Quote of the week

“Sometimes politicians are looking for simple quick fixes and, when they say ‘natural gas is half the price in the US, why can’t we do that in Europe?’ the rational response would be that in that case, we should use less gas,” Hans Nilsson, board member of eceee (European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy) … Continue reading Quote of the week →

Important new report on energy and competitiveness from eceee

On May 21st, the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy published a discussion paper entitled “European competitiveness and energy efficiency: Focusing on the real issue”. So, what is the real issue? Everyone is worried about the price of energy and that Europeans are paying so much more than in most other regions of the … Continue reading Important new report on energy and competitiveness from eceee →

Mum’s the word

John Roach has an interesting article on the CNBC website about what it takes to address climate change. Does it work everywhere like this? If anyone has other research or information on this, it would be great to know. To Fight Climate Change, Don't Mention It, Study Suggests Shhh! Widespread adoption of energy-efficient technologies such … Continue reading Mum’s the word →

Impact of energy performance certificates questioned in Scotland

Malcolm Cannon of ESPC.com in Scotland writes in the Guardian about the impact that EPCs are having on the Scottish housing market. Energy performance certificates won't change human behaviour Scottish government plans to improve energy efficiency can't prevent buyers placing more space above green credentials In late January, the Scottish government published a draft … Continue reading Impact of energy performance certificates questioned in Scotland →

The benefits of better information on energy efficiency

Meg Handley writes in USNews.com about a new report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy on the savings that consumers could achieve if there was better information available. Consumers Could Save $1 Trillion With Better Energy Efficiency Information "The report is spot on—existing technologies and anticipated technologies could be realized without significant … Continue reading The benefits of better information on energy efficiency →

Video time

There are two excellent videos for you to watch and reflect on. In 2010 New York City added 54 million metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere (75% from buildings, the bulk of the rest from transport) but that number means little to most people because few of us have a sense of scale … Continue reading Video time →

An ecolabel for electricity

EKOenergy is a network of 21 European environmental NGOs promoting the use of renewable electricity. On February 23rd 2013, the EKOenergy Board approved criteria for the EKOenergy label, the first (and only) pan-European ecolabel for electricity. Consumers on the European electricity market are confronted with a variety of questions and doubts. "How do I change … Continue reading An ecolabel for electricity →

Launch of new buildings network website

The Global Buildings Performance Network based in Paris has revamped its entire website and launched its participative global Knowledge Platform advancing best practice policies in building energy performance. The new GBPN web-based tool, will stimulate collective research and analysis from experts worldwide to promote better decision-making and help the building sector effectively reduce its impact … Continue reading Launch of new buildings network website →

Focus on BPIE

The Building Performance Institute Europe is almost three years old and has been churning out valuable material to help Europe improve the energy performance of its building stock. Frequently EiD has highlighted its publications and activities. There are a couple of important updates that EiD readers will be interested in. ENTRANZE First, BPIE is … Continue reading Focus on BPIE →