New rulings dictate that all privately rented non-domestic properties with an EPC rating must meet Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) in order to continue letting. While the final regulations have not yet been announced, new regulations are due to be enforced under the Energy Act 2011 from April 2018. This is the next step in […]
DECC to shut down coal plants by 2023
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will vow to shut down all coal-fired power plants by 2023. The UK still has 10 remaining coal-fired power stations and these will either be closed or converted to alternative fuels. This came about after the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) ordered plants to reduce the amount of […]
Corbyn appoints experienced shadow energy ministers
Jeremy Corbyn has been busy since he was elected Labour leader by creating a six strong team for shadow Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) made up of the most experienced ministers. Energy and climate change committee (ECCC) member Alan Whitehead has been named, as well as former shadow water minister Barry Gardiner. Both […]
Offshore windfarm application rejected by DECC
A 970MW offshore windfarm application has been refused by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) due to the potential visual impact to the landscape. Energy secretary Amber Rudd said that the project posed a “significant adverse impact” to viewers standing on the Dorset coastline, much of which is designated by Unesco as a […]
Government scraps energy household efficiency scheme
The new government has scrapped the Green Deal energy efficiency programme after only 10,000 homes signed up. The scheme was initially introduced to encourage households to install insulation and new boilers making properties more energy efficient by taking out loans. The loan repayments would supposedly be covered by the energy savings although it was later […]
Wind farm subsidy cuts threaten job losses
The “renewables obligation” subsidy will be closed to onshore wind farms from April next year instead of 2017. As the government ends subsidies earlier than expected, it’s feared that thousands of jobs will be lost. There’s also anger that the new government aren’t taking renewable energy pledges as seriously as they ought to. Maria McCaffery, […]
Government schemes wreck demand-side response intentions
Changing energy market schemes have undermined the value that customers could be receiving from demand side response (DSR) says electricity balancing and settlement company Elexon. Demand side response is the scheme where customers are incentivized financially to lower or shift their electricity use at peak times. This helps to manage load and voltage profiles on […]
New energy secretary to put an end to wind farm subsidies
The Conservatives have already made good on one of their pledges with newly appointed energy secretary Amber Rudd planning to stop the creation of more wind farms. Rudd is fast putting new legislation into place due to start from May 2016 to ban wind farm subsidies and give planning rules back to local communities. Rudd […]