Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne today proclaimed an increase in homes adopting insulation measures such as cavity wall and loft insulation. Nearly 60% of homes (where appropriate) have taken up such measures, but Huhne warned there was still much to do when it comes to the “Big 6″ energy companies fulfilling their responsibilities of offering insulation services to customers;

“More and more people realise that insulation can save you money and make your home cosier. More than £100 can be knocked off your bill if you get your loft lagged and cavity walls filled and thanks to tough government targets for the Big 6 energy companies, consumers can get free or discounted insulation.”

The drive towards energy efficiency measures, such as home insulation, are part of the Government’s wider CERT scheme – which today claimed a 21% increase in professional insulation installations compared to last year.

However, with 42% of homes still lacking adequate home insulation, there is undeniably much work to do – particularly in terms of making the savings potential of such efficiency measures tangible to consumers.

Read the full DECC press release here

A new report by photovoltaics company Engensa, due to be released soon, shows encouraging signs in the growth of new jobs resulting from the feed-in tariff system.  However, the report warns that a cut to the tariff above 25% could spell disaster for approximately 10,000 jobs in the sustainability industry in Britain.

The report also rebuked criticisms about the cost of the feed-in tariff project from some sections of the mainstream press, arguing that on average it only costs in the region of 19 pence a month to provide (or 0.4% of the figure argued by the Daily Mail).  Fears of cuts may be tempered somewhat by the report's claim that providing this particular subsidy for home producers of renewable energy is actually profitable for the Treasury.  When taking into account tax and the revenue generated by the jobs the scheme has created, the Engensa report predicts a £65m surplus, promoting the idea that subsidies for renewable energy can be sustainable economically as well as environmentally.

"...when you see the Treasury benefiting, you see a transition towards a sustainable economy in an environmental sense" said Engensa Chief Executive Toby Darbyshire,  "it's very hard to make the argument this is a bad thing."

The latest figures from the Carbon Disclosure Project’s 10th annual report show a staggering jump in the world’s largest businesses placing the fight against climate change as central to their overall growth plans.   Taking a sample from 396 of the top 500 companies, 68% now consider the reduction of carbon as core to their business strategy, showing a 20% jump from last year’s figures.

“Companies are linking action on climate change to their employees’ work and wallets, from the boardroom to the office floor”, stated Alan McGill, the sustainability and climate change partner at financial services giant PwC.  ”It’s a shift we could not have imagined 15 years ago.”

Whilst some companies (notably Apple, Amazon and Rosneft) are refusing to publish the facts of their carbon usage, most were forthcoming – and the results are encouraging in terms of how carbon reduction and increased energy efficiency is explicitly linked to economic sustainability.  For example, almost 60% of the companies surveyed show that the measures installed to reduce energy usage had a payback period of less than three years.

Source:  The Guardian

The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister backed cross-Government action plan on climate change has been launched today which sets strict actions and deadlines that Whitehall will have to meet to ensure that the Government lives up to its ‘Greenest Government’ ever aim.

Energy Trends and Quarterly Energy Prices publications are published today 23 December by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Energy Trends covers statistics on energy production and consumption, in total and by fuel, and provides an analysis of the year on year changes. The December edition of Energy Trends also includes articles on: “Electricity generation and supply figures for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, 2006 to 2009”; “Local Authority gas and electricity consumption statistics for 2009”; and “Local Authority total energy consumption statistics for 2008”. Quarterly Energy Prices covers prices to domestic and industrial consumers, prices of oil products and comparisons of international fuel prices.

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