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NEWS – Energy, Environment, Buildings

GOVERNMENT ENDORSES TWO TIMBER SCHEMES Only two of five sustainable timber certification schemes have been accepted for future government construction projects. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) were successful. While the other three schemes examined in a specially commissioned study were judged to give legitimate assurances that timber was legally harvested, their accountability systems did not adequately demonstrate that enough of the timber was sourced from sustainably-managed forests, as required in government procurement guidelines. These were the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC), the North American Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) and the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC). In formal procurement terms, only timber certified the FSA and CSA schemes will meet the Government’s contract definition of sustainable forest management (SFM)1. The lead given by the government is likely to be followed by other public and voluntary sector clients. More detail on the study can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2004/041109b.htm Defra also announced that it will be expanding its Central Point of Expertise on Timber service, which provides a helpline for public sector buyers and their suppliers, in 2005. More government guidance on green procurement is at www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/sdig/improving/partf/greenbuy/24a.htm15 12 04carbon trustMAJOR HOUSING ENERGY TOOLKIT GOES ONLINE The Energy Saving Trust has launched a new online toolkit offering a whole range of energy efficiency strategies for housing professionals. Though applicable to private and public sector housing, the EST says the guide was developed in response to recent research revealing that 60% of local authorities have not yet set targets for reducing emissions from housing stock. www.practicalhelp.org.uk/housing/guidance/15 12 04carbon trustGovernment provides bio-energy grants. The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is offering grants to farmers, foresters and businesses. The aim is to help them develop the supply chain required to harvest, store, process and supply energy crops and wood fuel to end-users. Eligible biomass crops include: short rotation coppice, miscanthus, woodfuel, straw and a variety of grasses. Funding is available for the costs of setting up producer groups, training and for capital items, such as specialist equipment, storage and hard-standing. A total of £3.5 million is available UK-wide with a maximum grant of £200,000 per producer or business. Grants must be allocated within three years of the start of the scheme and the deadline for grant applications is 14 February 2005.24 11 04ieeCIBSE RESPONDS TO BUILDING REGS’ PART L AND PART F. The CIBSE responses to the Building Regulations consultations on Part L (Energy Efficiency in Buildings) and Part F (Ventilation) can be downloaded from the CIBSE website. Go to http://www.cibse.org/policy30 11 04cibseCLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAMME REVIEW. The government is reviewing its Climate Change Programme amidst unprecedented rises in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over the last two years. A revised version of the programme will be produced in the first half of 2005. More at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/02.htm30 11 04cibseThe 2004 CIBSE National Conference on “Delivering Sustainable Construction” is now available to watch online at http://www.cibse.org. The event took place in London at the end of September and was attended by over 400 engineers and construction specialists. The webcast includes all the main conference sessions and has video, audio and slide presentations in an easy-to-use format. http://www.cibse.org10 04 datecibseACCELERATING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT – 16-17 NOVEMBER The Sustainability Alliance are running this important 2-day conference at the IEE, Austin Court, Birmingham from 16-17 November. It will feature a line up of leading speakers on sustainable development policy and practice and is supported by CIBSE. The conference will produce an implementation plan focusing on 6 key areas: Energy, Transport and Infrastructure, Waste, Water, Food, Rural land use and ecology, Buildings and urban planning. Go to http://conferences.iee.org/sustain10 04cibseMulti-foil thermal insulation.Testing undertaken by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) appears to show that a multi-foil insulation product, when tested in a hot box against the internationally accepted standard for thermal insulation, does not meet claimed insulation values comparable to that of 200 mm of mineral wool (R=5 m²K/W). The measured R-value figure achieved by the multi-foil material was only 1.71 m²K/W – including two cavity spaces, when tested in accordance with BS EN ISO 8990:1996. The test was commissioned by Celotex, a manufacturer of thermal insulation. http://www.celotex.co.uk/pdf/Multi-foil_Bulletin.pdf8 04–PRE-COMPLETION TESTING FOR NEW HOUSES AND FLATS. The ODPM has announced the postponement of the introduction of pre-completion testing for new houses and flats from 1 January 2004 to 1 July 2004. This will allow more time for consideration of the results of a consultation into the construction industry’s proposals for the robust standard details alternative to testing. The revised Part E of the building regulations came into force on 1 July 2003 and introduced requirements for pre-completion testing of sound insulation between dwellings. Enquiries should be addressed to Les Fothergill at ODPM Buildings Division. Tel: 020 7944 5737, email: mailto:[email protected] text4 2 04 datecibseMore web resources added to KCE links page
