Linking behavioural economics and energy efficiency

Tim Harford writes a weekly column called the Undercover Economist for the Financial Times. He has recently written on behavioural economics and gives a good account of the views of Daniel Kahneman, the winner of the Nobel Prize in economics in 2002. In my circle of colleagues, Kahneman is often referred to and there is … Continue reading Linking behavioural economics and energy efficiency →

Guaranteeing energy savings in Canada

According to BusinessWire, Canada has now its first warranty programme that removes the concerns about the initial costs for the building owner. This is an important innovation and it would be good to know of other such schemes in Europe or beyond. Energi Develops First Canadian Energy Savings Warranty Energi, a leading provider of … Continue reading Guaranteeing energy savings in Canada →

Update on last week’s post on the need for more focus on implementation of the energy performance of buildings directive

There have been responses to the EiD discussion paper published last week, most of them directly by email. The number of downloads of the report and the responses to the related tweets were most encouraging. There is a great concern about implementation and many mention the number of infringement procedures underway that indicate the level … Continue reading Update on last week’s post on the need for more focus on implementation of the energy performance of buildings directive →

Quote of the week

This week the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK, George Osborne, presented this year’s budget. Here is a startling quote from his speech in the House of Commons: We need to cut our energy costs. We’re going to do this by investing in new sources of energy: new nuclear power, renewables, and a shale … Continue reading Quote of the week →

Refurbishing multi-family building to passive house standard

The ECD Architects website provides an excellent example of an ambitious renovation in the UK. Importantly, the residents wanted this standard of renovation. Wilmcote House, Portsmouth England This is the first retrofit of a British residential tower block to 'Passivhaus' standards of near-zero carbon emissions. Owned by Portsmouth City Council, the 100-dwelling, 1960s Wilmcote … Continue reading Refurbishing multi-family building to passive house standard →

Making strong arguments why older homes need ambitious retrofits

Policy makers are facing important decisions on renovation strategies. In Europe, member states will soon be sending their long-term renovation strategies to the European Commission as part of the Energy Efficiency Directive. Bruce Mulliken writes in Green Energy News about a new report from the US that should give you food for thought. Deep Energy … Continue reading Making strong arguments why older homes need ambitious retrofits →

Focus must be on implementation if we are to see needed impact of energy performance of buildings

The energy performance of buildings directive was recast in 2010 and EU member states are busy implementing it. A new EiD discussion paper by Rod Janssen considers many of the challenges facing member states in this implementation phase. It reviews the challenges in improving the energy performance of buildings as a whole: gaining and maintaining … Continue reading Focus must be on implementation if we are to see needed impact of energy performance of buildings →

Quote of the week

Written Ministerial Statement by Secretary of State for Energy Ed Davey after EU Energy Council meeting, March 4th: The Council then debated the 2030 climate and energy framework. . . . The Commissioner argued that the 40% greenhouse gas target was very ambitious. The majority of Member States endorsed a greenhouse gas target of 40%. … Continue reading Quote of the week →

Open consultation for the future of the Energy Company Obligation in the UK

The Department of Energy & Climate Change recently announced an open consultation on the Energy Company Obligation, which is also an obligation under the EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive. This consultation closes at 16 April 2014. The proposals contained in The Future of the Energy Company Obligation consultation were highlighted as part of Government’s announcement on … Continue reading Open consultation for the future of the Energy Company Obligation in the UK →

New academic paper on the rebound effect

It has been a while since EiD had a post on analysing the rebound effect. Miklós Antala and Jeroen van den Bergh will soon have a paper published in the May issue of the journal, Energy Policy, entitled “Re-spending rebound: A macro-level assessment for OECD countries and emerging economies.” Abstract It is well-known that energy … Continue reading New academic paper on the rebound effect →