NEWS
KINGDOM POWERS AHEAD WITH SOLAR PANELS
T
enants of Kingdom Housing Association in Glenrothes and Dunfermline are looking forward to lower fuel bills in the New Year after the installation of solar PV panels on their homes ahead of schedule. Bill Banks, Depute Chief Executive with Kingdom explained, “As part of our commitment to energy efficiency, we have recently completed the installation of Solar PV panels to 115 of our existing social rented properties and are delighted that this installation contract has been a success. The performance of our installer, Everwarm, on this project was excellent and the accelerated programme has meant that the installations have been completed and registered before the Government’s proposed reduction in the Feed in Tariffs (FiT) scheme. This will help us become more sustainable and help our tenants with ever increasing fuel bills.” He added, “This project is one of the first we have carried out and we will be monitoring it closely over the next few years to try and gain the most benefit from the panels, in respect of fuel savings for our tenants. We will also be monitoring the carbon saving and generation from the FiT scheme.” But Mr Banks warned, “The UK Government’s proposed reduction in the FiT is extremely disappointing and will constrain our plans for future installations. Our planned programmes will need to be reduced and this will impact on the jobs created in the industry, the
potential benefits to tenants and the opportunities the FiT would have brought, through investment in other projects. We are however hopeful that the performance of the systems will allow us to do more in the future, even with the reduced tariff, but is something we will be keeping a close eye on.”
Only properties with suitable south facing roofs were eligible for the solar panel project. The tenants were provided with as much information as possible, at an early stage, in order to promote the potential benefits and to allow them the option of taking part or not. The aim of the project was to reduce tenant’s electricity bills by generating electricity from solar photovoltaic panels. The information provided included a proposed small increase to their weekly rent which recognised the investment made by the Association in their homes. Kingdom’s green credentials were recently underlined by its selection as “National Green Champion for Scotland” at the 2011 National Green Apple Environment Awards Ceremony held at the House of Commons. The Fife contract was carried out by Everwarm and was completed ahead of the original programme.
www.kingdomhousing.org.uk
Left to right: Mark Sneddon Technical Officer with Kingdom, Miss Kellock, one of the tenants in Glenrothes and Kenny Saunders, Everwarm’s Commercial Director
• news • news • news • news • news • news • news • INNOVATIVE
APPROACH REDUCES COSTS BY 18%
A national industry body has recognised MITIE and University College London (UCL) for their ground breaking approach to clinical waste management in the university’s 23
laboratories, saving 18% in disposal cost per tonne and reducing carbon emission per tonne by 27%.
MITIE won the award for innovative practice in Waste Management and Resource Recovery at the 2011 Environmental Excellence Awards, hosted by the Chartered Institution of Waste Management (CIWM). In an industry first, the FTSE 250 strategic outsourcing and energy services company diverted auto-claved clinical waste from High Temperature Incineration (HTI) to Energy-
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from-Waste treatment, setting the latest in best practice on safe management of healthcare waste.
www.mitie.com
NEW GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE IN THE URBAN LANDSCAPE A detailed and informative Guide to Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in the Urban Landscape has been published as part of the Engineering Nature’s Way initiative by Hydro International.
The guide is jointly authored by Prof Richard Ashley of EcoFutures, Sue Illman of Illman Young Landscape architects and Alex Stephenson, Stormwater Director of Hydro International and chair of the British Water SuDS focus group.
PUBLIC SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY • VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1
The Guide considers the issues surrounding the development of SuDS techniques in urban settings. Topics considered include SuDS and Ecosystems Services, Green Infrastructure, Water Sensitive Urban Design and retrofitting SuDS, including in highways applications. The Guide also provides practical advice on component selection from the full SuDS toolbox.
“Sustainable surface water management measures can help create a more balanced and natural ecology in our towns and cities. For too long, we have paved over green spaces and treated the resulting surface water runoff as a problem or waste,” said author Alex Stephenson. “A creative approach to planning for water above ground – in which stormwater is seen as a resource
providing multiple
benefits – can help make the urban
landscape a more
balanced, healthy and
enjoyable place to live. “The Guide demonstrates that a correct interpretation of SuDS is one that can be applied to every development. It’s simply no longer
acceptable to have an ‘either or’ choice between SuDS or ‘not possible’. A range of techniques, natural, manufactured or combined are available to recreate (or improve on) natural drainage paths.” To download the Guide, sign up for a e-newsletter or request a seminar visit www.engineeringnatures
way.co.uk
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