INDUSTRY NEWS Carbon Calculator for the construction industry
Despite the fact that the majority of firms know carbon reduction helps cut costs, the construction industry still accounts for 47% of total carbon emissions of the UK. To help companies make significant carbon and cost savings, the Environment Agency has launched a second generation Construction Carbon Calculator which is available free. The tool was initially developed by Jacobs Engineering UK Ltd. It has subsequently been updated by a team from Jacobs and a
steering group comprising carbon reduction company Sustain and Balfour Beatty. The tool allows professionals to easily calculate and reduce the embodied carbon of materials and the emissions associated with travel, transportation, site activities and waste management.
The changes incorporated into the tool include the latest data on embodied carbon in construction materials and updates to make it easier to use for professionals.
Funding boost for Green Deal
£200m of new and additional Government funding has been announced to provide a special time-limited introductory offer to boost the early take up of the Government's Green Deal energy efficiency scheme. With bills rising because of rocketing global energy prices, the Government wants to see as many people as possible benefiting when the Green Deal hits the high street.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander said: “As part of the Autumn Statement we will provide £200m of funding for new and additional support to enable a special time-limited introductory offer for the Green Deal. This is an offer that could save early adopters hundreds of pounds and will get the Green Deal off to a flying start.”
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne said: “We want the Green Deal
to be a game changer for British consumers who’ve been buffeted by global energy prices.
Big injection
“The earlier you Green Deal your home, the quicker you’ll benefit from a warmer and cosier property as well as protect yourself from rocketing prices. This big injection of Government funding delivers on our promise to ensure the Green Deal hits the ground running and it makes it as attractive as possible so that people start to benefit from day one.”
The funding announcement follows the commitment made by the Chancellor in the Budget 2011, in which he said that the Government was committed to the success of the Green Deal and will act to encourage and incentivise take-up so that the Green Deal will appeal to households, businesses
and prospective providers alike. Some of the key benefits of the scheme include that every British home and business will be able to install packages of energy saving technologies such as insulation at no upfront cost making their property warmer and cosier straight away, with repayments made over time out of the energy savings. Strict standards will be put in place to prevent consumers being ripped off by cowboys.
Kick start
The Green Deal is expected to kick start around £14 billion of private sector investment over the next decade – with new safeguards to help small family firms as well as big high street names get involved in the Green Deal. The Green Deal could support at least 65,000 insulation and construction jobs by 2015.
Dr Craig Jones, Senior Associate at Sustain and a member of the steering group which helped to develop the new look Carbon Calculator, said: “Industry is getting better at measuring embodied carbon and identifying the carbon hotspots. However the real value comes from reducing embodied carbon and this is an important shift in focus. The updated calculator gives users more guidance to help them reduce embodied carbon emissions.”
Dimplex welcomes standard
Dimplex has welcomed the launch of the new MIS 3005 heat pump installer standard.
Created with input from a number of industry bodies across a range of sectors, MIS 3005 aims to bring clarity and improve performance in three key areas highlighted in the results of the Energy Saving Trust’s field trial of heat pumps, published last autumn. With practical guidance on the correct sizing of heat pumps, the right choice of heat emitters and how to achieve adequate heat yield from ground collectors, the new standard seeks to tackle some of the issues which have caused problems for heat pump installations in the past.
Good news
Chris Davis, Business Development Director at Dimplex Renewables, says: “The new standard is a great piece of work that will help make working with heat pumps more accessible to more installers – and that has to be good news for the industry. “We believe the resultant improved efficiencies will be good for the growth of the market, both in terms of inspiring confidence in the technology and in terms of really delivering the substantial carbon savings of which heat pumps are capable.”
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www.mvfh.co.uk JANUARY 2012 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER 7
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