Promoting energy efficiency to address climate change

A report by the University of East Anglia provides strong evidence that the climate change strategy requires a strong effort from improved energy efficiency. Climate Change Efforts Must Target Energy Efficiency Much more must be done to develop energy efficient cars, buildings and domestic appliances to address climate change – according to new research from … Continue reading Promoting energy efficiency to address climate change

Two excellent energy efficiency papers

The journal Energy Policy provides two excellent energy efficiency papers on the impact of energy labels and the possible role of how feed-in tariffs can be an option to promote energy saving. The first paper, entitled The impact of energy labels and accessibility on office rents is by Nils Kok from Maastricht University and Maarten … Continue reading Two excellent energy efficiency papers

Subsidies on energy supply

Charles Kenny for Bloomberg Business Week wrote an excellent article on government subsidies recently.  Mr. Kenny is a fellow at the Centre for Global Development and the New America Foundation.  It is particularly pertinent following Hurricane Sandy as the discussion on climate change heats up. When It Comes to Government Subsidies, Dirty Energy Still Cleans … Continue reading Subsidies on energy supply

IEA helps to inform the debate on climate change leading up to Doha

In the lead-up to the UN climate negotiations in Doha, the latest information on the level and growth of CO₂ emissions, their source and geographic distribution will be essential to lay the foundation for a global agreement. To provide input to and support for the UN process the IEA is making available for free download … Continue reading IEA helps to inform the debate on climate change leading up to Doha

Cost of the German transition to a non-nuclear future

Juergen Baetz of AP news service provides an important look at the costs for the phasing out of nuclear energy.  The phase out is to be complete by 2022.  It shows that the policy will definitely cost in the coming years, although once complete, it should ensure that Germany is on a sustainable foundation that … Continue reading Cost of the German transition to a non-nuclear future

Ireland should give priority to energy efficiency

Harry McGee of The Irish Times reported of a report that is being prepared by the National Economic and Social Council to provide analysis to inform the development of Irish climate change policy. The work was commissioned by the Minister of Environment.  An interim report is out and the final report is due by the … Continue reading Ireland should give priority to energy efficiency

IEA Sustainable Buildings Centre launches interactive database

EiD is pleased to see that the IEA Sustainable Buildings Centre has recently  launched its interactive and user-friendly BEEP (Building Energy Efficiency Policies) database. The BEEP database is a global one-stop shop for building energy codes, labelling and incentive schemes implemented in the 28 IEA member countries, the BRICS countries (Brazil, China, India, Russia and South … Continue reading IEA Sustainable Buildings Centre launches interactive database

New report on decarbonising industry in Sweden

A new report on decarbonising industry up to 2050 has been published by the Department of Environmental and Energy Systems Studies at Lund University in Sweden. The report has a Swedish focus but the solutions and technologies are relevant for all. Technical opportunities for a complete decarbonisation of the basic material industry by 2050 are … Continue reading New report on decarbonising industry in Sweden

Energy efficiency and buildings

Allison Asplin of Bloomberg News Energy Finance wrote the following post for Banking Energy.  IT is an excellent article outlining the issues concerning the real estate industry and energy efficiency.  This report was commissioned by Banking Energy, part of Consumer Energy Report. Why Energy Efficiency and Buildings Don’t Mix How does the real estate industry … Continue reading Energy efficiency and buildings

New study on the use of financial instruments to retrofit buildings in Europe

The Buildings Performance Institute Europe has come out with a new report reviewing the use of financial instruments in the European Union.  The paper presents an overview of the various financial schemes in place dedicated to the energy efficient renovation of buildings in 2011. It makes a quantitative analysis of the different financing mechanisms and … Continue reading New study on the use of financial instruments to retrofit buildings in Europe