NEWS
Davey sets out stall on energy efficiency
It will support delivery of the Green Deal,
the rollout of smart meters and the increase in renewable heat. ‘I’m hugely enthusiastic about energy efficiency. It’s the cheapest way of cutting carbon – and cutting bills for consumers. It has to be right at the heart of what we do,’ said Davey on his first day in the job. ‘Two out of three consumers think their home
is wasting energy, but only one in three is going to do anything about it. That has to change. We need to get out there and show people what energy efficiency can really do for them.’ He reiterated the role the Green Deal could
New Energy Secretary Ed Davey addresses the media on taking office. He pledges to cut energy waste
l New man at helm of energy policy emphasises energy efficiency
The new Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Davey, has sought to establish his green credentials by emphasising the importance of energy efficiency in buildings.
Following fellow Liberal Democrat Chris Huhne’s resignation as Energy Secretary, Davey last month launched the Energy Efficiency Deployment Office (EEDO). The new body is charged with ‘developing a
new strategy to identify the potential for further energy efficiency’.
play in generating employment – with up to 65,000 new jobs predicted by the government – and tackling ‘some of the most inefficient housing stock in the EU’. Various industry commentators have expressed doubts about the direction of the Green Deal. Graham Meeks of the CHP Association said it had ‘its limits, adding it is vital that we now see a concerted effort to dramatically increase the productivity of the energy we use across the whole of the economy’. David Frise, head of sustainability at the
Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES), formerly the HVCA, said it was vital for the government to find better ways of including smaller firms in the delivery process. ‘At the moment the Green Deal looks
worryingly like an exclusive club for firms with big financial muscle,’ he said.
Top official insists Part L change is ‘not backsliding’
A leading government official has said that the lower carbon target of 8% proposed for new homes (see News page 6) was an attempt to bring in the change in a ‘staged’ way that would be more manageable for some housebuilders not able to adopt the ‘Full Energy Efficiency Standard’ now. Bob Ledsome, head of building
regulations at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), was outlining the current consultation on changes to Building Regulations Part L in 2013. He said: ‘As we’ve moved
through the zero carbon homes consultation process, we’ve all learnt about what is realistic and economically viable to do – what can be achieved on site.’ Ledsome, who was speaking at
the recent Zero Carbon Hub annual conference in London, insisted: ‘I don’t think it is a question of any backsliding on targets. It’s a
10 CIBSE Journal March 2012
recognition of what sensibly can be done, and we would be very interested to hear what consultees have to say about it.’ He added that the consultation’s proposal for a new ‘compliance’ regime for house builders was aimed at addressing the question of ‘actual’ and ‘predicted’ low carbon performance of new homes. He said such a regime would
enable builders to demonstrate that they had a quality assurance process in place for delivering low carbon homes. The assurance process could be taken forward via a BSI standard, he added. Some speakers and delegates at
the conference criticised the SAP modelling tool used for building design, questioning whether it could provide low carbon designs that would deliver the intended energy performance in practice. Neil Jefferson, chief executive of
the Zero Carbon Hub, which has produced definitions of zero carbon
Paul Morrell calls for an ‘Existing Homes Hub’ to be set up
homes for government, said: ‘I want to see proper investment in SAP, so that the models we see in future are fit for purpose.’ Stewart Baseley, chairman of the
Home Builders Federation, said: ‘I wonder whether further changes to the Building Regulations in 2013 are sensible, in light of the SAP issue.’ He added: ‘I’m not opposed to Part L changes [in 2013] but are we
doing the right thing in making changes before getting SAP right?’ Ledsome responded: ‘The work
that has been done on compliance has shown that it’s not just about SAP or homes not being built properly on site – there’s a whole collection of issues that are bound into getting ourselves collectively in a position where we can give an assurance to regulators, building control and house buyers that homes will perform as they’re meant to.’ This was why the government
was proposing that a ‘PAS’ specification – currently used to assess whole-life carbon emissions of, for example, consumer products – be adopted for zero carbon new homes, he said. Conference delegate John Tebbit,
industry affairs director at the Construction Products Association, challenged some speakers’ comments on the possible inadequacies of SAP. He said that
www.cibsejournal.com
PA
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84