Industry headlines

Eaga, a FTSE 350 company set up in 1990 to lead government-funded initiatives to improve conditions for poor people in energy-inefficient homes, has come top of the league table for ecological sustainability in the 2010 Observer/Co-operative Asset Management Good Companies Guide. Click here for full story

An article in the Guardian has flagged up the sad fact that one of the UK's most radical environmental policies – requiring all new homes from 2016 to be "zero carbon" – is set to be scaled back amid pressure from the housebuilding industry. Builders claim the proposals would be too expensive and impossible to implement for many flats, and would result in a slump in the rate of homes built. Now, says Tim Webb, The Guardian has learned that the government is ready to water down the target, a move environmentalists have said would be a "travesty". Click here for full story

The 1st of September is rapidly approaching - and from that day all new-build houses in Wales will need to conform to stricter building regulations designed to cut carbon emissions and save energy. The legislation, which was announced by the Welsh Assembly last year, and will make the principality's regulations greener than those of England - has been implemented in stages, with developments of five or more homes needing to meet the new tighter legislation from 1 September last year. Click here for full story

The government's upcoming Energy Security and Green Economy bill must include measures to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) cut carbon emissions, according to a new report from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).The report, titled Making Sense of Going Green, examines how SMEs can better contribute to the government's low-carbon 2020 targets and recommends a range of measures, including expanding the government's current green loan scheme for small businesses and offering incentives for firms that improve the energy efficiency of their buildings. Click here for full story

‘Making Sense of Going Green’ is online on the Federation of Small Businesses’ website. Click here for full story

Figures released today show that carbon emissions have plummeted by as much as 44 per cent and energy bills will be cut by around £50,000 a year at ten fire stations involved in the Mayor of London’s RE:FIT programme. The completed stations are now saving 242 tonnes of CO2 per year - enough to fill the Sydney Opera House five times over. Click here for full story

A new study conducted by researchers at Michigan State University shows that employees who work in environmentally friendly buildings are more productive and take less sick days. The researchers took employees working in conventional buildings and placed them in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings, the workers transferred to LEED offices were less prone to absenteeism and stress related problems. Employees also demonstrated a higher level of productivity when working in LEED buildings than conventional offices; this was attributed to perceived improvements in health and well being. Click here for full story

BRE Trust, the owner of BRE, the UK’s leading centre of expertise on the built environment, is pleased to announce a new publication, ‘Energy Efficiency in New and Existing Buildings: Comparative Costs and CO2 Savings’, which reviews ways to improve the energy efficiency of both new and existing buildings. Click here for full story

Prince Charles has told British families to take shorter showers to help protect the environment. The instruction came at the end of a list of 20 lifestyle changes recommended by the Prince of Wales for his new green campaign, Start. ….His campaign website reads: 'Snub the tub. If everybody in a four-person family replaced one bath a week with a five-minute shower, you could save between £5 and £15 per year off your energy bill.' Click here for full story

The University of Brighton is co-ordinating a EUR6.3m programme to equip social housing schemes in the UK and France with energy systems that combat climate change. Professor Mike McEvoy, from the university's School of Architecture and Design, is co-ordinating Innovation for Renewal (IFORE) which is being financed by the European Regional Development Fund's Interreg programme. Click here for full story

With an electricity meter that goes backwards and a roof covered in green plants, Tony's Almond's house is no normal home. The house in Welwyn village, just north of London, is actually a green "superhome" - the 50th in a UK-wide network of demonstration eco-homes now open to the public. Click here for full story

All 14 Asda stores in Northern Ireland are now powered by electricity derived from 100% green sources, the company announced. Asda said it was closer to its target of buying 100% of its energy requirements from renewable sources for its 376 stores across the UK after signing up with Airtricity, a company based in the Republic which has now expanded into Northern Ireland. Click here for full story

The government must be more proactive over schemes to encourage take-up of energy-saving renewable technology on a national level. This is the view of therenewableenergycentre.co.uk, which has voiced concerns that a lack of progress in the UK on implementing microgeneration and other green technology will cause the country to miss its 2020 carbon reduction targets. A spokesperson for the energy-saving website pointed to the fact that the UK is currently ranked among the bottom few European countries in terms of renewable energy generation, which could ultimately lead to a "hefty fine" from the EU. Click here for full story

Two percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are attributed to the information communication and technologies (ICT) sector. This figure represents 1 billion kilowatts of electricity required to keep 3 billion PCs and mobile devices and over 500 million host computers running! The EU-funded team under FIT4Green ('Federated IT for a sustainable environmental impact') has set itself the ambitious goal of tackling this overconsumption. The project is funded with EUR 3.18 million under the ICT Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Click here for full story

