- CIH Scotland calls for more ambitious approach to improving energy efficiency and tackling fuel poverty
- Innovative technology enables more homes to connect to Nottingham's District Heating Network
- Failure to reform the government's policies will leave the fuel poor out in the cold until the end of the century
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Posted 16.07.18
Nottingham City Homes: Article link
Nottingham City Council is working with Nottingham City Homes to connect four low-rise apartment blocks in Sneinton to the District Heating network.
As part of the City's ongoing 'Greener HousiNG' programme, 94 households will be receiving energy efficiency measures - including a connection to the energy-from-waste, low carbon, heat network.
Other measures include external wall insulation, new roof with solar system, battery storage, new A-rated windows and doors plus internal improvements to make living spaces larger and turning bedsits into one-bedroom flats.
In a bid to future proof the network, part of the works will be to pilot the concept of low temperature district heating which could enable Nottingham to roll out this low carbon energy source to many more domestic properties in the future, at a much lower cost.
The network operates by distributing hot water over an extensive pipe network; this pilot will enable the pilot homes to operate with a much lower temperature without any drop in heating and hot water performance for the households.
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Posted 05.07.18
IPPR: Article link
New analysis of government figures shows that the government will dramatically miss its target, set out in its 2015 Fuel Poverty Strategy, of ensuring fuel poor homes are upgraded to an energy efficiency rating (EPC) of C by 2030.
Recent government figures show that the 2.55 million households that live in fuel poverty in England face an average fuel poverty gap (the amount by which a fuel-poor household's energy bills exceed reasonable costs each year) of £326.
This gap is considerably larger for households which live in the most energy inefficient homes (with Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) of G) at £1,482.
Based on the current pace of deployment of energy efficiency measures under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, the government will not meet its target for upgrading fuel poor homes until 2091 at the earliest.
The report by IPPR, the progressive policy think tank, calls for fundamental reform of the government's scheme to tackle fuel poverty as the analysis shows the pace of progress is far too slow.
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Updated 27.07.18
