tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/insulation-4165/articles
Insulation – The Conversation
2024-01-11T01:22:04Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/220130
2024-01-11T01:22:04Z
2024-01-11T01:22:04Z
How do I use air conditioning efficiently? Is it better to blast it briefly throughout the day, or just leave it on?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566466/original/file-20231219-19-4ygs6p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C49%2C6594%2C3820&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/side-view-pleasant-young-woman-using-1809678175">fizkes/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Despite so many people having air conditioning at home now, many are still unsure how to use it efficiently. And air conditioning uses a lot of energy. For example, running all the lights in an average home all day and night consumes about the same energy as one hour of air conditioning of the same space. </p>
<p>Many people think they can save money and energy by just blasting the air conditioning at a very low temperature, such as 17°C, for a short period of time to chill the room – before switching it off and enjoying the chilled air until another blast is needed later on. But it requires a <em>lot</em> of energy to get a room to a very chilly temperature.</p>
<p>While running it briefly and intermittently at a very cool temperature may feel thrifty, it won’t be the most energy efficient choice. Here’s what to do instead.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heat-pumps-can-cut-your-energy-costs-by-up-to-90-its-not-magic-just-a-smart-use-of-the-laws-of-physics-185711">Heat pumps can cut your energy costs by up to 90%. It’s not magic, just a smart use of the laws of physics</a>
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</em>
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<h2>Start by reducing how hot your home gets</h2>
<p>First, try to minimise the need for air conditioning. Look for ways to stop your house getting hot in the first place.</p>
<p>Heat can come in from outside through surfaces such as walls, windows, and ceilings. Hot air can creep in under doors or through open windows and vents. Appliances and people inside can also generate heat (although the heat impact of people is generally relatively small, unless there’s a large group).</p>
<p>To reduce some of this heat, you can:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>close blinds and windows before it starts getting hot</p></li>
<li><p>use draft stoppers around external doors to stop hot air wafting inside</p></li>
<li><p>plant trees (deciduous trees will let sunlight through in winter)</p></li>
<li><p>install external shading, particularly on north and western aspects of your house</p></li>
<li><p>improving ceiling and wall insulation, window glazing and sealing (if time and budget allow)</p></li>
<li><p>reduce use of the oven and cooktop on very hot days (more efficient appliances, however, reduce this heating effect and save energy).</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Rooftop solar systems provide a dual benefit of adding shade on the roof to stop heat coming in that way, as well as offsetting power usage.</p>
<p>If you’re in a double storey house, the lower level can be a few degrees cooler; it can help just to hang out downstairs on a very hot day. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/spare-a-thought-for-air-conditioning-repair-people-as-the-planet-warms-theyre-really-up-against-it-187143">Spare a thought for air-conditioning repair people. As the planet warms, they're really up against it</a>
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<h2>Set your air conditioning to the highest level that’s comfortable</h2>
<p>Turning our attention to the air conditioning unit itself, the most energy efficient action is to set the temperature to the highest value that’s still comfortable (26°C during the day and 22°C when sleeping is often recommended). Then, just let it run.</p>
<p>Modern units (that feature technology known as an “inverter”) will adjust their output efficiently to maintain the indoor temperature at the setting you’ve chosen.</p>
<p>Be careful, however; setting the temperature too low can result in the unit using more power than you think it’s using (based on star rating label).</p>
<p>Older non-inverter units will cycle on and off to maintain the temperature, and you will generally be able to hear and feel it going on and off. (The newer inverter units, by contrast, don’t tend to cycle on and off as much; they usually just stay on and continuously modulate their output). </p>
<p>For non-inverter units, in general, remaining on for much longer than it is off indicates the air conditioning is working very hard. This may suggest the unit is too small for the space you’re trying to cool, or that you just have a lot of heat in the house (are you cooking a roast?). It could also suggest a fault.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566479/original/file-20231219-21-f8b8pz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man points his AC remote at the AC unit on the wall." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566479/original/file-20231219-21-f8b8pz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566479/original/file-20231219-21-f8b8pz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566479/original/file-20231219-21-f8b8pz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566479/original/file-20231219-21-f8b8pz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566479/original/file-20231219-21-f8b8pz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566479/original/file-20231219-21-f8b8pz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566479/original/file-20231219-21-f8b8pz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It’d be better to close the blinds before you start thinking about using the air conditioner.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-remote-control-air-conditioner-creates-2161368775">Studio Romantic/Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Ceiling fans and servicing can help</h2>
<p>Regardless of the type of air conditioning you have, for each 1°C the temperature is lowered, <a href="https://www.yourhome.gov.au/energy/heating-and-cooling">energy use increases by 5 to 10%</a>. So it’s important not to over-cool. That’s why repeatedly blasting the air conditioning at a very low temperature over the course of the day isn’t wise. </p>
<p>Using ceiling fans along with air conditioning can make things feel cooler by <a href="https://www.nathers.gov.au/publications/validation-nathers-software-tropical-regions">2-3°C</a> due to the air movement, meaning you can set your air conditioning at a higher temperature. Fans use minimal power compared to air conditioning.</p>
<p>Clean the air filters regularly (your manual will explain how) and make sure air grills and vents are not blocked by furniture or, for outdoor units, by vegetation.</p>
<p>If parts of your outdoor units are heavily corroded or badly bent, the unit likely won’t work as well. Animals can cause damage to outdoor units but parts can often be easily replaced.</p>
<p>If your air conditioning doesn’t seem to work well, makes unusual sounds, or if fault codes show up on the display unit, get it serviced.</p>
<p>And if a cool change comes through, switch off the air conditioning and open as many windows and doors as possible to allow the breeze to flow through the house.</p>
<p>If you have a time-of-use electricity tariff (it’ll say on your electricity bill if you do), reducing use in the afternoon and early evening can save a lot. Energy prices can be double or more at these times.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566471/original/file-20231219-27-d4eqa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A person turns on a ceiling fan." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566471/original/file-20231219-27-d4eqa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566471/original/file-20231219-27-d4eqa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566471/original/file-20231219-27-d4eqa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566471/original/file-20231219-27-d4eqa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566471/original/file-20231219-27-d4eqa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566471/original/file-20231219-27-d4eqa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566471/original/file-20231219-27-d4eqa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Using fans along with AC can help cool the room more.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/electric-irony-ceiling-fan-woman-hand-1304819284">Semachkovsky/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<h2>An efficient unit can save you money in the long run</h2>
<p>When it comes time to replace your air conditioning, carefully consider the <a href="https://www.energyrating.gov.au">energy efficiency or star rating</a>.</p>
<p>The more stars the better; even a half star higher could more than pay for itself over the life of the unit (especially if you also use it in winter for heating).</p>
<p>Several state governments also have incentive schemes that can help cover the cost of upgrades or replacements.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220130/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Goldsworthy works for CSIRO, which researches air conditioning as well as performing Minimum Energy Performance Standards testing of air conditioning systems for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and providing the energy rating method used in the NatHERS residential building energy rating software. However, CSIRO is unlikely to receive any direct benefit from this article.
</span></em></p>
While running it briefly and intermittently at a very low temperature may feel thrifty, it will not be the most energy efficient choice. Here’s what to do instead.
Mark Goldsworthy, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/216496
2023-11-22T17:05:18Z
2023-11-22T17:05:18Z
The most vulnerable shoulder rising energy costs because their homes aren’t efficient enough – here’s why that’s so hard to tackle
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561034/original/file-20231122-19-m4p28i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5691%2C3788&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hands-man-pouring-out-few-coins-2188117831">Maren Winter/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In September 2023, the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, <a href="https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/rishi-sunak-speech-net-zero">announced</a> that landlords will <a href="https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/articles/energy-efficiency-rules-for-rental-properties-scrapped/">no longer be required</a> to improve the energy efficiency of their rental properties. The announcement marked a departure from <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1147340/powering-up-britain-joint-overview.pdf">decades of commitment</a> to the government’s sustainability objectives, including efforts to reduce the UK’s dependence on imported energy. </p>
<p>This dependence remains a <a href="https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/9b89065a-ccb4-404c-a53e-084982768baf/SDG7-Report2023-FullReport.pdf">threat</a> both to the UK’s energy security and to addressing the <a href="https://www.nea.org.uk/energy-crisis/energy-crisis-timeline/#:%7E:text=The%20Energy%20Crisis%20has%20been%20driven%20by%20wholesale%20gas%20price,cost%2Dof%2Dliving%20crisis">growing number of people</a> that are trapped in fuel poverty throughout the country.</p>
<p>Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, energy prices have soared. Under the UK’s current energy price cap, which is set every three months by government energy market regulator Ofgem, the <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9491/">average annual gas and electricity bill</a> for a “typical” household is £2,500. This represents a 27% increase compared to the price cap in the summer of 2022 and a 96% increase compared to the price cap from the winter before. </p>
<p>My <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988323005601?via%3Dihub">research</a>, published in November 2023, suggests that rising energy prices could have a disproportionate effect on people living in deprived areas. This is because their homes tend to use much more energy than they should need to due to things like a lack of insulation.</p>
<p>The difference between the amount of energy that could be consumed if a house was perfectly energy efficient compared to how much energy is actually consumed is known as the “energy efficiency gap”. This gap is greater for households living in deprived areas, meaning a higher proportion of their already limited incomes has to be spent on energy.</p>
<p>Over the past decade, several attempts have been made to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988323005406?dgcid=rss_sd_all">improve the energy efficiency</a> of UK households. The UK government’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/apply-great-british-insulation-scheme">Great British Insulation Scheme</a>, for example, offers financial support for installing home insulation. However, despite such efforts, the size of the energy efficiency gap has remained persistent with substantial regional variation across England and Wales. </p>
<p>Closing the energy efficiency gap is a complex endeavour. My current research shows that the energy efficiency gap is the result of the intertwined relationships between several different factors. Three of those factors are discussed below.</p>
<p><strong>The energy efficiency gap in England and Wales (2008–2020):</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560775/original/file-20231121-4144-z0t2kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three maps of England and Wales showing how the energy efficiency gap has grown." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560775/original/file-20231121-4144-z0t2kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560775/original/file-20231121-4144-z0t2kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560775/original/file-20231121-4144-z0t2kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560775/original/file-20231121-4144-z0t2kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560775/original/file-20231121-4144-z0t2kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560775/original/file-20231121-4144-z0t2kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560775/original/file-20231121-4144-z0t2kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988323005406?dgcid=rss_sd_all#fig1">Huaccha (2023)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Understanding of energy efficiency</h2>
<p>People’s perception of the benefits that stem from energy-efficient behaviours has a significant impact on their choices. If people are unaware of the importance or do not deem it necessary to enhance the energy efficiency of their homes, they may not be willing to adopt energy-saving practices. </p>
<p>In my <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988323005406">latest research</a>, also from November 2023, I used education level as a proxy for people’s willingness to engage in energy-efficient behaviour. </p>
<p>My analysis, which was conducted over a sample of around 18 million households in England and Wales, suggests that people adjust their energy-efficient behaviours faster in areas where the average resident possesses higher levels of education. A person was deemed to have a high level of education if they held a post-secondary diploma or higher degree.</p>
<p>These findings are in line with the <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/whatwedo/paidservices/opinions">Opinions and Lifestyle Survey</a> conducted by the Office for National Statistics in 2021. This showed a positive relationship between households’ understanding of the benefits of adopting energy-saving measures and their decision to use energy more efficiently. </p>
<h2>Construction period of a home</h2>
<p>Energy efficiency gaps are also influenced by the <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/ageofthepropertyisthebiggestsinglefactorinenergyefficiencyofhomes/2021-11-01">age of the property</a>. The UK’s housing stock is among the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/28/britain-homes-energy-crisis-governments-insulation-low-carbon-heating">oldest and least insulated</a> in Europe. This means that a lot of heat can quickly be lost through walls, windows and doors. </p>
<p>Older homes that were constructed in an era before energy efficiency became a central concern (before 2012), are generally less energy efficient. This translates to larger energy efficiency gaps, higher energy consumption and, as a consequence, higher utility bills. </p>
<p>By contrast, modern homes are often constructed using more energy-efficient building materials and features that are designed to retain heat effectively. These include double or triple glazing, energy-efficient boilers and cavity wall insulation.</p>
<p><strong>The link between energy efficiency and age of homes:</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560773/original/file-20231121-4461-wickdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A chart showing how Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings have changed across construction periods" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560773/original/file-20231121-4461-wickdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560773/original/file-20231121-4461-wickdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=94&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560773/original/file-20231121-4461-wickdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=94&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560773/original/file-20231121-4461-wickdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=94&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560773/original/file-20231121-4461-wickdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=119&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560773/original/file-20231121-4461-wickdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=119&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560773/original/file-20231121-4461-wickdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=119&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings have changed across construction periods. A is the most efficient and G is the least.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988323005406?dgcid=rss_sd_all#fig1">Huaccha (2023)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The existence of larger and persistent energy efficiency gaps is a phenomenon that affects anyone living in an energy-inefficient home. However, my research shows that it has the potential to affect society’s most vulnerable disproportionally. </p>
<p>Homes in economically deprived areas <a href="https://theconversation.com/one-in-four-homes-is-hard-to-decarbonise-without-help-their-inhabitants-could-get-stuck-in-fuel-poverty-195702">tend to be</a> less energy efficient. As a result, households living in these homes are forced into spending a higher proportion of their disposable income on the cost of basic needs such cooking and heating. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://progressiveeconomyforum.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/PEF-Report-final-Protecting-Households-from-Price-Surges.pdf">previous research</a>, which was published in August 2023, I found that energy bills <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/22/poorest-risk-spending-half-disposable-incomes-on-energy-bills-uk-report-says">amounted to 47%</a> of the disposable income for poorest tenth of families in Britain over 2022, up from 23% in 2020.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/one-in-four-homes-is-hard-to-decarbonise-without-help-their-inhabitants-could-get-stuck-in-fuel-poverty-195702">One in four homes is 'hard to decarbonise' – without help their inhabitants could get stuck in fuel poverty</a>
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<h2>Financial status</h2>
<p>Differences in household incomes play a significant role in determining the ability of people to implement energy-efficient improvements in their homes. Wealthier households can quickly incorporate these upgrades.</p>
<p>On the flip side, economically disadvantaged households struggle to even make ends meet, which means investing in energy improvements is more difficult. As a result, they find themselves restricted to the use of outdated and inefficient equipment, ultimately leading to higher energy efficiency gaps, higher energy consumption and increased costs. This situation is applicable to both homeowners and renters alike.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman's hands pressed against a radiator." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561032/original/file-20231122-27-tvr4p0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561032/original/file-20231122-27-tvr4p0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561032/original/file-20231122-27-tvr4p0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561032/original/file-20231122-27-tvr4p0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561032/original/file-20231122-27-tvr4p0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561032/original/file-20231122-27-tvr4p0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561032/original/file-20231122-27-tvr4p0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Economically disadvantaged households may be less able to afford energy-saving upgrades.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/heavy-duty-radiator-central-heating-781785535">Zvone/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The government can do more to improve the energy efficiency of all UK homes. It could, for example, retrofit older buildings and create campaigns to improve energy literacy. </p>
<p>However, a better understanding of the relationship between local deprivation and households’ energy efficiency gaps is needed to guide economists and policymakers towards identifying the challenges that vulnerable people face in adopting new energy-saving technologies.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 20,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216496/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gissell Huaccha does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Increasing energy costs pose a challenge for everyone, but the impact is most pronounced for those living in deprived areas.
Gissell Huaccha, Research Fellow in Economics, University of Leeds
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/214483
2023-11-21T23:00:55Z
2023-11-21T23:00:55Z
Too many renters swelter through summer. Efficient cooling should be the law for rental homes
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557058/original/file-20231101-27-vhqfht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C0%2C7994%2C5329&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/senior-man-suffering-extreme-hot-record-2179499647">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Summer is coming – and it’s <a href="https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/uploads/00ca18a19ff194252940f7e3c58da254.pdf">starting earlier</a>, <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/state-of-the-climate/australias-changing-climate">becoming hotter</a> and <a href="https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/australian-summer-now-over-one-month-longer/">lasting longer</a>. As the hot weather hits, many renters will be sweltering in their homes. </p>
<p>The World Health Organization recommends a <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-heat-and-health">list of actions</a> for people to deal with heat. At the top of the list is “keep your home cool”. But for many renters, this isn’t possible. </p>
<p>In recent years, <a href="https://cur.org.au/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/heatwaves-homes-and-health-rmit_full-report.pdf">Australian</a> <a href="https://www.betterrenting.org.au/renter_researchers_summer_23">research</a> <a href="https://www.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Heat-Survey-Report_20230228.pdf">reports</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/01/my-apartment-is-literally-baking-calls-for-minimum-standards-to-keep-australias-rental-homes-cool">news</a> <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-22/perth-heatwave-leaves-renters-sweltering/100773520">articles</a> have emphasised the physical and mental impacts of extreme heat on people living in private and social rental housing. Tenant advocacy group Better Renting’s “<a href="https://www.betterrenting.org.au/renter_researchers_summer_23">Sweaty and Stressed</a>” report, for example, although based on a fairly small sample, found temperatures in rental properties across Australia last summer were above 25°C for 45% of the time (and much more often in some states). </p>
<iframe title="Proportion of time spent in different
temperature ranges" aria-label="Stacked Columns" id="datawrapper-chart-al1NS" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/al1NS/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="100%" height="410" data-external="1"></iframe>
<p>These reports generally find three potential problems:</p>
<ul>
<li>rental properties lack fans or air conditioners</li>
<li>renters who have cooling appliances don’t use them due to the cost</li>
<li>some homes can’t be kept at an acceptable temperature even when using cooling appliances. </li>
</ul>
<p>Poor housing quality, such as lack of insulation, also affects home owners, especially those on low incomes. However, renters are usually less able to modify their homes. </p>
<p>The clear <a href="https://theconversation.com/extreme-weather-is-landing-more-australians-in-hospital-and-heat-is-the-biggest-culprit-216440">evidence of the harm</a> resulting from living in hot homes points to the need to make effective cooling <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-8462.12518">mandatory in rental housing</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/extreme-weather-is-landing-more-australians-in-hospital-and-heat-is-the-biggest-culprit-216440">Extreme weather is landing more Australians in hospital – and heat is the biggest culprit</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Governments have done little to help</h2>
<p>Despite tenant advocates’ work on this issue, governments have done little to protect renters from the heat. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/housing/renting/repairs-alterations-safety-and-pets/minimum-standards/minimum-standards-for-rental-properties">Victoria</a> and <a href="https://www.cbos.tas.gov.au/topics/housing/renting/beginning-tenancy/minimum-standards/types">Tasmania</a> have minimum rental standards relating to heating, but not cooling. No state or territory makes cooling mandatory in rental properties. The <a href="https://www.justice.act.gov.au/renting-and-occupancy-laws/energy-efficiency-standards-for-rental-homes">ACT</a> comes closest with minimum standards for energy-efficient ceiling insulation. </p>
<p>The National Cabinet agreement in August, <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/meeting-national-cabinet-working-together-deliver-better-housing-outcomes">A Better Deal for Renters</a>, did not specifically mention minimum standards on cooling. </p>
<p>The lack of action perpetuates the idea that energy-efficient cooling is simply a matter of comfort. But hot homes have extensive health and wellbeing implications, so it’s a matter of the right to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19491247.2023.2204650">healthy housing</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1320520268045971456"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-back-door-for-5-years-remote-communitys-high-court-win-is-good-news-for-renters-everywhere-216821">No back door for 5 years: remote community's High Court win is good news for renters everywhere</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Excessive heat harms people</h2>
<p>The impacts of heat go beyond feeling tired, irritated and sweaty. Hot conditions <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2015.00372/full">affect cognitive function</a>. </p>
<p>For example, a <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002605">study of university students</a> exposed to extreme heat found those living in air-conditioned rooms had better memory, attention and thinking speed than those in non-air-conditioned rooms. This finding highlights how heat can reduce learning ability and productivity. </p>
<p>Excessive heat can also affect mental wellbeing and hormonal mood control. The results include heightened aggression and stress and decreased happiness and motivation. </p>
<p>Heat affects quality of sleep, too. That’s bad for people’s health, with effects such as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3427038/">obesity and poorer quality of life</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1504198043268431872"}"></div></p>
<h2>The impacts are unequal</h2>
<p>Renters’ unequal access to cooling in their homes perpetuates health disparities between both individuals and socioeconomic groups. </p>
<p>The health impacts of heat exposure are particularly bad for <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421511006926?via%3Dihub">susceptible groups</a>. For example, older people and children have less ability to regulate body temperature and cope with heat. And conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney diseases and respiratory diseases such as asthma can hamper the ability to control body temperature. </p>
<p>Heat also worsens mental illnesses, causing <a href="https://www.bcm.edu/news/excessive-heat-and-its-impact-on-mental-health#:%7E:text=Heat%20alters%20those%20behaviors%20because,levels%20of%20stress%20and%20fatigue.">higher rates</a> of anxiety and depressive episodes. Lifestyle behaviours such as <a href="https://www.bcm.edu/news/excessive-heat-and-its-impact-on-mental-health#:%7E:text=Heat%20alters%20those%20behaviors%20because,levels%20of%20stress%20and%20fatigue.">substance abuse</a>, particularly of alcohol, increase vulnerability to heat and dehydration. </p>
<p>People on low incomes are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2023/oct/29/silent-killer-more-than-half-of-heatwave-deaths-are-in-disadvantaged-areas-now-australian-councils-are-fighting-back">more likely to live</a> in poor-quality rental housing that gets too hot. As well as restrictions on the cooling systems they can install, they are least able to afford air conditioning. This puts them at a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4264980/">higher risk</a> of illness or even death.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1537919828316782592"}"></div></p>
<h2>What are the solutions?</h2>
<p>Given there are three main problems – lack of cooling appliances, cost of cooling appliances, and poor home design and ineffective insulation – we need multiple solutions. </p>
<p>In the short term, rental standards should be reformed to include cooling appliances. In <a href="https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/housing/renting/repairs-alterations-safety-and-pets/minimum-standards/minimum-standards-for-rental-properties">Victoria</a>, for example, rental homes must have fixed heaters that meet energy-efficiency standards. Similar standards for cooling are needed (as the Greens have <a href="https://www.samantharatnam.org.au/renters_rights_cooling">advocated</a>). </p>
<p>In parallel, there are longer-term solutions that minimise the need for cooling devices such as air conditioning. Their use contributes to climate change (if not powered by 100% renewable energy). </p>
<p>One of these is setting <a href="https://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/passive-cooling#:%7E:text=With%20passive%20cooling%2C%20building%20envelopes,to%20local%20climate%20and%20site">passive building design</a> standards. Building design, placement and materials can help control temperature by reducing heat gain (using insulation, shade, windows and so on) and increasing cooling methods such as air flow. </p>
<p>Such design standards would create homes that use less energy to cool. In France, for example, <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/why-apartments-are-failing-the-heat-stress-test">“summer comfort” standards</a> dictate that buildings must be a comfortable temperature even without air conditioning. </p>
<p>While these standards could be applied to new home designs, older properties would have to be retrofitted. <a href="https://theconversation.com/ive-never-actually-met-them-what-will-motivate-landlords-to-fix-cold-and-costly-homes-for-renters-188827">Research</a> has found that motivating landlords to undertake retrofitting is difficult. It requires a form of enforceable minimum standards. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1699921286762549525"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ive-never-actually-met-them-what-will-motivate-landlords-to-fix-cold-and-costly-homes-for-renters-188827">'I've never actually met them': what will motivate landlords to fix cold and costly homes for renters?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The local environment in which houses are built also plays a role. Greenery is a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S209526352100100X">nature-based solution</a> to cool urban areas. Trees around a house can provide direct cooling shade.</p>
<p>In summary, we need to provide renters with access to fans and air conditioners so they don’t keep suffering in the heat. We must also enhance our housing stock so we don’t depend on these appliances to keep cool in a more environmentally sustainable future. </p>
<h2>Make it a national priority</h2>
<p>The number of renters in Australia is <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/final-reports/328">likely to rise</a> as home ownership falls further out of reach. Temperatures are rising too. </p>
<iframe title="Percentage of households that rent, by household reference person's age" aria-label="Grouped Columns" id="datawrapper-chart-JrVGK" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/JrVGK/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="100%" height="400" data-external="1"></iframe>
<p>At the same time, the home environment is becoming more important. Australians spend a <a href="https://www.health.vic.gov.au/your-health-report-of-the-chief-health-officer-victoria-2018/environmental-health/healthy-indoor">lot of time indoors</a>, including working from home. </p>
<p>Ensuring <em>everyone</em> has housing that can keep them cool should be a national housing policy priority. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-5-key-tenancy-reforms-are-affecting-renters-and-landlords-around-australia-187779">How 5 key tenancy reforms are affecting renters and landlords around Australia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214483/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Zoe Goodall has previously received funding from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) and the Victorian Government.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sungkavi Selvakumaran receives funding from the Swinburne University Postgraduate Research Award (SUPRA) scholarship. Sungkavi was formerly employed in the Victorian Department of Health. </span></em></p>
More Australians than ever live in rented homes, many of which get far too hot. With summers getting longer and hotter, keeping millions of people cool should be a national housing policy priority.
Zoe Goodall, Research Associate, Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology
Sungkavi Selvakumaran, PhD Candidate, Swinburne University, and Lecturer in Public Health, Torrens University Australia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/215763
2023-10-19T17:09:30Z
2023-10-19T17:09:30Z
Four environmental red flags to watch out for when buying your new home
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554765/original/file-20231019-15-75tk1e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=46%2C0%2C5184%2C3453&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/couple-looking-their-home-367404275">ChickenStock Images/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Have you ever contemplated purchasing an environmentally friendly home but found yourself unsure of where to begin? I can relate if so, as I was in your shoes about a year ago when I set out to purchase my first home.</p>
<p>Amid the escalating climate crisis, there has been a noticeable shift towards the construction of energy-efficient homes. The UK government <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-recommits-uk-to-net-zero-by-2050-and-pledges-a-fairer-path-to-achieving-target-to-ease-the-financial-burden-on-british-families">aims to make</a> all new homes highly energy efficient with low-carbon heating from 2035.</p>
<p>However, for those of us who prefer to live in or near to a city centre, the choices for new housing are quite limited. The alternatives are existing homes and apartments, many of which were built many decades ago without much consideration for energy efficiency.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/make-new-friends-and-become-a-role-model-why-you-should-consider-volunteering-if-youre-in-your-20s-or-30s-209939">Make new friends and become a role model: why you should consider volunteering if you’re in your 20s or 30s</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/guerilla-gardening-how-you-can-make-your-local-area-greener-without-getting-into-trouble-213037">Guerilla gardening: how you can make your local area greener without getting into trouble</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/house-prices-are-falling-but-that-doesnt-mean-you-should-buy-now-heres-what-first-time-buyers-should-consider-207938">House prices are falling, but that doesn’t mean you should buy now – here’s what first-time buyers should consider</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>As a leading expert in net zero, I thought I had all the necessary knowledge to make the right choices. But, swayed by my emotions, intuition, the location and stunning views, I made some costly mistakes. These included choosing a listed house with no insulation, single-glazed windows, and a heating system in dire need of an upgrade. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, these missteps have provided me with invaluable lessons that can be of benefit to you, if you’re in the market for a new home. Here are four telltale signs that suggest a property isn’t as eco-friendly as it could be.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554760/original/file-20231019-21-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Panoramic skyline view of London with traditional brick houses in the foreground." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554760/original/file-20231019-21-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554760/original/file-20231019-21-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554760/original/file-20231019-21-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554760/original/file-20231019-21-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554760/original/file-20231019-21-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554760/original/file-20231019-21-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554760/original/file-20231019-21-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">New housing is harder to come by close to city centres.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-england-panoramic-skyline-view-skyscrapers-709902058">ZGPhotography/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>1. Single-pane windows</h2>
<p>According to a <a href="https://www.ciob.org/sites/default/files/CIOB_Response_to_EEPH_Green_Deal_CfE%5B1%5D.pdf">2011 study</a> carried out by the Chartered Institute of Building, a global construction management and leadership organisation, a typical house in the UK loses 10% of its heat through its windows and 15% through external doors. That’s a lot of heat. </p>
<p>So, it’s crucial to pay attention to the windows of your prospective home. Look out for single-pane windows and any gaps between the frames that could lead to draughts. </p>
<p>The good news is that you can improve thermal comfort and reduce energy costs by selecting the right windows and frames. Installing A-rated double glazing to windows in a single-glazed, semi-detached property in the UK <a href="https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/windows-and-doors/">could save you</a> £155 a year in energy costs and 375kg of carbon dioxide emissions.</p>
<h2>2. Cold walls</h2>
<p>A poorly insulated home can result in unnecessary energy consumption too. In fact, a <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/873663/Detailed_Release_-_HEE_stats_19_March_2020.pdf">standard UK home</a> loses approximately 35% of its heat through the walls and 15% through the roof. </p>
<p>It is difficult to see insulation, but you can check by feeling the walls. If you detect cold spots, especially during the winter, it might be indicative of poor insulation.</p>
<p>When in doubt, consulting the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate">energy performance certificate</a> of the house you’re considering purchasing is a wise step. This should tell you if there is insulation, what type of insulation it is (insulation made from natural materials like wood fibre or sheep’s wool is the best eco option), and how suitable it is for your location. </p>
<p>My own research suggests that Scottish homes with proper insulation are <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13061518">24% more likely</a> to maintain an indoor temperature between 20°C and 25°C, and experience a 67% lower likelihood of overheating (where the indoor temperature exceeds 25°C). But despite this fact, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2021-to-2022-headline-report/english-housing-survey-2021-to-2022-headline-report">little more than half</a> (52%) of UK dwellings had cavity or solid wall insulation in 2021.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Close-up of worker hands in white gloves insulating." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554769/original/file-20231019-32-e55s3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554769/original/file-20231019-32-e55s3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554769/original/file-20231019-32-e55s3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554769/original/file-20231019-32-e55s3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554769/original/file-20231019-32-e55s3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554769/original/file-20231019-32-e55s3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554769/original/file-20231019-32-e55s3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Check the walls for insulation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-worker-hands-white-gloves-insulating-1117428599">Bilanol/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Old boilers</h2>
<p>When you’re looking at a property, one of the first things to ask should be whether you can test the boiler or heating system. If the radiators fail to heat up, you encounter rattling or banging noises, or detect unpleasant smells from the boiler, then it probably needs replacing. </p>
<p>On average, heating and hot water accounts for <a href="https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/boilers/">over half of what you spend</a> in a year on energy bills, so having a good boiler is important. Modern boilers are more efficient than older ones, in part because they are “condensing”. This means they recover heat from the exhaust gas and use it to heat the central heating water.</p>
<p>Make sure you thoroughly examine the property’s thermostat and boiler features. Certain boilers are OpenTherm compatible, meaning they can communicate with a smart thermostat, thereby enhancing a home’s temperature regulation.</p>
<p>Another heating system you may want to look for are heat pumps. These are <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-heat-pumps/how-a-heat-pump-works">far more efficient</a> than conventional heating technologies and ideally suited for well-insulated homes. But, as with electric boilers, the carbon savings associated with heat pumps will depend on how green the electricity is that powers them.</p>
<h2>4. Leaky radiators</h2>
<p>Radiators are the typical way we distribute heat around our homes. However, older radiators may contain blockages that result in uneven temperature distribution and, in some instances, no heat at all.</p>
<p>Inspect the radiators closely. Search for any signs of water leakage around the radiators and listen for unusual noises while the heating system is running. If they look to be a decade old or more, they might need to be replaced.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A leaking old rusty radiator in a home." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554762/original/file-20231019-15-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554762/original/file-20231019-15-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554762/original/file-20231019-15-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554762/original/file-20231019-15-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554762/original/file-20231019-15-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554762/original/file-20231019-15-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554762/original/file-20231019-15-nhfg3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Look out for water leaking from radiators.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/leaking-old-rusty-heating-radiator-home-2330688465">Yevhen Prozhyrko/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/201911104009">Underfloor heating</a> distributes heat more evenly throughout a house than traditional radiators, all while operating at a lower temperature. Another potentially more environmentally friendly alternative is electric heating – but again, its sustainability ultimately depends on whether your energy provider uses renewable energy sources.</p>
<p>It is important to note that finding a property with all the desired eco-friendly features may present a challenge. However, some of these features, particularly double-glazed windows, are fairly straightforward to install in most homes and will yield substantial benefits in the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215763/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alejandro Moreno-Rangel receives funding from the UKRI. He is affiliated with the UK Indoor Environments Group (UKIEG).</span></em></p>
Buying a new house can be overwhelming – here’s how to make sure you’re not left with one that guzzles energy.
Alejandro Moreno-Rangel, Lecturer in Building Performance Evaluation and net Zero Design, University of Strathclyde
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/214093
2023-09-21T16:37:04Z
2023-09-21T16:37:04Z
How Sunak’s back-pedalling on net zero could damage efforts to decarbonise Britain’s homes
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549619/original/file-20230921-21-m15ft0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6879%2C3630&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/aerial-view-above-rooftops-run-down-2285666517">Clare Louise Jackson/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Rishi Sunak, the UK prime minister, has announced his government will scrap or delay a number of measures designed to help the UK reach net zero by 2050, with a particular focus on housing. This includes getting rid of impending requirements for landlords and property owners to upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes with insulation and other measures. And the ban on installing gas boilers in new homes will be pushed from 2025 until 2035. </p>
<p>Instead, the government will rely more heavily on schemes to encourage people to make energy-efficiency improvements, such as grants to replace boilers have increased by 50% to £7,500 alongside other. But what effect is this likely to have on efforts to decarbonise Britain’s housing stock?</p>
<p>Several reviews of the government’s net zero strategy have already highlighted that continuous policy changes and U-turns, such as discontinuing subsidies after only a year or so, are <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Progress-in-reducing-UK-emissions-2023-Report-to-Parliament.pdf">counterproductive</a>. These include <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/CCC-Independent-Assessment-The-UKs-Heat-and-Buildings-Strategy.pdf">reports</a> by government advisers the <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Independent-Assessment-of-the-UK-Net-Zero-Strategy-CCC.pdf">Climate Change Committee</a> and one chaired by the former Conservative energy minister, Chris Skidmore, which was <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1128689/mission-zero-independent-review.pdf">published</a> in January 2023.</p>
<p>All these sources emphasise that frequent programme changes reduce both the demand for energy-efficiency investments among property owners and the ability of firms to meet it. On the demand side, this announcement seemingly rewards those landlords who have been waiting to upgrade their property by the original deadline of 2025. In the future, others might similarly put off making changes to comply with incoming regulations and requirements. </p>
<p>This wait-and-see approach affects the supply side too. If firms can less reliably predict demand they might hold off on investing, for instance, in hiring or training skilled workers or by securing contracts for parts. </p>
<p>Requirements to upgrade homes to make them more energy-efficient could act as a catalyst by creating a clear goal towards which UK firms and the public can work, enabling the market to shift towards greener options. Eliminating these requirements is a missed opportunity for property owners and firms alike.</p>
<h2>The cost of policy U-turns</h2>
<p>In general, subsidies for retrofitting homes and upgrading boilers <a href="https://ifs.org.uk/sites/default/files/output_url_files/8-Tax-policies-to-help-achieve-net-zero-carbon-emissions-.pdf">don’t appear to have worked well</a> so far. </p>
<p>The green homes grant, introduced in October 2020, gave homeowners vouchers to cover much of the cost of energy-efficiency improvements using accredited suppliers. However, this scheme ended with most of the funding unspent, as accreditation proved costly and complex for firms and businesses did not scale up their operations and train new staff for a programme that was only designed to last a few months. </p>
<p>To this day, when I speak with builders they lament the paperwork required to access the most recent boiler upgrade scheme, as well as the delays they face in getting reimbursed. It will be hard to judge the newly promised funds until the details are unveiled.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A gloved hand detaching a hose from a metal valve." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549616/original/file-20230921-23-2kp2rk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549616/original/file-20230921-23-2kp2rk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549616/original/file-20230921-23-2kp2rk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549616/original/file-20230921-23-2kp2rk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549616/original/file-20230921-23-2kp2rk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549616/original/file-20230921-23-2kp2rk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549616/original/file-20230921-23-2kp2rk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Repeated government schemes have failed to help homes use less gas.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/technician-replacing-connecting-gas-hose-repair-2208355571">Yevhen Prozhyrko/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The argument made by landlord associations (and <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/prime-minister-landlords-national-housing-federation-government-rishi-sunak-b2415315.html">parroted by the government</a>) that the requirement to upgrade the efficiency of rental properties would have raised rents for tenants is flawed. </p>
<p>When homes are sold or leased today, the must have an energy performance certificate (EPC) that rates their energy efficiency on a scale of A-G, with A being the most efficient. This also includes recommendations on how to improve the energy efficiency of the property. </p>
<p>While it is true that properties with higher EPC ratings demand higher rents on average compared to <a href="https://epc.opendatacommunities.org/">similar neighbouring properties</a>, it is hard to know what other improvements will also have increased the rental price.</p>
<p><strong>How EPC ratings affected rental values in London, 2012-2021</strong></p>
<p>Retrofitting homes would also boost their resale values, allowing landlords to recoup costs. And as many others have already pointed out, it would also lower energy bills and improve the comfort and wellbeing of those living in them, with knock-on benefits for public health among the many net positive effects.</p>
<p>The government’s announcement creates a lose-lose-lose situation. It <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/20/scientists-and-green-groups-dismay-at-uks-net-zero-u-turn">jeopardises</a> the UK’s ability to meet its net zero targets while leaving vulnerable families in potentially outdated and drafty houses. </p>
<p>The effects of this backpedaling are not restricted to housing either. They are likely to undermine the credibility of net zero policies across the board, discouraging UK businesses from investing in green jobs and technologies. </p>
<p>If there is a legitimate concern that net zero policies will burden low-income families, then this could be addressed with more direct intervention by the government to ease the cost-of-living with lump-sum transfers and other measures that do not blunt incentives to invest in energy efficiency for everyone.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 20,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214093/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ludovica Gazze receives funding from the ESRC and the University of Warwick.</span></em></p>
The government’s unpredictable approach to energy-efficiency has cost progress to net zero before.
Ludovica Gazze, Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, University of Warwick
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/212117
2023-09-06T20:13:56Z
2023-09-06T20:13:56Z
On hot days, up to 87% of heat gain in our homes is through windows. On cold days, it’s 40% of heat loss. Here’s how we can fix that
<p>Climate change and energy costs mean we need to rethink how we <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-99-2760-9">design and build our homes</a>. The updated <a href="https://abcb.gov.au/news/2022/using-ncc-2022-prior-1-may-2023#ncc-application-within-states-and-territories">National Construction Code</a> has lifted the required energy performance of new housing from <a href="https://theconversation.com/7-star-housing-is-a-step-towards-zero-carbon-but-theres-much-more-to-do-starting-with-existing-homes-189542">6 stars to 7 stars</a> (10 stars being the best). Windows are an obvious focus for improving the energy efficiency of Australian homes. </p>
<p>On hot days, most of the heat that gets into our homes is through the windows. On cold days, windows account for almost half the heat loss. High-performance insulating windows have been installed in Australian homes at a fraction of the rates for New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom. </p>
<p>In our newly published <a href="https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/research-data-and-insights/research/research-reports/upscaling-high-performance-windows-in-victoria">report</a>, we found the local window industry can produce the high-performance windows we need for thermally efficient homes. These homes will cost less to heat and cool, with lower greenhouse gas emissions. </p>
<p>But the industry is complex, with several obstacles to greater uptake of these windows. We identified a range of government policies and industry actions that could help drive change.</p>
<iframe title="Percentage of housing with high-performance windows" aria-label="Column Chart" id="datawrapper-chart-Il3PZ" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Il3PZ/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="100%" height="400" data-external="1"></iframe>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/7-star-housing-is-a-step-towards-zero-carbon-but-theres-much-more-to-do-starting-with-existing-homes-189542">7-star housing is a step towards zero carbon – but there's much more to do, starting with existing homes</a>
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<hr>
<h2>How much difference do windows make?</h2>
<p>Single-glazed windows are common in Australian housing. Heat travels easily through these windows so they are a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778821005843#b0135">thermal weak spot</a>. </p>
<p>In Australian homes, up to 87% of heat gain in summer and 40% of heat loss in winter is <a href="https://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/glazing">through the windows</a>. This makes it harder to maintain a comfortable temperature inside. </p>
<p>Around <a href="https://www.yourhome.gov.au/energy/heating-and-cooling">40% of household energy use</a> in the average Australian home is for heating and cooling. The result is high power bills.</p>
<h2>High-performance windows can solve this problem</h2>
<p>Better windows are available. <a href="https://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/glazing">Double-glazed and triple-glazed windows</a> offer much better performance, reducing the need to use energy for heating and cooling. In some climate zones, they’re one of the most <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-most-cost-effective-energy-efficiency-investments-you-can-make-and-how-the-new-inflation-reduction-act-could-help-188506">cost-effective investments</a> in energy efficiency you can make.</p>
<p>These windows have insulating layer(s) of air between the glass panes. Other elements can also improve performance. These include thermal breaks (an insulating barrier that reduces heat flow through the window frame) and films that can be applied to the panes. </p>
<p>These approaches can be used in new window units, or with <a href="https://renew.org.au/renew-magazine/buyers-guides/window-buyers-guide/">retrofit options</a> such as secondary glazing, which can be cheaper than replacing the whole window unit. It involves installing a glazed panel in a frame inside an existing window. This can be a great solution for apartments as it might not require owners corporation approval.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/keen-to-retrofit-your-home-to-lower-its-carbon-footprint-and-save-energy-consider-these-3-things-175921">Keen to retrofit your home to lower its carbon footprint and save energy? Consider these 3 things</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>High-performance windows <a href="https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-buildings/energy-performance-buildings-directive_en">offer many benefits</a> beyond greater thermal comfort. These include better physical and mental health as a result of homes no longer being <a href="https://cur.org.au/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/heatwaves-homes-and-health-rmit_full-report.pdf">too hot</a> or <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953623003118">too cold</a>, improved control of ventilation and natural light, and reduced noise from outdoors.</p>
<p>Australia is trailing far behind other countries in installing high-performance windows. Just over 10% of windows in new housing in Australia are high-performance – versus around 80% in the United Kingdom, the United States and New Zealand.</p>
<iframe title="Uptake of high-performance windows by state and territory" aria-label="Interactive line chart" id="datawrapper-chart-9AEtK" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/9AEtK/2/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="100%" height="400" data-external="1"></iframe>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-a-lemon-law-to-make-all-the-homes-we-buy-and-rent-more-energy-efficient-204369">We need a 'lemon law' to make all the homes we buy and rent more energy-efficient</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Scaling up use of high-performance windows</h2>
<p>We explored the window and residential building industry in Victoria on behalf of Sustainability Victoria. Our aim was to understand the industry and its readiness to scale up the manufacture, sale and installation of high-performance windows. We also wanted to understand what support might be needed to achieve this transition. </p>
<p>The people we spoke to, drawn from across the sector, said they are ready to scale up once demand is there. They clearly said there isn’t any technological barrier to doing this. </p>
<p>The time from ordering to receiving windows has increased in recent years as part of wider supply-chain issues. We were told this was almost resolved. However, a rapid scaling up of demand for high-performance windows could create short-term supply challenges.</p>
<p>The builders we spoke to identified some issues around understanding the various window products, such as the relative benefits of different frame materials. For example, uPVC and timber frames typically conduct less heat than aluminium. However, a thermal break can greatly improve aluminium frame performance.</p>
<p>They also noted that high-performance windows cost more. This can be a challenge in an industry already struggling to provide housing at affordable prices. </p>
<p>In addition, high-performance windows are heavier. Extra equipment could be needed to install them.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/will-7-star-housing-really-cost-more-it-depends-but-you-can-keep-costs-down-in-a-few-simple-ways-189627">Will 7-star housing really cost more? It depends, but you can keep costs down in a few simple ways</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How can policy help improve uptake?</h2>
<p>We found the industry is complex. A range of measures will likely be needed to encourage the uptake and delivery of more high-performance windows. Our research proposes the following interventions:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>regulation</strong> – further improve regulations to nudge use of high-performance windows, which could include setting minimum performance requirements for windows as New Zealand has done</p></li>
<li><p><strong>education</strong> – better educate builders and consumers with easy-to-understand, transparent information to bust myths about high-performance windows and encourage people to consider their wider benefits</p></li>
<li><p><strong>finance</strong> – there is a need to reduce capital costs (economies of scale will help) and improve access to government support, which could include rebates for home owners, similar to those for rooftop solar systems </p></li>
<li><p><strong>quality assurance</strong> – the range of high-performance window options means we need to ensure key intermediaries like energy assessors provide well-informed advice. Support tools such as the <a href="https://werslink.com.au/wers/search.html#residential-simulation-search">Window Energy Rating Scheme</a> can help with decision-making. There is also a need to ensure quality installation practices. </p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/better-than-net-zero-making-the-promised-1-2-million-homes-climate-friendly-would-transform-construction-in-australia-211825">Better than net zero? Making the promised 1.2 million homes climate-friendly would transform construction in Australia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Windows for the future</h2>
<p>Given the key role of windows in housing quality, performance and emissions, installing high-performance windows needs to become business as usual. In many other countries, double-or-triple-glazed windows are now standard. If we don’t do the same, we will lock households into lower-quality, poorly performing housing for decades.</p>
<p>Making high-performance windows standard building practice in Australia is achievable. However, some support for the window industry, builders and households will be needed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212117/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Trivess Moore has received funding from various organisations including the Australian Research Council, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Victorian Government and various industry partners. He is a trustee of the Fuel Poverty Research Network. This article derives from research funded through a contract between Sustainability Victoria and RMIT University.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa de Kleyn has worked on projects that received funding from various organisations including the Australian Research Council and Victorian Government. This article derives from research funded through a contract between Sustainability Victoria and RMIT University.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tom Simko has worked on projects that received funding from the Victorian Government. This article derives from research funded through a contract between Sustainability Victoria and RMIT University.</span></em></p>
Compared to roughly 80% in the US, UK and NZ, only 11% of Australian homes have high-performance windows. Installing them can transform a household’s comfort, energy use and emissions.
