A new report has highlighted the enormous task the UK faces, if the country stands any chance of meeting its carbon emissions reduction targets through a massive ‘get Britain retrofit’ scheme. 

From now until 2050, one green makeover will need to be given every minute, otherwise the country will fail to meet its targets, reveals the Centre for Low carbon Futures report, which was compiled in conjunction with the Energy Saving Trust.

Given that around 45% of emissions come from existing buildings, of which 70% will still be standing come 2050, there’s no escaping the fact that getting Britain’s buildings retrofit is of the utmost importance.

According to the report, schemes like the Renewable Heating Incentive (RHI) and the Green Deal have gone some way to encouraging people to make improvements to the energy efficiency of their properties. However, in order to achieve an 80% cut in carbon emissions, more still needs to be done – and the urgency to do more and the challenge facing the built environment should not be overlooked

“Despite the best efforts to encourage households and industry to adopt low carbon solutions through regulation and incentive schemes, they are not achieving the step changes required,” explained Jon Price, director of the Centre for Low Carbon Futures.

Mr Price explained that a lack of knowledge and understanding of energy performance, coupled with the diversity of the country’s buildings would hinder the extensive retrofit plans because one size cannot fit all, as it were.

Government schemes like the Green Deal and the RHI are designed to encourage Britain’s home owners and businesses to become more energy efficient by implementing energy saving measures, such as installing energy efficient new boilers, cavity wall insulation, double glazing and green heating technologies like heat pumps and solar water heating. The Green Deal in particular should, in theory, totally revolutionise the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock.

Phase one of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme went live on Monday, inviting applications from the non-domestic sector interested in switching to renewable heating.

Under the Government’s flagship £865 million scheme, companies are eligible to install renewable energy technologies, such as heat pumps, solar thermal panels and biomass boilers, and get paid money for generating their own green heating and hot water.

Tariff levels and the amount of money paid will depend on the  the type of renewable heating technology installed, as well as the size of the system.

As one of the UK’s leading suppliers of wood pellets, CPL Distribution is pleased to see the phase one of the scheme finally go live, after a series of delays knocked industry confidence.

“There is no denying that the delays to the Renewable Heat Incentive’s launch knocked confidence among board-level decision makers and a large number of projects to install renewable systems have been stalled as a result,” commented Tim Minett, the firm’s chief executive.

“With the delays now behind us, this green light for the Renewable Heat Incentive will be a significant stepping stone in the UK’s transition towards a low-carbon economy.”

If you’re a business and you would like to know more about the scheme, give energy regulator Ofgem’s dedicated enquiries helpline a ring on 0845 200 2122 or visit www.ofgem.gov.uk.

The domestic side of the RHI will be launched next year.

A pioneering eco-village – a housing estate consisting of environmentally friendly properties located in the middle of nowhere – has failed to attract significant interest from private buyers, casting doubt over the commercial viability of greening Britain’s housing stock.

The eco-village, which is situated in Balvonie Braes, near Inverness, comprises 52 eco-friendly properties, of which 10 have been purchased under a co-ownership scheme and a further 10 have been occupied by housing association tenants. The remaining 32 properties have been put on the market for private sale.

Unfortunately, only four properties have sold since August, during which time the newly completed eco-village was put on display for public viewing, attracting thousands of people who were seemingly very keen on the idea of living in a purpose-built eco-home.

The properties built at Balvonie Braes offer several advantages, but perhaps none is more attractive to new buyers than energy efficiency. According to developers, some of the eco-homes can be heated for an entire year at a cost of £100 or less.

Energy efficiency is an important consideration for any prospective home buyer, not least because energy bills are expected to rise steadily over the next few years. Homeowners throughout Britain have employed various measures to control energy bills, which can be reduced by installing solar photovoltaic panels or cavity wall insulation. The homes at Balvonie Braes, however, include many environmentally friendly measures as standard.

So why are potential buyers looking elsewhere?

