment  (CABE) has joined with the Thames Gateway Strategic Partnership in a unique ‘design pact’ which calls for an “immediate step change in design quality in the Gateway,” and, CABE says, provides absolute clarity about what actions are needed to achieve this over the next three years.

The Chartered Institute of Building has responded to the recent Government consultation, Strategy for Sustainable Construction by calling for a greater emphasis on the ‘big picture’.

The former Bickershaw Colliery, near Wigan, has been announced as the latest addition to English Partnerships’ carbon challenge where around 650 homes will be built to meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6. Plans are in place for open space and leisure facilities at the North West Development Agency owned site. “This is a major project for the area, and this will make a real difference in helping to reduce its environmental impact,” said NWDA executive director of development Peter White.

Kier North West’s  five-storey, concrete framed office building for BDP is the first naturally ventilated commercial building to get an Excellent BREEAM rating for environmental sustainability, the firm claims. It features a living roof designed to attract black redstart birds and its top floor is 30 per cent bigger than its ground footprint.

Carbon reduction targets should be a material consideration in planning policy and councils should fast track proposals in their local development frameworks, according to the Local Government Association climate change commission. It also said in its report that energy efficiency should be maximised, renewable energy boosted and car use reduced when approving schemes.

Stamp duty should be cut for householders who make their homes more energy efficient, according to a CBI climate change taskforce report. The report said such a policy move would boost the growing market in green energy devices such as solar panels and combined heat and power units. Richard Lambert, the CBI’s Director-General said: “It [the government] must see through legislation that allows low-carbon power plants -of all types -to get through our planning and regulatory systems and it must keep the pressure on our international partners…”.

A report commissioned by Friends of the Earth Scotland and the Co-operative Bank urges the Scottish Government to set binding targets to reduce domestic energy emissions by 3.7% annually and to set minimum legal standards for house sellers. It urges too that councils should have an enhanced responsibility for reducing domestic energy use and to concentrate construction in urban areas to reduce transport emissions.

Defra climate and energy minister minister Phil Woolas said in a written answer that Government has “committed to provide over £100 million in the next three years to the Energy Saving Trust to develop the proactive Green Homes Service, based on a regional network of one-stop shops.” This will build on the £10m already provided to trial the service, he said.

DCLG is consulting on the length of time for which energy performance certificates should remain valid. A consultation paper says it is necessary to establish the costs and benefits of keeping EPCs valid for three months, one year, three years, five years or seven years, against the baseline of 10 years permitted in the Directive. Three basic scenarios are modelled for each option.

Energy minister Malcolm Wicks has admitted that since the Low Carbon Buildings programme household funding stream was re-launched in May 2007 when a grant cap of £2,500 per household and a number of other changes were introduced – there has been a “fall in household applications,” but he added “we are seeing a much better spread of applications across all technologies, which is a key objective of a demonstration programme such as this.”

Roll-out of home information packs and energy performance certificates was completed on 14 December, marked with a Government report saying there is no evidence of any impact on transactions, prices or mortgages.

Scottish ministers have been recommended to improve energy standards for new buildings every three years to reduce emissions and adopt an ambition to reach total-life zero carbon buildings by 2030.

Work has begun at the UK Building Council in response to one of the Callcutt Review recommendation that the Government and house building, construction products and energy supply industries set up a delivery unit to monitor, co-ordinate and guide the zero carbon programme.

The Cabinet Office inquiry into last summer’s floods has suggested that householders and business owners should no longer be able to lay impermeable surfaces without planning permission.