Trivess Moore, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
Lisa de Kleyn, Research Fellow, Climate Change Adaptation Lab, La Trobe University
Tom Simko, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/205380
2023-05-10T04:15:17Z
2023-05-10T04:15:17Z
Budget’s energy bill relief and home retrofit funding is a good start, but dwarfed by the scale of the task
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525290/original/file-20230510-27-kqidgu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=139%2C8%2C2793%2C1854&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The quality and performance of our housing have big impacts on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/7-star-housing-is-a-step-towards-zero-carbon-but-theres-much-more-to-do-starting-with-existing-homes-189542">environment</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-youre-renting-chances-are-your-home-is-cold-with-power-prices-soaring-heres-what-you-can-do-to-keep-warm-184472">cost of living</a> and our <a href="https://theconversation.com/die-of-cold-or-die-of-stress-social-housing-is-frequently-colder-than-global-health-guidelines-164598">health and wellbeing</a>. The 2023-24 federal budget’s announcement of $1.6 billion for energy-saving upgrades to housing recognises the broad importance of retrofitting Australian homes.</p>
<p>Until now, much of the focus in Australia has been on improving the quality and <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-still-building-4-in-every-5-new-houses-to-no-more-than-the-minimum-energy-standard-118820">performance of new housing</a>. Recent changes to the National Construction Code improve <a href="https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/editions-national-construction-code">minimum standards for new housing</a> for the first time in more than a decade.</p>
<p>But more than 10.8 million existing dwellings fall short of the quality and performance needed for a low-carbon and affordable future. We must urgently shift our attention to <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-other-99-retrofitting-is-the-key-to-putting-more-australians-into-eco-homes-91231">delivering a deep retrofit</a> – including solar panels, double glazing and other insulation – of the homes 99% of us live in. This would not only be good for the environment and reduce living costs, it would also improve our health and wellbeing and help increase the reliability of the energy grid.</p>
<p>Most of our existing houses were built before minimum performance standards were adopted. Houses built before 1990 typically perform at a level of <a href="https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/research-data-and-insights/research/research-reports/household-retrofit-trials">1-3 stars</a> on the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) (0 being worst, 10 best), compared to the 7 stars required of homes built after this October in most states. </p>
<p>Improving a house from 1 to 5 stars would reduce the energy needed for heating and cooling by about 70% in the Melbourne climate zone. And that means the household’s energy bills and emissions would be much lower too. </p>
<p>All this means the budget announcements are a welcome, but long-overdue, move to start a retrofit revolution in Australia.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1655886484396994561"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-other-99-retrofitting-is-the-key-to-putting-more-australians-into-eco-homes-91231">The other 99%: retrofitting is the key to putting more Australians into eco-homes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What was announced?</h2>
<p>The 2023-24 budget includes: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>$3 billion in rebates that directly reduce energy bills for over 5 million households</p></li>
<li><p>$1.3 billion to set up the Household Energy Upgrades Fund, which will provide $1 billion to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to finance home energy upgrades for around 110,000 households </p></li>
<li><p>$300 million to co-fund 60,000 social housing retrofits with the states and territories</p></li>
<li><p>$36.7 million to expand and upgrade NatHERS to apply to existing homes, which will give households better information for decisions on energy upgrades and renting or buying homes</p></li>
<li><p>expand and modernise the Greenhouse Energy Minimum Standards (GEMS) to cover more products. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>This funding will help make our existing housing more energy-efficient and cheaper to run.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1656044118135672833"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/die-of-cold-or-die-of-stress-social-housing-is-frequently-colder-than-global-health-guidelines-164598">'Die of cold or die of stress?': Social housing is frequently colder than global health guidelines</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>It’s a start but much more is needed</h2>
<p>Much of the budget is focused on providing short-term relief for vulnerable households facing rising energy bills. But the bigger, long-term challenge is to help existing housing become more sustainable, affordable and liveable.</p>
<p>The cash rebate on energy bills is a short-term fix. The money could be better spent on prevention rather than cure. Retrofitting goes to the heart of the problem – ageing, energy-guzzling homes – and is a responsible use of taxpayer money. </p>
<p>The benefits of retrofitting a house outlive the current residents. It should be seen as an investment in the national housing stock rather than a handout to individual households. A cash rebate to reduce energy bills does nothing to improve housing performance.</p>
<p>The expansion of NatHERS to better account for existing housing is a welcome incentive to upgrade these homes. We need to make sure, though, that the information provided is <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-a-lemon-law-to-make-all-the-homes-we-buy-and-rent-more-energy-efficient-204369">robust, reliable and accessible</a> to all households. Households need practical information about the cost-efficient retrofit actions they can take. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/7-star-housing-is-a-step-towards-zero-carbon-but-theres-much-more-to-do-starting-with-existing-homes-189542">7-star housing is a step towards zero carbon – but there's much more to do, starting with existing homes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In other parts of the world, such as the United Kingdom and Europe, information about a home’s performance must be disclosed at point of sale or lease. This helps households make informed decisions. It also provides better data to governments about the quality and performance of the housing stock. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522900/original/file-20230426-152-s8qq58.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Screenshot of a section of a UK Energy Performance Certificate" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522900/original/file-20230426-152-s8qq58.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522900/original/file-20230426-152-s8qq58.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=207&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522900/original/file-20230426-152-s8qq58.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=207&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522900/original/file-20230426-152-s8qq58.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=207&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522900/original/file-20230426-152-s8qq58.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=260&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522900/original/file-20230426-152-s8qq58.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=260&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522900/original/file-20230426-152-s8qq58.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=260&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The UK’s Energy Performance Certificate provides prospective buyers and renters with detailed information about a home’s energy rating, its energy costs and potential to be improved.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/5996/2116821.pdf">Source: Energy Performance Certificate, GOV.UK</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Australia we have very poor data about our existing housing. We are developing policy and support with one hand tied behind our back.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-a-lemon-law-to-make-all-the-homes-we-buy-and-rent-more-energy-efficient-204369">We need a 'lemon law' to make all the homes we buy and rent more energy-efficient</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The scale of the retrofit challenge is huge</h2>
<p>Another key issue is the scale and urgency of the retrofit task we face. The budget announcement will make only a small dent in the work to be done. If we assume the performance of most of our existing homes is below-par, that means we will need to deliver deep retrofit to more than 45 homes every hour between now and 2050. </p>
<p>Upgrading 110,000 private homes and 60,000 social housing units is better than nothing, but we clearly need to scale up this work well beyond these numbers. This will require much more ambition and coordination from all levels of government.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A woman installs a strip of foam insulation around a door" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525285/original/file-20230510-19-phza6d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525285/original/file-20230510-19-phza6d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525285/original/file-20230510-19-phza6d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525285/original/file-20230510-19-phza6d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525285/original/file-20230510-19-phza6d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525285/original/file-20230510-19-phza6d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525285/original/file-20230510-19-phza6d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Low-tech solutions like sealing gaps offer great value for money and shouldn’t be overlooked.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We must also focus more on those who are most vulnerable, such as private renters on low incomes. Low-cost loans are good – if you qualify and have the means to repay them. What will those on the lowest incomes or without access to resources do? </p>
<p>We also need to make sure these loans don’t simply fund technology upgrades when there are cheaper and simpler things to do first, such as sealing gaps and cracks.</p>
<p>Scaling up is more than just a matter of providing support to households. We need to strengthen and develop retrofit capacity across the building industry to ensure demand can be met. </p>
<p>The industry needs certainty about the commitment of all levels of government to assist and sustain a low-carbon retrofit industry over time. This will allow the industry to plan and invest in capacity. This approach would help bolster the struggling construction industry while feeding into Australia’s wider net-zero ambitions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205380/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Trivess Moore has received funding from various organisations including the Australian Research Council, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Victorian Government and various industry partners. He is a trustee of the Fuel Poverty Research Network.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ralph Horne receives funding from various organisations including the Australian Research Council, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Victorian Government and various industry partners. </span></em></p>
Most of our 10.8 million existing homes are in need of a retrofit to improve their performance and cut household energy use and emissions. The $1.6 billion for energy upgrades covers 170,000 homes.
Trivess Moore, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
Ralph Horne, Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research & Innovation, College of Design & Social Context, RMIT University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/202192
2023-04-12T16:36:27Z
2023-04-12T16:36:27Z
Seven ways to recycle heat and reduce carbon emissions
<p>Heating of space and water in buildings accounts for about 44% of all energy consumed globally according to the <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/renewables-2022/renewable-heat">International Energy Agency</a>. This heat is still overwhelmingly generated by burning fossil fuels, making it an enormous source of the carbon emissions driving climate change. But you might be surprised to learn just how much heat is wasted each day. Finding ways to recover and recycle it could drastically reduce emissions.</p>
<p>Consider a standard petrol or diesel car. The engine provides the momentum and produces excess heat that a radiator removes. This heat is largely wasted, except in winter when it warms the windscreen and passengers. Generators that supply electricity to the grid work in a similar way – their excess heat could be diverted to heat buildings instead. In the UK, there are many <a href="https://www.mwm.net/en/news/news-releases/flexible-energy-supply-in-uk-more-than-300-mwm-gas-engines-in-distributed-power-plants-secure-stability-of-the-national-power-grid/">gas engines</a> on standby to supply the power grid when needed. I was part of the team that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876610217307890?via%3Dihub">linked the heat</a> from a gas power generator to a building central heating system.</p>
<p>The idea of combined heat and power is nothing new. In Nottingham, the energy for the city’s district heating network and some electricity comes from a <a href="https://enviroenergy.co.uk/about-us/district-energy/">waste incinerator</a>. This also reduces the amount of rubbish sent to landfill. But once you realise just how much heat is out there, waiting to be reused, the problem of decarbonising heating doesn’t seem so mighty. Here are seven examples.</p>
<h2>1. Data centres</h2>
<p>Computers processing data <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1645349">get hot</a> – just feel the bottom of a laptop. Data centres are rooms filled with computers that may house the IT servers for an entire office building. The heat they generate is extracted and dumped, usually by energy-hungry air conditioners. </p>
<p>Elsewhere, data centres have been used as “<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-64939558">digital boilers</a>” to heat swimming pools. In many cases, cold water runs through pipes between the two buildings where it helps to cool the data centre servers. The heated water is then pumped back to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-62076634">warm the pool</a>.</p>
<h2>2. Ice rinks</h2>
<p>Believe it or not, any artificially cooled ice rink produces lots of heat. This is because of the refrigeration cycle that keeps the water you skate on frozen. Think about this process as you would your freezer at home. When you put something at room temperature in the freezer, like a water tray for making ice cubes, the heat is extracted to freeze the water and pumped outside of the fridge. You can feel the side or the back of the freezer getting warmer as this happens.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People skating in an ice rink." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519588/original/file-20230405-462-m3e030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519588/original/file-20230405-462-m3e030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519588/original/file-20230405-462-m3e030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519588/original/file-20230405-462-m3e030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519588/original/file-20230405-462-m3e030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519588/original/file-20230405-462-m3e030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519588/original/file-20230405-462-m3e030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Keeping all the ice frozen generates a lot of heat.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/child-ice-skating-night-vienna-austria-489166294">Ground Picture/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Similar to data centres, this heat can be captured by circulating water and distributing it via pipes to other parts of the building or <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037877882033406X">buildings nearby</a>.</p>
<h2>3. Kitchens and bathrooms</h2>
<p>In most homes, extraction fans and windows remove steam from kitchens and bathrooms. Certain types of <a href="https://www.cse.org.uk/advice/advice-and-support/mechanical-ventilation-with-heat-recovery">ventilation systems</a> can recover the heat from this humid air instead, reducing how much energy is needed for heating. It’s estimated that this could save <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778817313531?casa_token=J_aopc8H8wcAAAAA:ulZ3vlANbJwLW7Y2yxWHXJuE8LoA15z-sA7ZTz_RANZ9DYsvhYTD4LJzK7KImEca_CPZ_2uV6-M">between 23 and 56%</a> of the cost of an energy bill when combined with other energy-saving measures, such as wall and loft insulation.</p>
<h2>4. Wastewater treatment plants</h2>
<p>Sewage and water treatment plants produce <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-53178463">a lot of heat</a>, which is generated from the composting of organic material in <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/24/4782">sludge</a> (temperatures can reach 70°C). This excess heat can be reused directly or via heat pumps.</p>
<h2>5. River and sea water</h2>
<p>A heat pump works in a similar way to a kitchen fridge, in which the heat is extracted from the food and drink inside and released outside. The temperature of river and sea water changes less between days and seasons than the air, and <a href="https://www.araner.com/blog/seawater-heat-pumps">heat pumps</a> can use these stable water temperatures as a source of heating in winter and cooling during summer. Think about the water bottle inside the fridge as the river water, and the heat pumped outside the fridge as the source of heating for a house.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A lake with buildings, trees and a hill on the far side." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518322/original/file-20230329-16-znn3xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518322/original/file-20230329-16-znn3xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518322/original/file-20230329-16-znn3xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518322/original/file-20230329-16-znn3xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518322/original/file-20230329-16-znn3xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518322/original/file-20230329-16-znn3xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518322/original/file-20230329-16-znn3xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">River, lake and sea water are stable heat sources for heat pumps.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Amin Al-Habaibeh</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>6. Flooded coal mines</h2>
<p>The water in coal mines offers an even more efficient solution. Ground temperatures do not change much <a href="https://geothermal-energy-journal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40517-017-0082-z">deeper than 1 metre</a>. At much lower depths, temperatures actually <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261912000542?casa_token=vUH82yNC8qMAAAAA:tqYcinjxQKw-6aarzRKXHvBcQwClizVftON1TCFo1GXAGR_eilsp0XRbwZ4vxPvKw9KADAkw6a0">increase</a>. Abandoned coal mines tend to fill with lukewarm water from rain and the water table, and the UK has the equivalent of <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-legacy-of-dirty-coal-could-create-a-clean-energy-future-88969">400,000 Olympic swimming pools</a> stored in these mines, all at a fairly stable temperature. In winter, when the weather is very cold, this warm water is a suitable source of heat that can be transferred to buildings via heat pumps.</p>
<h2>7. You</h2>
<p>The average human body emits around 100 watts of heat at rest. When exercising, that heat can reach 1,000 watts: enough to boil one litre of water in <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-one-way-to-burn-less-fossil-fuel-use-human-energy-to-heat-buildings-instead-181525">six minutes</a>.</p>
<p>When people gather indoors, the heat they emit starts to accumulate. Crowded public places can be used to heat other parts of the same building or adjacent buildings.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An infrared image of a house showing significant heat losses." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518318/original/file-20230329-17-wu22mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518318/original/file-20230329-17-wu22mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518318/original/file-20230329-17-wu22mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518318/original/file-20230329-17-wu22mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518318/original/file-20230329-17-wu22mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518318/original/file-20230329-17-wu22mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518318/original/file-20230329-17-wu22mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An infrared image of a house in winter: the lighter the colour, the warmer the surface.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Amin Al-Habaibeh</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Infrared imaging reveals how much heat is typically lost from the buildings we spend much of our lives in. Combined with insulation and some of the technologies discussed here, humanity could meet much of its heating needs without additional sources – and cut one of the biggest sources of climate-warming emissions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202192/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amin Al-Habaibeh has received funding from European Commission, Research Fund for Coal and Steel, July 2014 -June 2017 (Contract No.: RFCR-CT-2014-00001); and Innovate UK, Knowledge Transfer Partnership number 9032.</span></em></p>
Everything from ice rinks to crowded public places is a potential source of home heating.
Amin Al-Habaibeh, Professor of Intelligent Engineering Systems, Nottingham Trent University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/201787
2023-03-14T15:51:51Z
2023-03-14T15:51:51Z
Fuel poverty makes you sick – so why has nothing changed since I was a child living in a cold home?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515162/original/file-20230314-3582-jzxxf9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4928%2C3280&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/child-boy-hand-draws-on-cold-563924788">ARIMAG/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>During the 1970s and 1980s I grew up in a cold home. On very cold mornings, ice would be crusted on my bedroom window and my every breath would condense in the air.</p>
<p>Things had to be done in a rush to avoid the cold. I remember not wanting to get out of bed, then once I was up, rushing to get dressed in clothes that felt damp before hurrying downstairs to warm them in front of the fan heater. We only ventured from the one warm room in the house each evening if necessary, usually to dash to the toilet or quickly make a cup of tea. Bedrooms were no-go areas until you had to go to sleep – a nightly ritual which involved putting a hot water bottle under the covers half an hour before bedtime then layering up in night clothes, socks and blankets, only to wake up in a cold room once more. </p>
<p>I have been researching cold homes for almost 30 years. The war in Ukraine, rising energy prices and inflation have driven <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/feb/28/pressure-jeremy-hunt-as-2m-more-households-fall-into-fuel-poverty">millions more</a> households into fuel poverty. But the fact that this problem has endured over four decades has a lot to do with the poor condition of housing in the UK. Much of it is badly insulated, draughty or hard to ventilate and heat.</p>
<p>Since I started my career, the variety of health consequences of living in cold homes has become widely recognised and well documented. Yet the problem is worse now than when I was a child. </p>
<h2>Cold homes are sickly homes</h2>
<p>For instance, we now know that being unable to afford sufficient heating <a href="https://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/resources-reports/fuel-poverty-cold-homes-and-health-inequalities-in-the-uk/read-the-report.pdf">increases your risk</a> of developing heart disease and respiratory problems. Your mental health suffers too: <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953622007675">anxiety, stress and depression</a> are more common among residents of inadequately heated homes. Cold homes also exacerbate conditions such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360132319300472">arthritis</a> and make you more likely to catch <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421510000625?via%3Dihub">colds, flu and pneumonia</a>. Living in a cold home was even found to make people less dexterous, increasing the likelihood of <a href="https://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/resources-reports/the-health-impacts-of-cold-homes-and-fuel-poverty/the-health-impacts-of-cold-homes-and-fuel-poverty.pdf">accidents and unintentional injury</a>.</p>
<p>Research has revealed that those at greatest risk of health problems include <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-016-6235-y">older people</a>, <a href="https://www.fuelpovertylibrary.info/sites/default/files/EAGA20%20%282008%29%20%20REPORT%20The%20dynamics%20of%20bad%20housing%20on%20the%20living%20standards%20of%20children.pdf">babies and children</a>, and people with a longstanding illness or disability. </p>
<p>We know that these groups are often more susceptible to the cold and are particularly vulnerable as they tend to spend more time at home. A child living in inadequate housing is at a greater risk of chest and breathing issues, including <a href="https://www.fuelpovertylibrary.info/sites/default/files/EAGA20%20%282008%29%20%20REPORT%20The%20dynamics%20of%20bad%20housing%20on%20the%20living%20standards%20of%20children.pdf">asthma and bronchitis</a>. Young people in cold homes are unhappier than those living in warmer housing, and children living in cold, damp homes <a href="https://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/resources-reports/fuel-poverty-cold-homes-and-health-inequalities-in-the-uk/read-the-report.pdf">miss more school days</a> due to illness and find it harder to study at home.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Wallpaper marked by black mould in the corner of a room." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515165/original/file-20230314-24-sbm6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515165/original/file-20230314-24-sbm6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515165/original/file-20230314-24-sbm6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515165/original/file-20230314-24-sbm6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515165/original/file-20230314-24-sbm6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515165/original/file-20230314-24-sbm6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515165/original/file-20230314-24-sbm6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mould can spread in a cold house and poses a big health risk.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/mold-fungus-problem-near-heater-hanging-567487411">Cegli/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The comparatively high number of <a href="https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/cold-comfort-social-and-environmental-determinants-excess-winter-deaths-england-1986-1996">excess winter deaths</a> in the UK compared to other European countries with colder winters has been linked to the country’s poorly insulated housing combined with high levels of fuel poverty. The energy efficiency of a house <a href="https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng6/evidence/evidence-review-1-factors-determining-vulnerability-to-winter-and-coldrelated-mortalitymorbidity-pdf-544621933">largely determines</a> how vulnerable the occupants will be to cold-related health risks.</p>
<p>An inability to meet basic energy needs, such as heating or having a warm bath, is one of the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25726123/">main contributors</a> to chronic stress in low-income households. Fuel poverty accompanies and <a href="https://wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wene.455">exacerbates existing inequalities</a>. As well as enduring inadequate housing, those living in fuel poverty are much more likely to experience other forms of deprivation, all of which contribute to a cumulative burden on their health. For example, at present disabled people face <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214629621005430">spiralling energy poverty</a> due to <a href="https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/153068/">a combination</a> of their disability, ill health and reduced earning capacity. Being a single parent, experiencing a mental health problem and being out of work are all <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421519301879">factors</a> which can push people into fuel poverty.</p>
<h2>The benefits of improving homes</h2>
<p>Higher energy prices and the cost of living crisis mean many more people will experience fuel poverty and endure the health consequences. Yet there is abundant evidence demonstrating that tackling cold, inefficient and poorly insulated properties and providing suitable ventilation can benefit asthma and respiratory symptoms, mental wellbeing and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35742650/">health more generally</a>. Improving the energy efficiency of homes has <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/energy/multiple-benefits-of-energy-efficiency_9789264220720-en">multiple benefits</a> for society: by reducing energy use, it can <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421513002413">cut carbon emissions</a> and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09613218.2017.1314641">improve the finances</a> of people living in them.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man fitting insulating foam between wooden buttresses in a roof." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515167/original/file-20230314-4604-cpaicg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515167/original/file-20230314-4604-cpaicg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515167/original/file-20230314-4604-cpaicg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515167/original/file-20230314-4604-cpaicg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515167/original/file-20230314-4604-cpaicg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515167/original/file-20230314-4604-cpaicg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515167/original/file-20230314-4604-cpaicg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Installing insulation in household cavities can trap more heat indoors.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/worker-overall-setting-thermal-insulating-material-154455053">Kzenon/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The most vulnerable people are likely to enjoy the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353829210001486">biggest health improvements</a> from warmer homes. People with chronic respiratory disease have seen their <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09613218.2017.1314641">symptoms improve</a> as a result of lower humidity and increased warmth in winter, which also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S027795361500088X">boosts heart health</a>. Making housing more energy efficient and affordable to heat can also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953614007758">improve personal relationships</a>, increase feelings of autonomy and <a href="https://shura.shu.ac.uk/18167/1/CRESR_WF_final+Nav%20(2).pdf">reduce distress</a>.</p>
<p>Not only would this improve millions of lives, but recent studies have also shown that large-scale home insulation schemes and programmes to upgrade homes to a decent standard <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4571">reduce hospital admissions</a>, alleviating pressure on health services.</p>
<p>And so I ask, given all this evidence, why hasn’t anything changed since I was a child living in a cold home?</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201787/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jan Gilbertson undertakes research on cold homes which examines the impact of home improvements on health. These projects have received funding from government, local authorities, third sector organisations and the ESRC. </span></em></p>
After decades of research revealing the long-term damage of fuel poverty, the problem is worse than ever.
