May 17
The Government aims for every home in Britain to have a smart meter by the year 2019. A smart meter replaces your exisitng gas and electricity meters and has the ability to send electronic meter readings to your supplier remotely. So no more visits by meter readers or having to read your own. A smart meter enables you to see how much energy you use at different times, whether that be daily, weekly monthly or yearly.
The idea is that smart energy meters will help consumers by giving them more information and therefore control over their energy consumption, and eradicate the estimated billing we currently have. This should mean that consumers can save money and also reduce carbon emissions. If you want to change suppliers it should also make it easier and faster. It also means that energy suppliers should run more efficiently.
It is estimated that 28 million homes and 2 million small businesses will be fitted with smart meters in Briain. The roll-out of the scheme should start in 2014 and be completed by the end of 2019 although some energy suppliers are already beginning to install smart meters.
What are your views on smart meters? Have you got one already? Let us know……
May 04
DIY Doctor is pleased to announce that it has now become a member of the National Home Improvement Council.
The NHIC was launched in 1975 and since then has set out to support, encourage and promote home improvement and energy efficiency to homeowners and throughout the industry as well as having a close liaison with government, local authorities and housing associations.
Their main objectives are:
- To support and encourage home improvement measures which make households more energy efficient and reduce carbon emissions in line with government targets.
- To support and encourage the improvement of standards throughout the home improvement industry.
- To promote to homeowners the benefits of renovating and upgrading their homes to high energy efficiency standards
- To be the voice of the home improvement industry to government, opposition and Whitehall to ensure that housing policies and public funding are directed at home improvement.
- To act as the catalyst for public sector housing bodies to stimulate modernisation of existing housing.
- To encourage private investment in the housing sector.
They have lots of good, common sense home improvement advice on their website including pages on renewable energy systems, the Green Deal, water conservation, doors and windows, kitchens and bathrooms as well as heating and hot water amongst others.
We will be bringing you more information and news regarding the National Home Improvement Council in the future, so watch this space!
Apr 16
There have many reports in the press over the last few days over the government’s Green Deal. A core group of Tory ministers are attacking the Green Deal as they say that due to current economic situation for most householders in Britain, the Green Deal could force many people to spend more money than they can afford on insulation etc. There is also confusion over part of the Green Deal which could mean that people wanting to build an extension, repair a boiler or replace windows would also have to spend money on energy efficiency as they would have to sign up to the Deal to get planning permission for the other work.
The group of of ministers trying to block the Green Deal include the Chancellor George Osborne, the Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, Housing Minister Grant Shapps and Employment Minister Chris Grayling.
The Green Deal is set to be launched in October 2012 and was the work of Chris Huhne who resigned as Energy Secretary in February. He has said “The green deal means that home insulation is funded from the savings in home energy bills so people are better off, not worse off. Top Tories should stop posturing on green plans that help hard-hit households.”
Apr 12
The Deputy Prime Minister has announced that at least £540 million of the government’s home energy efficiency programme – worth £1.3bn per year – will be targeted at helping the poorest.
In his speech, Nick Clegg said “We will be requiring the energy companies to provide an estimated £1.3bn a year of support for energy efficiency in our homes with at least £540m to fund energy saving improvements in the worst off homes.
This includes:
- Around £350m a year to deliver heating and insulation measures to around 270,000 low income and vulnerable households by 2015, helping them to heat their homes to a healthy level and demonstrating our commitment to tackling fuel poverty
- For those living in the poorest areas, including in social housing, specific support worth around £190m a year will be available from the energy companies to upgrade homes and flats with loft and cavity wall insulation, as well as other insulation measures, to make them warmer and cheaper to run.
Also:
- A large proportion of the Energy Company Obligation will still be targeted at solid wall insulation, but support will be opened up for more measures than before – including hard to treat cavity walls. And where solid wall or hard to treat cavity insulation is being installed this can be accompanied by other measures which reduce heat loss from a property, such as glazing and draught proofing.
- Energy companies will be allowed to carry forward overachievement against their targets under the current Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) and Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) and count it towards their ECO targets.
- These changes will help smooth the transition for the insulation industry between current schemes and the Green Deal. We will continue work with this industry to see if there is more we can do to help them manage the impacts of the transition.
(from DECC bulletin)
Apr 03
A new telephone line opened yesterday to give the public advice on how to save energy in their homes and businesses.
The phone line will be run by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) with Careline Services. As well as giving out advice on energy efficiency, it will provide information about existing government schemes like the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), which requires energy suppliers to install free or subsidised insulation, and Warm Front, the government’s heating grant scheme.
Energy efficiency advisors will be on hand to take calls from the public on the new number of 0300 123 1234.
When the Green Deal launches in the autumn, the advice line will provide information to people wanting to learn more about the scheme. The Green Deal is the coalition’s plan to upgrade the nation’s draughty homes at no upfront cost.
Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said: “Having a central and trusted advice line is crucial to ensure people have all the right information about how they can save energy and money. This phone line will ultimately be one of the ways the public will be able to learn more about the Green Deal when it is launched later this year, providing information on how people can benefit from this new and groundbreaking scheme.”
Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive of the Energy Saving Trust, said: “We’ll continue to help people get the right advice at the right time, giving them the confidence to fit energy saving measures which help them to start saving money on their fuel bills. Drawing on our 20 years of consumer advice experience we’ll make sure that the advice given remains impartial and at the highest standard.”
