NI Environment Minister Blocks Ad

The Northern Ireland Minister for the Environment Sammy Wilson has blocked proposals for an Act On CO2 advertising campaign in Northern Ireland which urges people to reduce their energy consumption and their CO2 emissions, citing them as "insidious propaganda campaign".

Mr Wilson said he had written to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to say that the advertising campaign Act on CO2 "was not welcome". He explained that he did not believe in its message that "man-made greenhouse gas emissions are the main cause of climate change" and that the campaign was contrary to his personal views. A belief which he greater explains on his personal website. This is not the first time a DUP member has had their personal beliefs subject their position in office to being fit for purpose. Further more in objecting to the advertisements it is against government, party and public lines, and detracts from the ultimate objective in reducing not only carbon emissions, but emissions of other harmful toxic chemicals. Which surely his tenure should consider a positive benefit to the environment. In addition, by creating his own separate approach and campaign, it also creates a different attitude in different areas of the United Kingdom which does nothing to support the view "together we can make a difference".

He continued on, "I do not wish for climate change messages to be promoted by other Whitehall departments here". This seems unintuitive as the advertising message was not promoted as affecting climate change, it also detracts from a centralised message and does nothing to promote the national campaign identity, the Act On CO2 brand.

In December 2008, he told the Belfast Telegraph while people in the western world were facing spiralling fuel bills as a result of efforts to cut CO2. Which is simply not true, the price of fuel bills are set in accordance with the demand and supply for that fuel. Efforts to cut CO2 other than direct Carbon Credits and ROC on energy generators and suppliers, would not increase this cost. There is also the positive benefits in investing into these technologies such as improved enviornmental conditions, positive health benefits and the other one he does seemed to have grasped is the financial benefits.

"He is a climate change sceptic. We have got to take all measures we can to reduce our carbon footprint. Mr Wilson does not agree with that. This is totally incompatible with him being minister for the environment."
Brian Wilson, Green Party

I would call on the DECC, EST and Carbon Trust, acting under the Act On CO2 brand to overrule or catagorically ignore the request the postcode blackout insisted by Sammy Wilson and publish the adverts, as denying the right to promote their campagin and views is clearly an authoritarian dictator style stance which simple does not allow a free choice. I believe the adverts would be welcomed by the majority of people in Northern Ireland. We should not be subject to the views of one because they believe they are correct and because it is contrary to his personal views. Next week will we see the minister marching Noel WIlliams, Head of EST in Northern Ireland out of his office because the view of his organisation isn't in keeping with the his personal views.

Failing to do so, I would be willing to partly fund or fully fund a 48 sheet ad of said ad in central Belfast, to make a stance on this issue, simply because my ramblings aren't enough.

"It's bad enough that we have an environment minister who doesn't accept that human activity is driving climate change, but trying to block advice to people on how they can help tackle it is completely irresponsible. The reality is that the overwhelming majority of climate scientists believe that our activities are causing global warming and that urgent action is needed to tackle it."
Friends of the Earth, Director for Northern Ireland, John Woods

DECC say their commitment to this campaign was guided by the "best science, the most up-to-date information and the evidence... the only way we can tackle it is by working together". Surely this is the reason that the DECC should simply publish. It's easier to get forgiveness than consent. Lord Stern of Brentford made headlines in 2006 with a report that said countries needed to spend 1% of their GDP to stop greenhouse gases rising to dangerous levels, now increased to 2%. Failure to do this would lead to damage costing much more, the report warned - at least 5% and perhaps more than 20% of global GDP. Surely inaction which the minister seems to promote is a greater evil than the positive benefits of action.

Envoy for Climate Change

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has chosen Todd Stern - who took part in the Kyoto Protocol negotiations on climate change from 1997 to 1999 - as her envoy for climate change, the state department said. Stern, who served under former President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001, will be the Obama administration's principal adviser on international climate policy and strategy as well as its chief climate negotiator.