Jan Gilbertson, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/192154
2023-01-05T16:19:06Z
2023-01-05T16:19:06Z
Foams used in car seats and mattresses are hard to recycle – we made a plant-based version that avoids polyurethane’s health risks, too
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501976/original/file-20221219-16-5a8mrd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C92%2C4091%2C2881&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">You may be sitting on polyurethane foam right now.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/golden-sponge-foam-texture-royalty-free-image/134942499">Akhmad Bayuri/iStock/Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>A new plant-based substitute for polyurethane foam eliminates the health risk of the material, commonly found in insulation, car seats and other types of cushioning, and it’s more environmentally sustainable, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-01022-3">our new research shows</a>.</p>
<p>Polyurethane foams are all around you, anywhere a lightweight material is needed for cushioning or structural support. But they’re typically made using chemicals that are <a href="https://www.osha.gov/isocyanates">suspected carcinogens</a>.</p>
<p>Polyurethanes are typically produced in a very fast reaction between two chemicals made by the petrochemical industry: polyols and isocyanates. While much work has gone into finding replacements for the polyol component of polyurethane foams, the isocyanate component has largely remained, despite its <a href="https://www.osha.gov/isocyanates">consequences for human health</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/D0GC01659D">Bio-based foams</a> can avoid that component.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488841/original/file-20221008-59028-9iaitu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Four chunks of bio-based foam, looking a lot like brownies on a tray." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488841/original/file-20221008-59028-9iaitu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488841/original/file-20221008-59028-9iaitu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=184&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488841/original/file-20221008-59028-9iaitu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=184&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488841/original/file-20221008-59028-9iaitu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=184&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488841/original/file-20221008-59028-9iaitu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=232&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488841/original/file-20221008-59028-9iaitu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=232&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488841/original/file-20221008-59028-9iaitu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=232&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">These bio-based foams avoid the need for petroleum products.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Srikanth Pilla</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We created a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-01022-3">durable bio-based foam</a> using lignin, a byproduct of the paper pulping industry, and a vegetable oil-based curing agent that introduces flexibility and toughness to the final material.</p>
<p>At the heart of the innovation is the ability to create a system that “gels,” both in the sense that the materials are compatible with one another and that they physically create a gel quickly so that the addition of a foaming agent can create the lightweight structure associated with polyurethane foams.</p>
<p>Lignin is a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/D1GC02744A">difficult material to convert into a usable chemical</a>, given its complicated and heterogeneous structure. We used this structure to create a network of bonds that enabled what we believe is the world’s first lignin-based nonisocyanate foam.</p>
<p>The foam can also be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/C7GC01496A">recycled</a> because it has bonds that can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-020-00614-w">unzip</a> the chemical network after it has formed. The main components used to produce the foam can then be extracted and used again.</p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Polyurethane foams are the world’s sixth-most-produced plastic yet among the least <a href="https://www.americanchemistry.com/industry-groups/center-for-the-polyurethanes-industry-cpi/applications-benefits/sustainability">recycled materials</a>. They are also designed for durability, meaning they will remain in the environment for several generations. </p>
<p>They contribute to the plastic waste problem for the world’s oceans, land and air, and to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127861">human health problems</a>. Today, plastics can be found in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ancene.2016.01.002">virtually every creature in the terrestrial ecosystem</a>. And since most plastics are made from petroleum products, they’re connected to fossil fuel extraction, which contributes to climate change.</p>
<p>The fully bio-based origin of our foams addresses the issue of carbon neutrality, and the chemical recycling capability ensures that waste plastic has a value attached to it so it is less likely to be thrown away. Ensuring <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202100488">waste has value</a> is a hallmark of the circular approach to manufacturing – attaching a monetary value to things tends to decrease the amount that is discarded.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Illustration shows the recycling process including unzipping the molecules." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490558/original/file-20221019-19-a7wqv6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490558/original/file-20221019-19-a7wqv6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490558/original/file-20221019-19-a7wqv6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490558/original/file-20221019-19-a7wqv6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490558/original/file-20221019-19-a7wqv6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=675&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490558/original/file-20221019-19-a7wqv6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=675&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490558/original/file-20221019-19-a7wqv6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=675&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How the chemicals in bio-based foams can be recycled and reused.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Srikanth Pilla</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We hope the nature of these foams inspires others to design plastics with the full life cycle in mind. Just as plastics need to be designed according to properties of their initial application, they also need to be designed to avoid the final destination of 90% of plastic waste: landfills and the environment.</p>
<h2>What’s next</h2>
<p>Our initial versions of bio-based foams produce a rigid material suitable for use in foam-core boards used in construction or for insulation in refrigerators. We have also created a lightweight and flexible version that can be used for cushioning and packaging applications. Initial testing of these materials showed good durability in wet conditions, increasing their chance of gaining commercial adoption. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two men and two women stand over a beaker with dark liquid in it" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490561/original/file-20221019-20-p2m2rj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490561/original/file-20221019-20-p2m2rj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490561/original/file-20221019-20-p2m2rj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490561/original/file-20221019-20-p2m2rj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490561/original/file-20221019-20-p2m2rj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490561/original/file-20221019-20-p2m2rj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490561/original/file-20221019-20-p2m2rj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The authors with two students show methods for recycling bio-based foam.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://news.clemson.edu/green-foam-eliminates-the-need-for-toxic-chemicals/">Clemson University</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Polyurethane foams are used so extensively because of their <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11101841">versatility</a>. The formulation that we initially discovered is being translated to create a library of precursors that can be mixed to produce the desired properties, like strength and washability, in each application.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192154/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Srikanth Pilla receives funding from the National Science Foundation (award # 2122822) and Department of Energy (award # DE-SC0021367) to support this work.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Sternberg receives funding from the National Science Foundation (award # 2122822) and Department of Energy (award # DE-SC0021367) to support this work. </span></em></p>
Polyurethane foams are the world’s sixth-most-produced plastic yet among the least recycled materials.
Srikanth Pilla, Professor of Engineering, Clemson University
James Sternberg, Research Assistant Professor of Automotive Engineering, Clemson University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/195702
2022-12-13T09:49:55Z
2022-12-13T09:49:55Z
One in four homes is ‘hard to decarbonise’ – without help their inhabitants could get stuck in fuel poverty
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499528/original/file-20221207-1298-6wmhjd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5848%2C3898&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Existing decarbonisation measures are often unsuitable for the least efficient homes.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/mother-son-trying-keep-warm-by-2206535659">Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Millions of people are facing soaring energy bills this winter. Yet according to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-022-01075-w">our research</a>, at least 20% of homes in the UK will continue to use large amounts of energy. We have found that existing energy <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-joins-with-households-to-help-millions-reduce-their-energy-bills">efficiency measures</a> such as improving home insulation and installing air source heat pumps are not enough to help these homes move out of the very lowest energy performance criteria.</p>
<p>These properties are called <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/analysis-on-abating-direct-emissions-from-hard-to-decarbonise-homes-element-energy-ucl/">hard to decarbonise homes</a> and include a wide range of unconventional residential buildings such as high rise blocks, homes with space constraints or those with heritage status. An estimated <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-022-01075-w">one in four homes</a> worldwide are classified as hard to decarbonise, accounting for 25% of all direct <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Analysis-on-abating-direct-emissions-from-%E2%80%98hard-to-decarbonise%E2%80%99-homes-Element-Energy-UCL.pdf">residential sector emissions</a>. </p>
<p>But homes are the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-022-01075-w">fourth largest</a> source of carbon emissions in the world. Failing to find affordable ways to improve the energy performance of the least efficient homes will undermine the UK’s ability to achieve its carbon reduction targets while trapping vulnerable households in fuel poverty. </p>
<h2>Energy inefficient homes</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/energyefficiencyofhousinginenglandandwales/2022">Energy performance certificates</a> indicate the energy efficiency of buildings in the UK. Buildings are rated according to their energy features, including the building materials, heating systems and insulation. The ratings run from A to G, where A is the most efficient and cheapest to run.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499525/original/file-20221207-11795-bl1qaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An energy efficiency rating scale ranked from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient)." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499525/original/file-20221207-11795-bl1qaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499525/original/file-20221207-11795-bl1qaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499525/original/file-20221207-11795-bl1qaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499525/original/file-20221207-11795-bl1qaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499525/original/file-20221207-11795-bl1qaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499525/original/file-20221207-11795-bl1qaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499525/original/file-20221207-11795-bl1qaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Energy Performance Criteria are used to rate the energy efficiency of buildings in the UK.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/energy-efficiency-concept-rating-chart-108074963">MPanchenko/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The UK’s housing stock has an average rating of D. But we found that between 60% and 80% of hard to decarbonise homes have an energy performance rating of F or G. </p>
<p>However, existing decarbonisation measures are often unsuitable for these homes. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.cse.org.uk/advice/renewable-energy/air-source-heat-pumps">Air source heat pumps</a>, for example, cannot be installed in homes with limited external space. The heat pump itself is small but needs to be positioned somewhere outside with unobstructed air flow. </p>
<p>High rise residential buildings can also be complex and expensive to insulate.</p>
<p>Renovating multi-storey buildings requires costly scaffolding. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10286608.2021.1969371">Split incentives</a> can arise where the landlord is forced to make changes that, through reduced utility bills, will only benefit the tenant. And the priorities of different stakeholders often compete with one another – leaseholders are more likely to prioritise avoiding paying improvement charges, the freeholder may prioritise upgrading their property and tenants will prioritise savings on their energy bills. </p>
<p>In the absence of fitting decarbonisation measures, those occupying hard to decarbonise homes will be exposed to higher energy bills. The annual <a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/cymraeg/amdanom-ni/about-us1/media/press-releases/out-in-the-cold-draughty-homes-mean-a-third-of-cash-spent-on-energy-bills-goes-straight-out-the-window-warns-citizens-advice/#:%7E:text=From%201%20October%202022%2C%20the,brought%20to%20EPC%20rating%20C.&text=Citizens%20Advice%20estimates%201%2C145%2C545%20live%20in%20homes%20with%20EPC%20rating%20F.">fuel costs</a> associated with an F-rated property are estimated to be at least £500 a year higher on average than they are for a D-rated home.</p>
<h2>Trapped in fuel poverty</h2>
<p>Vulnerable households, including those on low incomes and with physical and mental health issues, are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352484721007782?via%3Dihub">disproportionately represented</a> within the hard to decarbonise housing stock. The situation of these occupants will be <a href="http://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-022-01075-w">exacerbated</a> by high energy costs and cold homes. </p>
<p>These people may be priced out of heating their home to a safe and comfortable level over the winter months. This so-called fuel poverty increases the chances of suffering poor mental and physical health. According to national fuel poverty charity NEA, <a href="https://www.nea.org.uk/news/271120-01/">8,500 deaths</a> in the UK were due to a cold home in 2020. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499524/original/file-20221207-4043-riqkzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5250%2C3481&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Hand opening a wallet and revealing change in front of a white radiator." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499524/original/file-20221207-4043-riqkzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5250%2C3481&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499524/original/file-20221207-4043-riqkzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499524/original/file-20221207-4043-riqkzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499524/original/file-20221207-4043-riqkzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499524/original/file-20221207-4043-riqkzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499524/original/file-20221207-4043-riqkzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499524/original/file-20221207-4043-riqkzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Occupants of the least efficient homes are exposed to escalating energy prices.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hand-opening-wallet-few-coins-front-2205592199">Maren Winter/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>UK homes are transitioning towards low carbon heat sources. But this could restrict future fossil fuel use to those occupying hard to decarbonise homes and risks exposing already vulnerable households to escalating prices. Households are already <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/16/uk-inflation-rate-energy-price-rises">paying 90% more</a> on average for gas, electricity and other fuels than they were last November.</p>
<p>Failing to find solutions for hard to decarbonise homes will also leave occupants vulnerable to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-022-01075-w">“asset stranding”</a>. This is where hard to decarbonise homes become prematurely obsolete and unappealing to purchasers because they are cold and expensive to run. </p>
<h2>Achieving a zero carbon future</h2>
<p>Addressing hard to decarbonise homes is a complex challenge. While it is <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/8742/documents/88647/default/#:%7E:text=The%20CCC%20estimates%20that%20an,on%20average%2C%20under%20%C2%A310%2C000.">widely accepted</a> that all homes will need to be energy efficient by 2050, nothing is being done to help people living in hard to decarbonise homes.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499535/original/file-20221207-4529-es1h8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man standing at the top of scaffolding installing insulation to the external wall of a building." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499535/original/file-20221207-4529-es1h8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499535/original/file-20221207-4529-es1h8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499535/original/file-20221207-4529-es1h8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499535/original/file-20221207-4529-es1h8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499535/original/file-20221207-4529-es1h8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499535/original/file-20221207-4529-es1h8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499535/original/file-20221207-4529-es1h8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">High rise residential blocks can be expensive to insulate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/finishing-mineral-polystyrene-insulation-facade-residential-2104872782">Korostylev Dmitrii/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But it is the occupants of these properties that may hold the key to identifying viable solutions. These people know their homes best and can offer insight into how to live in energy <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14036096.2019.1568296">inefficient homes</a>. Research has demonstrated people’s ability to adapt energy efficient technologies to the particularities of their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1142/S1363919608002072">homes</a> in the past. </p>
<p>From 2005 to 2012, a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.12.038">study</a> in Finland recorded 192 instances of user innovation or modification to heat pump or wood pellet burning systems. The innovations included redesigning the controls or the addition of protective housing for outdoor units and improved the efficiency, suitability or cost of the heating systems. These users accelerated the development of these renewable technologies by modifying them to cater for the variation in their homes.</p>
<p>Taking an occupant led approach could reveal solutions that would enable the UK to meet its climate targets and better protect its most vulnerable inhabitants.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195702/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aimee Ambrose currently receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Horizon Europe.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rokia Raslan receives funding from BEIS, British Council, SEAI.</span></em></p>
Existing decarbonisation measures are often unsuitable for the least efficient homes – failing to improve their performance will trap vulnerable people in fuel poverty.
Aimee Ambrose, Professor of Energy Policy, Member of Fuel Poverty Evidence and Trustee of the Fuel Poverty Research Network, Sheffield Hallam University
Rokia Raslan, Associate Professor in Building Performance Simulation, UCL
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/194841
2022-11-29T18:02:27Z
2022-11-29T18:02:27Z
Heat pumps without home insulation could raise bills and energy demand – here’s what the government can do
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497926/original/file-20221129-24-eif7yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3600%2C2398&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Infrared imaging reveals where most heat is lost from a house.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/infrared-thermal-real-image-radiator-heater-408399907">Ivan Smuk/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The UK <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/heat-and-buildings-strategy">aims</a> to replace 1.7 million gas boilers a year by <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/independent-assessment-the-uks-heat-and-buildings-strategy/">the mid-2030s</a>, as part of its plan to reach net zero. This will require rapidly scaling up the installation of heat pumps which can run on renewable electricity. Just <a href="https://www.heatpumps.org.uk/uk-heat-pump-market-set-to-almost-double-this-year">67,000</a> were installed in 2021. And for these new heat pumps to work as effectively as possible, consistent action on home insulation is needed.</p>
<p>The government recently announced a £1 billion scheme which would give <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-joins-with-households-to-help-millions-reduce-their-energy-bills">households</a> in lower council tax bands up to £15,000 to upgrade their home’s energy efficiency. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt also <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1118417/CCS1022065440-001_SECURE_HMT_Autumn_Statement_November_2022_Web_accessible__1_.pdf">promised</a> a £6 billion support package for home insulation in 2025-28. </p>
<p>The extra funding is welcome but, because it only offers help to a fraction of those who need it, it has the hallmarks of another <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629616301803?via%3Dihub">short-lived</a> funding announcement which tackles only part of the problem. </p>
<h2>Why heat pumps benefit from energy efficiency</h2>
<p>Depending on its design and the season, a <a href="https://www.ehpa.org/about-heat-pumps/">heat pump</a> is very efficient at turning electricity into heat. But it is much harder (and demands more energy) to maintain a constant temperature in a draughty home. Heat pumps have to be made bigger <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629620303108?via%3Dihub">in such circumstances</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-you-get-a-heat-pump-heres-how-they-compare-to-a-gas-boiler-151493">Should you get a heat pump? Here's how they compare to a gas boiler</a>
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<p>Switching to heat pumps en masse might strain electricity supplies, particularly during peak hours. Replacing one in five boilers with a heat pump would increase weekday evening electricity demand by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261917308954">14%</a> according to one estimate. Higher overall energy consumption means more renewable energy is needed for <a href="https://ukerc.ac.uk/publications/unlocking-britains-first-fuel-energy-savings-in-uk-housing/">decarbonisation</a>. </p>
<p>This is why researchers have proposed <a href="https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/122907">improving the energy efficiency</a> of a home before replacing its heating source. Schemes like the renewable heat incentive required energy efficiency measures like insulation to unlock funding for changing heating systems. But there are schemes like the heat pump ready programme which pay less attention to reducing energy demand.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An engineer in high-visibility jacket installs an air conditioning unit to the exterior of a building." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497936/original/file-20221129-26-wswf7o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497936/original/file-20221129-26-wswf7o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497936/original/file-20221129-26-wswf7o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497936/original/file-20221129-26-wswf7o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497936/original/file-20221129-26-wswf7o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497936/original/file-20221129-26-wswf7o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497936/original/file-20221129-26-wswf7o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Heat pumps run on electricity and can replace boilers and furnaces.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/technician-checking-outdoor-air-conditioner-unit-755610148">Rakratchada/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Electricity is also more expensive than gas, both per unit of energy (kilowatt-hour) and for the daily standing charge. So locking consumers into higher electricity demand could create higher bills. In the middle of a cost of living crisis, it is irresponsible to promote and install heat pumps without making sure they can operate as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.</p>
<p>These risks are easily avoided. Civil servants, researchers and construction workers know how to improve the energy efficiency of homes, and all of the technologies necessary to do this exist. The problem is that the many in government, boiler and heat pump manufacturers and companies that run gas infrastructure are preoccupied with replacing household heating technology, when they actually need to address a whole home’s energy needs.</p>
<h2>Follow the blueprint</h2>
<p>Most heat pump installations require some modification of existing radiators and pipes. Working out where heat is escaping and blocking gaps or insulating cavities is not a major complication to this process. It does, however, require a range of different skill sets. Joiners, plasterers and builders need to share a language and understanding with the heating engineer and the plumber. Tradespeople already work in multi-trade groups, heat pump installation requires a similar combination of expertise.</p>
<p>It’s true that there are <a href="https://es.catapult.org.uk/news/skills-shortages-holding-back-home-decarbonisation/">not enough</a> qualified tradespeople with skills across plumbing, heating, building and electrical work to deliver energy efficiency measures for all homes, and to meet anticipated demand for heat pumps.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A worker up a ladder injects insulating foam into a brick wall." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497937/original/file-20221129-18-4rvz7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497937/original/file-20221129-18-4rvz7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497937/original/file-20221129-18-4rvz7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497937/original/file-20221129-18-4rvz7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497937/original/file-20221129-18-4rvz7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497937/original/file-20221129-18-4rvz7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497937/original/file-20221129-18-4rvz7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A home energy efficiency drive could create jobs nationwide.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/house-insulation-by-injecting-microbead-pearls-1894725127">Corlaffra/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>But that creates a huge opportunity for the construction industry to cut home energy demand and carbon emissions while providing high-skilled, well-paid jobs across all regions of the UK. The industry itself has even produced <a href="https://www.constructionleadershipcouncil.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Construction-Leadership-Council-National-Retrofit-Strategy-Version-2.pdf">a blueprint</a> for how this could be achieved, although government plans do not so far acknowledge these recommendations. </p>
<p>Energy efficiency measures might raise the cost of a heat pump installation. But, if done together, the additional costs may not be much. The government’s Climate Change Committee advisory body estimated that, on average, a UK home would need £3,000 to cover insulation and draught proofing to make installing a heat pump <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/independent-assessment-the-uks-heat-and-buildings-strategy/">energy efficient</a>. Making these renovations in one go would limit disruption and, in the longer term, create a more comfortable home with lower operating costs.</p>
<p>The best way to keep costs low for the public and the government is with a programme that enables whole house improvements for all homeowners. This entails financial support for those who most need it, building capacity and trust in the construction industry and encouraging households who can already afford it to contribute to work on their homes.</p>
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<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194841/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alice Owen has received funding from UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), through the UK Energy Research Centre, to explore how small construction firms can deliver energy efficiency in existing homes. She is a member of the Construction Leadership Council's Repair, Maintenance and Improvement (RMI) Working Group. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Faye Wade has received funding from UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), Built Environment-Smarter Transformation, the Scottish & Norhern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation (SNIPEF) and Energy Saving Trust Scotland to study the role of heating engineers in low carbon transitions. Faye has also received funding via Scottish Government to evaluate pilots for the Energy Efficient Scotland retrofitting programme, and via the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS) to study supply chains for energy retrofit. </span></em></p>
Home energy efficiency improvements should not be a luxury for those who can afford it.
