Archives

The commitment to cut greenhouse-gas emissions in the United Kingdom is being demonstrated by the government's promotion to improve energy efficiency that encourages everyone to "do their bit".

Funding has been provided for the campaign to assist people to take simple, everyday actions to help protect their local and global environment.

Individuals, residential building providers and electricity and gas suppliers have been targeted with funding to campaign and for improving energy use.

Energy Minister Lord Whitty, at the launch of the Are You Doing Your Bit campaign, said: "It is important that we all do our bit. Small actions that we can all do at home really can make a difference, whether it's turning off unnecessary lights or using a water butt in the garden."

Funding of 25 million pounds sterling over the next three years has been provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that will support and advise people. The program reinforces and complements the continual environmental messages and activities of the Energy Saving Trust, Going for Green, and other partner organisations, local authorities and business.

The key messages focus on four areas: showing how individuals can reduce local pollution by changing their travel habits, fight global warming by using energy efficiently, conserve water and reduce waste.

Electricity and gas suppliers are also being asked to meet challenging new energy savings targets and improve domestic energy efficiency under proposals published in August for new Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) 2002-2005.

Under the scheme they will be required to achieve targets for the promotion of improvements in energy efficiency, through energy savings by consumers in areas such as loft insulation, installation of energy-efficient boilers, appliances or light-bulbs.

The campaign is expected to help cut greenhouse gas emission by about 0.4 million tonnes of carbon a year.

The overall target is to achieve a significant contribution to the UK's legally binding target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 per cent below 1990 levels by 2008-12 and its cosmetic goal to cut emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2010.

One company whose activities probably epitomises the government's objectives in one neat package is Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) which is building 82 homes in Sutton, suburban London, and could claim to be the most environmentally friendly neighbourhood in the country.

The community being developed by the Peabody Trust, one of London's largest housing associations and regeneration agencies, has been designed with emphasis on energy efficiency.

The Trust says: "Every single aspect of BedZED has been developed to conserve finite natural resources and to have minimal impact on the environment.

But the scheme does not rely on complicated technology. Instead, it puts into practice the latest thinking on protecting the environment, bringing together in one project many ideas tried out on a small scale elsewhere".

BedZED is turning a former sewage works into a community of 82 homes comprising one-to-four-bedroom flats and houses for sale and rent. "It is anticipated that construction will be completed in May 2002 but the first occupants should move in by next November," said Adrian Pancucci, of the communications department of the Trust.

The buildings have been designed to conserve energy. This means that they will not use more energy than they produce. A mix of low and high-tech construction measures have been taken to achieve this.

The homes face south where they can make maximum use of solar energy. All buildings are fitted with photovoltaic (solar) panels which convert the Sun's energy into electricity and have been part funded by the European Union Thermie grant. This electricity will be used to power recharging points for electric vehicles.

Heat loss from the buildings is drastically reduced by an overcoat of super-insulation to the roofs, walls and floors, so that heat from sunshine, lights, appliances, hot water and everyday activities such as cooking keep the homes cosy and warm.

The windows are triple-glazed and timber frames further reduce heat loss. Well-sealed windows and doors, and the concrete construction stop the heat from leaking out. A heat exchanger in the wind-driven ventilation system recovers between 50 and 70 per cent of the warmth from the outgoing stale air.

It is estimated that the use of less energy will see a 60 per cent reduction in total energy demand and a 90 per cent reduction in heat demand by residents, compared with a typical suburban home.

All BedZED's heat and electricity can come from a combined heat and power unit fuelled by waste timber from local tree surgery. This has two environmental benefits: it is a biomass fuel, which means no net carbon emissions, and the tree waste would normally be dumped in landfill sites, already under pressure from large cities and towns.

The installation of water-efficient appliances, dual-flush toilets, using lower-volume baths and fitting taps with water-saving flow restrictures, will help residents save an estimated 55,500 litres of water per household per year.

Residents are encouraged to make the most of rainwater stored in large tanks. The recycling of this rainwater, it is predicted, could meet about 18 per cent of the community's water needs.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager