Green light for Green Deal

Posted on January 28, 2013 by msaxton1

Today marks the date that finance packages come into play that will enable work to start on accredited Green Deal schemes.

The Green Deal means home owners and tenants (with their landlord’s agreement) can make their properties more energy efficient without paying up-front. The repayments come off the electricity bill. The so-called ‘Golden Rule’ of the scheme is that the loan repayments made by the property owner must be less than, or equal to, the savings on their energy bill. There are 45 different home improvements for installation available under the deal. These range from loft and cavity wall insulation to draught-proofing, secondary glazing and heating controls.

In an uninsulated home a quarter of heat is lost through the roof according to The Energy Saving Trust. As loft insulation is effective for at least 40 years, it should be the first thing that people address to become more energy efficient.

So how does the scheme work?

The first step is to request a home visit from a Green Deal assessor, who will identify any improvements that are suitable and would pay for themselves. Some assessors may charge for the assessment. Homeowners/tenants can then go to as many providers as they like for quotes. The Green Deal assessor is likely to quote, but as with most things, it is likely to pay to shop around. To find approved assessors and providers visit www.greendealorb.co.uk/consumersearch The Energy Saving Trust can also help in England, Wales and Scotland (the Green Deal only applies to these three parts of the UK for now).

The question that worries everyone is ‘will the savings made be greater than the cost of the work?’ The scheme works like this: Green Deal repayments must be pre-agreed, based on the assessor’s estimate of your future cost savings. So the actual savings will depend on how much energy you use and how fuel prices change. The property owner/tenant can do a lot to control the former, especially if they use a smart meter with an energy monitor. However, there is nothing they can do about the latter. Therefore, there is a risk that repayments will end up costing more than any savings.

There is one further thing that will worry property owners: The Green Deal commitment stays with the home and passes on to the new owner. This could restrict saleability as potential buyers might not understand or welcome an extra debt. And if the buyer does not feel comfortable taking over the Green Deal loan then the owner may be forced to repay the Green Deal off early. Should this arise, the Green Deal provider is allowed to charge a fee for early repayment if they want. This is because under the regulations for the Green Deal the provider is entitled to claim for the interest that would have been paid by the homeowner should the Green Deal have run its course. According to Which? magazine this early repayment fee could be substantial.

It’s hard to imagine that any homeowner is against making their property more energy-efficient. And purchasers should take comfort that the property is energy-efficient. Clearly, they would want to see evidence of the work that had taken place and that any measures were resulting in cheaper bills. There’s also ample protection available to buyers and sellers around Green Deal installations. Government regulations mean that measures carried out under the Green Deal are guaranteed for a minimum of five years.

One final thought from us: it is worth remembering that the Green Deal it is not the only way to pay for energy-efficient installations – increasing your mortgage is an option. And savvy property owners will be able to weigh up the options soon enough when the Green Deal interest rates and terms are known.

Cleantech USA

Posted on November 5, 2012 by msaxton1

West Coast cities are at the forefront of the cleantech sector according to a new report that brings together nearly two dozen metrics such as hybrid electric vehicles, certified green buildings and cleantech venture capital investments.

Devised by Clean Edge, the US Metro Cleantech Index provides a comprehensive and objective analysis of how the fifty largest metropolitan regions compare across the cleantech spectrum.

“West Coast metro regions, which have been at the forefront of regional cleantech efforts and have strong state support, dominate the inaugural U.S. Metro Clean Tech Index,” said Clean Edge Managing Director Ron Pernick. “But other regions show significant strengths and assets, from Chicago and Washington D.C. to Austin and Salt Lake City, representing the diversity of clean-tech leadership and activities across the nation.”