Alice Owen, Professor in Business and Sustainability, University of Leeds
Faye Wade, Chancellor's Fellow, Sociology, The University of Edinburgh
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/191905
2022-10-20T16:01:37Z
2022-10-20T16:01:37Z
We asked homeowners what they need to make homes greener – here’s what they said
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490055/original/file-20221017-21-hm8kgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6900%2C2293&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/3d-illustration-houses-high-low-energy-1437864464">DesignRage/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As winter approaches, and with energy bills at record highs, insulating the UK’s leaky homes has never been more urgent. With <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/2019/02/21/uk-homes-unfit-for-the-challenges-of-climate-change-ccc-says/">14% of greenhouse gas emissions</a> coming from heating and powering homes, it would also help the country meet its climate change targets – a genuine win-win.</p>
<p>Yet current policies to encourage more efficient energy use (and so, lower emissions) are failing. The UK’s housing stock is one of the <a href="https://wunderflats.com/page/reports/en-greenlivingindex2022">worst insulated</a> of all advanced economies. </p>
<p>Installation rates for loft, cavity wall and solid wall insulation all need to grow by an order of magnitude by the middle of this decade. Installation rates for electric heat pumps need to reach <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/sixth-carbon-budget/">one million a year</a> in new and existing homes by 2030, up from around 54,000 in 2021. </p>
<p>There is currently little or no help for the roughly 64% of households who own their own home to make these improvements, unless they qualify for schemes targeting those on very low incomes. </p>
<p>The government assumes they will find the money to invest in better insulation and replace their gas boilers with heat pumps, but this is reckless. The government’s own advisory body, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), has <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/2022-progress-report-to-parliament/">criticised</a> the current lack of support for homeowners.</p>
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<img alt="An engineer in red uniform tweaks a large, white unit with an in-built fan." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490050/original/file-20221017-22-pc3w8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490050/original/file-20221017-22-pc3w8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490050/original/file-20221017-22-pc3w8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490050/original/file-20221017-22-pc3w8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490050/original/file-20221017-22-pc3w8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490050/original/file-20221017-22-pc3w8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490050/original/file-20221017-22-pc3w8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Not enough homeowners will invest in a heat pump without government support.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/backyard-swimming-pool-heat-pump-maintenance-2202142905">Virrage Images/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>So how could we design better policies to help homeowners make their homes fit for the future? We teamed up with the CCC to try to find out. Rather than relying just on the economic modelling and technical analysis that policymakers normally reach for, we wanted to try a new approach: asking homeowners what would work best for them. </p>
<h2>What our panel said</h2>
<p>As part of our project on public engagement and climate change at Lancaster University, we set up and oversaw a citizens’ panel.</p>
<p>The panel consisted of 24 people, demographically representative of UK homeowners in terms of age, ethnicity, housing type and attitudes to climate change. Participants spent 25 hours over seven sessions, both online and in person, learning about how to eliminate carbon emissions from homes and designing solutions they thought would work for owner-occupiers. </p>
<p>CCC analysts, whose day job is to analyse how well government policy aligns with the UK’s legally binding climate targets, took part in the discussions and helped to shape the findings. </p>
<p>The panel told us that they care about tackling climate change and want to act, but the government’s assumption – that homeowners will take the initiative and make the investment their homes need – is wide of the mark. Instead, panellists stressed that they would need guidance, and help with costs, if they were to make changes. </p>
<p>The panellists designed a comprehensive package of support based around the life cycle of owning a home: buying it, living in it and renovating it. This would include a logbook provided to all home buyers with reliable information on what the house needed and what the costs and benefits would be. </p>
<p>Financial incentives would help homeowners make changes at each stage, such as stamp duty rebates and cheap financing for cosmetic renovations when rolled together with energy retrofits. Regulations would ban the most polluting products, such as gas boilers. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Rooftop solar panels." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490052/original/file-20221017-22-zp1w3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490052/original/file-20221017-22-zp1w3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490052/original/file-20221017-22-zp1w3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490052/original/file-20221017-22-zp1w3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490052/original/file-20221017-22-zp1w3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490052/original/file-20221017-22-zp1w3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490052/original/file-20221017-22-zp1w3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Installing solar panels, and other energy efficiency measures, could lower household bills.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/solar-panels-on-generic-house-roof-1947161221">Tupungato/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>We have now published these <a href="https://climatecitizens.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Lancaster-University.-2022.-Addressing-emission-from-owner-occupied-homes.pdf">findings</a> and the CCC has <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/letter-homeowner-support-for-policies-to-decarbonise-uk-homes/">written</a> to Graham Stuart MP, the UK climate change minister, to inform him.</p>
<h2>The benefits of deliberation</h2>
<p>Getting policy experts to talk with members of the public seems to be an effective way to make climate policy. There have been efforts to try this before, most notably Climate Assembly UK, which asked ordinary people about their support for different climate policies. We went a step further by asking panellists to work with analysts to design a policy from scratch. </p>
<p>Our panel showed that giving people the opportunity to consider options and weigh up the evidence can result in workable solutions which chime with the views and life experience of the people most affected. Neglecting this perspective while designing policies can invite a backlash. Expecting people to make significant changes to their lives without adequate support could threaten the UK’s ability to meet its climate targets.</p>
<p>The standard tools of policy analysis, such as economic modelling and technical forecasting, are not obsolete. But they must be complemented by a more sophisticated understanding of how policies affect lives. Deliberative exercises like our panel, which include informed discussion, are quite different to other ways of taking the public’s temperature – like polls or surveys with a large sample size. </p>
<p>When it comes to complex problems and their solutions, many people lack stable or well-informed preferences about what they want to see happen. It is not the initial reaction to an idea captured through a poll that counts, but whether people actually support it once it is affecting their lives. </p>
<p>In Switzerland, where many policies are put to a referendum, <a href="https://econ-papers.upf.edu/papers/1334.pdf">research</a> has shown significant differences between what people say their preferences are in surveys and what they end up voting for. Deliberation offers people enough information and time to develop their understanding of how different policy solutions will affect them and those like them. </p>
<p>The same approach we used could be applied to designing low-carbon transport in cities and towns, or reforms to the food system that balance the need for sustainability with thriving rural economies. We would like to see a much wider use of deliberation by organisations developing and delivering climate policy, from government departments, to local and regional authorities, to thinktanks and civil society groups. </p>
<p>With ever-pressing emission reduction targets, every policy misstep costs precious time. Why would policy makers not want to ensure they get it right the first time around?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191905/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacob Ainscough receives funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Willis receives funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). She is a trustee of the New Economics Foundation.</span></em></p>
Members of the public devised a raft of measures to make homes greener.
Jacob Ainscough, Senior Research Associate in Environmental Governance, Lancaster University
Rebecca Willis, Professor in Energy and Climate Governance, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/191794
2022-10-10T13:26:16Z
2022-10-10T13:26:16Z
Four ways to reduce your household energy use – proven by research
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488266/original/file-20221005-6883-3peami.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many households are already feeling the effects of rising energy prices.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-couple-jacket-covered-blanket-sitting-1247928553">Budimir Jevtic/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A particularly cold September has given us a glimpse of the winter to come. The cold will bite hardest for the <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8730/">13%</a> of England’s households that are already in fuel poverty. As the energy crisis intensifies, this is expected to rise further.</p>
<p>European leaders have therefore rushed to implement measures to protect households. The UK’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-bills-support/energy-bills-support-factsheet-8-september-2022">Energy Price Guarantee</a> caps the unit price of electricity and gas at 34p and 10p respectively. While this will ease some concerns over rising energy bills, many households will still be priced out of warming their home in the coming months.</p>
<p>So here are four ways research indicates households can reduce their energy use in time for the winter – and save money in the process.</p>
<h2>1. Air dry laundry</h2>
<p>Washing and drying clothing is responsible for around <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/household-electricity-survey--2">12%</a> of household electricity use in the UK.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.norfolknaturalliving.com/blogs/journal/is-hand-washing-your-clothes-better-than-using-the-washing-machine#more-sustainable">Hand washing</a> is frequently suggested as an energy-saving alternative to machine washing. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488055/original/file-20221004-14-6s0krm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A person crouched over a soapy bucket of water hand washing their clothing." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488055/original/file-20221004-14-6s0krm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488055/original/file-20221004-14-6s0krm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488055/original/file-20221004-14-6s0krm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488055/original/file-20221004-14-6s0krm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488055/original/file-20221004-14-6s0krm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488055/original/file-20221004-14-6s0krm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488055/original/file-20221004-14-6s0krm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hand washing laundry is often touted as an energy saving alternative to machine washing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hand-women-washing-clothes-thailand-style-276054953">aromaso/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet modern washing machines are highly efficient, typically using <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187537">0.5 kilowatt hours</a> for a 9kg wash. This is considerably less than the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/18/7537">0.82 kilowatt hours</a> used on average by hand washing. Even inefficient washing machines tend to use less energy than hand washing as much less hot water is required.</p>
<p>By instead restricting use of the tumble dryer, greater reductions in energy use can be achieved. Tumble dryers use a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/household-electricity-survey--2">lot of energy</a>, with a single cycle using up to 4.5 kilowatt hours. This will cost £1.50 per cycle at the price cap.</p>
<p>By air drying laundry instead, I calculated that the average household could save over £130 a year.</p>
<h2>2. Use less hot water</h2>
<p>Facing critical gas shortages, the German city of Hanover <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/28/german-cities-impose-cold-showers-and-turn-off-fountains-in-face-of-russian-gas-crisis">turned off the hot water</a> in the bathrooms of all public buildings earlier this year. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1552841219809705986"}"></div></p>
<p>While energy-saving measures this severe are unlikely, hot water production in the UK is a major consumer of energy, accounting for roughly <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778821004035?casa_token=xTAh7oY7yM8AAAAA:E-iJfrf8Z0YDsMcJRElfs2XHNswtyHpW8ims2UDwPFYv5-usqyz5ARij2m1nalnuKLB94qd1jw">one quarter</a> of household energy use. There are several ways households can reduce their hot water use.</p>
<p>One way is reducing the time spent in the shower. A high-pressure shower lasting nine minutes uses around <a href="https://www.waterwise.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/United-Utilities_Water-and-Energy-Efficient-Showers_Project-Report.pdf">4.3 kilowatt hours</a> of gas. At the price cap, this will cost households 44p per shower. By reducing the time spent showering to six minutes, households can save 15p on heating water for each shower.</p>
<p>If you have a hot water tank, making sure it is well insulated can also deliver cost savings. This will keep water warmer for longer and reduce heating costs. </p>
<p>Another approach is to install a low-flow shower head. This restricts the flow of water while maintaining the feel of a high-pressure shower. At lower flow rates, a shower will consume less hot water. For households that average two nine-minute showers a day, this could save over £100 per year. </p>
<p>However, a low-flow shower head will only work well in areas where the water pressure is already sufficiently high. Reducing the flow of an already low-pressure shower would transform the shower into a dribble. </p>
<h2>3. Make better use of heating</h2>
<p>As the energy crisis intensifies, it is important to make sure heating is not wasted unnecessarily. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306261917315829?casa_token=lm5ZgEAZhMUAAAAA:iqGWb6BegjNur8LBAkMpQpQJbLia8FWyhVA_R0evSz82rDLFdv1c_JEQjftGRyXSn6HG13dj1w#b0015">Research</a> indicates that energy use could be slashed by up to 30% by reducing heating when occupants are asleep or away. </p>
<p>This can be done by manually dialling down the thermostat or by turning the heating off altogether. For those who habitually forget to lower the heating, a smart thermostat could prove a useful investment. These can be controlled remotely via your mobile, or automatically through presence sensors and allow heating to be lowered when the home is unoccupied.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488059/original/file-20221004-12-62f4a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A person's hands adjusting a thermostatic radiator valve against a blue wall." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488059/original/file-20221004-12-62f4a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488059/original/file-20221004-12-62f4a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488059/original/file-20221004-12-62f4a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488059/original/file-20221004-12-62f4a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488059/original/file-20221004-12-62f4a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488059/original/file-20221004-12-62f4a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488059/original/file-20221004-12-62f4a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Homes with heating controls use much less energy than homes without.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/girl-adjusts-radiator-valve-heating-manual-1901588584">Robert Bodnar T/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Energy is also wasted by heating unused rooms. Thermostatic radiator valves are one way to control the temperature across different rooms. They regulate the flow of hot water through radiators and can be programmed to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2018.05.023">modulate the temperature for each room</a>. </p>
<p>Thermostatic radiator valves can deliver substantial energy savings. One study found that they result in <a href="https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/249922/">10%–18%</a> less energy use compared to homes with no heating controls. However, it is important that the doors between rooms remain closed to prevent energy being wasted.</p>
<h2>4. Maximise insulation</h2>
<p>Although we can make better use of heating, Britain’s homes are hugely energy inefficient. Its housing stock is one of the <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Annex-2-Heat-in-UK-Buildings-Today-Committee-on-Climate-Change-October-2016.pdf">least insulated</a> in Europe. </p>
<p>Maximising your insulation is one way to reduce your energy use. Secondary glazing in the form of window shutters can <a href="https://issuu.com/hspubs/docs/technical-paper-1---thermal-performance-of-traditi">halve</a> the amount of heat lost through a single glazed window. I calculated that this could save the average UK home over £50 per year in heating costs.</p>
<p>But window shutters do not always represent an immediate energy-saving strategy. Shutter installation can be costly and if installed on a building’s exterior may require planning permission. </p>
<p>Closing blinds or curtains at night and during cold spells instead represents a cheaper way of retaining heat. Research indicates that blinds can reduce the amount of heat lost through windows by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2004.11.008">up to 38%</a>.</p>
<p>Changes in habits and small investments can substantially reduce energy consumption. If widely implemented, they can ease <a href="https://theconversation.com/turning-down-your-thermostat-really-can-ease-a-gas-supply-crisis-heres-how-178915">the energy crisis</a>. While the Energy Price Guarantee will provide temporary relief to many, investment in energy efficiency measures such as insulation must be prioritised to reduce our energy burden longer term.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191794/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aurore Julien is a CIBSE Member and received funding from the UKERC for a PhD covering rapid energy savings to mitigate a natural gas crisis (2014).</span></em></p>
Europe is facing the prospect of an acute energy crisis – how does research suggest households can reduce their energy use?
Aurore Julien, Lecturer in Environment, Energy and Resources, UCL
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/188694
2022-08-22T12:26:39Z
2022-08-22T12:26:39Z
Does turning the air conditioning off when you’re not home actually save energy? Three engineers run the numbers
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479979/original/file-20220818-164-78ogjl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=125%2C440%2C4534%2C3054&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Is it better to cool your house all day, or adjust the A/C setting on your way out the door?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/father-carrying-son-on-shoulders-adjusting-royalty-free-image/668763443">Westend61 via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Hot summer days can mean high electricity bills. People want to stay comfortable without wasting energy and money. Maybe your household has fought over the best strategy for cooling your space. Which is more efficient: running the air conditioning all summer long without break, or turning it off during the day when you’re not there to enjoy it? </p>
<p>We are a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=dXCbQqMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">team of architectural</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TAOTdN4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">and building systems</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AdHh9wwAAAAJ&hl=en">engineers</a> who used energy models that simulate heat transfer and A/C system performance to tackle this perennial question: Will you need to remove more heat from your home by continuously removing heat throughout the day or removing excess heat only at the end of the day?</p>
<p>The answer boils down to how energy intensive it is to remove heat from your home. It’s influenced by many factors such as how well your house is insulated, the size and type of your air conditioner and outdoor temperature and humidity. </p>
<p>According to our unpublished calculations, letting your home heat up while you’re out at work and cooling it when you get home can use less energy than keeping it consistently cool – but it depends.</p>
<h2>Blast A/C all day, even when you’re away?</h2>
<p>First, think about how heat accumulates in the first place. It flows into your home when the building has less stored heat than outside. If the amount of heat flowing into your home is given by a rate of “1 unit per hour,” your A/C will always have 1 unit of heat to remove every hour. If you turn off your A/C and let the heat accumulate, you could have up to eight hours’ worth of heat at the end of the day.</p>
<p>It’s often less than that, though – homes have a limit to how much heat they can store. And the amount of heat that enters your home depends on how hot the building was to begin with. For example, if your home can only store 5 units of thermal energy before coming to an equilibrium with the outdoor air temperature, then at the end of the day you will only ever have to remove 5 units of heat at most.</p>
<p>Additionally, as your home heats up, the process of heat transfer slows down; eventually it reaches zero heat transfer at equilibrium, when the temperature inside is the same as the temperature outside. Your A/C also cools less effectively in extreme heat, so keeping it off during the hottest parts of the day can increase overall efficiency of the system. These effects mean there’s no one straightforward answer to whether you should blast the A/C all day or wait until you get back home in the evening.</p>
<h2>Energy used by different A/C strategies</h2>
<p>Consider a test case of a small home with typical insulation in two warm climates: dry (Arizona) and humid (Georgia). Using <a href="https://www.nrel.gov/buildings/beopt.html">energy modeling software</a> created by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory for analyzing energy use in residential buildings, we looked at multiple test cases for energy use in this hypothetical 1,200 square-foot (110 square-meter) home.</p>
<p>We considered three temperature strategy scenarios. One has the indoor temperature set to a constant 76 degrees Fahrenheit (24.4 degrees Celsius). A second lets the temperature float up to 89 F (31.6 C) during an eight-hour workday – a “setback.” The last uses a temperature setback to 89 F (31.6 C) for a short four-hour workday. </p>
<p>Within these three scenarios, we looked at three different A/C technologies: a single stage <a href="https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/central-air-conditioning">central A/C</a>, a <a href="https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/air-source-heat-pumps">central air source heat pump (ASHP)</a> and <a href="https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/ductless-mini-split-heat-pumps">minisplit heat pump units</a>. Central A/C units are typical of current residential buildings, while heat pumps are gaining popularity due to their improved efficiency. Central ASHPs are easily used in one-to-one replacements of central A/C units; minisplits are more efficient than central A/C but costly to set up.</p>
<p>We wanted to see how energy use from A/C varied across these cases. We knew that regardless of the HVAC technology used, the A/C system would surge when the thermostat setpoint returned to 76 F (24.4 C) and also for all three cases in the late afternoon when outdoor air temperatures are usually the highest. In the setback cases, we programmed the A/C to start cooling the space before the resident is back, ensuring thermal comfort by the time they get home.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479976/original/file-20220818-27-qstjim.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Six line graphs that show how the temperature in the house and the energy used vary with the outdoor heat." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479976/original/file-20220818-27-qstjim.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479976/original/file-20220818-27-qstjim.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479976/original/file-20220818-27-qstjim.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479976/original/file-20220818-27-qstjim.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479976/original/file-20220818-27-qstjim.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479976/original/file-20220818-27-qstjim.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479976/original/file-20220818-27-qstjim.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Energy models can show how much energy a house will use under particular conditions – like Phoenix’s hot, dry summer weather. The researchers ran the numbers on three different HVAC technologies and three different temperature-setting strategies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pigott/Scheib/Baker/CU Boulder</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479978/original/file-20220818-10466-krvwf2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Six line graphs that show how the temperature in the house and the energy used vary with the outdoor heat." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479978/original/file-20220818-10466-krvwf2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479978/original/file-20220818-10466-krvwf2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479978/original/file-20220818-10466-krvwf2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479978/original/file-20220818-10466-krvwf2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479978/original/file-20220818-10466-krvwf2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479978/original/file-20220818-10466-krvwf2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479978/original/file-20220818-10466-krvwf2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The researchers used the same three different HVAC technologies and three temperature-setting strategies, but this time for a house in hot and humid Atlanta.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pigott/Scheib/Baker/CU Boulder</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What we found was that even when the A/C temporarily spikes to recover from the higher indoor temperatures, the overall energy consumption in the setback cases is still less than when maintaining a constant temperature throughout the day. On an annual scale with a conventional central A/C, this could result in energy savings of up to 11%.</p>
<p>However, the energy savings may decrease if the home is better insulated, the A/C is more efficient or the climate has less dramatic temperature swings.</p>
<p><iframe id="tM9v0" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/tM9v0/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><iframe id="Wppk7" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Wppk7/7/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>The central air source heat pump and minisplit heat pump are more efficient overall but yield less savings from temperature setbacks. An eight-hour setback on weekdays provides savings regardless of the system type, while the benefits gleaned from a four-hour setback are less straightforward.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188694/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aisling Pigott receives funding from the Department of Energy. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jennifer Scheib receives funding from the Department of Energy. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kyri Baker receives funding from the Department of Energy, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.</span></em></p>
Energy modeling software provides insight into whether letting your A/C relax while you’re gone all day will save you energy – and money.
Aisling Pigott, Ph.D. Student in Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder
Jennifer Scheib, Assistant Teaching Professor of Building Systems Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder
Kyri Baker, Assistant Professor of Building Systems Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/187212
2022-08-02T15:19:47Z
2022-08-02T15:19:47Z
Heatwave-proofing homes could save lives – and cut carbon
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478131/original/file-20220808-16-fke5qm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3600%2C2398&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Insulating walls and windows can keep hot air outside during future heatwaves.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/spray-polyurethane-foam-roof-technician-spraying-1087263845">C12/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Buildings are designed to keep people safe and comfortable according to the local climate: warm when it’s cold outside, dry when it’s wet and sheltered when it’s stormy. If the climate changes, buildings may struggle to serve our needs in the new conditions. The UK’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/heatwave-britain-hits-40-3-c-heres-how-scientists-know-when-a-temperature-record-has-been-broken-187235">recent 40°C heatwave</a> showed that many existing structures – especially the homes where we <a href="https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/how-much-of-your-life-do-you-spend-in-buildings">spend two-thirds</a> of our lives – <a href="https://theconversation.com/britain-isnt-built-to-withstand-40-c-here-is-where-infrastructure-is-most-likely-to-fail-187229">aren’t up to the task</a>.</p>
<p>Older people with existing health problems are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969717302292">among the most vulnerable</a> during hot weather, as the heat can exacerbate <a href="https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/six-groups-most-risk-heatwave-24501068">potentially fatal conditions</a> such as respiratory and heart diseases and even Alzheimer’s. An early estimate suggests as many as <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2331349-40c-heatwave-may-have-killed-1000-people-in-england-and-wales/#:%7E:text=Antonio%20Gasparrini%20at%20the%20London,between%2017%20and%2019%20July.">1,000 excess deaths</a> may have occurred in England and Wales as a result of the three-day heatwave in mid-July 2022.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heatwaves-can-kill-research-uncovers-the-homes-most-vulnerable-to-overheating-138665">Heatwaves can kill – research uncovers the homes most vulnerable to overheating</a>
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<p>Each country must upgrade its buildings to keep people safe as the world warms. This is part of what climate change experts call <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/climate-adaptation?gclid=Cj0KCQjw852XBhC6ARIsAJsFPN0yqO4DmQBnfU1tHBvo2JU52I_XLd8a1ZHOUbZUf1xouHusWeQ0_dAaAtIWEALw_wcB">adaptation</a>. The other half of that obligation is mitigation: cutting emissions as fast possible to minimise the temperature increase. By adapting homes to withstand stronger heatwaves, countries have an opportunity to meet both needs at the same time.</p>
<p>You will have heard some of the solutions for decarbonising buildings: increased roof and wall insulation and double-glazed windows for energy efficiency, and replacing gas boilers with alternatives such as heat pumps which can run on renewable electricity. These same measures will also help people stay safe during future heatwaves. </p>
<p>Just as better insulation keeps warm air inside during winter, it keeps it outside during summer. Shutters or blinds that block sunlight are a simple option for lowering indoor temperatures by keeping out even more heat. It even helps to paint roofs a light colour to better reflects the sun’s rays. In the Australian state of New South Wales, a policy to completely <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/09/plan-to-ban-dark-roofs-abandoned-as-nsw-government-walks-back-sustainability-measures#:%7E:text=The%20New%20South%20Wales%20government,measures%20announced%20by%20his%20predecessor.">ban dark-coloured roofs</a> was recently considered.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Black shutters adorn windows on a brick house." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477156/original/file-20220802-17-wlgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477156/original/file-20220802-17-wlgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477156/original/file-20220802-17-wlgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477156/original/file-20220802-17-wlgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477156/original/file-20220802-17-wlgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477156/original/file-20220802-17-wlgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477156/original/file-20220802-17-wlgzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Shutters have been used for centuries in hot countries to banish the midday sun.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/0705-riga-latvia-brick-building-rectangular-1974071459">Nadia_if/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Most homes in the UK are <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Annex-2-Heat-in-UK-Buildings-Today-Committee-on-Climate-Change-October-2016.pdf">heated with gas boilers</a> but have no equivalent system for cooling. Heat pumps can help. These machines are essentially <a href="https://greenbusinesswatch.co.uk/guides/air-source-heat-pumps#:%7E:text=An%20air%20source%20heat%20pump%20works%20very%20much%20like%20a,compressor%20to%20increase%20the%20temperature.">refrigerators working backwards</a>. Where a fridge sucks heat from its interior and disperses it through the coils on its back, a heat pump sucks the heat from the air (or ground) outside and transfers it to the inside of your house to keep you warm in winter. The process runs on electricity, so it does this without needing to burn gas. </p>
<p>Heat pumps can be programmed to work a reverse cycle, allowing them to pump cold water rather than hot water through the radiators to cool your house in summer. But this cooling cycle has to be built into the heat pump system when it’s installed – it’s not as simple as flicking a switch. Unfortunately, the UK government offers little guidance. The Energy Saving Trust, a government body tasked with making homes more energy efficient, neglects even to mention in its guide to heat pumps that they are <a href="https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/in-depth-guide-to-heat-pumps/">capable of cooling</a>. </p>
<p>The rate at which heat pumps are installed <a href="https://medium.com/all-you-can-heat/the-climate-change-committee-report-are-we-on-track-to-decarbonise-buildings-69ba73c2e873">almost doubled</a> during 2021 in the UK. As a result, there will be many homes with new heat pumps, funded with public subsidies, that can only provide heating.</p>
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<img alt="A large grey air conditioner unit attached to the brick exterior of a house." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477159/original/file-20220802-20-9t90ei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477159/original/file-20220802-20-9t90ei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477159/original/file-20220802-20-9t90ei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477159/original/file-20220802-20-9t90ei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477159/original/file-20220802-20-9t90ei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477159/original/file-20220802-20-9t90ei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477159/original/file-20220802-20-9t90ei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Installed properly, a heat pump can cool as well as heat a home.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/air-conditioner-airair-heat-pump-heating-2066407610">Klikkipetra/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>Better homes overall</h2>
<p>This lack of foresight in national responses to climate change is frustrating. Insulating buildings would help permanently lower energy bills for millions, but the UK government has starved energy efficiency measures of <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-cutting-the-green-crap-has-added-2-5bn-to-uk-energy-bills/">resources over the past decade</a>. Recently, plans were abandoned that would have <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-29/uk-scales-back-1-billion-funding-to-help-homes-cut-energy-use">doubled funding</a> for low-income housesholds to become more energy efficient. Meanwhile, the UK’s newly built homes suffer from much of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/30/total-climate-meltdown-inevitable-heatwaves-global-catastrophe?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other">the same poor insulation</a> as older ones.</p>
<p>Some countries are being more proactive. Italian homeowners can claim 110% of the cost of energy efficiency improvements <a href="https://www.itv.com/news/2021-10-21/italy-offering-to-pay-full-cost-of-upgrading-to-green-homes-plus-a-bonus">against their taxes</a>, up to €100,000 (£84,000) over five years. That is more than enough to upgrade a house to net-zero standard, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/23/buyers-of-brand-new-homes-face-20000-bill-to-make-them-greener">estimated at £26,000</a> in the UK.</p>
<p>If homes need less energy to heat or cool because they have been made more energy efficient, it would help reduce (and perhaps even eradicate) fuel poverty. If they are able to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures and air quality through better ventilation, they can better accommodate people working or learning from home should there be another pandemic. </p>
<p>And, if the technology is powered by a dispersed renewable energy network, comprised of rooftop solar panels feeding excess energy to the grid, society will be more resilient to future spikes in the price of energy. Beyond any benefits these actions might have for tackling climate change, they simply reflect the reality of modern life.</p>
<p>The solutions are simple, but implementing them will be complex – all countries must coordinate their responses more effectively. A lot of money, both public and private, will be spent on cutting emissions to net zero. Unless countries plan for adapting to rising temperatures at the same time, the opportunity for more comfortable, resilient and liveable homes will be lost.</p>
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<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
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<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187212/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ran Boydell has received commissions and grant funding from the Scottish government.</span></em></p>
Adapt to climate change with insulated walls, window shutters and reverse-cycle heat pumps.