www.adpsr.org Architects Designers and Planners for Social Reponsibility USA
www.est.org.uk/bestpractice Energy Saving Trust
www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/biodiversity/resource/good _wood_guide/book_promotion.html Listing of EcoBuilding Professionals by Friends of the Earth
www.qub.ac.uk/arc/research/GreenBuilding/ Green Building Digest & Handbook Queens University Belfast
www.newbuilder.co.uk Green Building Press
www.iscowa.org International Society for Construction with Alternative Materials
http://oikos.com/index.lasso US Green Building Products catalogue
www.segalselfbuild.co.uk Walter Segal Self Build Trust UK – helps people build their own homes and community buildings
www.sustainablehousing.org.uk Somerset Trust for Sustainable Development
To KCE LINKS PAGE25 9 03–UK ENERGY IN BRIEF 2003 http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/inform/energy_in_brief/energyinbrief2003.pdf9 03e–KCE’s Building Regulations Part L website was temporarily lost a few weeks ago; to avoid a reoccurrence a second site is now at: www.kinsella.clara.net2 9 03–The strongest supporters of new land-based wind turbines are people who have first hand experience of them on their doorsteps, a new poll carried out by Mori Scotland suggests. The poll of people all living within 20km of the country’s ten largest wind farms found overwhelming support (82%) for further increases in wind power capacity.5 9 03aeFriends of the Earth says English local authorities have failed to meet their energy saving targets under the Home Energy Conservation Act (HECA), which the government introduced in 1995. Latest figures available suggest that almost three-quarters of councils are falling short of targets, raising questions about the value of the current approach. FoE used Defra’s own figures from its sixth progress report (April 2001- March2002) to produce its analysis, which found that 255 out of 354 councils were not meeting their HECA requirement for a 12% improvement in domestic energy efficiency in their areas by April 2002. The original Act instructed local authorities to put in place a strategy that could deliver a 30% improvement in energy efficiency by 2010.5 9 03Download the 2003 Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics from www.dti.gov.uk/energy/inform/dukes/ as well as official data for 2002 Energy Consumption in the UK at www.dti.gov.uk/energy/inform/energy_consumption/ Energy consumption by the service sector increased by 18% between 1990 and 2002 but was unchanged in the public sector. Domestic energy consumption jumped by 17.5% over the same period, although this did reflect a 10% increase in the number of households. Around three fifths of this consumption is accounted for by space heating. The DTI suggests that without energy savings from improved insulation and heating efficiency improvements over the last 30 years, the figure for space heating would be double the current level.5 9 03aeFrom October, Action Energy will be replacing the General Surveys with Opportunities Assessments (OA). The Opportunities Assessment has two primary objectives: To produce a prioritised action plan of energy saving opportunities with guidance on next steps on how to implement these. To undertake a basic review of the organisation’s commitments to, and understanding of, the principles of energy management. Two types of OA will be available to reflect the different needs of novice and experienced clients.5 9 03aeEnergy Management Assessment to be Launched. A new Action Energy product designed to assist more experienced sites embed energy management good practice into their operations is also to be launched in October. The Energy Management Assessment is a diagnostic tool to evaluate how effectively organisations have embraced energy management principles and incorporated these into their operations. Scores are produced in 8 dimensions of energy management: • Effectiveness of company energy policies
Appropriateness of organisational structure to deliver energy savings
Use of energy data (M&T;)
Use of company energy targets and reporting
Staff energy awareness and training
Procedures for energy efficient operations
Extent of energy efficiency considerations in procurement
Investment in energy saving
An overall percentage score will enable the company to benchmark its performance against others that undertake the assessment and measure on-going improvement.5 9 03aeFurther Support for Implementation of Action Plans Action Energy is investing a further £500k in England to assist companies implement action plans developed through the programme. Companies will be able to receive a variety of assistance, both by telephone and through follow-up site visits. The additional resources, at present only available in England, are designed to increase the proportion of implemented recommendations thereby improving the overall cost effectiveness of the programme. Sites will initially be available to receive a range of support including:
• Technical advice on implementation of recommendations
• Staff awareness training
• Executive Feedback (replacing the Post Survey Briefing)
• Technical training
• Energy Management Assessment
• Next steps advice – for companies that have completed their action plan
5 9 03aeThe Energy Saving Trust’s Innovation Programme How are you promoting the energy efficiency message? Have you considered working with local community groups or organisations in your area to increase the take up of energy efficiency measures? Maybe you are already. Either way, the Energy Saving Trust’s Innovation Programme can help you with funding and support.