Six of the top seven metro regions in cleantech are on the west coast. The top 10 are:

San Jose, California
San Francisco, California
Portland, Oregon
Sacramento, California
Seattle, Washington
Denver, Colorado
Los Angeles, California
Washington, DC
Boston, Massachusetts
Austin, Texas

Other headlines from the report include:

Portland, Oregon has more LEED-certified green-building projects per capita than any other metro region, but Las Vegas earns the green-building crown for total LEED square footage per capita.
The top metro regions with the largest share of electric vehicles on the road are all in California – San Francisco/San Jose, Los Angeles/Riverside, Sacramento and San Diego.
Raleigh, North Carolina has the lowest carbon emissions (metric tons per capita) from large facilities.
Boston, San Jose and Salt Lake City lead the nation with the most licensable clean technologies coming out of their university labs, per capita.
Just four metro regions have the presence of a Department of Energy lab, a Clean Energy Alliance Incubator and a top-ranked green MBA program: Chicago, Denver, New York and San Jose.

The US Metro Cleantech Index is primarily aimed at providing cleantech data and insights for local policymakers, economic development agencies, service firms, nonprofits, foundations and corporations.

In devising the report, quantitative indicators were levelised to account for population size/activity and included a broad range of benchmarks. These ranged from green building deployment, clean vehicles in use, advanced transportation infrastructure and public transportation ridership to regional electricity mix, GHG emissions, venture capital investment, clean energy patents and clean economy jobs.

Sustainability adds up

Posted on October 30, 2012 by msaxton1

Financial reporting and tax are pushing sustainability issues up the corporate agenda according to a survey by Deloitte among CFOs. And an increasing number of CFOs are becoming involved in sustainability as it adds up to a competitive advantage.

The Deloitte survey Sustainability: CFOs come to the table reveals an increased involvement by CFOs in sustainability. Two thirds of CFOs say they are involved in driving sustainability strategies in their organisations, and more than half say their involvement has increased over the last year. The findings suggest that more CFOs are engaging with sustainability to support their business goals, and operationalising sustainability to gain a competitive advantage.

Sustainability seems to be becoming increasingly operationalised, with the percentage of CFOs and COOs accountable to their company’s boards for sustainability issues nearly doubling from 20 percent to 36 percent in the past year. As such, CFOs have become focused on a number of sustainable operating practices:

Increased focus on sustainability in tax and financial reporting: As integrated reporting gains momentum, along with a growing number of green credits and incentive measures, CFOs placed greater importance on sustainability aspects of reporting. The majority of CFOs reported a meaningful impact from sustainability concerns on both financial reporting—74 percent—and tax matters—54 percent.

Increased investment in technology: To further reduce the footprint of company travel and energy use from data centers, CFOs plan to invest in three specific areas: video conferencing (56 percent), data center efficiency equipment (52 percent) and electric vehicles (35 percent).

Respondents cited plans to invest in three specific areas in order to reduce their company’s environmental impact: 56 per cent stated plans to use video conferencing and more than half stated plans to look at data centre efficiency. More than a third said they planned to invest in electric vehicles.

The survey took in 250 CFOs in 14 countries across five continents.

Read about Deloitte’s Business Simulation Game by clicking here.

Mapping US Renewables

Posted on September 30, 2012 by msaxton1

A new website reveals which US States have the most renewables in play. Click on the image below and discover the investments made in solar, biomass and wind. The data was compiled by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

London’s Clean Cabs

Posted on August 29, 2012 by msaxton1

Tackling climate change is a top priority in London. And through the Paralympics, which start tonight, five cabbies will be playing their part in cutting emissions by driving a fleet of five electric taxis powered by fuel cells around the capital.

According to the cabbies, the vehicles are the smoothest, quietest and cleanest on the road – so silent, in fact, that they all they can hear is the idle chat of passengers or the dull squish of wiper blades!

Intelligent Energy is behind the fuel-celled powered cabs. The company partners with leading global companies in the transportation, oil and gas, aerospace, defence, distributed generation and portable power markets. Current partners and customers include Scottish & Southern Energy plc and The Suzuki Motor Corporation, with whom Intelligent Energy built the Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter (see previous post).

The zero emission taxis have been developed by a consortium, led by Intelligent Energy, which includes Lotus Engineering, London Taxis International and TRW Conekt with part-funding from the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board. The fuel cell and battery powered hybrid taxi provides a 250 mile driving range with rapid refuelling, all within the confines of the body of a conventional London taxi.

The cabbies have already wowed visiting VIPs to the Games earlier this month, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Governor of California, who took a ride to Greenwich to watch the USA triumph over Spain in the Men’s Basketball finals.