After leaving the Government, Stern served as an Adjunct Lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and as a Resident Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

"Containing climate change will require nothing less than transforming the global economy from a high-carbon to a low-carbon energy base. But done right, this can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and become a driver for economic growth in the 21st Century."
Todd Stern, US Envoy for Climate Change

Articles by Todd Stern

• Capturing the Energy Opportunity: Creating a Low-Carbon Economy, November 27, 2007
• A Changing Climate: The Road Ahead for the United States, November 26, 2007
• A Missed Climate Opportunity, September 26, 2007
• Create an E8: Global Warming Requires Global Leadership, June 1, 2007
• Creating the E-8, June 1, 2007
• Global Warming Goes to the Movies, May 28, 2004

House Pass Economic Package

Following hot-on-the-heels of comments from Barack Obama that the US needed to become energy independent the US House has passed the proposed $819 billion economic package 244 votes to 188.

The bill would cut taxes for people and businesses by $275bn, while pumping more than $540bn into a range of initiatives including road and bridge repair, increased unemployment benefits, investment in new technology and renovations to 10,000 schools. But there is also an investment into some carbon reduction measures, including an $11bn cash injection to the creation of a Green Electricity Grid for the US to ensure that the promised doubling of renewable energy over the next three years, with the additional benefit of 460 000 jobs being created.

Measures in the bill to reduce foreign oil dependence include;

• Reverse US dependence on foreign energy
• Review of decision to block states from setting own emission targets
• Orders the transportation department to come up with new short-term rules on how carmakers can improve fuel efficiency
• Federal buildings to become more efficient
• Double 'green' energy from wind, sun and biofuels over next three years

President Obama also ordered the transportation department to come up with new short-term rules on how carmakers can improve fuel efficiency. A 2007 law required that new cars and trucks produced by 2020 obtain 35 miles per gallon of fuel. However, then-President George W Bush did not put in place the regulations to enable the law to be carried out. The new rules Mr Obama wants to put in place would mean the new standard is reached by 2011. This introduction of a 40% improvement in energy efficiency would see a reduction in oil use of 2m barrels a day, almost equivalent to imports from the persian gulf.

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Picture: Polar Bears on the Thames

A sculpture of polar bears floats down the Thames, past the Houses of Parliament, in London, as part of a promotion for natural history TV channel Eden and to remind MPs of global warming.

Interest Free Loans For a Low Carbon Economy

The government should offer loans to help homes reduce their energy bills and boost their home's efficiency, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).

According to the LGA, there are ten million homes that do not have adequate insulation, a fact which contributes to their carbon emissions and could keep them in fuel poverty. If all these homes were insulated fully the UK could reduce its carbon footprint by up to 12m tonnes, and shave over £1bil off our annual fuel bills.

In anticipation of the LGA's climate change conference next week, chief executive Paul Bettison called on the government to "give councils more powers to unlock the job-creating potential of the low-carbon economy" as they predict in the "Creating green jobs: developing low-carbon economies" publication that investment in this area could create 150 000 jobs in the current economic downturn.

"We want the government to introduce a national loans fund to allow residents to invest in solid-wall insulation – where they have an older home – and install other measures such as solar power."
Paul Bettison, Chief Executive, Local Government Association (LGA)

Last year Gordon Brown launched a plan to offer all homes free or low cost insulation. Grants are also available to households through the Low Carbon Building Phase I scheme.

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Downturn No Reason to Stop Climate Change Fight

World leaders must not let the economic downturn get in the way of the fight against climate change, Tony Blair told an energy conference. The former prime minister stressed the importance of acting now and said that a new global agreement was necessary.

"It is now, right now, at the instant when our thoughts are centred on the economic challenge that we must not set to one side the challenge of global warming, but instead resolve to meet it and put the world on a path to sustainable growth for the future."
Tony Blair, Former British Prime Minister

Mr Blair, who said the downturn should not be seen as an obstacle but an opportunity to combat climate change, also set out the terms of a new global agreement. He said interim targets were needed, obligations had to be shared fairly and that people should be ready to make practical simple steps instead of just technological advances.

Energy efficiency, he said could account for a quarter of the reductions necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change. The energy efficiency of existing houses has been highlighted by the Committee on Climate change as something that needs to be improved.

Insulation, double glazing, microgeneration and water saving are among the measures that can help homes become more energy efficient.

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Boris Tests the Telsa

London mayor Boris Johnson has test driven the Tesla Roadster, an all-electric sport car, as part of the Intelligence Squared Green Festival on Climate Change 2009, which runs from 25 January 2009 at the Royal Geographical Society, London.