The Innovation Programme recognises the wider benefits of energy efficiency such as employment, health & well being and social inclusion. Involving the local community can play a crucial role in helping to develop and deliver sustainable and inclusive energy efficiency projects. By working with your local community, you can develop new and effective ways to deliver your targets and a better quality of life for local people.
What is Innovative?
Initiatives can be innovative in terms of the approach taken, process, methodology or technologies used. Novel partnerships are particularly important and this programme allows other appropriate agencies to lead on a project, as long as there is at least one housing association or local authority actively involved. If applying for a community-based project, you need to demonstrate the involvement of a community group and/or network.
What Support is Available?
Funding and technical support is available through two routes;
Feasibility studies. Support is available of up to £10,000 for a feasibility study;
Implementation projects. Up to £90,000 is available for funding of projects that reduce carbon emissions.
The next deadline for both feasibility and implementation applications are October 2003 (draft applications by 17 th October, final submissions by 31 st October). Feasibility applications can also be submitted for January 04 (draft applications by 16 th January, final submissions by 30th January). Visit the Practical help website at http://www.practicalhelp.org.uk/innovation or telephone 0870 241 2089 for further details on project criteria, eligible expenditure and the application process. Additional guidance on community-based energy projects can be obtained from http://www.est.co.uk/cafe practicalhelp.org.uk/innovation5 9 03aeKCE’s Building Regulations Part L website was temporarily lost a few weeks ago; to avoid a reoccurrence a second site is now at: www.kinsella.clara.net2 9 03–The Hockerton Housing Project (HHP) is to develop as a Sustainable Resource Centre (SRC) through a National Lottery grant of £49,619 from the New Opportunities Fund, awarded by the Social, Economic and Environmental Development (SEED) Programme. Over the last five years HHP has established itself as an exemplar of sustainable development & lifestyle, locally and nationally, providing a unique ‘real life’ experience of people living sustainably.
The plan is to develop new amenities focused around an ‘eco-community building’ situated near and complimenting the houses, including a dedicated audio-visual room, seminar facilities and permanent exhibitions. The building itself will be built to similar high environmental standards as the homes, including meeting the zero heating and zero CO2 standards. This means that it will not require any form of dedicated heating and will generate as much clean renewable energy as it uses. www.hockerton.demon.co.uk1 09 03hhpCosting the Earth – On 14th August, HHP featured in a Radio 4 programme, ‘Dream Homes‘ as part of the series ‘Costing the Earth’. The details below are taken from the Radio 4 website programme summary: “On a hill-side above Cheltenham, Ben and Wendy Tuxworth are building a family home, a house that should set new standards for environmental friendliness. They’re part of a growing army of self-builders eager to do their bit for the planet. All over Britain they’re installing solar water heaters, wind turbines, underground heat exchangers and enough insulation to lag a small planet.” You can see more about the programme and series by going to www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/costingtheearth.shtml
RELATED LINKS: BBCi Nature: Environment…. Gusto Homes- commercial builders of eco-homes…. Bill Dunster- UK designer of Eco Homes…1 9 03hhpAction Energy Loans – Action Energy have created a ‘Fast Track’ process for customers who have a strong understanding of the project they wish to undertake and who have entered into commercial discussions with a chosen supplier. Contact KCE 019340838624 or Action Energy 0800 58 57 94 for more information on the Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme. See more information at this website in these 3 documents:
SYNERGY WITH THE ENHANCED CAPITAL ALLOWANCE (ECA) SCHEME.doc
06. Project Assessment Template – AEL06 090703.doc
Electronic Eligibility form v3 31.07.03.xls28 8 03Action EnergyAbbreviations

Building Services and Environmental Engineer
bsee
Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers
CIBSE
Energy and Environmental Management, DEFRA
eemg
Electrical Review
er
energy in buildings and industry
eibi
Heating and Plumbing Monthly
hpm