He says that over the coming years we may see more of the current predicament. There are going to be  similar extremes of weather as climate changes takes over.

Talking to the All Party Parliamentary Water Group which is monitoring the implications of the Water Act, Lord Smith underlined the ‘precarious state of our water resources’.

He pointed out that in addition to climate change the rapid growth in population was a major contributor to water availability, particularly in water stressed areas. We had to work better to make the best of the difficult circumstances.

Having a ‘national grid’ for water was not a ‘sensible way forward’. It was far better for water companies to work more closely together and shift water between themselves.

He made the point that greater home water metering would raise people’s awareness of the amount of water they were using and current demand of around 160litres per person per day, was not acceptable! There had to be a dramatic change in people’s behaviour in this respect.

He also considered it would be a significant move forward for builders of new homes to automatically install grey water systems as part of their new developments. Possibly the public sector could take the initiative in this important arena.

NB: The Bathroom Manufacturers Association has initiated the important water labeling system which highlights all the products such as taps, showers, baths, basins and so on, which have been specially designed and manufactured to help conserve water. Water conservation is the important subject of the National Home Improvement Council’s Parliamentary Lunch on Monday 25^th June 2012.

More information: andrew@nhic.org.uk

To help get the government’s Green Deal get ‘off the ground’ a special All Party Parliamentary Group has just been launched, with only five months to go before the initiative’s proposed October launch?

But better late than never, this APPG aims to provide some ‘friendly advice’ to Greg Barker, Minister for Energy & Climate and the DECC and suggest the best ways to make the initiative work in practice!

The inaugural meeting included around 50 spokespersons from a wide cross section of interests including suppliers, product manufacturers, builders, local authorities, housing associations and representative industry organisations.

A full list of those present will be made available shortly. It is hoped that at the next meeting, on Thursday 12 June, several homeowners and tenants, will also be present to provide their views and interpretations of the proposed Green Deal. But will there be an private landlords?

Most of the Group’s information may find its way to the DECC where, hopefully,  it will be absorbed, disseminated and activated!

The meeting highlighted many salient features that have already been broached including raising awareness of Green Deal, which seems to be sadly lacking at the present time!

This inaugural meeting was co-chaired by Laura Sandys MP and  Paul Medlicott, senior associate at CarbonQuarter. Peter Hayes heads up the secretariat at CarbonQuarter, which is administering the Group’s findings and activities.  Also present were Luciana Berger, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, plus Lord Whitty, Lord Tyler and Lord Best. Simon Wright MP is the Group’s secretary.

National Home Improvement Council (NHIC) members are welcome to attend future APPG Green Deal meetings and further information is available from andrew@nhic.org.uk

In the meantime, the NHIC continues work closely involved through its president The Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP, with the Green Deal SME/Provider Group Forum suggested by Mr Barker at a special meeting.

Green Deal really is a major, complex initiative with numerous twists and turns that demand very careful consideration. Indeed, it’s indicative that in Australia a similar scheme was ‘pulled off line’, because it was difficult to comprehend!

Chargemaster Plc, lunched its POLAR network of charging points in Oxford and, in conjunction with Hertz On Demand, there is an electric car sharing club to help attract the everyday use of ultra-low carbon vehicles.

Ten electric Nissan LEAFs are available to book any day online from www.hertzlondemand.co.uk for rental by the hour, day or week and will be situated in university campuses, street locations, local car parks, major employers’ car parks and other strategic locations across the city and surrounding areas.

There are plans to install a further 50 or more charging points in Oxford over the next 12 months including a number of rapid charging units which do the job in around 20 minutes!

A further 100 charging points are available within 40 minutes’ drive from Oxford and all these points will be accessible to Oxford EV motorists at such locations as Silverstone race circuit, the Oxford Belfry hotel, Cheltenham and Warwick race courses and regional shopping centres, like Milton Keynes and Bicester village.

The people of Oxford will have access to one charging post per 2500 residents, overtaking the likes of Amsterdam and Paris to claim the title of the electric vehicle capital of Europe.

In the next 18 months it is predicted that 29 new models of plug-in cars and light vans will be launched in the UK market by manufacturers including BMW, Volvo, Nissan, Renault, Ford and Vauxhall. It is widely expected that up to one car in ten sold in the UK by 2020 will be electric or plug in hybrid.