Mr Johnson, a recent convert to the environmental cause, has said in the past that his next car will be an electric vehicle and made demands of the auto manufacturer.

He said: "What I really want is a people carrier."

The chance to drive the car, which overcomes the accusation that electric cars are boring with its Lotus-inspired design, was given to the mayor by the Intelligence Squared Green Festival.

Four visitors to the festival will also get a chance to hop in the vehicle.

Tesla motors recently introduced the Roadster Sport, which it claims accelerates from nought to 60 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds compared to 3.9 seconds for the model Mr Johnson drove.

The mayor's green transport record has been questioned in the past after funding for bicycle lanes was reduced and he scrapped the western congestion charge zone.

Electric car manufacturer, Telsa, first produced their Roadster model, a historic car as the world’s first fully electric sports car with a Lotus-related design, running from 0 to 60 in less than four seconds, burning no oil and recharging its battery with a 13 amp plug. The car will go on the market in the UK in May 2009 priced at £92,000.

To be in with a chance to test drive the Tesla Roadster, enter the prize draw by booking a ticket.

Tickets for individual sessions cost £10.00 or £15.00 or you can buy a day pass for £50. Tickets for young people aged 18 and under are 75 per cent off, for students, 50 per cent off.

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Government U-Turn on Aviation and Shipping Emissions

The Government has made a U-Turn on the exclusion of aviation and shipping carbon emissions after 50 Labour MPs pressed for the sectors to be included in the Climate Change Bill, which sets a target to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, which was announced earlier this month.

The government agreed to redraft its bill, which was given a third reading by 463 votes to three - a majority of 460 - in the Commons. It accepted an amendment requiring ministers to take into account projected emissions from the sectors when setting future budgets that will cap emissions.

The government has resisted calls in the past to include aviation and shipping, saying it would be nearly impossible to allocate responsibility for international emissions to individual countries.

The government's advisory committee on climate change, headed by Lord Turner, recommended last month that the sectors must figure in climate change targets while arguing that they would not be able to meet the 80% target by 2050.

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Green Jobs Boom

A new, landmark study on the impact of an emerging global "green economy" on the world of work says efforts to tackle climate change could result in the creation of millions of new "green jobs" in the coming decades.

The new report entitled Green Jobs: Towards Decent work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World, says changing patterns of employment and investment resulting from efforts to reduce climate change and its effects are already generating new jobs in many sectors and economies, and could create millions more in both developed and developing countries.

However, the report also finds that the process of climate change, already underway, will continue to have negative effects on workers and their families, especially those whose livelihoods depend on agriculture and tourism. Action to tackle climate change as well as to cope with its effects is therefore urgent and should be designed to generate decent jobs.

Though the report is generally optimistic about the creation of new jobs to address climate change, it also warns that many of these new jobs can be "dirty, dangerous and difficult". Sectors of concern, especially but not exclusively in developing economies, include agriculture and recycling where all too often low pay, insecure employment contracts and exposure to health hazardous materials needs to change fast.

What's more, it says too few green jobs are being created for the most vulnerable: the 1.3 billion working poor (43 per cent of the global workforce) in the world with earnings too low to lift them and their dependants above the poverty threshold of US$2 per person, per day, or for the estimated 500 million youth who will be seeking work over the next 10 years.

Green jobs reduce the environmental impact of enterprises and economic sectors, ultimately to levels that are sustainable. The report focuses on "green jobs" in agriculture, industry, services and administration that contribute to preserving or restoring the quality of the environment. It also calls for measures to ensure that they constitute "decent work" that helps reduce poverty while protecting the environment.

The report says that climate change itself, adaptation to it and efforts to arrest it by reducing emissions have far-reaching implications for economic and social development, for production and consumption patterns and thus for employment, incomes and poverty reduction. These implications harbour both major risks and opportunities for working people in all countries, but particularly for the most vulnerable in the least developed countries and in small island States.

The report calls for "just transitions" for those affected by transformation to a green economy and for those who must also adapt to climate change with access to alternative economic and employment opportunities for enterprises and workers. According to the report, meaningful social dialogue between government, workers and employers will be essential not only to ease tensions and support better informed and more coherent environmental, economic and social policies, but for all social partners to be involved in the development of such policies.