Rumoured government plans to hike stamp duty charges on older, poorly insulated residential property would be unlikely to encourage investment in retrofitting but could provide a boost to the new build market, according to one expert. Vernon Pethard, founder of newhomesforsale.co.uk, said the reported proposals are "more stick than carrot" and could deter people from going for older houses as it is not always possible to bring them up to the "exacting modern standards" set by builders of modern dwellings. Click here for full story

Some 7,500 British firms are expected to miss a September 30 deadline to register for the UK's new energy efficiency scheme, meaning they face fines of at least 5,000 pounds each ($7,644), an environmental consultancy said. Click here for full story

Norway has topped a global list of countries working towards zero carbon buildings for the second year in a row. Brazil came second and the UK took third place in the 2009 RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) Global Zero Carbon Capacity Index written by professor Yvonne Rydin, co-director of the University College London's Environment Institute. Released today (July 19) and based on International Energy Agency (IEA) data, the index covers 34 countries around the world and aims to measure the progress of countries towards creating zero carbon built environments (following a pilot last year). Click here for full story

US environmental software company Hara is preparing to cross the Atlantic with the announcement next week of its first UK customer and the unveiling of plans to rapidly expand its operations into Europe. The company has only just celebrated its first anniversary, but with 35 blue chip customers including Coca-Cola, Hasbro and News Corporation already using its environmental and energy management software, chief executive Amit Chatterjee is now looking to build up the firm's presence across Europe. Click here for full story

The majority of the UK's least energy-efficient homes could be brought up to near-average green standards for less than £3,000, a new analysis claims. The Energy Saving Trust says the cost of upgrading such properties may be less than many consumers think, while also revealing that the numbers of energy-inefficient homes in both the private and rented sectors has decreased. Click here for full story

A Portland company hopes to have its 60-kilowatt underwater tidal generator in Cobscook Bay fully operational in August after conducting favorable beta tests, paving the way for a larger commercial project in 2011.
John Ferland, vice president of project development for Ocean Renewable Power Co., described the generator as "the Kitty Hawk" for tidal energy development in Eastport during remarks he made at the Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine's recent ocean energy forum at the Portland Country Club in Falmouth. He says the company, which employs 14 people at its Portland headquarters and three in Eastport, has invested $5 million in Maine since it began development of the tidal power generator in 2007.
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Siemens Windpower has been awarded £5 million of Government funding in the first round of grants for developing next-generation offshore wind technology since the Budget last month.
Energy Secretary Chris Huhne will announce the funding today as part of a package of grants totaling £10 million in which seven UK companies will also benefit.
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Britain’s AMEC has won a £4.5m ($6.8m) contract to provide engineering services for the 49MW Hudson Ranch I geothermal project at Salton Sea, California that will be built by EnergySource that is due online in 2012. AMEC will be responsible for design, engineering, training and assistance in construction, which is estimated at 21 months, and in the start-up phase. Click here for full story

The UK’s first inner-city green technology research centre has been officially opened by London mayor Boris Johnson.The Centre for Efficient & Renewable Energy in Buildings (CEREB) at London South Bank University is a multi-million-pound new facility, built in partnership with Kingston and City universities.Located on the roof of Grimshaw’s brand new K2 building at Elephant & Castle, it is a teaching, research and demonstration facility for low-carbon technologies in the built environment. Click here for full story

The University of Warwick has formally opened a new high-tech facility marking a £10.6 million investment in energy efficient technology which local businesses can share in.The Science City Cleanroom for Energy Efficient Semiconductors is part of project funded by Advantage West Midlands (AWM) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Birmingham Science City Energy Efficiency & Demand project. Click here for full story

A grant to the Danish company Topsoe Fuel Cell A/S and Risoe DTU will ensure that the current efforts within solid oxide fuel cells will lead to prototypes in 2012 which meet market demands for efficiency, lifetime and price.
A technology meeting energy and climate challenges
The solid oxide fuel cell is a technology for more efficient power production. Compared to traditionel technologies SOFCs have a higher efficiency, lower noise and lower emissions of, e.g., CO2. They work by transforming the chemical energy of a fuel directly into electricity.
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Thirteen businesses have been successful in winning the funding via two competitions run by the Technology Strategy Board. They will help to cement the UK as a world leader in this emerging field.The investment will fund research and development into Plastic Electronics technology which will lead to the creation of new and next generation products, such as flexible displays, and low-carbon technologies, including ultra-efficient lighting, and low-cost long-life solar cells. Click here for full story

