Section: Heating & Energy Efficiency
New Green Strategy for Britain's Homes
New plans set out by the Government aim to see a green transformation of Britain's homes over the next decade - making them more comfortable, warmer and cheaper to run.
With around one quarter of UK emissions coming from energy used in homes, the Warm Homes, Greener Homes Strategy targets cutting emissions from UK homes by 29% by 2020.
The new strategy will help people make smarter use of energy in homes, making it easier to take action and reduce bills. Installing some technologies, such as solid wall insulation, could see energy bills cut by £380 a year.
The strategy will be implemented in a three stage plan:
- To insulate 6 million homes by the end of 2011.
- To have insulated all practical lofts and cavity walls by 2015.
- To have offered up to 7 million eco upgrades by 2020. It is also intended that all homes will have smart meters.
The following summarises the main elements of the Warm Homes, Greener Homes Strategy.
Action to dismantle the financial barriers to energy efficiency.
- Legislating to allow new 'pay as you save' green loans to be tied to the property, which will avoid the up-front cost of eco upgrades.
- Help those in private rented accommodation whose landlords have little incentive to take action and who endure poorly insulated and cold accommodation.
New local approach
- Energy companies and local authorities teaming up to make homes more energy efficient - with energy companies required to help householders become more energy efficient. The new local partnership approach will take over from 2013, once the current Carbon Emissions Reduction Target ends.
- Building on the Local Carbon Framework pilots announced in December, which are a new approach for local authorities to set targets and put in place plans to reduce carbon emissions.
Help to those who need it most
- Direct help to those that need it most with energy companies targeting work towards lower income groups.
- A new 'Warm Homes' standard for social housing will see all social tenants receive free energy upgrades for their homes from energy companies, including fitted smart meters, leading to savings of up to £300 a year on bills.
- Consult on setting minimum energy efficiency standards for rented property to help tenants left in poorly insulated, cold and energy wasting properties - and ensuring standards are met before they are rented out.
Better information and standards for consumers
- One stop shop energy helpline for people to access trust-worthy information about how to benefit from energy efficiency measures.
- New set of standards for workmanship and products to protect consumers from the threat of cowboy eco-builders and dodgy products.
- A new network of eco show homes to demonstrate the range of money saving and money generating technology available.
- Proposals to overhaul the scope of Energy Performance Certificates, to give householders a better understanding of what they can do to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, including an online modelling system so homeowners can do a virtual green makeover before taking action.
New Homes Energy Bills Just £2 Per Week
Glasgow Housing Association's (GHA) plans for an energy-efficient home which costs just £100 a year for heating and hot water have taken a step forward.
GHA has teamed up with architects PRP and City Building to build four prototype houses which feature high standards of insulation, coupled with low energy running costs and simple technology.
A typical 3-bedroom home would usually cost around £1,100 per year to heat. With the target of heating and hot water bills in the GHA prototype houses coming to just £2 a week, the homes will tackle fuel poverty head-on and play a key role in reducing impact on the environment.
The four 3-bedroom, semi-detached houses - which have become known as 'The Glasgow House' - are currently under construction at City Building's Skills Academy in Laurieston, Glasgow. They will be completed in May. Once the houses are fully tested, it is planned that more will be built for GHA tenants.
Similar in appearance and performance, the two blocks of semi-detached homes are built in alternative forms of wall construction.
House Type 1 has a thin bed insulating hollow clay block construction with external wall insulation and render finish. House Type 2 comprises a highly-insulated, locally-sourced timber frame with pre-manufactured floor and roof cassettes, with external walls in facing brick.
Key features contributing to the low energy bills include:
- High levels of insulation in both forms of construction.
- Windows and sun rooms to suit orientation to capture the energy of the sun, with details to avoid overheating.
- Simple forms of construction for ease of construction and to minimise heat loss and use of energy.
- Off-site prefabricated roof and floor panels to speed up construction.
- Locally-sourced or assembled materials including windows, pre-manufactured floor and roof cassettes.
- Usable insulated roof space to provide room in the attic at minimum cost.
- Efficient heating system and user-friendly controls.
- Solar thermal panels on the roof to contribute to water heating.
- Educating residents on how best to benefit from special features of their homes.