The issue might have little to do with energy efficiency and everything to do with price and location. Although situated close to the A9, the Balvonie Braes eco-village may be described as a little too remote for some buyers, whilst asking prices of around £300,000 for three-bed semi-detached properties is hardly representative of current market conditions.

Affordability and location are obviously more important to buyers than energy efficiency – and understandably so. The implications for developers and the local council, however, are potentially dire.

Highland councillor Roddy Balfour, who suggested the properties might not be as environmentally friendly as advertised, noted: “Exaggerated claims have been made about the design of the houses but the public have not wanted to buy any. Now we are stuck with these houses, which won’t sell”.

According to a new report, China has great potential for green growth but it needs to replace dirty, energy intensive technologies with clean green forms of renewable energy.

In the report, which was released this week, China’s Council of International Co-operation on Environment and Development described the country’s environmental situation in terms of green growth as having a “Jekyll and Hyde” nature.

Although China is making the world’s biggest investment in new forms of energy, it also has the most dangerous levels of pollution.

The council has advised the Government to spend 5.8 trillion yuan (£61 billion) on measures which will  save energy and protect the environment. Some 10.6 million jobs would be created, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) – one of the main indicators used to determine the health of the economy – would be boosted by 8 trillion yuan and it would result in energy savings worth 1.4 trillion yuan. According to the council, what would be gained would far and away exceed the costs associated with eliminating the dirtier sectors of the economy, which it has estimated would incur a loss of around 950,000 jobs and 100 billion yuan in output.

Speaking to the China Daily newspaper, the council’s secretary general Li Ganjie – who is also vice minister of environmental protection – said:

“The industrial sector is still the prime energy consumer and a major cause of pollution, so greening the sector is key for China’s green transformation.”

Taking three years to complete, the report said: “The blind pursuit of economic growth has now become a huge obstacle for China’s green growth.” It highlighted China’s obsession with GDP expansion, most notably at local Government level, which has caused the implementation of environmental goals to take something of a backseat.

Whilst many seasoned political observers have watched on in dismay as the Liberal Democrats allowed their Tory masters free rein to implement austerity measures, it would appear that the recent decision to halve solar subsidies has lit the touchpaper of discontent.

In a move that is likely to rock the political fabric of the UK, members of the Liberal Democrat Party are reportedly planning to prepare for the possibility of a potential revolt. If a revolt fails to inspire councillors and MPs – or, as may seem more likely, fail to happen at all – the Lib Dems are thought to be willing to settle for a compromise: that the cut-off point for applications under the Feed-in Tariff system (FITs) be pushed back to April next year.

Published by the Guardian online news service, a leaked briefing document is said to highlight the extent to which the Lib Dems have been upset by the Conservative Party’s decision to slash the rate paid under FITs from 43.4p per kilowatt hour to just 21p.

Written by Liberal Democrat sources in the Local Government Association, the leaked document reads: “To do it [slash solar subsidies] at such short notice isn’t good governance and [it is] bad for business planning. Changes were expected next year, not to be imposed with a month’s notice. We want the cut-off point to be extended to the end of the financial year, as originally promised”.

Although failing to propose a revolt in explicit terms, the authors of the document clearly want action to be taken to protect the UK’s solar industry. The document continued: “We fought the last general election on getting more green jobs. The Feed-in Tariff was helping to grow a new industry and get more people into work. We don’t want to see this put at risk”.

The Government’s decision to slash the rate paid under FITs for electricity generated by solar PV installations is expected to severely weaken, if not completely kill off, the UK’s domestic solar industry. Reducing solar subsidies was deemed necessary to sustain a growing industry, but to halve solar subsidies at such short notice is deemed reckless and short-sighted by many. Whether the Lib Dems’ discontent prompts change remains to be seen.

Aberdeenshire is to be home to Scotland’s first sustainable village, and the general public will be able to give their feeback during an open consultation period.  

Kincluny Village is aiming to be carbon neutral by providing affordable homes that benefit from renewable energy systems. To ensure the community is self-sufficient, residents will have the opportunity to work on-site, be it in local businesses or schools.

