Discussion paper on developing measurement methods for EU Ecodesign and Energy Labelling measures

This week CLASP, the international not-for-profit organisation that globally promotes energy efficiency standards and labels (S&L) for appliances, lighting, and equipment has just published a discussion paper on standardisation, Ecodesign and Energy Labelling policy in Europe. Developing standards to measure the energy performance of products is fundamental to delivering the energy saving potential from setting … Continue reading Discussion paper on developing measurement methods for EU Ecodesign and Energy Labelling measures →

Having a sober look at the impact of energy efficiency measures

Understanding the true energy savings from investing in energy-efficient roducts has been an on-going problem for analysts and policy makers. Patrick Collinson writes in the Guardian about the UK’s Energy Saving Trust downgrading of claims for savings on new boilers and loft insulation. It will be good to hear of other efforts to find out … Continue reading Having a sober look at the impact of energy efficiency measures →

New Chatham House report on shale gas

Paul Stevens, Distinguished Fellow at Chatham House, a renowned think-tank on international affairs, recently published an excellent new report on shale gas in the UK. There have been several parliamentary inquiries into shale gas operations in the United Kingdom. The House of Commons Select Committee most recently reported in April 2013. In June 2013, the … Continue reading New Chatham House report on shale gas →

We need to live within our biosphere’s thresholds

Andrew Simms of the New Economics Foundation wrote in the Observer about society’s need to live within our means in a material sense. As he argues, limits govern everything, even though the way we behave gives no indication we have learned that lesson. Simms argues that our economies – and this is a lesson that … Continue reading We need to live within our biosphere’s thresholds →

Evaluating behavioural energy efficiency programmes

Katherine Tweed writes on the Greentechefficiency website about the difficulty in evaluating many energy efficiency programmes in the US. She reviews a recent report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). She explains that a dearth of data is making it difficult to effectively evaluate nearly 300 programmes across the U.S. Can … Continue reading Evaluating behavioural energy efficiency programmes →

Explaining the drop in energy consumption in Australia

Hugh Saddler, a research associate at the Centre for Climate Economics and Policy at Australian National University, analyses the recent drop in energy demand in Australia in an excellent article in the Climate Spectator. The demand drop mystery explained Until 2010, for well over a century, through two world wars and the Great Depression, … Continue reading Explaining the drop in energy consumption in Australia →

Here and there

There are some good news briefs on sustainable energy topics this week. Industrial Insulation EiD reported on a recent roundtable on industrial insulation organised by the European Industrial Insulation Forum. Videos of the main statements are now available here. New reports from European Environment Agency • Global megatrends shaping Europe's environment – Surging economic … Continue reading Here and there →

Quote of the week

On November 12th, the IEA launched its 2013 World Energy Outlook. At the launch in London, Maria van der Hoeven, Executive Director of the IEA said: Energy efficiency will be essential to getting that balance right – and I am pleased to say that it has become a focal point of energy policies. As we … Continue reading Quote of the week →

Business and sustainable development

With the next eceee industrial summer study less than a year away, analysing how business considers the various aspects of sustainability is very important. John Drummond, chairman of sustainable behaviour change at Corporate Culture, wrote recently in the Guardian about a new survey that shows that the majority of businesses are taking behaviour change seriously … Continue reading Business and sustainable development →

New academic paper – “The Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation”

Jan Rosenow, Senior Consultant at Ricardo-AEA, and Nick Eyre, Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University, put together the first comprehensive academic peer-reviewed paper on the British Green Deal published in the journal ‘Energy’ of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. The Green Deal, introduced alongside the Energy Company Obligation, marks a substantial change … Continue reading New academic paper – “The Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation” →