Report what you emit

Posted on August 9, 2012 by msaxton1

The UK has become the first country to make it compulsory for companies to include emissions data for their entire organisation in their annual reports.

All businesses listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange will have to report their levels of greenhouse gas emissions from the start of the next financial year.

The new regulations will be introduced from April 2013. They will be reviewed in 2015, before ministers decide whether to extend the approach to all large companies from 2016.

The UK Government says reporting is the first vital step for companies to make reductions in dangerous emissions, such as CO2, nitrous oxide and methane that are causing climate change. It is estimated it will save four million tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2021.

Announcing the regulation, Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg said: “Counting your business costs while hiding your greenhouse gas emissions is a false economy.

“British companies need to reduce their harmful emissions for the benefit of the planet, but many back our plans because being energy efficient makes good business sense too. It saves companies money on energy bills, improves their reputation with customers and helps them manage their long-term costs too.

“Climate change is one of the gravest threats we face. The UK is leading the urgent action needed at home and abroad.”

In our view the compulsory approach will not only help big companies to manage and reduce emissions, but also provide the information that could save them money through reduced energy costs. Allied to the benefit of increased transparency, it can be hoped that the Government is also paving the way towards a consistent standard of measurement.

Five cleantechs to watch

Posted on June 28, 2012 by msaxton1

Sustainabilitylive offered the perfect platform for established players to start-ups in the sustainability and cleantech spaces to pitch their products. From the several hundred exhibiting and participating in the conference, we have selected five to watch:

Who says you can’t be clean and green in the automotive sector and deliver power? Not Aeristech, which has developed an engine turbocharging technology that reduces carbon emissions, enables engine downsizing and improves driving performance whilst managing cost and weight. If all of this sounds too good to be true, believe the hype: Aeristech’s motor generator is already being considered for Formula 1 cars for the 2014 season. There are also projects in development for mainstream motor vehicle applications, including a main drive electric motor which requires 20% fewer rare earths, a micro gas turbine range extender, which delivers power generation for EVs, as well as a hydrogen fuel cell air compressor.

Like our client Xeros, Aeristech has also been feted by the Clean and Cool Mission 2012 which selected Aeristech as one of its Mission companies. The Mission aims to facilitate dynamic UK talent in the influential U.S. market. Only sixteen firms make the cut. They must demonstrate the “potential to become future UK leaders of a low carbon economy,” through high growth potential and ground-breaking products tackling Earth’s environmental challenges. With an impeccable board of directors and a game changing technology to cut carbon dioxide emissions and improve performance, Aeristech looks set to race ahead. www.aeristech.co.uk

Voltage optimisation technology is one of the viable ways to reduce energy costs and cut carbon emissions and the biggest brand in the sector is powerPerfector. It introduced the concept to the UK from Japan, which at the time was facing the soaring energy bills that are now familiar here.

Although voltage optimisation is an easily understood concept and demand for the technology is high due to the price of energy and legislation requirements, companies in the sector struggle to stand out.

Step forward PowerSines, which differentiates by the ability to control and optimise voltage proactively and measure savings in real time. All of its systems are designed with a topology of transformers and switchgear (known as RIGHTvoltage) that enable controlling the output voltage with small steps. Unlike systems based on step-down autotransformers, PowerSines devices use its INV technology to control and transform only a part of the voltage that should be reduced from the mains.

The firm, which is Israeli and backed investment capital from Arison Investments, is intent on shaking up the UK market. Its marketing is every bit as slick as powerPerfector and its blog, cheeky and irreverent and informative in equal measures, is well worth a read! www.powersines.com

Brother and sister team of Sir Brian Souter and Ann Gloag have made Stagecoach one of the most successful companies in the UK. They’ve been quick to embrace clean technology in running the transport business and applied the same level of innovative thinking to set up Argent Energy.