Among other key findings in the report:

• The global market for environmental products and services is projected to double from US$1,370 billion (1.37 trillion) per year at present to US$2,740 billion (2.74 trillion) by 2020, according to a study cited in the report.
  
  
• Half of this market is in energy efficiency and the balance in sustainable transport, water supply, sanitation and waste management. In Germany for example, environmental technology is to grow fourfold to 16 per cent of industrial output by 2030, with employment in this sector surpassing that in the country's big machine tool and automotive industries.
  
  
• Sectors that will be particularly important in terms of their environmental, economic and employment impact are energy supply, in particular renewable energy, buildings and construction, transportation,basic industries, agriculture and forestry.
  
  
• Clean technologies are already the third largest sector for venture capital after information and biotechnology in the United States, while green venture capital in China more than doubled to 19 per cent of total investment in recent years.
  
  
• 2.3 million people have in recent years found new jobs in the renewable energy sector alone, and the potential for job growth in the sector is huge. Employment in alternative energies may rise to 2.1 million in wind and 6.3 million in solar power by 2030.
  
  
• Renewable energy generates more jobs than employment in fossil fuels. Projected investments of US$630 billion by 2030 would translate into at least 20 million additional jobs in the renewable energy sector.
  
  
• In agriculture, 12 million could be employed in biomass for energy and related industries. In a country like Venezuela, an ethanol blend of 10 per cent in fuels might provide one million jobs in the sugar cane sector by 2012.
  
  
• A worldwide transition to energy-efficient buildings would create millions of jobs, as well as "greening" existing employment for many of the estimated 111 million people already working in the construction sector.
  
  
• Investments in improved energy efficiency in buildings could generate an additional 2-3.5 million green jobs in Europe and the United States alone, with the potential much higher in developing countries.
  
  
• Recycling and waste management employs an estimated 10 million in China and 500,000 in Brazil today. This sector is expected to grow rapidly in many countries in the face of escalating commodity prices.

The report provides examples of massive green jobs creation, throughout the world, such as: 600,000 people in China who are already employed in solar thermal making and installing products such as solar water heaters; in Nigeria, a bio fuels industry based on cassava and sugar cane crops might sustain an industry employing 200,000 people; India could generate 900,000 jobs by 2025 in biomass gasification of which 300,000 would be in the manufacturing of stoves and 600,000 in areas such as processing into briquettes and pellets and the fuel supply chain; and in South Africa, 25,000 previously unemployed people are now employed in conservation as part of the 'Working for Water' initiative.

"A sustainable economy can no longer externalize environmental and social costs. The price society pays for the consequences of pollution or ill health for example, must be reflected in the prices paid in the marketplace. Green jobs therefore need to be decent work"
Green Jobs: Towards Decent work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World

The report recommends a number of pathways to a more sustainable future directing investment to low-cost measures that should be taken immediately including: assessing the potential for green jobs and monitoring progress to provide a framework for policy and investment; addressing the current skills bottleneck by meeting skill requirements because available technology and resources for investments can only be deployed effectively with qualified entrepreneurs and skilled workers; and ensuring individual enterprises' and economic sectors' contribution to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases with labour-management initiatives to green workplaces.



The report finds that green markets have thrived and transformation has advanced most where there has been strong and consistent political support at the highest level, including targets, penalties and incentives such as feed-in laws and efficiency standards for buildings and appliances as well as proactive research and development.

The report says that delivery of a deep and decisive new climate agreement when countries meet for the crucial UN climate convention meeting in Copenhagen in late 2009 will be vital for accelerating green job growth.

The report was funded and commissioned by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) under a joint Green Jobs Initiative with the International Labour Office (ILO), and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the International Organization of Employers (IOE), which together represent millions of workers and employers worldwide. It was produced by the Worldwatch Institute, with technical assistance from the Cornell University Global Labour Institute.


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Bulb Ban = Bulb Hoarders

It may seem irrational to us all that in times when energy costs are going up, some individuals would be wanting to keep their incandescents, but in the run up to the voluntary January 2009 bulb ban (which will see 150W and 100W bulbs removed from all major retailers with all incandescents removed by 2011).