Ran Boydell, Associate Professor in Sustainable Development, Heriot-Watt University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/175191
2022-02-16T14:52:34Z
2022-02-16T14:52:34Z
How to nudge homeowners to make their own homes more energy efficient
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441382/original/file-20220118-16047-qpfemu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jevanto Productions / shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A sharp rise in <a href="https://theconversation.com/energy-prices-heres-what-uk-government-can-do-to-cut-household-bills-174901">gas and electricity bills</a> means energy efficiency has never been more topical. The UK desperately needs to better insulate millions of old homes to save energy and reduce emissions, while supporting a transition to low carbon heating like air source heat pumps, yet so far policies have mixed results. The <a href="https://www.nao.org.uk/report/green-homes-grant/">Green Homes Grant</a>, for instance, which offered support in these areas reached as little as 5% of its desired targets.</p>
<p>While there are already <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-private-rented-property-minimum-energy-efficiency-standard-landlord-guidance">energy efficiency regulations</a> for homes that are rented out, the government’s recent <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1036226/E02666137_CP_388_Heat_and_Buildings_Accessible.pdf">Heat in Buildings Strategy</a> includes no requirement for people who live in their own homes to improve their energy efficiency. This creates a gap in the policy landscape, since owner-occupiers make up <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/945013/2019-20_EHS_Headline_Report.pdf">about two thirds</a> of the UK housing market.</p>
<p>The Heat in Buildings Strategy for “new” technologies such as heat pumps is to try to encourage change at “natural trigger points where possible … such as when heating appliances come to the end of their life or homes are sold”. However, as the strategy points out, boilers last around 15 years and homes are sold on average every 18 years. That means this sort of deployment can be slow, with some technologies taking “more than 30 years to reach near saturation”. When viewed from the perspective of a climate emergency, this seems far too little too late.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441383/original/file-20220118-27-14gcr63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two large white boxes with fans on outside of a house" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441383/original/file-20220118-27-14gcr63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441383/original/file-20220118-27-14gcr63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441383/original/file-20220118-27-14gcr63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441383/original/file-20220118-27-14gcr63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441383/original/file-20220118-27-14gcr63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441383/original/file-20220118-27-14gcr63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441383/original/file-20220118-27-14gcr63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Air source heat pumps resemble an air conditioning unit.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nimur / shutterstock</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>This creates a mismatch between <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_SPM_final.pdf">decarbonisation timescales</a> and what the government wishes to risk at the next election. If it pushes through the required changes in the required timescale, which is this decade, without taking the public along then it is playing with political fire.</p>
<p>Only <a href="https://www.bsa.natcen.ac.uk/latest-report/british-social-attitudes-30/key-findings/trust-politics-and-institutions.aspx">18% of the public</a> trusts politicians, which may explain why the <a href="https://hbr.org/2011/01/the-big-idea-creating-shared-value">government’s strategy</a> is to encourage business to find and then meet the need of the marketplace. In theory, this creates a new messenger for engagement, letting the government effectively pass on responsibility by having private sector firms act as the delivery arm of the state.</p>
<p>Previous policies predominantly took the form of financial incentives such as the <a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/domestic-renewable-heat-incentive-domestic-rhi">renewable heat incentive</a>, <a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/feed-tariffs-fit">feed-in tariffs</a> or the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/green-deal-home-improvement-fund-details-announced">Green Deal Home Improvement Fund</a>, all of which have now been cancelled. The most successful scheme led to 863,177 <a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2021-12/Feed%20in%20Tariff%20%28FIT%29%202020-21%20Annual%20Report.pdf">solar power installations</a> across almost a decade, but even this represents only 5.5% of the UK’s <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/945013/2019-20_EHS_Headline_Report.pdf">15.6 million</a> owner-occupied homes.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441495/original/file-20220119-23-ghya34.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441495/original/file-20220119-23-ghya34.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441495/original/file-20220119-23-ghya34.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441495/original/file-20220119-23-ghya34.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441495/original/file-20220119-23-ghya34.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441495/original/file-20220119-23-ghya34.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441495/original/file-20220119-23-ghya34.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441495/original/file-20220119-23-ghya34.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Solar in Wales: still only a small percentage of households have signed up.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wozzie / shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>From April 2022 a <a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/boiler-upgrade-scheme-bus">boiler upgrade scheme</a> will replace the defunct renewable heat incentive, but it continues in the same vein of simply offering funding support: in this case £5,000 towards the predicted installation cost of a heat pump. As such it is not offering any new solutions to replace the old failed policies. This matters because if financial incentives alone worked for this market, then they would have worked by now – and they haven’t.</p>
<h2>Nudging is needed</h2>
<p>Since all the above has failed to deliver the scale required, we need a new approach. This should be a variant of enlightened self-interest, whereby through acting in a self-serving manner to benefit themselves, owner occupiers are ultimately benefiting the greater community.</p>
<p>One method would be if the “<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/behavioural-insights-team">nudge unit</a>” – a UK government spin-off properly known as the Behavioural Insights Team – designed a social education and motivation campaign to make home energy efficiency a desirable social norm. This would expand on the team’s <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48123/2135-behaviour-change-and-energy-use.pdf">original interventions</a>, which included simplified home energy-performance certificates which showed buyers more directly the financial benefits of energy efficiency measures – the property’s real running cost over three years. This was then <a href="https://www.surveyandtest.com/do-epc-ratings-affect-house-prices">linked to research</a> showing that improving the certificate rating meant sellers could charge more for their products, thereby creating desire on both sides of the equation. </p>
<p>This new campaign would aim to empower a sense of agency and tap into the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/steapp/research/energy-environment-and-sustainable-development/fleur-fast-tracking-low-energy-use-retrofit">non-financial motivational drivers</a> of this core older audience. In the case of an older demographic this may be stability, <a href="https://www.euro.who.int/en/publications/abstracts/environmental-burden-of-disease-associated-with-inadequate-housing.-summary-report">better long-term health</a> or social peer approval for “doing the right thing”.</p>
<p>The campaign would need to educate and support this social group in understanding that a warmer, more energy efficient home environment would provide these things while also creating a socially positive narrative that by doing so they are helping general society.</p>
<p>Nudging isn’t enough by itself of course. We will still need more funding support and policy levers such as reducing VAT on energy efficiency products and electricity, but we also need people to have a reason to want to make a change.</p>
<p>If we can achieve associating a well-insulated roof or a new heat pump with being smart both for consumers and also positive for society then we may well stimulate the market growth needed across this relatively stagnant housing sector. Who knows … the UK might then hit its targets after all?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175191/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Rowlatt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The technology exists, but homeowners aren’t being swayed by subsidies.
John Rowlatt, PhD Researcher, Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development, De Montfort University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/176402
2022-02-04T13:19:37Z
2022-02-04T13:19:37Z
Energy discounts are a sticking plaster – here’s a long-term solution to soaring household bills
<p>The energy crisis is biting hard. Average gas and electricity bills in the UK will rise by 54% on April 1 2022 when the regulator Ofgem lifts its price cap. This is an increase of roughly <a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/price-cap-increase-ps693-april">£700 a year</a> (US$950). According to the charity National Energy Action <a href="https://www.nea.org.uk/energy-crisis/">another two million UK households</a> could be plunged into fuel poverty by then, bringing the total to six million by the end of the year. Shockingly, that would mean more than a fifth of homes having to choose between heating or eating.</p>
<p>The rise in wholesale fossil fuel prices accounts for almost £500 of the rise in household bills, with the remainder due to bill payers <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-cutting-the-green-crap-has-added-2-5bn-to-uk-energy-bills">covering the cost</a> of failed energy suppliers. UK households are uniquely susceptible to these spikes because they inhabit some of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-uk-has-some-of-the-least-energy-efficient-housing-in-europe-heres-how-to-fix-this-151609">least energy efficient houses</a> in western Europe. </p>
<p>An obvious way to offset the impact of wholesale energy price rises is to improve the efficiency of housing stock, to deliver the same comfort using less energy. But a nationwide efficiency drive does not appear to be at the top of the UK government’s list of proposed solutions to tackle the energy crisis. </p>
<p>Instead, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/feb/03/energy-bills-rishi-sunak-discount-rebate-council-tax">a raft of measures</a> to offset price rises through one-off grants, council tax rebates and repayable discounts on bills. These measures may lessen the immediate financial pain, but they do not tackle the underlying causes. They represent a sticking plaster, not a long-term solution. </p>
<h2>A decade of failure on energy efficiency</h2>
<p>In one form or another, obligations on energy companies to increase domestic energy efficiency – especially in fuel poor homes – have been <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8964/">around since 1994</a>. Suppliers recoup the cost of installing wall and loft cavity insulation and other home efficiency measures via a green levy on customers’ energy bills. Today, the UK’s flagship energy efficiency programme, the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), costs the average bill payer just <a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2021/02/annex_4_-_policy_cost_allowance_methodology_v1.8.xlsx">£29 a year</a>.</p>
<p>But the ECO has performed poorly compared to predecessor policies. When it was launched in 2013, loft and cavity wall insulation rates <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-cutting-the-green-crap-has-added-2-5bn-to-uk-energy-bills">collapsed</a> by 92% and 74% respectively compared with 2012. The ECO delivered on average just <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1047733/Headline_HEE_tables_20_JANUARY_2022.xlsx">228,000 insulation measures</a> a year between 2013 and 2021 – <a href="https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06196/SN06196.pdf">a drop of 83%</a> against the 1.3 million insulation measures achieved by the policy it replaced.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444518/original/file-20220204-19-1m69nnn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A graph showing the installation of different energy efficiency measures from January 2013 to September 2021." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444518/original/file-20220204-19-1m69nnn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444518/original/file-20220204-19-1m69nnn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444518/original/file-20220204-19-1m69nnn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444518/original/file-20220204-19-1m69nnn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444518/original/file-20220204-19-1m69nnn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444518/original/file-20220204-19-1m69nnn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444518/original/file-20220204-19-1m69nnn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The installation of ECO measures has not returned to its 2013 peak.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1047733/Headline_HEE_tables_20_JANUARY_2022.xlsx">BEIS</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The ECO has also done little to wean households off expensive gas heating. Since 2018, the ECO funded the installation of 230,000 new gas boilers, with 94,000 of these installed without other efficiency measures like insulation. Meanwhile, it has delivered just 545 electric heat pumps since October 2018 – roughly 14 installations a month.</p>
<p>In 2013, the Conservatives moved to “<a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/politics/354716/get-rid-of-the-green-crap/">cut the green crap</a>” from energy payments, gutting the ECO and raising rather than reducing household bills. <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-cutting-the-green-crap-has-added-2-5bn-to-uk-energy-bills">A recent analysis</a> by Carbon Brief suggested that cuts to the ECO will have added £808 million onto total household energy bills by summer 2022 due to 1.1 million fewer insulation installations per year. Since 2013, it’s <a href="https://eciu.net/analysis/briefings/heating/insulation-and-gas-prices">estimated</a> an additional nine million homes could have been insulated, saving homes a combined total of £830 on gas bills alone by 2022.</p>
<p>With the energy crisis making its own case for radical reform and the government <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/design-of-the-energy-company-obligation-eco4-2022-2026">yet to finalise</a> its plans for the future of the ECO, we offer four recommendations for solving the energy crisis.</p>
<h2>Boost funding</h2>
<p>Since October 2018, the ECO has delivered <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1047733/Headline_HEE_tables_20_JANUARY_2022.xlsx">120,000</a> insulation measures per year. At this rate - under the ECO alone - it would take 50 years to implement just one insulation measure across a possible six million fuel-poor homes. At an absolute minimum, the government <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Progress-in-reducing-emissions-2021-Report-to-Parliament.pdf">should be aiming</a> to install insulation in 1.3 million homes a year – a rate it managed pre-2013. </p>
<p>Sunak confirmed that from 2022 <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-02-03/117864">the ECO’s funding</a> will grow from £640 million to £1 billion per year to retrofit a total of 305,000 homes during its lifetime, but this isn’t nearly enough. Recent research by the <a href="https://neweconomics.org/2021/09/great-homes-upgrade">New Economics Foundation</a> suggests net zero targets require increasing annual funding for insulation to around £7 billion, which would retrofit 7 million homes by 2025.</p>
<h2>Taxes not levies</h2>
<p>Funding the ECO through levies on energy bills means the poorest homes currently <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14693062.2020.1773754">pay the same</a> 15% share of their energy bill towards green policies as the richest households. The bulk of the ECO – and indeed, all green levies – is <a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-advice-households/costs-your-energy-bill">raised on electricity</a> as opposed to gas bills. This artificially inflates the cost of electricity and the running costs of electric heat pumps compared with gas boilers, <a href="https://www.raponline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/rap-rosenow-lowes-principles-heat-decarbonisation-march-2020.pdf">disincentivising</a> the switch to low-carbon heating.</p>
<p>The answer is to shift funding for the ECO and other green policies onto <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59906223">general taxation</a>. This would offer a small reduction on bills prior to April’s price cap rise, with the lowest earners paying proportionally less. In the longer term, it would mean wealthier homes subsidising efficiency improvements in low-income households, alleviating fuel poverty and <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/multiple-benefits-of-energy-efficiency/health-and-wellbeing">relieving some pressure</a> on the NHS, as warmer homes mean fewer health issues and lower healthcare costs.</p>
<h2>Let communities lead</h2>
<p>Insulating hundreds of homes at a time, neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood and coordinated by local authorities, could help to retrofit housing deeper and faster than tackling homes one-by-one. Fortunately, the government’s proposals for a revamped ECO envisage energy companies <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1010366/eco4-consultation.pdf">meeting half their obligation</a> via measures referred to by local authorities. Here, the local authority works closely with businesses and community groups to ensure measures reach those most in need, <a href="https://pureportal.strath.ac.uk/en/projects/5b55c68a-da0a-4957-8bc2-f9550ee8e163">relying on</a> their combined knowledge of and access to the community.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A construction worker in overalls smooths out yellow loft insulation under wooden eaves." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444536/original/file-20220204-23-fddv6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444536/original/file-20220204-23-fddv6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444536/original/file-20220204-23-fddv6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444536/original/file-20220204-23-fddv6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444536/original/file-20220204-23-fddv6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444536/original/file-20220204-23-fddv6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444536/original/file-20220204-23-fddv6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Insulating homes has wider benefits for public health.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/construction-worker-thermally-insulating-house-attic-1907495419">Irin-k/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Low-carbon heating</h2>
<p>The ECO has a long history of installing new gas heating, perpetuating the problem of households being exposed to volatile gas prices and doing little to deliver on the government’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-ten-point-plan-for-a-green-industrial-revolution/title#point-7-greener-buildings">net zero target</a>. This includes the goal of installing 600,000 heat pumps by 2028 – which the government is <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/8742/documents/88647/default/">not on track</a> to deliver.</p>
<p>Policies like the Boiler Upgrade Scheme exist to help households adopt low-carbon heating technologies, such as heat pumps, but these do not have the same level of funding or focus on fuel-poor homes as the ECO. The government must <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1010366/eco4-consultation.pdf">enact its own proposals</a> and ensure the next phase of the ECO makes provisions for installing low-carbon heating and limits or removes support for new and replacement fossil fuel heating systems. Failure to do this only makes another energy crisis inevitable, fuelled by runaway fossil fuel prices.</p>
<p>The UK government has already missed the opportunity to insulate millions of additional homes and prevent an eye-watering price cap rise in April. It can avoid repeating the same mistake by making home energy efficiency its number one priority.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176402/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Hannon receives funding from UK Research Councils. He is affiliated with the charity South Seeds and the British Institute of Energy Economics.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Donal Brown receives funding from UK Research Councils and the EU Commission. He is affiliated with Retrofitworks CIC, and is a member of the Green Party. </span></em></p>
A home energy efficiency drive can shield households from mounting gas and electricity bills.