Oxford is part of a motoring revolution which has seen more than 5,000 charging points in put in place across the country, thanks to significant government investment and forward-looking companies like Chargemaster and Hertz.

More information: www.chargemasterplc.com

His research claims to inspire policy-makers to overcome the huge challenges to make all kinds of carbon zero homes and ultimately more cost effective.

His call for action coincides with the publication of his latest research in a book entitled: Designing Zero Carbon Buildings Using Dynamic Simulation Methods. Part of his research has been based on the work done to evaluate the, a ground-breaking carbon-neutral building based on 170-year-old redbrick Victorian house.

Dr Jankovic’s work has shown how best to convert existing buildings into zero carbon homes of the future.

He says: “As we increasingly become aware of the causes and consequences of the climate change, there is a sense that we are dealing with an almost impossible problem to solve, that our targets for zero carbon buildings are far in the future – and that our targets are hard to achieve.

“But I believe that this book will help with culture change, from the perception that the climate change arising from carbon emissions is almost an impossible problem to solve to the understanding that it is perfectly possible to design new or retrofit zero carbon buildings using existing technologies.”

Sophisticated computer modeling, is an essential ingredient and a prerequisite for the level of analysis that is needed in order to achieve zero carbon design. Secondly, the economic analysis and the book demonstrates how zero carbon designs can be optimised to result in lucrative rates of return on investment.

And thirdly an essential ingredient is the achievement of thermal comfort. The book argues that zero carbon living is not about a considerable change of behaviour but that it is about design that works with climate rather than against it.

Dr Jankovic says: “Using this method, designers can start making a difference today.

More information: www.bcu.ac.uk

This important information marks the first anniversary of the company’s Smart Metering Centre of Excellence.

It suggests that 55% of over 55 year olds are most likely to be able to correctly define what is a smart meter, while 18-24 year olds seem to be the most enthusiastic at recognising the positive effect smart meters can have on their lives!

Apparently, males are twice as likely as females to really want a smart meter but females would reduce their energy usage more than males if they could ‘visualise their behaviours.’

E.ON’s research provides an important insight into the use of consumer technology in households, with over half (55%) of people citing its positive effect in providing more access to advice and information. This is followed by half (51%) of British who shrewdly use technology to manage their personal finances through online banking and smartphone apps.

The company is calling for people to mirror the use of technology in their everyday lives and gain greater visibility into their energy use through smart meters so they can make positive behavioural changes and benefit from energy savings and cash savings.

Reflecting the interest in learning about daily habits, nearly two-thirds (59%) of people would reduce their energy usage if they could visualise their consumption. Currently, there is a lot of confusion around smart meters with just under two thirds (60%) of people claiming to know what a smart meter is but, in reality, less than half (45%) could correctly define its role of enabling two-way communications between an energy supplier and a household’s electricity and gas meter.

Jean Fiddes, head of customer learning for smart meters at E.ON, says: “Technology is playing an empowering role in our lives and our research highlights that people are keen to extend this to their energy use.

“Smart meters allow consumers to easily visualise their energy consumption daily, weekly and monthly, meaning they have increased transparency into their daily energy habits, providing accurate bills and greater management of their finances.”

More information: www.eonenergy.com/smart

The technology concept developed in the UK and first revealed in this month’s tce magazine, advocates dispersing benign titanium dioxide particles as used in paint, inks and sunscreens into the stratosphere to deflect the sun’s rays.

In a tce webinar on Peter Davidson, a chartered chemical engineer and a former senior innovation advisor to a number of government departments, called for this geoengineering concept to be researched as an insurance policy to cope with possible catastrophic effects of global warming, if we don’t manage to reduce CO2 emissions fast enough.

Davidson says: “While it’s essential that we work to reduce carbon dioxide emissions now, it would be wise to have a well-researched emergency system in reserve as a Plan B.”

The idea may sound like science fiction; but the concept in fact mimics the earth-cooling effects of large volcanic eruptions, which occur several times a century. For instance, when in 1991 Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines, it caused temperatures to drop by around 0.5^oC around the globe for two years, ending most talk of global warming during this period.

Davidson says: “The impact of global warming is predicted to be most severe on the world’s poorest peoples, both because of their lack of resources and because of where they happen to be living. I would hope we could ensure that these peoples have a stake in decision-making and the opportunity to have their voice heard, alongside the richer countries, and appropriate NGO’s (for example environmentalists), as well as other bodies.