Built on a former quarry brownfield site, it will be the largest sustainable construction project of its kind, offering properties that will not only be affordable but desirable. With more than 1,500 homes being built – ranging in price from £90,000 to £500,000, it’s expected that 30% of the mixed tenure homes will be affordable for those on low incomes.

Kincluny is unlike any other development. It’s not all about the buildings. Bricks and mortar come later. It’s about creating a community where people want to live and work,” said Bill Burr, managing director at CHAP Homes.

“We’re excited about sharing our mission with the public during the consultation period. Their feedback is essential to further the vision,” he added.

The Robert Gordon University’s Centre for Understanding Sustainable Practices has been commissioned to provide research into water, sewage and renewables such as wind power.

Currently the north-east of Scotland is facing a housing shortage, and this project is set to pioneer a new era of housing developments.

Who’d have thought it; turning urine into electricity. On the surface it might seem laughable to most people, but a team of scientists in the UK believe there’s a lot of potential in ‘pee power’. Particularly animal urine.

We apparently produce 2.5 litres of the decidedly unpleasant waste product daily  – 6.4 trillion litres globally. A team of scientists from the University of the West of England, in Bristol, have been conducting research into whether urine could be used in microbial fuel cells.

In a recently published paper by Dr Ioannis Ieropoulos and his team, their investigation has concluded that the waste product is rich in chemicals that can be used in the cathode half of a fuel cell to react with bacteria in the anode. The fuel cells would clean the urine, therefore leaving it safe to be discharged into the environment.

According to the paper – Urine utilisation by microbial fuel cells; energy fuel for the future – initial tests have confirmed that it is ‘technically feasible’ to turn urine into electricity. However, the team only managed to produce a very small amount of power, so further research will need to be conducted, which will involve looking at ways of stacking up the fuel cells which would allow the stream of urine to run through the system to produce more power.

Scientists are particularly interested in the potential power of animal pee. It’s hard to conceive, but farm animals produce around 38 billion litres of urine daily. However, animal urine can be harmful to the environment if it is not properly managed, so using urine in biomass has great potential.

Biomass – a form of renewable energy – is considered to be a future key renewable resource. The term refers to any organic matter burnt as fuel that can produce heat or power.

“The impact of this could be huge, since it enables us to think of ‘waste’ in a new way, and offers great potential for the future,” said Dr Ieropoulous.

Any method of producing energy that’s less harmful to the environment in the long run certainly needs to be encouraged.

The largest business group in the UK has voiced its concern over the Government’s decision to halve solar power subsidies available to households and businesses.

CBI claimed the 50 per cent reduction in feed-in tariffs would likely create uncertainty in an economy that is already struggling to escape another recession.

Jonathan Cridland, the Director General of CBI, said: “Moving the goal posts doesn’t just destroy projects and jobs, it creates a mood of uncertainty that puts off investors – and they wonder what’s coming next. Some companies have invested heavily in solar photovoltaic systems and in the supply chains needed to install them”.

Mr Cridland added: “That commitment has been undermined by the feed-in tariff decision and so industry trust and confidence in the Government has evaporated. This bodes poorly for investment in future initiatives”.

In plain terms, reduced investment means increased risk of recession; without the investment necessary to sustain economic growth, the UK is unlikely to recover in the near future. Austerity measures may be required to curtail spending and manage the public deficit, but if investment opportunities are lost the economic crisis will almost certainly deepen.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has adopted a different position on the subject. A spokesperson for the DECC said: “We appreciate this will be difficult for companies affected, but what we want is an enduring future for the industry.

“If we left things as they are, the feed-in tariff budget would be eaten up entirely, full stop – and that would be even worse for employees in this sector and those working on other technologies too”.

The spokesperson added: “We believe solar photovoltaic can have a strong and vibrant future in [the] UK and we are proposing changes to ensure a lasting feed-in tariffs scheme to support that future”.

When the feed-in tariff changes take effect next month, the implementation of domestic solar PV will remain an attractive option for households, albeit not as profitable as it has been for the past couple of years. Rather than receiving 43p per kilowatt-hour of solar electricity exported to the grid, households will earn just 21p per kilowatt-hour, extending the cost of the average solar installation by five or ten years.

They may be one of the world’s most popular smartphone makers, but according to a survey, Research in Motion – the firm behind the brand – produces some of the most energy inefficient products on the market.

In Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics, Research in Motion (RIM) featured bottom of the list, signalled out as the world’s least greenest electronics firms.

The Canadian-based mobile phone maker featured for the first time in the environmental campaign group’s quarterly guide, which ranks the top 15 electronic companies in the world for their environmental policies and the green impact of the products they design and develop.

According to Greenpeace, the firm has no target in place to increase its uptake of renewable energy use. The absence of a clean electricity plan has incurred the production of  energy inefficient products.

The report, which was first introduced in August 2006, ranks companies according to their energy use and carbon footprint, as well as how eco-friendly their products are. Greenpeace also uses the guide as a means of putting pressure on technology manufacturers like RIM to encourage them to reduce the amount of toxic chemicals they use, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is a widely produced plastic, likened because it is cheap to produce and also very durable.

Speaking to the Guardian, a spokeswoman for BlackBerry maker RIM said they continue to improve their sustainability practices, and have a number of initiatives underway to help them achieve this.

Computer manufacturer DELL took second place, up from its previous 10th spot. The firm scored well for having the most ambitious climate targets, not least due to its ambitions to reduce emissions by 40% by 2020.

Panorama, the BBC’s popular current affairs TV show has been heavily criticised for it’s recent investigation into Britain’s rising energy bills.

The programme set out to look at the reasons why the country is being forced to deal with soaring energy costs, but since going to air on Monday evening, the show has come under fire for failing to address the issue of rising wholesale gas and electricity costs. Instead, Panorama focused the blame onto the uptake of renewable energy.

An article in the Guardian, written by environment correspondent Damian Carrington, has heaped criticism on the BBC investigation, with Mr Carrington saying:

“There was a vast, astonishing and utterly unforgivable hole at the heart of the BBC Panorama TV show on Monday, which claimed to be investigating what has caused energy bills in the UK to soar in recent years: the rising wholesale cost of gas and electricity.”

Instead, the show’s reporter, Tom Heap, claimed that renewables, and essentially offshore wind farms, was the main contributing factor. The Panorama programme failed to address the fact that wholesale energy costs have continued to rise, and that the price of this winter’s gas is around 40% higher compared to last winter’s. According to energy regulator Ofgem, these wholesale costs make up 56% of home energy bills, which is far and away the biggest single factor.

The programme was partly based on the ‘Thinking About the Affordable’ energy report from accountancy firm KPMG. But the renewables industry has hit back at the inaccurate energy report, saying the publication is flawed and misleading. The report claims that favouring cheaper nuclear and gas-fired power stations over wind energy would save every person in the UK around £550.

The Guardian also criticised Panorama’s failure to reveal that energy consumers would only have to pay around £20 a year for all renewables subsidies. By including all Government levies for schemes to increase energy efficiency and alleviate fuel poverty the cost rises to about £80 a year which is far less, when you compare it to the £170 increase in the average gas bill since last year, thanks to  the rise in wholesale prices.

In response, reporter Tom Heap said Carrington’s “vast, shocking hole” refers to figures based on current costs. Heap pointed out that the programme was clearly focused on future bills.

“Damian Carrington’s description of this week’s Panorama is strident, inaccurate and also reveals a big green blind spot: renewable technologies are currently expensive and demand subsidy,” hit back Heap.

“Panorama did not lay all the blame for likely price rises at the green door. A large chunk of the programme was spent explaining how old power stations needed replacing and pricey or volatile foreign gas is mentioned three times,” he added.

As contentious issues go, this one is unlikely to run out of steam anytime soon.