Entries for June 2008

The Government’s Strategy for Sustainable Construction has set a range of targets for the industry including a 50% reduction in landfill of its wastes and responsible sourcing for 25% of its materials by 2012.

The new Net Waste Tool launched by the Waste & Resources Action Programme is designed to enable construction clients, designers and contractors to identify where their efforts can best be targeted to reduce landfill and costs.

The Paris- based International Energy Agency – part of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) - has added its voice to the call for an expansion of combined heat and power (CHP), also dubbed district heating(DH).

Transforming the way people and businesses use technology could reduce annual man-made carbon emissions by 15% worldwide by 2020 and deliver energy efficiency savings to businesses of over £400bn, according to a new report from the international Climate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI). Smart building design and use is a key area for delivering these savings.

The Technology Strategy Board is to invest £4m in highly innovative collaborative research projects leading to the development of new components and materials for low impact buildings.

Greenpeace is calling for new CHP power stations to be built in industrial locations. The heat produced by this process would be used in industrial processes while a large proportion of the electricity could be directed to the National Grid. This would take advantage of CHP’s much greater conversion efficiency than conventional power stations – and much lower emissions per unit of electricity.

An agreement reached between Government and industry should remove aviation and radar barriers to the major expansion of wind energy. The Memorandum of Understanding, signed by Government departments, agencies and industry follows the Prime Minister’s commitment to find a technical solution to aviation and radar objections to wind farms.

Dartford Borough Council has linked up with British Gas and is offering residents a council tax credit when they install insulation in their homes. The first 30 residents will be entitled to a credit worth £65 - paid directly into the council tax account on completion of the work, which will be reduced to £60 after the initial drive. Residents have to install loft or wall insulation through British Gas, which will be also be subsidised.

Thirty six per cent of British homeowners would be willing to make environmentally-friendly improvements to their property before selling up to ensure a faster sale, according to a Baxi survey.

Car dealer the Gilder Group is developing a £15m centre at Meadowhead near Sheffield with several notable sustainable features.

English Partnerships has announced plans to convert an old Grade II listed hospital building in Otley, near Bradford to 75 eco homes, of which 30% will be ‘affordable’.

Protesters, unhappy at proposals for a 6,000 home eco town development at Middle Quinton, near Stratford-upon-Avon, are consulting lawyers ahead of possible Judicial Review proceedings over what it says has been an inadequate consultation by DCLG in drawing up the shortlist of 15 possible eco town schemes.

A High Court judge has given Friends of the Earth and Help the Aged permission to take the government to court over its refusal to meet its legal commitment to end fuel poverty.

•  a 3,000 household pilot scheme to ensure people applying for Warm Front grants are referred to their energy supplier for tariff advice;
• a £3m pilot project with the low carbon buildings programme to introduce microgeneration to fuel-poor communities;
•  publication of the heat call for evidence to assist development of a heat strategy and measures to reduce energy demand – the strategy will be consulted on in the autumn;
• £150,000 for a citizens’ advice bureaux campaign to help vulnerable people.