NEWS UPDATE ENERGY EFFICIENCY


Local authorities reducing energy consumption


New Labour government overturns onshore wind restrictions


The new Labour government has announced the removal of significant barriers to onshore wind development in England. The changes were outlined by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who described the previous Tory government’s restrictions on onshore wind as “absurd”. The government is also doubling the target for onshore wind capacity by 2030. The Tories had implemented a


de facto ban on onshore wind since 2015, making it much more difficult for new projects to be approved. Reeves stated that the government would now look at options to bring onshore wind development under the umbrella of a national planning regime, meaning decisions would be made at a national rather than local level. Onshore wind will now be treated the same as other energy developments in the planning process, removing the additional ‘community support’ test that was previously required. This had often been interpreted to mean that any local opposition would block a project. Planning policy will be updated to place onshore wind on equal footing with other energy developments in the National Planning Policy Framework. There will also be a consultation on bringing larger onshore wind projects into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime to allow for quicker decision-making. Meanwhile, local communities will continue to play an essential role and will be empowered to participate in decisions on local renewable energy infrastructure. “Lifting the onshore wind ban in England was long overdue and we’re delighted that Labour has made this one of its first priorities in office,” says Renewable UK’s chief executive Dan McGrail. “Public support for onshore wind remains sky-high throughout the UK at 78% according to the latest official polling, as billpayers know that new wind farms provide electricity at very low cost, as well as strengthening our energy security and tackling climate change.”


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Total electricity consumption fell in all local authorities between 2019 and 2022, according to the latest analysis by the New Economics Foundation. In individual areas, overall demand fell between 4 and 15%, with no immediate observable patterns between devolved regions. Reduction in gas consumption in some local authorities was even more considerable, ranging from 15 to 18% in the same period. In the last decade, the UK has made


significant strides in transitioning its electricity generation to renewable sources. The share of electricity generated from renewables has surged from 7.7% in 2010 to 43.4% in 2020. However, while renewable energy adoption has flourished, efforts to address the UK’s leaky building stock have faltered. The installation of insulation, crucial for improving energy efficiency and reducing energy bills, has collapsed by 95% since 2012. Average fuel prices remain 32% higher than before the energy crisis


began. Higher energy bills have also increased the depth of fuel poverty by 67% between 2020 and 2023. Those which have experienced the largest decreases in electricity consumption (Cannock Chase, Fareham, Havant, Rotherham, and Redditch) are drawn from all parts of the country. There seems to be little regional consistency, with best and worst performers sometimes adjoining each other. The Foundation concludes that: “if


we had spent the last decade insulating our draughty homes, the harmful


impacts of sky-high energy bills could have been alleviated.” It is urging new energy secretary Ed Miliband to “introduce a Great Homes Upgrade, using public investment and a national retrofit taskforce, to upgrade our homes to EPC C by 2030 so they stay warmer and don’t rely on expensive fossil fuels.” Subsequently, the Foundation’s chief


executive Miatta Fahnbulleh has been newly elected as MP for Peckham, and has already been appointed as an Energy Minister.


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roofs, ground level tree vegetation and air conditioning during the two hottest days of the summer of 2018. It found that if adopted widely throughout London, cool


roofs could reduce outdoor temperatures across the city on average about 1.2°C, and up to 2°C in some locations. Other systems, such as extensive street-level vegetation or solar panels would provide a smaller net cooling effect, only about 0.3°C on average across London, though they offer other environmental benefits. Similarly, while green roofs offer benefits like water


Study finds that white roofs cool urban landscapes


Painting roofs white or covering them with a reflective coating would be more effective at cooling cities like London than vegetation-covered ‘green roofs’, street-level vegetation or solar panels, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. Conversely, extensive use of air conditioning would warm the outside environment by as much as 1°C in London’s dense city centre, the researchers found. The research, published in Geophysical Research


Letters, used a three-dimensional urban climate model of Greater London to test the thermal effects of different passive and active urban heat management systems, including painted ‘cool roofs’, rooftop solar panels, green


drainage and wildlife habitats, their net cooling effect on the city was found to be negligible on average. Air conditioning, which transfers heat from within buildings to the outside, would warm the outdoor urban environment by about 0.15°C for the city overall, but by as much as 1°C in dense central London. The increase in the distribution of AC units in their model could be entirely powered by photovoltaic solar panels if they were similarly installed to their fullest extent. The study offered additional insights into urban heat management by comprehensively comparing several common passive and active heat mitigation actions. By reflecting rather than absorbing heat, cool roofs have the dual benefit of not only cooling the outside urban environment but the inside of buildings as well. Though on average the effect of green roofs was negligible, the researchers found that their effect on temperature varied significantly throughout the day. During the warmest times of day, the wide adoption of green roofs could lower urban temperatures by an average of 0.5°C. However, this would be offset overnight as the thermal mass from the roofs would retain daytime heat, releasing when the sun was down and increasing night- time temperatures by about the same amount.


EIBI | JULY / AUGUST 2024


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