“Ideally an independent charitable trust funded by a variety of stakeholders from around the world would research not only the technology but suitable governance, legal and ethical frameworks.”

Image shows: Five tethered balloons would loft 1.5 million tonnes of titanium dioxide particles into the stratosphere each year. The balloon size is far larger than any launched to date to avoid ‘blow over’ from the fierce winds that the tether will experience 10 km above the Earth. The cost of the technology is said to be significantly cheaper than other proposed stratospheric particle injection systems.

More information: www.tcetoday.com

The proposal would see four 126.5m wind turbines built within the setting of the Lyveden New Bield site, a place described by the planning inspector who granted approval for the plans as ‘probably the finest example of an Elizabethan garden, with a cultural value of national if not international significance.’



Fiona Reynolds, director-general of the National Trust explained the decision to take the matter to the administrative court: ‘We fully support renewable energy and have made our own commitment to halve our dependence on fossil fuels by 2020. We have also backed a number of wind proposals where scale and setting have been considered appropriate.

‘However, the decision to allow a development of this size so close to one of the country’s most treasured historic places is both damaging to Lyveden New Bield and could have serious implications for other heritage sites across the UK.”

Apparently the wind turbines would be prominent, modern structures in a landscape that still evokes the character of Lyveden New Bield’s historic Rockingham Forest surroundings. The turbines would be visible from almost everywhere on the property.

More information: www.nationaltrust.org.uk

She explained to radio journalist, James Naughtie, and millions of listeners that the new rating system for appliances was designed ‘to help the consumer make an informed choice when purchasing new bathroom appliances.’

Orgill, says: “All we are asking the customer to do is Think, Look and Ask. We have an easy-to-use database of nearly 2000 water efficient products for bathrooms, which the public can access.

“It really is so simple. The grading system is a bit like the ‘rainbow’ colour performance scheme on energy labels. It will tell you what a particular WC, shower, or tap, for instance, uses to help you save money.“

She made the important point that bathroom manufacturers are and have worked really hard to reduce water consumption on domestic appliances and now our WCs use the least water in the world!

By observing the Water Label scheme and new water conservation products we could be saving significant money on our utility bills.

She explains: “We don’t use water, we waste it! We leave taps running, we don’t put plugs in, we spend too much time in the shower and, sometimes, we even take two or three a day!

‘This is just not necessary and we have to make sure that there is precious water for future generations!’

More information: www.bathroom-association.org

Scotland’s leading provider of housing and homelessness advice based its analysis on the most recent waiting list figures of 156,200 and the number of lets at 21,605.  Based on that trend it would take 7.2 years to clear the list.

The charity says it may well take much longer than the seven years due to new people joining the list as austerity measures and welfare reforms hit home.

Direct, Graeme Brown, says: “For families to put their lives on hold for up to seven years for a home is unbearable.  This analysis shows clearly the desperate situation tens of thousands of people in Scotland have no choice but to endure.”

It is urging people to consider the ‘real bread and butter’ such as the acute shortage of social housing and asks local new local authority councilors to make tackling the housing shortage one of their priorities.

More information: www.shelterscotland.org

DECC has launched a second tranche of the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) which will provide one-off payments for measures, partly to continue to support the industry while they consider how the RHI could work. DECC are now consulting on how they control costs for the RHI

The second phase of the RHI for domestic renewable heat systems, (the first of which was for commercial) was originally intended to commence in October 2012 but will now be delayed, probably until summer 2013.

RHPP is an interim measure for domestic properties, pending the start of domestic RHI. Rather than the provision of long term financial support for eligible equipment, the RHPP scheme involves the provision of a single direct payment to subsidise the installation of renewable heating systems in domestic properties. The payment is towards the equipment and installation costs of renewable technologies like biomass boilers, air and ground source heat pumps and solar thermal panels.

The Government hopes that RHPP will provide it with valuable insights into how RHI will work in the domestic sector, and assist in appropriately scoping which renewable heat technologies should be prioritised. To this end, recipients of RHPP are required to provide feedback on how their installation works in practice.

It is intended that those persons who have received or are receiving RHPP will also be able to apply for tariff support when the second phase of the RHI is implemented.

The RHPP- Phase 2 will run until 31 March 2013.

More information: www.decc.co.uk