With continuing Coalition in-fighting over the troubled 'zero carbon homes' programme, writes Alex Stevenson, a plan is afoot to allow homes on smaller developments to meet a less demanding energy performance standard - but still carry the 'zero-carbon' label. Critics denounce the plan as 'nonsensical'.
… Critics denounce latest 'zero carbon homes' exemptions as 'nonsensical' Alex … in-fighting over the troubled 'zero carbon homes' programme, writes Alex Stevenson, a plan is afoot to allow homes on smaller developments to meet a less …
The Government has gutted its 'zero carbon home' standard - builders will be able to 'zero the carbon' through an offsetting scheme - rather than by installing more insulation, or renewable technologies like solar PV or solar water heating.
… caves in to developers on 'zero carbon' homes Oliver Tickell | 4th June 2014 News … The Government has gutted its 'zero carbon home' standard - builders will be able to … solar PV or solar water heating. 'Zero carbon homes' won't actually have to be zero carbon …
9,000 new homes in the 'fast track' housing development zones created by the UK government are in areas of flood risk, making them potentially uninhabitable and uninsurable, according to a Greenpeace investigation - and that's before accounting for the increased flood risk from by climate change. Meanwhile future levels of funding for flood control are looking highly uncertain.
… Government planning thousands of new homes for flood zones Maeve McClenaghan … Politics medway-floods-2014-cut.jpg 9,000 new homes in the 'fast track' housing development … risk of flooding making thousands of homes potentially uninsurable, according to a …
There is no better time to put the 'green' into building than at the outset of the design phase, writes Ryan Kohn. And to get it there we need to raise awareness of sustainable technologies, and offer incentives, rather than loop-holes, for developers. Buyers too must learn to appreciate the long term value of green ... and demand the highest standards.
… Breaking the mould for eco homes Ryan Kohn | 16th August 2014 Ethical … to work with a blank canvas to create a home that balances liveability, style and … bar, can still meet Code 5 for Sustainable Homes regulations through careful, inventive …
Low income families in the UK are cold mainly because they live in badly insulated buildings. The Chancellor has missed the opportunity to address this key issue, writes Paul Ekins, in the name of cutting 'green taxes'. The poor will suffer.
… Government condemns the poor to cold homes Paul Ekins | 10th December 2013 Comment … the energy efficiency of hard to treat homes and those with low incomes. The … the bills to be paid by those whose homes need improvements. ECO and the other …
The UK Government has ditched the requirement for new homes to be 'zero carbon' from April 2016, writes Gordon Walker. With builders already geared up to meet the challenge, this needless reversal will raise energy bills and carbon emissions for a century or more to come, and send out all the wrong signals for the Paris climate talks.
… Scrapping 'zero carbon' homes is policy vandalism Gordon Walker | 20th … has ditched the requirement for new homes to be 'zero carbon' from April 2016, … also abolished the requirement for new homes to be 'zero carbon' from April 2016. A …
Somerset is experiencing its most significant flooding in decades. As the political right calls for ever more dredging, Karen Potter trawls Defra's archives ... and finds a shocking history of sound policy sacrificed to short term political expediency.
… beavers as the solution to prevent more homes from being flooded. But those with … ambitious plans to build 3 million new homes by 2020. Inevitably, it was said, so … defences were in place, some of these new homes would be built on floodplains. David Orr …
You may see your garden as a spare room or a place to be in touch with nature, but changes to planning rules mean it is likely to attract higher council tax if it hasn’t already been snapped up by a developer. Jack Shamash reports
… Jack Shamash | 1st February 2007 News Gardens Home Government Property UK Allotments Green … Government unwilling to stand up against the homebuilding lobby of developers, large … it is becoming almost impossible for private homeowners to prevent developers from taking …
Government plans to pay coal and diesel generators to stay open the winter after next to 'keep the lights on' betray dangerously old-fashioned thinking, writes Chris Goodall. Not only would it subsidise our dirtiest electricity - it's also incredibly costly. Why not just pay people to reduce their demand when power supplies are stretched?
… people to reduce their electricity demand at home, probably by providing a game with … typical outage of 1.5 hours for the average home. That's about 150 times what the lost … there will be 9 million smart meters in UK homes. That means 1 in 3 households will be …
From the volcanic caldera of Mount Teide to the craggy tors of Dartmoor, Europe’s national parks combine stunning scenery with wonderful flora and fauna. Ruth Styles rounds up ten of the best
… has been protected since 1951 and is home to around 3,000 free-roaming ponies. A … Away from the wild areas, the moor is also home to a number of picturesque villages … the prettily-named Gorse Flower Farm is home to the Yurt Camp – an eco-friendly …
From birds to whales, Europe has plenty for wildlife watchers to love. William McLennan rounds up some of the best
… spots are also wonderfully picturesque and home to some excellent places to stay, eat and … England’s only Marine Nature Reserve and are home to a variety of species including … between France and Spain, the Pyrenees are home to a host of bird species and even a …
To avoid future electricity shortages the UK needs to reduce peak demand - at 5.15pm on a December evening. The simple answer, proposes Chris Goodall, is to distribute free LED light bulbs to every household in the UK.
… the transition. Electricity use in the home Over recent years the amount of electricity to use for lighting in the home has tended to fall. CFLs have reduced … are still on in shops and offices, and most homes need lighting at this time as well. So …
As the seas rise, the government is doing little to help those whose homes are being engulfed beneath the waves, writes Guy Shrubsole - people like veteran campaigner Malcolm Kerby, who has already seen a whole street of his North Norfolk town lost to the rising waters.