Matthew Hannon, Chancellor's Fellow of Technology and Innovation, University of Strathclyde
Donal Brown, Research Fellow, SPRU, University of Sussex Business School, University of Sussex
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/171280
2022-01-20T10:24:08Z
2022-01-20T10:24:08Z
Radical overhaul of construction industry needed if UK to have any chance of net zero by 2050 – new research
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431504/original/file-20211111-19-1vwsog0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C11%2C2481%2C1646&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/construction-external-wall-thermal-insulation-rock-1486349063">Tricky_Shark/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As I entered the construction site in England a decade ago, I was filled with excitement. This was a new state of the art housing development. I was there to provide independent evidence as to whether the development stood up to its claims of superior energy performance – the construction company promised that the finished buildings would consume far less energy than the norm. As I put my high visibility jacket and helmet on, I noticed a TV crew unloading their equipment. This was clearly a high profile site.</p>
<p>The site manager took me to the first house, where I was going to set up equipment for an air tightness test. I would use a large fan to create negative pressure in the building by extracting air from it, then use a pressure difference instrument to measure air flow through gaps and cracks in the building. A site operative with a mastic sealant gun told me: “I made it ready for you, mate.” The TV crew was right behind me – they were going to film me doing the test.</p>
<p>But as I started a routine visual inspection of the house, I noticed a pea-sized hole in one of the window frames – it turned out that the operative hadn’t done a very good job after all. As a result, the air tightness test had to be postponed, and the TV crew got an extended coffee break until we found the man with the mastic gun. </p>
<p>This incident is representative of my career. I’ve very rarely come across a building that actually lives up to its claims.</p>
<p>Now, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2021.754733/full">my new research</a> reveals that even the best aspects of the UK’s current building plans don’t go nearly far enough. We have found that due to <a href="https://theconversation.com/embodied-carbon-why-truly-net-zero-buildings-could-still-be-decades-away-170401">embodied carbon emissions</a> – the emissions that derive from making building materials and constructing houses, rather than heating and powering them – only building all new housing using naturally grown materials with negative embodied carbon will allow the UK housing industry to be net zero by 2050.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>This story is part of Conversation Insights</em></strong>
<br><em>The Insights team generates <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/insights-series-71218">long-form journalism</a> and is working with academics from different backgrounds who have been engaged in projects to tackle societal and scientific challenges.</em> </p>
<hr>
<p>Numerous UK local authorities have declared a <a href="https://www.climateemergency.uk/blog/list-of-councils/">climate emergency</a>, and are committed to constructing buildings to net zero carbon emissions, in many cases aiming to reach this by 2030. But the current <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/conservation-of-fuel-and-power-approved-document-l">UK building regulations</a> do not even require new buildings to achieve operational zero emissions – that is, emissions from building use. Embodied emissions – emissions from making and using building materials – are not even on the radar of the local authorities. </p>
<p>The problem is that there isn’t enough joined-up thinking. Builders are trained how to build, but are not trained to know how their work affects building energy performance. Government initiatives are introduced by one department to reduce energy consumption and discontinued by another department to enable enough houses to be built cheaply, with no consideration for unintended consequences. Building standards are not ambitious enough and take years to change. Developers do not want to exceed these standards as this would increase their costs and reduce profits. The industry is fragmented, and operates in silos. </p>
<h2>Quality of workmanship</h2>
<p>Even when intentions are good and houses are designed to the best specifications, lack of training standards in construction mean they often aren’t built properly.</p>
<p>I started working in the construction industry while doing my PhD on the energy performance of a new <a href="https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/SE.-00268-83">“solar village” in Bournville</a>, Birmingham. The houses in this new village were what we call “passive solar”: they had been extremely well insulated and were designed to admit heat from the sun through large, south-facing glazing, and to retain warmth within the concrete floor slab and the dense concrete blocks in the walls. This heat, slowly emitted, warmed the houses, reducing the need for a central heating system much of the time.</p>
<p>As the desired effect is only achieved in an airtight building – so that heat cannot escape the house – my team tested the air tightness of a demonstration house. We were surprised to find that the test instruments were telling us that the building was not airtight at all – there was a significant air leak. The search for the air leak took us to the attic space, where we found that heating pipes running from the solar hot water system on the roof into the house were routed through unnecessarily large and unsealed holes. We sealed the holes and carried out a successful air tightness test. The year was 1985.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Houses with solar panels on the roof." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441521/original/file-20220119-23-v45o4s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Modern houses with solar panels on the roof for alternative energy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/modern-houses-solar-panels-on-roof-491984632">Shutterstock/esbobeldijk</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This has happened to me many times over the years. Buildings are rarely as airtight as construction companies claim them to be. <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Designing-Zero-Carbon-Buildings-Using-Dynamic-Simulation-Methods/Jankovic/p/book/9781138658318">This is often due to</a> large holes drilled for small electricity cables; window frames peppered with holes; air leaks through loft hatches and door thresholds; air leaks through electrical sockets in walls and through holes for pipes in the floors.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/embodied-carbon-why-truly-net-zero-buildings-could-still-be-decades-away-170401">Embodied carbon: why truly net zero buildings could still be decades away</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Big house builders consider that it is too onerous to improve air tightness, and some argue that this may be why the regulations <a href="https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/advice/airtightness">haven’t changed for years</a>.</p>
<h2>Meaningless assessments</h2>
<p>Carbon dioxide emissions came on the horizon in the first decade of this century as something that needed to be better controlled in buildings.</p>
<p>In 2006, I was cautiously optimistic about the future of house building in the UK. The EU’s <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-buildings/energy-performance-buildings-directive_en">Energy Performance of Buildings Directive</a> had just been adopted in <a href="https://www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/Scotland/Energy_Performance_of_Buildings_Directive_(EPBD).pdf">Building Regulations</a> in England and Wales. This meant that the assessment of building energy performance would become mandatory in the UK. Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) would be required for every commercial or residential building when constructed, sold or let, and Display Energy Certificates (DECs) would be required in buildings with a floor area of over 250m², occupied by public authorities and frequently visited by the public. </p>
<p>As an academic who is also a practising engineer, I received authorisation to assess energy performance of buildings and to issue EPCs and DECs. But soon I realised that there were various routes to the same qualification. Under some of these schemes, <a href="https://www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/Domestic-Energy-Assessor-Condensed-5-Day-Classroom/25-04-2022">it became possible</a> for people with no previous qualifications or experience in building performance to retrain from unrelated vocational qualifications and become government-approved energy performance assessors in just a week.</p>
<p>Soon, the market was awash with poorly-trained energy performance assessors. While shadowing one of the on-site assessors, it astonished me that they did not even consider the orientation of the building, thus missing crucial information on heat gains and losses. Instead of improving the overall performance of the building stock, boxes were ticked and the buildings appeared to be better on paper, while in reality they were not much better than they had always been.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Energy efficiency form and a calculator." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440752/original/file-20220113-1343-u3w2d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How much do these energy performance certificates really mean?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/colorful-energy-efficiency-chart-calculator-264753443">Niyazz/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Failed government initiatives</h2>
<p>Similar failures have followed. England’s Green Homes Grant, for example, was recently described as a “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/01/uk-green-homes-scheme-was-slam-dunk-fail-says-public-accounts-committee">slam dunk fail</a>” by the public accounts committee. This scheme, launched in 2020, was to provide £5,000 grants for improving the thermal insulation of homes. Only 47,000 homes out of the 600,000 planned were upgraded, and more than £1,000 per upgraded home was spent on administration. The scheme was scrapped in 2021. </p>
<p>This is not the first time we’ve seen a government scheme scrapped. There have been multiple grants that have been poorly planned and have turned out to be inadequate, with some of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/cop26-heres-how-much-progress-the-uk-has-made-on-three-key-net-zero-pledges-169701">new ones</a> likely to only scratch the surface.</p>
<p>Looking back, the construction industry has a long history of substandard performance. The industry faces a <a href="https://www.ribaj.com/intelligence/market-analysis-construction-skills-shortage-aging-workforce-reduced-immigration">titanic struggle for skills</a> that appears to be <a href="https://ww3.rics.org/uk/en/modus/business-and-skills/better-business/closing-the-skills-gap-uk-construction.html">long term and structural</a>. Many energy performance assessors are not sufficiently trained and can qualify in five days with <a href="https://www.energy-trust.co.uk/training-courses/cat-2-domestic-energy-assessor/">no prior experience</a>, rendering energy performance certificates nearly meaningless. And the government has discontinued multiple green subsidy schemes, which is the only way the general public will be encouraged to retrofit or improve the housing stock. </p>
<p>Yet many new developments have been trumpeted as “green” in one way or another, with no rigorous analysis of that green status. For instance, it is not uncommon that a prefabricated building system is claimed to be net zero by its manufacturer without calculating the total embodied emissions contained in the individual materials used in its manufacture. This is due to the lack of long term coordinated thinking.</p>
<h2>We know how to do it</h2>
<p>The thing is: we actually know how to build a truly zero carbon house. So why are we not doing it, on a massive scale?</p>
<p>I have used the <a href="https://zerocarbonhousebirmingham.org.uk/">Birmingham Zero Carbon House</a> as evidence of this since 2010. This is a retrofitted house, based on an 1840, end-of-terrace brick house. Retrofitting is a process of adding something to a building that was not done or available at the time of construction. This includes thermal insulation, measures for improving air tightness, and adding renewable energy systems and other heat sources. In 2009, the house was extended and retrofitted with super insulation – thermal insulation that is two to three times thicker than regularly used. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A modernist extension on a red brick traditional house." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=885&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=885&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=885&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1112&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1112&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440658/original/file-20220113-23-mh4wqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1112&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">John Christophers’ Zero Carbon House.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Ljubomir Jankovic</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Three energy sources were installed: a photovoltaic system that converts the sun’s energy into electricity; a solar thermal system that uses the sun’s energy to heat and store water for domestic use; and a wood burning stove, run on fallen tree branches from the garden, which is used on a handful of days during the cold winter months. </p>
<p>The owner and architect of this house, John Christophers, did not have problems with poor workmanship during the retrofit. He avoided this by briefing the workforce on site before they started work and explaining the consequences of high quality work on building performance. Thanks to their superlative work, the house achieved a <a href="https://zerocarbonhousebirmingham.org.uk/technical/insulation-and-airtightness-technical/">record-breaking level of airtightness</a>, ten times lower than required by the UK’s building regulations.</p>
<p>In 2010, while I was installing scientific monitoring instruments in the house, a representative from a gas company showed up unannounced – they expected some wrongdoing, as the house had been disconnected from the gas supply and had never been reconnected. In fact, the gas supply was no longer required as the Christophers used electricity collected from the sun for cooking and fallen tree branches for heating.</p>
<p>On one cold winter’s night, when I brought my lab’s heat detecting camera to search for heat escaping from the house, the images it produced were almost completely dark – indicating minimum heat loss.</p>
<p>As early adopters of a Feed In Tariff when the house was retrofitted, the Christophers currently receive over £1,500 annually for electricity generation. Combined with the £4,200 they save annually in energy costs compared with a conventional house of the same geometry, they are £5,700 per year better off than living in a conventional home. </p>
<p>The return on investment of the Birmingham Zero Carbon House is 193% over the 25 years following the retrofit, and is forecast to make the owners just over £91,000 over that period. Christophers and his family are thrilled. He said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Living in the zero carbon house puts us more closely in touch with the rhythm of days and seasons: we’re very conscious of the abundance – or occasionally the precious scarcity – of solar hot water and electricity, and the quality of natural light. Even after 12 years, it still feels miraculous that it can be below freezing outside, yet warm inside and generating hot water at over 50°C while cooking on solar electricity.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A crane lowers down a wall and windows over an existing house." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1120&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1120&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1120&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1407&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440659/original/file-20220113-25-1qbfkn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1407&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Installing external insulation in the retrofit project.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Ljubomir Jankovic</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The benefits of living in efficient buildings are not just monetary or climate-related. They also impact on health and wellbeing. Emma*, who lives in a building I coordinated the retrofitting of in a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778818333395?via%3Dihub">different project</a>, told me: “I did not need heating when outside temperature dropped below freezing yesterday. The house feels like home now – no damp, no dust, no noise.” Cynthia*, who lived next door, said, “I have stopped using my asthma puffer.”</p>
<p>The last comment touched me deeply. This was the consequence of better internal conditions: no damp due to higher internal temperatures, and no dust due to filtering of air in the mechanical ventilation system. It was gratifying to see how much our work had transformed this person’s life. Retrofitting more of the UK’s buildings would not only drastically decrease the UK’s carbon emissions, but could also improve health across the population and put less pressure on the NHS.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.routledge.com/Designing-Zero-Carbon-Buildings-Using-Dynamic-Simulation-Methods/Jankovic/p/book/9781138658318">We know</a> how to build or retrofit zero carbon houses – but we need to be doing a lot more of it. This is because big developers fear higher costs. This perception has resulted in zero carbon projects run as private and one-off initiatives.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-afford-to-just-build-greener-we-must-build-less-170570">We can't afford to just build greener. We must build less</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Today’s housing</h2>
<p>My team and I wanted to look more deeply into how today’s housing can be improved, over and above building regulations, and went into collaboration with a local council in Hertfordshire. We looked for a housing development that had received planning permission, but had not yet been constructed. We found a cluster of six family houses with planning approval to be built in accordance with UK building regulations, with no requirement for net zero performance.</p>
<p>We wanted to find out what it would take to redesign these houses in a way that would make them net zero houses. Crucially, we also wanted to include embodied emissions in this assessment – not only taking into account the energy usage of the house once built, but also the carbon costs of the building materials and the actual construction of the house. What, we wanted to know, does it take to build a house that doesn’t contribute to the climate crisis at all?</p>
<p>We used computer modelling to redesign these houses with improved thermal insulation, heat pumps and solar electricity panels. We then calculated the embodied emissions of all the conventional materials which went into building the houses using the materials from the original design. <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2021.754733/full">We found</a> that the combined emissions – when balanced out by the excess renewable energy generated by the completed house – would not reach zero until 2065. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Blue architectural computer model of a building against green background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440656/original/file-20220113-23-1rrzeqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A computer model used in this research into embodied emissions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Ljubomir Jankovic</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But we found that replacing the brick, concrete blocks and conventional insulation with hempcrete – a form of naturally grown hemp bonded with lime – drastically cut the home’s embodied emissions. <a href="https://www.brebookshop.com/details.jsp?id=325431">Hempcrete has negative embodied emissions</a>: -108 kg CO₂ per cubic metre. This is because the hemp crop absorbs more CO₂ as it grows than is released while making it into hempcrete. By making the switch to hempcrete, the starting embodied emissions of the homes were 83kg of CO₂ per square metre of floor area. That was much lower than the 161kg per square metre if the same building was made using conventional materials.</p>
<p>When combined with renewable energy systems, we calculated that the total emissions of this hempcrete building would reach zero by 2045. Hempcrete is of course not the only possible material – straw bale and timber construction and other bio-sourced materials also have the potential to reduce embodied emissions.</p>
<p>In addition to drastically ramping up the energy efficiency requirements for new builds, we should also urgently develop regulations for retrofitting existing houses. In 2050, 19.1 million of <a href="https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Housing_stock_/_building_stock">today’s homes</a>, some 80% of the current 23.9 million, <a href="https://www.politicshome.com/members/article/uk-needs-to-retrofit-26-million-homes-by-2050-to-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions">will still be in use</a>. And to retrofit 19.1 million homes to net zero operational emissions by 2050 we need to retrofit approximately 1,870 homes every day. This is simply not going to happen given the current scale of government pledges and the state of the construction industry.</p>
<p>Even if retrofitted to meet the best energy efficiency standards, these existing buildings will take some time to reach net zero once combined embodied and operational emissions are taken into account. This is even true of the Birmingham Zero Carbon House, which was retrofitted from a Victorian brick building. I calculated that it will reach embodied and operational emission net zero in 2030.</p>
<h2>Going forward</h2>
<p>I did some <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Designing-Zero-Carbon-Buildings-Using-Dynamic-Simulation-Methods/Jankovic/p/book/9781138658318">simple calculations</a> and found that the energy our planet receives from the sun in approximately one hour is sufficient to meet the world’s energy consumption requirements for an entire year. But we do not yet have the technology to take advantage of this. We need to scale up investment, research and development towards this goal. After all, it is often said that we <a href="https://theconversation.com/technologies-to-manage-climate-change-already-exist-but-uk-needs-to-scale-up-efforts-urgently-127150">already have</a> the tech to do this, it is just the willpower that’s missing.</p>
<p>Nothing should be off the table when it comes to bringing climate change under control. We need to tap into the vast amount of solar energy that literally goes over our heads while we continue to use fossil fuels. And we need to use <a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/297/1/012023">innovative financial models</a> to supplement conventional finance, which is always in short supply and not easy to secure.</p>
<p>Better education of architects, engineers and construction managers is required. Increased understanding of the ingredients of good building performance will lead to better choices of building materials and distribution of these materials. It will become more widely understood that excessively glazed buildings use excessive energy for heating and cooling, and that buildings built from photosynthetic materials, such as hempcrete, straw bale, and others are superlative.</p>
<p>Detailed modelling of buildings will be required, too. The cost of high-end building simulation <a href="https://www.bdcnetwork.com/energy-modeling-payback-typically-short-one-two-months">pays for itself</a> within two months of construction – so education and training programmes for building simulation professionals must be developed to empower them to design better buildings. And every building should be equipped with built-in sensors, to inform the user of its performance in real time. This is already a standard practice in cars, but buildings are much more expensive and use more energy.</p>
<p>Most property developers will always comply with the minimum required standard. But these regulations are sub par. My hopes for change grew ahead of an <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/conservation-of-fuel-and-power-approved-document-l">update</a> to part of the UK Building Regulations last December. But my views after the update aligned with the “<a href="https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/architects-slam-extremely-disappointing-changes-to-energy-efficiency-regs?tkn=1">extremely disappointing</a>” verdict of the wider professional community. Policy after policy falls far short of what is needed to achieve net zero targets. These regulations urgently need to be improved – along with guidance for the retrofitting of existing buildings. And all of these measures will only lead to improvements if we increase the quality of workmanship. </p>
<p>The construction industry, then, needs a radical overhaul. Only then can we expect the industry to meet net zero. If not, it simply will not happen.</p>
<p><em>*Some of the names in this article have been changed to protect anonymity.</em></p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>For you: more from our <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/insights-series-71218?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">Insights series</a>:</em></p>
<ul>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/oil-companies-are-ploughing-money-into-fossil-fuelled-plastics-production-at-a-record-rate-new-research-169690?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">Oil companies are ploughing money into fossil-fuelled plastics production at a record rate – new research</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/what-my-20-years-in-afghanistan-taught-me-about-the-taliban-and-how-the-west-consistently-underestimates-them-167927?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">What my 20 years in Afghanistan taught me about the Taliban – and how the west consistently underestimates them</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/we-have-nothing-left-the-catastrophic-consequences-of-criminalising-livelihoods-in-west-africa-157454?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">‘We have nothing left’ – the catastrophic consequences of criminalising livelihoods in west Africa</a></em></p></li>
</ul>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ljubomir Jankovic received funding from EPSRC, EU, EUREKA, ARTEMIS, KTP, Innovate UK, Research England, and AHRC. </span></em></p>
We know how to build a truly zero carbon house. So why are we not doing it, on a massive scale?
Ljubomir Jankovic, Professor of Advanced Building Design, University of Hertfordshire
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/171543
2021-12-22T10:50:53Z
2021-12-22T10:50:53Z
Five climate-related factors to consider before buying a home
<p>In the UK, where house prices have reached <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/money/average-uk-house-price-hits-record-high-of-ps270-000-b1959188.html">historic highs</a> and there is a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-house-price-climb-slows-homes-shortage-deepens-rics-2021-10-13/">shortage of homes</a> available, the pressure on the property market is stark.</p>
<p>And as with any market these days, there are environmental factors to consider. So for those who can afford to buy their own home, it is worth remembering that within the lifetime of a mortgage (typically around 30 years) the climate will be very different from today – with a significant impact on property prices. </p>
<p>For example, the <a href="https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/services/insights/future-weather-forecast-for-2050">Met Office predicts</a> that by 2050 average temperatures in the UK could increase by 1.7°C. There will also be more frequent and longer lasting heat waves, more extreme rainfall, and more regular and powerful storms.</p>
<p>So here are five things for home-buyers to take into account beyond living space and local amenities:</p>
<h2>1. Connectivity</h2>
<p>Working from home may be here to stay, but the need to travel will not disappear completely. And as the pressure to reduce individual car use becomes more intense and <a href="https://theconversation.com/birmingham-plans-to-become-a-supersized-low-traffic-neighbourhood-will-it-work-170131">low-traffic neighbourhoods</a> become increasingly common, being able to walk, cycle or use public transport will be highly prized. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0967070X21002377">Research shows</a> that good access to public transport is reflected in higher house prices.</p>
<p>“Walkable” neighbourhoods and areas with off-road cycle paths are also more expensive, indicating <a href="http://www.niagaraknowledgeexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/04/value-of-cycling.pdf">financial value</a> in the ability to ditch cars.</p>
<p>For staying in, a reliable and fast internet connection is important – so much so that homes with the best connections <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/house-prices/high-cost-slow-broadband-sluggish-internet-speeds-hitting-house/">are worth more</a> than those without. </p>
<h2>2. Insulation</h2>
<p>With energy prices rising, keeping the warmth in during the winter and excess heat out during the summer makes sense economically and environmentally. But before rushing to replace gas boilers with heat pumps, the focus should be on increasing the thermal <a href="https://onehome.org.uk/your-home/19-warm-and-cosy-homes/265-how-much-could-you-save-by-insulating-your-home">performance of a building</a>. </p>
<p>Cavity and loft insulation are simple and cost effective, as is upgrading windows (unless it’s a listed building where double glazing may <a href="https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/eehb-secondary-glazing-windows/heag085-secondary-glazing/">not be permitted</a>). But many homes require more bespoke measures. </p>
<p>Solutions to the insulation of solid brick walls (a common construction for terraced houses), for example needs to be detailed in a way to avoid <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378778814010822">condensation and mould growth</a>. It is worth <a href="https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/the-six-principles-for-retrofitting-a-house-to-meet-net-zero-targets">seeking advice</a> when it comes to energy efficiency upgrades to existing housing stock. </p>
<h2>3. Sewerage</h2>
<p>Climate change increases the risk of <a href="https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/regulated-companies/resilience-in-the-round/climate-change/">surface water and sewer flooding</a> because more <a href="https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2021/future-extreme-rainfall-more-extreme-than-first-thought">frequent heavy downpours</a> will inundate drainage systems. Flooding such as that <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/london-flooding-brian-may-belongings-ruined-flash-floods-home-1101697">seen in London</a> in July 2021 will be more commonplace.</p>
<p>Sewer flooding is as disgusting as is sounds, and it is worth checking sewer maps to see if a house is exposed to this risk. The treatment of sewage is being affected by climate change due to reduced river flows in <a href="https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/regulated-companies/resilience-in-the-round/climate-change/">hotter summers</a> which, combined with the lack of <a href="http://saveobwater.com/Privatization/privatizationfiascos.pdf">infrastructure investment</a>, will lead to more untreated (or partially treated) sewage being released into <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10467-6_10">rivers and the sea</a>.</p>
<h2>4. Trees</h2>
<p>The right tree in the right place is the key to <a href="https://indiana-arborist.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/TreesAndStormsFNRFQ-12W.pdf">tree management</a> around a home. Many locations will experience more frequent and <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2006GL027663">severe storms</a>, so it is advisable to take note of the position and health of large trees, and the direction of prevailing winds. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Fallen tree leans on house." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438680/original/file-20211221-21-1h7faqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438680/original/file-20211221-21-1h7faqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438680/original/file-20211221-21-1h7faqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438680/original/file-20211221-21-1h7faqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438680/original/file-20211221-21-1h7faqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438680/original/file-20211221-21-1h7faqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438680/original/file-20211221-21-1h7faqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Natural risks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tree-falls-on-home-multifamily-housing-453299347">Shutterstock/Karen Hermann</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A more <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4091068.stm">Mediterranean climate</a> will also lead to increased risk of forest fires. In 2019, Ashdown Forest in East Sussex was <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-48090078">partially destroyed</a> by fire, one of around <a href="https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/research/climate-change-impacts/forest-fires-and-climate-change/">9,000 wild fires</a> reported in the UK that year. </p>
<p>But trees are a vital part of the solution to minimising climate change and large-scale tree planting is <a href="https://thenorthernforest.org.uk/#:%7E:text=We%27re%20planting%20at%20least,%2C%20Sheffield%2C%20York%20and%20Hull">taking place</a> across the UK. When buying a new home you may want to consider planting a tree to the south of the house, where they can provide <a href="https://eco-intelligent.com/2020/05/23/why-is-it-cooler-around-trees/">natural shade</a> as well as improving air quality and reducing traffic noise. </p>
<p>It is important to remember when planting trees now that you are planting for the climate in the decades to come, when the species of tree suitable <a href="https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/research/climate-change-impacts/climate-change-impacts-and-adaptation-in-englands-woodlands/species-and-provenance-choice-for-adapting-englands-woodlands/">will be different</a>. </p>
<h2>5. Elevation</h2>
<p>A sea view or the sound of a nearby babbling brook have long been seen by estate agents as strong selling points. But they bring risks too. </p>
<p>Heavier rainfall will continue to cause dramatic and sometimes <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/23/climate-crisis-made-deadly-german-floods-up-to-nine-times-more-likely">catastrophic flooding</a>, and homes known to be at risk from flooding will be more expenive to insure. </p>
<p>In extreme situations homes may be denied insurance cover and lenders may refuse to <a href="https://www.onlinemortgageadvisor.co.uk/property-types/flood-zone/">provide a mortgage</a>. Yet many thousands of new homes continue to be <a href="https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2021/07/uk-homes-are-not-sufficiently-protected-from-climate-change-risk-aviva-warns/">built on flood plains</a>. </p>
<p>Sea levels are rising, with coastal towns and cities set to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2021/apr/13/sea-level-rise-climate-emergency-harold-wanless">become unrecognisable</a>. Researchers have also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/S41558-020-0874-1">now made links</a> between sea level rises and groundwater level rises, which can affect the foundations of a home as well as <a href="https://www.environmentalevidence.org/">underground service connections</a>. </p>
<p>The risks associated with these changes will be priced into the value of property in the future. But it is already having an effect. A <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3073842">recent study</a> of house prices in low-lying coastal areas in the US showed that homes exposed to future sea level rise were generally 7% less expensive than neighbours on higher ground. </p>
<p>Even if your neighbourhood escapes the worst of the climate changes in the next few decades, when you eventually decide to sell up, remember that future buyers and their mortgage companies will be considering the 30 years beyond that date – when the effects of climate change will be <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/31d5498f-38d8-4b35-a149-b5fbd7ad28b6">even more severe</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171543/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Medland is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and affiliated with The Green Party</span></em></p>
Our surroundings will be very different over the duration of a typical mortgage.