Argent Energy produces biodiesel from tallow and used cooking oil by-products. A plant was established back in 2005 with a £17 million grant. In 2009, a further £1.8million was invested, supported by a grant from the Scottish Government, to build a pre-processing facility. This allows Argent Energy to remove impurities from raw materials ready for the chemical biodiesel production process. It means that Argent Energy can use more locally produced tallow as well as used cooking oil. In taking the problem and converting it to energy, the region’s catering and hospitality sectors as well as the Scottish red meat sector have every reason to get on board the Souter family’s waste-to-energy venture. www.argentenergy.com/about/

Ferrets are well known for getting down holes and Ferret Technology chose its name well: the water industry in England and Wales loses 3.36 billion litres of water a day in leaks and Ferret Technology aims to ferret out the problem.

Detecting leaks on small-bore service pipelines is time consuming, costly and disruptive. Leaks are often small, rarely visible on the surface and make little or no noise. Identifying the exact location of leaks often requires expensive exploratory work to expose or re-lay sections of pipework.

The Ferret patented technology provides a fast and accurate method for finding even the smallest leaks, on pipelines made of plastic, copper and lead. The system is designed for pipework in the 10mm-50mm internal diameter (ID) range.

The system comprises of a loose fitting plug (the Head) that is introduced into the pipeline via an existing access point such as a meter or valve pit, or directly into the exposed pipeline.

The Head is inflated with mains water pressure to block the pipeline. A separate stream of mains water (the Drive) is introduced behind the Head. The Head and Drive pressures are manipulated using the Ferret. Once the pressures are balanced the Head will move along the pipeline. When the Head passes a leak it stops automatically. The water loss through the leak is recorded by a flow sensor in the Ferret system, providing instantaneous quantification of the leak size.

A flexible umbilical cord attached to the Head contains a trace wire that allows the depth and position of the buried pipeline to be traced and the exact position of the Head / leak to be located accurately. The leak location process can be repeated to find any number of leaks in a pipeline. Up to fifty meters of pipeline can be surveyed from a single access point. www.ferret-technology.com

Extreme Mobile Information Gathering System – aka E-MIGs – is a start-up that’s looking to transform external asset inspections by putting GPS spies in the sky. The product lives up to its acronym: E-MIGS look like fierce radio-controlled toys for big boys and though they could be used for recreation the camera and GPS equipment they carry are designed for serious applications, such as asset geomapping, linear asset surveys and aerial leak detection, as well as internal inspections of reservoirs, sewers and other confined spaces. In fact, the applications could be much wider. E-MIGS could be used in disaster relief and humanitarian aid situations, to monitor biodiversity and environmental concerns, as well as provide manifold benefits in building and construction, all from safe, legal and carefully controlled heights as long as you have the equivalent of an E-MIG pilot’s license. It’s a novel technology, which though lacking obvious IP at this stage, could take off.

New York’s Green Roofs

Posted on June 11, 2012 by msaxton1

If pioneering New Yorkers have their way, the city’s old black asphalt roofs will go green, helping to cool air temperatures, reduce CO2 and create beautiful, biodiverse spaces.

Jeux Sans Green Frontieres

Posted on May 17, 2012 by msaxton1

It takes a lot to become the European Green Capital. Three cities are in the running: Copenhagen, Frankfurt and Bristol.

Next month with its Big Green Week (9-17June), Bristol is aiming to bang the green drum as loud as it can to boost its chances. And it needs all the help it can get.

Even though the city has put together an inspiring line-up of over 100 events in nine days – with some of the UK’s top sustainability minds like Caroline Lucas, Jonathan Porritt, and Bill McKibben coming together with artists, designers, musicians and comedians to debate issues ranging from the Olympics to behaviour change; from culture shift, to revolutionizing business and resource scarcity – no one outside Bristol (or Brussels, as the EU is behind the Green Capital initiative) seems aware of what’s at stake.

The European Green Capital award aims to provide an incentive for cities to inspire each other and share best practices, while at the same time engaging in friendly competition. There are reputational and commercial benefits to play for, which makes this is an opportunity for the UK, not just Bristol.

Bristol has always had a reputation as a city replete in ideas and imagination. At a time when UK plc needs to underline its competitiveness, Bristol needs our collective support to match the grassroots’ enthusiasm that exists in the city. There’s still time to spread the word. It’s the one European competition in June that England (and the rest of the UK) can win, so let’s all back Bristol.

You can throw your support by Bristol by getting involved in the events and through Facebook.