There are good reasons why a ban on incandescents are a good thing, both environmentally and politically. Lighting accounts for anywhere from 8 - 19% of our total energy use, and it is expected that the ban will reduce our energy consumption annually by 5.5%, or 9200GWh, in the process reducing CO2 emissions by 5m tonnes, the equivalent of the expected CO2 saving of the Severn barrage. This also begs the question, why build a £10 billion super structure when in reality all you have to do is ban a bulb, costing a few million pounds, with the same positive outcome. Obviously the barrage can still come along later to reduce emissions even further, provide clean energy and help the government meet renewable energy targets.

Reducing the amount of electricity used in real terms through measures like this also reduce the demand on energy, and the materials used to provide that energy, which also reduces the end cost to the consumer across all major fuel sources. By reducing the total energy used nationwide, you also have a higher output in percentage terms from your renewable energy sources, without having to install further capacity.

But why did the government choose not to go for an all out ban, like Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the US. This would have made it illegal to obtain the bulbs even from specialist retailers, however how could this be punished under law, it may make an interesting court case followed by the media, and the crime, threatening national energy security .. maybe. But by default with so many countries implementing a ban, manufactures stop production, importation of bulbs in quantity from Asia regions grind to a halt, introducing new smaller supply changes, thus increasing the cost of bulbs, it is likely however to increase the price of the standard bulb dramatically. Already both the 150W and 100W bulbs are a hard to find item at your local supermarket as supplies dry up.

Hence why some people have turned to stockpiling incandescent bulbs, concerns seem to be more aesthetic than safety-conscious.

"It's a bad idea. They're not only bad for the climate but mean a bigger electricity bill. Incandescent light bulbs were invented in the 1880s and use 80% more electricity than energy saving ones. The time has come to move into the 21st Century."
Ben Stewart, Greenpeace

On 16 & 17 April 2008, the Energy Saving Trust carried out a lightbulb ‘Pepsi’ challenge at Bluewater Shopping Centre to see if the public could tell the difference between traditional and Energy Saving Recommended lightbulbs.

For the experiment two identical booths were specially built each with a lounge – one lit with a traditional light bulb and one lit with an energy saving one.



Members of the public were then asked to enter each of the booths for ten seconds and say whether they could tell which one contained the energy saving lightbulb, and which one they preferred.

Out of 761 shoppers, 53 per cent either got it wrong or could not spot the difference, despite 70 per cent of shoppers being confident that they would be able to spot the energy efficient lightbulb before they did the test. The shoppers were not told whether they had guessed right, but 64 per cent of people claimed to prefer the light produced by the energy efficient light bulb.

"I think the results are extremely encouraging and go to show just how much the quality of light from energy efficient lightbulbs has improved since they were first introduced. Not only that, but there are now a far wider range of energy efficient bulbs available, including dimmers. The days of bulky, ugly looking energy efficient bulbs, which gave poor light quality are long gone. Clearly, the public have had their own ‘lightbulb’ moment too, with sales of energy efficient lightbulbs jumping from 10 million in 2006 to 21 million in 2007."
Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive, Energy Saving Trust

Maybe the solution is bulb amnesties in the streets of Britain where you can get rid of your old 100W bulbs in exchange for a free energy saving bulb, that way the county would be rid of those high wattage bulbs, from of course the people willing to give them up.


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Google & GE - A Powerful Voice

Yesterday Google and General Electric (GE), announced plans to join together to develop a "smart" electric power grid, promote clean energy and lobby Washington and persuade politicians to push for major policy changes in energy.

The pairing is the strongest business alliance in support of the renewable energy sector, Google is involved in geothermal, solar and wind-generated electricity, and GE is now one of the biggest players in the wind power industry, developing hybrid locomotives, water reuse solutions and photovoltaic cells.

"There is no such thing as a perfect free market. It is a market that needs a little catalyst from the government and then I think the entrepreneurial dollars will flow to that."
Jeff Immelt, CEO, GE

The benefits of renewable electricity can not be fully realised without updating US power transmission lines into a "smart grid" that lets people track and control what types of power they use and when, both Google and GE believe that they can contribute to implementing this grid.