… is doing little to help those whose homes are being engulfed beneath the waves, … "There's where we lost a whole street, 26 homes" , says Malcolm, gesturing towards the … hundreds of metres of shore, including 35 homes. As we walk along the eroding cliffs, …
Dynamic power pricing that responds to supply and demand could transform the way we manage our electricity systems, writes Claire Maugham, opening the door to the mass integration of renewables like wind and solar. But smart meters are essential to making that happen.
… Smart meters are being installed in every home and small business in Britain as part of … we're spending on energy and connecting our homes to a more intelligent grid. Every smart … to these developments. By connecting to the Home Area Network (HAN), the smart meter's …
If it wasn't climate change, was the real purpose of the Number 10 meeting of Theresa May's advisors and President Trump's environmental transition supremo Myron Ebell to plan the post-Brexit deregulation of UK farming, including pesticides? That's how it looks, writes Georgina Downs - and we had better begin now to fight for our health, wildlife and environment.
… Farming Politics UK USA Regulation spray-home-cut.jpg If it wasn't climate change, was … of exposure to toxic crop sprays near their homes, schools, children's playgrounds will be … for spraying in the locality of residents homes, schools, children's playgrounds, …
Disaster threatens England's nightingales, already down 90% in 40 years, if ministers fail to block a plan to build 5,000 homes on SSSI breeding site in Kent. But as Robin McKie writes, the government is showing no sign of intervening, as campaigners warn of an 'open season' for development on our most important wildlife sites.
… ministers fail to block a plan to build 5,000 homes on SSSI breeding site in Kent. But as … UK. Yet the local council want to build 5,000 homes there. It would absolutely destroy the site and the birds' homes - and send a very worrying signal about …
The Green Deal was expensive, bureaucratic, complex, inefficient and so badly designed it could have been set up to fail, writes Sue Roberts. Yet it was the UK's only national home insulation scheme and its intentions were sound. What it needed was rethink and reform, not scrapping - and with it gone, there's a huge gap that desperately needs to be filled.
… Roberts. Yet it was the UK's only national home insulation scheme and its intentions were … to work. A Green Deal advisor surveys the home, and shows the annual savings that would … any householder seeking to improve their home could do so at a fraction of the cost …
From wide expanses of golden sand to ultra-clean water and wildlife galore, Britain’s beaches have something for everyone
… Europe might offer. What’s more, many are home to diverse bird and marine life, with the … Voluntary Marine Conservation Scheme and is home to a large number of endangered marine … dunes and shallow coastal lagoons are also home to a wide array of bird and marine life, …
Under my leadership Britain will act to protect the future of our planet, with social justice at the heart of our environment policies, writes Jeremy Corbyn. Meeting our Paris climate targets will be the starting point for a green industrial revolution that will deliver clean, affordable energy to all, create millions of new jobs, and establish the export industries of the future.
… anyone predicted - around the world and at home. That's just one reason why the Labour … and committed to cutting carbon emissions at home. We would once again make Britain … renewable energy alone. A nation of draughty homes has left seven million households …
Nearly a year ago at the height of the UK floods, tragedy struck an ordinary family in Surrey as toxic gas from a nearby landfill site killed a 7-year old boy, Zane. Now the authorities appear determined to exculpate the source of the poison - an old landfill site - even as they prepare for a massive increase in hazardous waste from fracking.
… No carbon monoxide was found in the family home. Also, it took Public Health England 14 … immediate finding of hydrogen cyanide in the home, the pathologist was never told to test … revealed that a field 6 metres from their home that contains a lake and looks so …
Revealed: the devastating flood London nearly suffered last week.
… and Hull Barriers last week saved 800,000 homes and businesses from flooding in what was … sea surge since 1953. However thousands of homes along the UK's east coast were flooded … killing 307 people and leaving 40,000 homeless. The Environment Agency's chief …
Just imagine: gas for your cooking and heating made by composting home-grown British grass, writes Almuth Ernsting. What's not to like? Well, it would need almost all the UK's grassland to match our gas demand, leaving cows and sheep to starve or forcing them into sheds to eat foreign-grown feeds. And methane leakage could easily wipe out any climate benefit.
… your cooking and heating made by composting home-grown British grass, writes Almuth … which Britain has enough to heat almost every home ". Ecotricity's bioenergy vision looks … all natural gas currently used to heat UK homes at present. Just one peer-reviewed study …
Forget what you’ve heard about sheep and male voice choirs, says Hannah Corr. There’s a whole lot more to Wales than that
… of wildlife to enjoy. What’s more, Wales is home to three national parks, four areas of … sites. Wales is a bilingual country, home to what is believed to be the oldest … people in the village below. Wales is also home to the notorious Brofiscin quarry, one of …
The government claims that we need nuclear 'baseload' power to keep the lights on, writes Damian Kahya. But a new study shows reliable, low carbon energy can be provided by combining diverse green technologies including efficiency, large scale renewables, 'smart grid', energy storage and rarely used fossil fuel backup.
… use electricity instead of gas to heat their homes. The DEE study did not include a full … reducing the amount of gas used to heat our homes. But that doesn't just mean more … report suggests demand for energy to heat our homes needs to fall by more than half over the …