This article was written by Mark Osborne and Emma HughesRenewable energy generator ‘A Shade Greener’ (ASG) is the first of an expected many companies to offer free solar photovoltaic installations to residents in the UK. The company, which is based in South Yorkshire, started up in October 2009 with the aim of installing 2,000 PV systems on residential rooftops in select regions, however, since the introduction of the feed-in tariff and exposure on the BBC, interest has increased dramatically. Click here for full story

British Gas unveiled an unprecedented 15 million pounds Sterling investment in solar technology for the nation's schools.The company will donate and install solar panels - worth between 20,000 and 40,000 pounds per school - in up to 750 schools.  Each school will be able to generate its own free, green electricity, cutting as much as 20% off its annual electricity bill. Click here for full story

A Scottish island where households rely on wind farms and rivers for nearly all their electricity has won an award from the 'green energy Oscars'.
The remote island of Eigg has managed to halve carbon emissions from the average household by generating more than 90 per cent of electricity from renewables.
The 95 residents also save energy by heating water with solar panels and carefully rationing electricity.
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As the UK’s Coalition Government starts on its programme to reduce the country’s deficit, a survey by T-Systems warns that spending cuts could hit public sector energy efficiency measures. The survey of business leaders and public sector organisations, Putting the brakes on power consumption, carried out by Economist Intelligence Unit, reveals that it is the public sector that is leading the way in energy efficiency initiatives. Click here for full story

A new centre for sustainable building design opens today in London, showcasing the latest technologies set to help tackle the capital’s carbon emissions. The Centre for Efficient and Renewable Energy in Buildings (CEREB) is the first teaching, research and demonstration facility of its kind to open in London. Click here for full story

Four Scottish farms are looking at energy saving and the use of renewable power as part of an initiative to set new standards for the sector. Energy saving and renewables are one of the areas of focus for the four participants, along with their use of fertiliser, livestock management and opportunities to lock carbon into the soil rather than releasing it into the atmosphere. The four participating farms represent arable production - the growth of crops and vegetables - as well as dairy, upland livestock and diversified farming. Click here for full story

This major project aims to achieve zero energy based on heat pumps while keeping comfort and indoor air quality….. Partners in this exceptional cross-border project, coordinated by Environment Application Research at Daikin Europe, are major research institutions across Europe. The net zero project is scheduled for completion in July 2010 at Herten, Germany. Click here for full story

Britons are the best energy savers in Europe, a recent study has suggested. Led by EDF Energy and the Energy Futures Lab at Imperial College London, the report found that over 70 per cent of people in the UK have loft insulation and an additional 70 per cent have secondary or double glazing. However, the UK was ranked below its European neighbours when it comes to sustainability. Click here for full story

First Minister Alex Salmond should stop grandstanding on the international stage over climate change and take action at home, it was claimed. Labour leader Iain Gray accused Mr Salmond of hypocrisy as it emerged the Scottish Government’s energy efficiency action plan – which aims to boost home insulation and kickstart micro-renewable energy and smart meters – has been delayed again, this time until the autumn. Click here for full story

Climate Change Minister Greg Barker visited Leicester to visit Mark Group’s state of the art training academy. The academy houses mock up homes for trainees to gain the best on-the-job experience before they formally qualify as insulation installers. Making homes more energy efficient will help the UK meet its climate targets, help residents cut fuel bills, and create new job and business opportunities. Click here for full story

Home Office and Decc are first two ministries to meet Cameron's pledge to publish energy data. What does it show? "There can be no hiding place for energy waste in central government," said Chris Huhne, the climate secretary, at today's launch of a new real-time public display of how much electricity and gas his department is using.
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For little more than the cost of a new-build, the architect John Christophers has made his home a model of energy efficiency. Click here for full story

UK high street retailer Marks and Spencer has increased the energy efficiency of its stores by 19% and its carbon emissions 8% three years into its eco and ethical programme Plan A. The company’s annual How We Do Business Report outlines progress on the 100 commitments made in Plan A back in 2007. Of those original commitments, Marks and Spencer says 62 have been achieved, 30 are on target to be achieved by 2012 and seven are behind, including the use of biodiesel, which is on hold until sustainable supplies become available. Click here for full story

The new UK housing minister Grant Shapps this week pledged to uphold the previous Labour government’s target for all new homes to be zero-carbon by 2016. He promised that the Coalition Government will release a final definition of ‘zero-carbon’ in the next few weeks, bringing to an end years of consultation. Click here for full story