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Brown to Announce Energy Efficiency Package Today

Today will see the announcement from the government on how they intend to alleviate households from the dramatic increases over the past 12 months. After they ruled out a windfall for seven million families last week, in favour of energy efficient measures, the government will try to ensure that those that are worst off benefit from these measures, which in some cases could see them receiving more in savings than just the £150 handout they would have received otherwise.

We will post the latest developments from the announcement as it happens later today.


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Is The Government Right to Scrap the One-Off Winter Fuel Payment?

The government today announced that it would not be providing the much anticipated "Fuel Payment Plan" of £150 to seven million households, which was originally announced in the media last month after it was leaked by a senior civil servant travelling on a train. Is this the right decision?

Our homes consume energy, copious amounts of it. 83% of domestic energy is used for space and water heating, and in the huge majority of homes this is done in an inefficient way. One-off payments purely provide assistance in the short-term, delaying the issue and exacerbating the situation further. In addition by providing a "subsidised" fuel, encourages the user to continue to use energy in an inordinate way, becoming reliant on benefits to subsidise their existence. Reduction of consumption has not be ingrained into the mindset of the individual, increased consumption, increased demand, and whilst on a global scale, relatively minor, increased prices, inevitably leading to further hardship.

By focusing on reducing energy consumption, via energy efficient technologies such as cavity wall insulation and loft insulation, this assists with the core aims of a reducing dependency of fossil fuels and lowering CO2 emissions. It is an investment for the future and progresses the nation towards a low carbon economy. It alleviates the burden on the tax payer, freeing up future revenue to be invested in further projects. By empowering individual awareness of the environmental and economic benefits of reducing their consumption, this kick-starts a revolution of energy savers.

According to Uswitch, this year the average annual household bill will be £1,467, up 61% on last year. As a whole, this equates to an annual spend for domestic households of £31bil annually, of a total UK consumption expected to exceed £200bil (three times the level of 1998). If all households that could install the two measures mentioned above did so, with the help of government grants or assistance, we could reduce UK energy use in monetary terms by 0.88% per annum, and reduce UK CO2 emissions by approximately 8.4m tonnes.

Political benefits from energy efficiency in the long-term oppose to "short-term gimmicks", reduced reliance on imported 'old sun' energy, sustained decreased in energy consumption, reduced CO2 emmissions from point of implementation year-on-year, improved air quality and decrease in associated illnesses.

Whilst I believe the that the government has made the right decision, those that will suffer from this announcement, are those most in need of support, however there is genuine help available to those who are fuel poor, individuals on certain benefits, and even for those that are not.

Specific advice is available, you can contact the Energy Saving Trust or, if you contact us via email, with information about your current energy use, type of housing, installed heating methods, your location, energy supplier details. We will try to find the best solution to reduce your energy bills right now for free, through grants, support and practical advice.

Further information on how you can reduce your energy consumption this winter is available on our Winter Energy Saving Ideas page.


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Give Me an "F" For Failing Government Department

If you are the government department tasked with reducing public buildings' carbon emissions, you would want to make sure when you implemented Display Energy Certificates for all government buildings, that your building was, well efficient.

However, Eland House, the headquarters of the Communities and Local Government, who is tasked to do just that has been handed a quite poor 'F' rating, which was only the second worst rating it could have received.

Eland House was designed by EPR Architects and built by Mowlem for Land Securities, and completed in 1998. The steel and glass structure in London is 59 m (152 ft) high, with 11 floors providing 35,000 m² (376,250 sq ft) of office space housing 2,500 staff. It incorporates a number of environmental features including a cogeneration plant and active solar panels.

Energy assessors visited the building ahead of the October introduction of regulations requiring public buildings to display evidence of their energy performance. Buildings which are frequently visited by the public, whether wholly or only partly publicly owned, and are larger than 1,000 metres squared, must prominently display their energy rating.

"Our rating for Eland House tells us we must clearly do better to make a difference to our energy performance. We are now acting on recommendation from our advisory report to help us improve future ratings."
Communities and Local Government

Officials from the departments excuse was poor heating and ventilation and heating systems, as well as higher occupancy than expected affected the building's energy performance. It's a shame when an organisation that should be taking a lead in reducing its own carbon emissions, doesn't practice what they preach, certainly this will leave some senior civil servants red faced. Lets hope that their next rating will show considerable improvement.

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What Does a Display Energy Certificate Look Like?

