NEWS DECC’s fi gures undermine Green Deal claims
Study shows Green Deal delivers less than half of the savings claimed
A long-term study by the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) into gas and electricity consumption appears to further undermine confi dence in the Green Deal. Figures from the National Energy Effi ciency
Data -Framework (N eed) show that many people would actually lose money by taking out a Green Deal loan to make home energy improvements because the measures deliver less than half of the savings that have been claimed. According to the survey of 21,000 homes, a new boiler will typically sav e a household about £70 a year, while loft insulation will save it only £15. The government is still claiming that a new boiler could reduce bills by up to £310 and loft insulation by £180. The Energy Saving Trust (EST) is expected to reduce its claims for potential savings under the Green Deal as a result of DECC’s research, which also revealed that, on average, a new boiler will cut gas consumption by 9.2% , loft insulation by 1.7% and cavity -wall insulation by 7.8%.
Chris Goodall, author of the Carbon Commentary blog linked to the Guardian
newspaper, claims that if all three measures were installed in a house in the same year, the typical energy saving w ould be 3,600 kWh – which equates to £139.46 at last year’s prices , not £270 as claimed by the EST. The EST estimates that it would cost £3,050 to fi t all three measures and the Green Deal charges interest of 8% on repayments. Goodall also claim s that gas consumption
actually rose in some properties after having the energy saving measures fi tted because of poor workmanship or changes in occupant behaviour. ‘If the research arm of DECC knows the true
fi gure for the likely cost savings from energy effi ciency measures, why are other parts of government continuing to promulgate much larger fi gures in order to get householders to take out Green Deals?’ he asked.
Fins to fix ‘Walkie - Scorchie’
Land Securities and Canary Wharf Group – the owners of the ‘Walkie -Talkie’ building under construction in the City of London – have applied for planning permission to install aluminium brise soleil to overcome the problem of solar rays defl ect ing off its eye- catching curved façade. The building hit the
headlines last year when parts of a car, parked opposite the building, were melted by the extreme heat created by defl ected solar rays. The rays were also said to have blistered paintwork, started fi res and caused tiles to fall off nearby buildings.
Since then, the glazing has been covered by a temporary scaffolding shield, which will have to remain in place throughout this summer.
EU backs 40% reduction in energy use by 2030
The European Parliament appears to be moving towards setting a binding target for EU member states to improve energy effi ciency by 40% by 2030.
In a plenary vote, it supported
the fi ndings of the ITRE-ENVI Report, which calls for legally binding targets to underpin the ongoing 2030 climate and energy discussions, with a particular emphasis on buildings. The European Alliance of
Companies for Energy Effi ciency in Buildings (EuroACE) supported the agreement and said that legislation would be essential .
The brise soleil would cover
31 fl oors of the building, from level three to 34, and will take six months to install. The £200 m building, at
20 Fenchurch Street, was nicknamed the Walkie-Scorchie when it last hit the headlines.
‘Unlocking the available cost- effective energy -savings potential in sectors like buildings, through a binding target and a sectoral target for buildings, is a no-brainer,’ said EuroACE secretary -general Adrian Joyce.
He said his organisation would support the Commission
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‘as it assesses the need for bold legislation to drive the demand for further energy effi ciency in this summer’s effi ciency review’. In its 2030 Climate and Energy Package, the EC’s impact assessment outlined the economic argument for setting ambitious legislation for energy effi ciency. ‘Higher efforts geared towards energy effi ciency and renewable energy (beyond what is needed to achieve a GHG target) would result in higher benefi ts relating to improvements in fuel effi ciency, security of supply, reduction of the negative trade balance for fossil fuels, environmental impacts and health.’ Evidence-based research from
the Fraunhofer Report had already demonstrated that, without a binding energy effi ciency target, the EU will not achieve energy savings beyond the ‘business as usual’ scenario.
March 2014 CIBSE Journal 11
R.NAGY / SHUTTERSTOCK
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