Click on images for a more detailed view.



A This provides information about the building that the DEC applies to.

B Every DEC has a unique number. This number can be used to locate and get a copy of the certificate from the national register and to verify the validity of a DEC.

C The energy used by the building is converted into an amount of carbon dioxide (CO2). Different types of fuel emit different amounts of CO2. This shows how the energy use has changed over the last three years. The smaller the bar, the better the performance. This building has improved its performance over the last three years. Below the zero line show CO2 savings from Low and Zero Carbon energy sources. The benchmark is the average energy performance for a building of this type. A number below the line indicates the building is below average energy performance. A number above the line indicates the building is above average performance.

D This section of the DEC shows Operational Ratings from previous years. This building has improved its Operational Rating i.e. is using less energy and emitting less CO2 than in previous reports.

E This shows key information about how the certificate was prepared.

• Assessment software
  This shows which energy assessment method was used to produce the certificate.
• Property reference
  This is a unique reference number which identifies the building.
• Assessor Name and Number Accreditation scheme
  This identifies the assessor who produced the certificate with details of their accreditation scheme and their membership number.
• Issue and nominated date
  This shows the date of issues of the certificate and the date from which the DEC is valid (i.e. the nominated date).

F This provides technical information about energy use. Further details are available in a full technical table.

G This shows the relevant elements of technical information used to produce the certificate.

• Main Heating Fuel
  This indicates the main type of fuel used to heat the building.
• Building Environment
  This indicates how the internal environment of the building is conditioned.
• Total useful floor area
  This is the total area of all enclosed spaces measured to the internal face of the external walls (in accordance with the definition in the Building Regulations).
• Asset Rating: The asset rating of a building reflects the energy performance of that building in terms of the way it is built rather than the way it is used (standard use is assumed). It will appear here if the building has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Asset ratings are on a scale of 0-150, where 0 is the most energy efficient building and 150 is the least energy efficient building.

H This is the Operational Rating for this building. The rating shows the energy performance of the building as it is being used by the occupants. A building with performance equal to one typical of its type would therefore have an Operational Rating of 100. A building that resulted in zero CO2 emissions would have an OR of zero, and a building that resulted in twice the typical CO2 emissions would have an OR of 200. This rating indicates the building is being operated below average performance for a building of this type.



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Picture: Shut Down Kingsnorth

Protesters at the Climate Camp in Kingsnorth, Kent may have began leaving. About 1,500 people were stationed at the site, which is about two miles from the power plant on the Hoo peninsula, for the last week. 50 Activists were arrested on Saturday by police as they tried to breach the complex. The police operation on the site for one week is believed to have exceeded several million pounds.

The current Kingsnorth power station is due to close in 2015 and E.On wants to replace it with two new coal units, which it claims will be 20% cleaner, but still 80% dirty. Its proposals, which would see the first new coal-fired power plant being built in the UK for 24 years, have already been approved by Medway Council but the government will make the final decision about the project.

Activists have vowed to return to the power plant if the decision is approved.

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Picture: In the Climate Camp

A young protester in Kingsnorth, Kent looks on as people prevent police from entering a camp set up as part of a climate change demonstration against a new coal-fired power plant.

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I like it when the government give ultimatiums and idle threats, usually then to forget about them by the deadline or go back on what they originally wanted to achieve in the first place. It doesn't fill me full of confidence really, as this is not the first time that the government has asked the big four (supermarkets, that is) to reduce the number of plastic carrier bags they give to customers by 70 per cent by next spring. The Government has warned stores that a failure to do so voluntarily will trigger a change in the law to put an end to the distribution of free throwaway bags.

'When we met retailers recently, we told them we thought a reduction of 70 per cent would be a ball-park figure. That is the order of reduction. If the reduction can be achieved voluntarily, then excellent. If it can't, we will impose charges. We know that is what the public wants.'
Joan Ruddock, Environment Minister

The target was revealed by Environment minister Joan Ruddock yesterday at a press conference with the Waste and Resources Action Programme, which is funded by the Government to tackle waste, to highlight how stores and manufacturers are tackling excess packaging.

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A man pushes his scooter next to French truckers in Toulouse, southern France, as they block long-haul traffic in protest over soaring fuel prices.