Chris Medland, PhD Candidate, University of Surrey
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/170401
2021-11-11T15:56:29Z
2021-11-11T15:56:29Z
Embodied carbon: why truly net zero buildings could still be decades away
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431562/original/file-20211111-25-w7e05e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5560%2C3712&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-industrial-bricklayer-installing-bricks-on-462881602">Bogdanhoda/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions come from two sources: using things (known as operational emissions) and making things (embodied emissions). For a familiar example of the first kind, your home probably burns natural gas for heating and uses electricity that fossil fuels may have generated. Governments plan to eliminate these emissions by making buildings better insulated and airtight so that they need less energy and ensuring renewable sources, such as wind and solar, generate enough power.</p>
<p>But what about the second kind – those embodied emissions that arise from making the thermal insulation, solar panels, bricks and concrete blocks in energy-efficient buildings?</p>
<p>A typical cubic metre of brick has embodied emissions of <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2021.754733/abstract">around 357kg of CO₂</a>. This comes from extracting the raw material from quarries, processing it, shaping it into raw bricks and firing them in a kiln at a very high temperature. A cubic metre of concrete can have embodied emissions of around 3,507kg of CO₂ – ten times more than brick. </p>
<p>These and other materials add many tonnes of embodied emissions to the construction of a house. An alternative material based on a mix of hemp and lime called hempcrete has, according to <a href="https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/hemp-lime-construction-a-guide-to-building-with-hemp-lime-composi">research published in 2008</a>, negative embodied emissions of -108kg CO₂ per cubic metre. This is because the hemp crop absorbs more CO₂ as it grows than is released while making it into hempcrete.</p>
<h2>New buildings</h2>
<p>A typical three-bedroom semi-detached house newly made from brick, insulation and concrete blocks will have around seven tonnes of embodied CO₂ in the exterior walls alone. Another 19 tonnes of embodied CO₂ will be contained in the ground floor slab typically made from concrete, the roof, glazing and other materials, bringing it to a total of 26 tonnes of embodied CO₂.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Gloved hands fitting yellow foam insulation into a wall cavity." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431492/original/file-20211111-27-bm3cxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431492/original/file-20211111-27-bm3cxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431492/original/file-20211111-27-bm3cxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431492/original/file-20211111-27-bm3cxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431492/original/file-20211111-27-bm3cxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431492/original/file-20211111-27-bm3cxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431492/original/file-20211111-27-bm3cxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Thermal insulation cuts operational emissions, but has its own embodied emissions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-worker-hands-white-gloves-insulating-1165780618">Bilanol/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If engineers fit the same house with rooftop solar panels, it will have negative operational emissions of -0.6 tonnes of CO₂ a year. That’s because when solar panels generate and supply electricity to a house, they not only prevent the emissions that would otherwise have been generated by fossil fuels, they also reduce them by the same amount by supplying new clean energy to the grid. This is why the official way of accounting for these so-called grid-displaced emissions is to use them with a minus sign.</p>
<p>These negative operational emissions will offset the starting embodied emissions year on year. At this rate, the semi-detached house built from conventional materials in 2021 will have its total of embodied and operational emissions reduced to zero in 2065.</p>
<p>If the same house is built from hempcrete, with walls thick enough to achieve the same level of insulation as in the house made from conventional materials, embodied emissions in the external walls will be -7.3 tonnes. Adding the remaining 19 tonnes of embodied CO₂ contained elsewhere will make 11.7 tonnes of embodied CO₂ for the whole house.</p>
<p>Since the starting point for embodied emissions is much lower in the house with hempcrete walls, the rooftop solar panels will eliminate the house’s total emissions by 2041 – 25 years earlier than the house made from conventional materials.</p>
<h2>Existing buildings</h2>
<p>New buildings are only a small part of the problem, though. Some 80% of the buildings that will be around in 2050 <a href="https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Housing_stock_/_building_stock">already exist</a> and have high operational emissions. </p>
<p>Existing buildings must be retrofitted with thermal insulation and renewable energy systems, such as solar panels and heat pumps or other renewable heating systems, for them to achieve net zero. To keep these buildings airtight and prevent cold wind from getting in or warm air from getting out, tight doors and windows and mechanical ventilation systems are used.</p>
<p>For over a decade, our lab has monitored the energy use and carbon emissions of the <a href="https://zerocarbonhousebirmingham.org.uk/">Birmingham zero carbon house</a>. The house was built in 1840 and extended and renovated in 2009 with solar panels and solar thermal collectors for heating water. In 2010, the house won an award for architectural excellence from the Royal Institute of British Architects. </p>
<p>Embodied emissions in the original building materials have been in the atmosphere since 1840. The house was retrofitted with materials that required low amounts of energy to make, such as unfired clay blocks, bricks from demolished buildings, recycled newspaper insulation, lime plaster with ground recycled glass, rammed earth floors and reclaimed 200-year old timber from the floor of a silk factory. </p>
<p>Even then, the embodied emissions after the retrofit amounted to more than 40 tonnes of CO₂. The renewable energy systems, including solar panels that generate electricity and solar thermal collectors that heat water, reduce the house’s total emissions year on year, but our calculations showed that the house will only reach net zero in 2030. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A white-walled house with red-tile roof covered in blue solar panels." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431493/original/file-20211111-19-1dlg0ln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431493/original/file-20211111-19-1dlg0ln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431493/original/file-20211111-19-1dlg0ln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431493/original/file-20211111-19-1dlg0ln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431493/original/file-20211111-19-1dlg0ln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431493/original/file-20211111-19-1dlg0ln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431493/original/file-20211111-19-1dlg0ln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Solar panels can offset the embodied emissions in buildings over several decades.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/solar-panel-on-red-roof-reflecting-72500704">Smileus/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Not taking embodied emissions into account could mean overshooting carbon emissions targets by several decades. Even a home retrofitted with numerous reclaimed materials and with negative operational emissions will take 21 years to reach net zero. This puts the scale of efforts needed across the UK and beyond to reach net zero by 2050 into perspective.</p>
<p>Fully <a href="https://www.climateemergency.uk/blog/list-of-councils/">75% of UK councils</a> aim to make their operations carbon neutral by 2050, including social housing stock. These aims, in many cases brought forward to 2030, cannot be achieved without taking into account embodied emissions in building materials. The net zero by 2050 target may seem far away, but accounting for embodied carbon means acknowledging that countries may have already overshot it.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="COP26: the world's biggest climate talks" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>This story is part of The Conversation’s coverage on COP26, the Glasgow climate conference, by experts from around the world.</strong>
<br><em>Amid a rising tide of climate news and stories, The Conversation is here to clear the air and make sure you get information you can trust. <a href="https://page.theconversation.com/cop26-glasgow-2021-climate-change-summit/"><strong>More.</strong></a></em> </p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170401/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ljubomir Jankovic received funding from EPSRC, EU, EUREKA, ARTEMIS, KTP, Innovate UK, Research England, and AHRC. </span></em></p>
Embodied emissions in buildings could be a hidden setback for carbon reduction targets.
Ljubomir Jankovic, Professor of Advanced Building Design, University of Hertfordshire
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/167414
2021-10-15T13:19:27Z
2021-10-15T13:19:27Z
How making homes energy efficient could boost the economy and create jobs
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426699/original/file-20211015-27-crdle3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4500%2C2997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/plastic-mansard-skylight-window-on-attic-594302828">Brizmaker/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Making homes and buildings energy efficient is a win-win for people and the planet. Homes with well-insulated walls and windows need to burn less gas in a boiler to keep warm, reducing household greenhouse gas emissions and energy bills.</p>
<p><a href="https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/77545/">In a new analysis</a> from the Centre for Energy Policy at the University of Strathclyde, we found that a nationwide drive to retrofit homes with more insulation could even benefit the economic recovery from COVID-19.</p>
<p>We used a model that considers how different parts of the economy – including the construction and retail trade sectors – interact, to understand the consequences of £69billion (US$94.7 billion) worth of energy efficiency improvements over 15 years.</p>
<p>A programme of this size would enable all households to reach an Energy Performance Certificate C rating by 2035 – <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/700496/clean-growth-strategy-correction-april-2018.pdf">a key government target</a> and an essential part of making homes easier to heat. This would raise the average energy efficiency of the country’s housing stock by just over 10%. </p>
<p>The UK’s buildings account for 17% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Making them more energy efficient could cover <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/sixth-carbon-budget/">34%</a> of the emission cuts needed in the sector by 2030. It would also increase GDP by nearly £1.3 billion (0.07%) a year, and create 22,545 new full-time jobs across the UK economy. At the peak of renovations, the programme could need up to 137,000 skilled workers.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Economic-Impacts-of-Decarbonising-Heating-in-Residential-Buildings_Final-Report.pdf">Another recent study</a> modelled the economic benefits of combining a nationwide energy efficiency drive with a programme to replace 900,000 gas boilers a year (or other forms of heating which burn fossil fuels) with electric heat pumps in homes by 2028. The analysis suggested that this could create 138,600 new jobs and provide a £9.8 billion boost to the economy by 2030. Even the government’s less ambitious plans to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-ten-point-plan-for-a-green-industrial-revolution/title#point-7-greener-buildings">install 600,000 heat pumps</a> a year by 2028 would still generate £3.9 billion and provide 71,500 new jobs by 2030. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heat-pumps-uk-to-install-600-000-a-year-by-2028-but-electrical-grid-will-need-massive-investment-to-cope-168221">Heat pumps: UK to install 600,000 a year by 2028 but electrical grid will need massive investment to cope</a>
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</em>
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<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A worker uses a screwdriver on the fan unit of an air-source heat pump." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426704/original/file-20211015-17-167dbgw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426704/original/file-20211015-17-167dbgw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426704/original/file-20211015-17-167dbgw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426704/original/file-20211015-17-167dbgw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426704/original/file-20211015-17-167dbgw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426704/original/file-20211015-17-167dbgw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426704/original/file-20211015-17-167dbgw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Heat pumps can run on green electricity, rather than fossil fuels, like gas boilers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/worker-installs-outdoor-unit-air-conditioner-1470025235">Kuchina/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A home energy efficiency drive would boost household incomes by lowering bills, triggering a sustained expansion of the economy, with the real driver being the level of spending power freed up. Lower income households could expect to gain £100 a year, while those on higher incomes could receive an extra £270 annually. Higher income groups typically consume more energy, and so will see greater savings once measures are installed.</p>
<h2>Replacing the green homes grant</h2>
<p>The UK government launched the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-the-green-homes-grant-scheme">green homes grant</a> in September 2020 – a £1.5billion scheme which offered to cover two-thirds of the costs of a household’s chosen energy efficiency improvements, with a maximum contribution of £5,000. It covered all costs up to £10,000 for households on certain benefits. </p>
<p>The scheme was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/27/uk-government-scraps-green-homes-grant-after-six-months">criticised</a> for administrative blunders, with reports of red tape and misleading advice preventing households from accessing it. The green homes grant was closed early in March 2021. </p>
<p>Replacing it with a large-scale energy efficiency programme could boost economic growth, but the way it is funded is pivotal. Forcing households to pay or take on debt to fund these improvements would limit the benefits to GDP and employment. Our analysis suggests that the government could make greater gains by running <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/deficit-financing">a budget deficit</a>, through borrowing or minting new funds.</p>
<p>The UK is also experiencing labour shortages across a range of sectors, and reporting a growth in average pay of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58241006">7.4%</a>. Assuming that there is a limit to the amount of skilled workers available, the programme could drive up wages as the sector grows, triggering a wider economic expansion. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A worker in red overalls unrolls thermal insulation in a loft." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426701/original/file-20211015-26-17x7dd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426701/original/file-20211015-26-17x7dd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426701/original/file-20211015-26-17x7dd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426701/original/file-20211015-26-17x7dd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426701/original/file-20211015-26-17x7dd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426701/original/file-20211015-26-17x7dd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426701/original/file-20211015-26-17x7dd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Workers are needed to install thermal insulation in lofts and wall cavities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/working-insulates-attic-mineral-wool-489852454">Kuchina/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>A rise in wages in specific sectors can lead to an increase in the prices of goods and services across the economy, so it’s also important for the government to plan for how activity in new and growing sectors might affect wages and the cost of living across the economy more generally. </p>
<p>The level of confidence that businesses within the retrofitting supply chain have in the long-term prospects of the programme can lead to lower costs of installing measures, too. Our analysis suggests that steady government support would ultimately deliver stronger economic benefits.</p>
<p>So a bold energy efficiency programme could benefit the economy and the environment, but only with significant investment and sustained political will.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167414/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The research reported here is supported by an EPSRC Impact Accelerator project linked to the EPSRC funded project “Energy saving innovations and economy-wide rebound effects” EPSRC Grant Ref: EP/M00760X/1. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>The research underlying this publication is linked to the EPSRC funded project "Energy saving innovations and economy-wide rebound effects" (EPSRC Grant Ref. EP/M00760X/1) and was further supported by EPSRC Impact Accelerator Account funding awarded at an institutional level by the University of Strathclyde.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Turner received funding from the EPSRC-funded project “Energy saving innovations and economy-wide rebound effects”, EPSRC Grant Ref: EP/M00760X/1, and linked EPSRC Impact Acceleration grants managed by the University of Strathclyde. </span></em></p>
More ambitious plans for making the UK’s homes energy efficient could create 22,545 new full-time jobs.
Jamie Stewart, Deputy Director, Centre for Energy Policy, University of Strathclyde
Antonios Katris, Research Associate in Environmental Economics, University of Strathclyde
Karen Turner, Professor and Director of the Centre for Energy Policy, University of Strathclyde
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/169581
2021-10-13T15:50:20Z
2021-10-13T15:50:20Z
Energy price rises: tips on how to save money on your bills and be greener from an expert
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426173/original/file-20211013-23-8hqvg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Turning down the heating just 1C in a room can produce significant savings, our energy expert says.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Syda Productions/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The price of gas and electricity has been <a href="https://phys.org/news/2021-10-suddenly-middle-global-energy-crisis.html">increasing sharply</a> on the back of energy shortages. This is mainly due to a squeeze on gas supplies at a time when manufacturing, commuting and socialising have been reviving with the end of lockdowns.</p>
<p>Prices are set to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/energy-bills-gas-price-increase-b1933460.html">continue to increase</a> this winter, so many of us are expecting to see <a href="https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8730/CBP-8730.pdf">higher gas and electricity bills</a>, and will be thinking twice before turning up the heating.</p>
<p>In the future, energy production from more local renewable sources could make individual countries <a href="https://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/CombiningRenew/100PercentPaperAbstracts.pdf">less vulnerable</a> to shortages, and we could even cut our reliance on fossil fuels altogether. But we are not quite there yet and our energy is still supplemented with <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/fossil-fuels">fossil fuels</a>, and will be for some time without <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-investment-2021/executive-summary">serious investment</a> in clean technologies. </p>
<p>In the meantime, there are ways we can cut the amount of energy we use and try and keep our bills a bit lower:</p>
<p><strong>1. Insulating our homes</strong></p>
<p>Easy-to-install loft insulation is still one of the most effective ways of saving energy. A third of heat loss in uninsulated homes is through the walls, and a quarter through the roof. <a href="https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/roof-and-loft-insulation/">Insulating the loft space</a> can pay for itself many times over once it is in place. For a mid-terrace house, loft insulation typically costs around £285 and the saving on your energy bills per year is £125. So you should save money in your third year. For those with a hot-water tank, using a cover that can be bought for around £20 can save its own cost in around a year.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426169/original/file-20211013-27-mzd63c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426169/original/file-20211013-27-mzd63c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=334&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426169/original/file-20211013-27-mzd63c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=334&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426169/original/file-20211013-27-mzd63c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=334&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426169/original/file-20211013-27-mzd63c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426169/original/file-20211013-27-mzd63c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426169/original/file-20211013-27-mzd63c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Insulating your roof means you make the most of your heating.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Serhii Krot/Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p><strong>2. Turning down the heat</strong></p>
<p>Reducing the temperature of a room or shower doesn’t need to be drastic to make a difference. According to the <a href="https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/thermostats-and-heating-controls/">Energy Saving Trust</a> just turning down our heating just 1°C can save us around £55 a year. We can reduce temperatures and maintain our thermal comfort by putting on an extra layer of clothing to keep our bodies warmer. Avoiding heating a whole space can also be achieved using infrared heaters, providing instant heat so you don’t need to use them as much as traditional electric heaters. They can be set to come on only when spaces are occupied, especially in spaces that are occupied for shorter periods of time, for example the hallway.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/suddenly-we-are-in-the-middle-of-a-global-energy-crisis-what-happened-169614">Suddenly we are in the middle of a global energy crisis. What happened?</a>
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<p><strong>3. Cooking in bulk</strong></p>
<p>Many of us who normally struggle to find <a href="https://theconversation.com/time-to-cook-is-a-luxury-many-families-dont-have-117158">time to cook</a> reconnected with our kitchens and home cooking during <a href="https://theconversation.com/making-and-breaking-bread-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-home-cooking-could-make-a-comeback-134504">long lockdown periods</a>. Yet cooking can represent <a href="https://www.ovoenergy.com/blog/lifestyle/how-to-save-energy-and-money-in-the-kitchen">up to 30%</a> of our household energy use. Individual habits, the choice of cooker, even the size of pan can influence the energy intensity of our cooking. For example, using an electric hob every day <a href="https://www.ovoenergy.com/blog/lifestyle/how-to-save-energy-and-money-in-the-kitchen">uses more energy</a> than using a microwave oven. </p>
<p>Cooking more than one meal at a time can help improve the cost-effectiveness of our food preparation. Cooking multiple loaves of bread in a heated oven is better, per loaf, than just baking one. Similarly having shared cooking spaces with other households could be a good way of saving energy, and improving local community interaction.</p>
<p><strong>4. Rethinking spaces</strong></p>
<p>The idea of <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/property/house-and-home/a-growing-trend-the-rise-of-shared-green-space-1787801.html">green communal spaces</a> is well established as being being good for our health and well-being. For people who work and spend a lot of time at home, heating a whole home for one or two people, is clearly less efficient than sharing a space with others. Having shared spaces for working, socialising, and care hubs, or using communal spaces, such as community halls, libraries and community fire-station facilities could be a great way to provide more efficient spaces, while reducing social isolation.</p>
<p><strong>5. Reconsider renewables</strong></p>
<p>If you considered sustainable energy and heating systems like solar panels on your roof in the past and found it too expensive, it may be a good time to revisit them for long-term savings. Rising energy costs coupled with improved reliability, control and advances in storage systems have improved their viability. The price of <a href="https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2021/Jun/IRENA_Power_Generation_Costs_2020.pdf">solar panels has dropped</a> by up to 95% in the decade to 2020. </p>
<p>A move towards a more energy-secure future with less reliance on fossil fuels will protect us from spiking energy prices, but we may also need to change our expectations of energy. We have become addicted to convenient and reliable energy that we have taken for granted, but it is time to transition if we are to make radical energy savings. We need to reshape our societies and behaviours too and rethink how we use energy in our homes and spaces.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169581/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sharon George receives funding from Innovate UK. </span></em></p>
Turning down your heating by just 1°C can save around £55 a year.
Sharon George, Research Chair, Indigenous Approaches to Environmental Management, Keele University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/168611
2021-09-29T16:39:14Z
2021-09-29T16:39:14Z
Gas prices: how to ensure consumers don’t pay for the next energy crisis
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423804/original/file-20210929-18-uqi1vj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4200%2C2791&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An infrared image shows where heat leaks from buildings.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/infrared-thermovision-image-showing-lack-thermal-216547897">Ivan Smuk/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Wholesale gas prices have <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58620167">increased by 250%</a> in the UK since January, and 70% since August, causing some energy suppliers to collapse and factory production to falter.</p>
<p>The roots of the UK’s energy crisis are now <a href="https://theconversation.com/gas-price-spike-how-uk-government-failures-made-a-global-crisis-worse-168324">well-documented</a>. A cold winter depleted gas reserves and rebounding global economic activity in the spring and summer meant these weren’t replenished, while low winds in late August and September becalmed renewable power generation, prompting energy companies to increasingly burn expensive gas – which the UK has had <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/sep/24/how-uk-energy-policies-have-left-britain-exposed-to-winter-gas-price-hikes">significantly less space to store</a> since 2017.</p>
<p>As a result, household bills are expected to rise by a further £139 in <a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/record-gas-prices-drive-price-cap-ps139-customers-encouraged-contact-supplier-support-and-switch-better-deal-if-possible">October 2021</a> – a rise limited only by Ofgem’s energy price cap. Alongside a cut in universal credit, increasing national insurance contributions and the end of the furlough scheme, winter 2021 could push countless households into fuel poverty, on top of the <a href="https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8730/CBP-8730.pdf">3.5 million</a> already fuel-poor homes.</p>
<p>At the same time, <a href="https://theconversation.com/insulate-britain-blocking-roads-will-alienate-some-people-but-its-still-likely-to-be-effective-168021">Insulate Britain activists</a> are campaigning to force the government to fund home energy efficiency improvements by blocking sections of the M25. Media coverage has largely failed to connect these two stories, but the UK government’s inaction on home insulation has in one sense been a major contributor to the current energy crisis.</p>
<p>The majority of UK homes leak heat like a sieve and are hungry for gas. In 2019, just <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1000108/EHS_19-20_Energy_report.pdf">40%</a> of (or 9.9 million) dwellings were in the top three tiers for energy efficiency (bands A to C). The government has <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/945899/201216_BEIS_EWP_Command_Paper_Accessible.pdf">committed</a> to support as many existing homes as possible to reach band C by 2035. Upgrading a band-D home to band C would result in average annual savings of £179, while upgrading one from band E would <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1000108/EHS_19-20_Energy_report.pdf">save £594 a year</a>. The recent surge in energy prices mean these savings are certainly underestimates.</p>
<p>The Climate Change Committee, an expert body which advises the government, estimates that the UK will need to better insulate <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Sixth-Carbon-Budget-The-UKs-path-to-Net-Zero.pdf">half its current housing stock</a> of 29 million homes to cut emissions from homes to net zero. The annual installation of loft insulation must be 22 times greater by 2025 than in 2020. That’s the equivalent of jumping from insulating a single home a year to an entire street within just a few years.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A worker in blue overalls fits wool insulation between attic roof beams." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423805/original/file-20210929-26-a7kkmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423805/original/file-20210929-26-a7kkmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423805/original/file-20210929-26-a7kkmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423805/original/file-20210929-26-a7kkmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423805/original/file-20210929-26-a7kkmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423805/original/file-20210929-26-a7kkmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423805/original/file-20210929-26-a7kkmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Around 11 million UK lofts lack adequate insulation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/house-attic-insulation-construction-worker-installing-760463077">Ronstik/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Back in 2012, the UK was actually delivering home insulation <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Progress-in-reducing-emissions-2021-Report-to-Parliament.pdf">above the annual targets</a> deemed compatible with the UK’s net zero target. Progress stalled with the introduction of <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/920296/energy-company-obligation-guidance-2018-2022.pdf">the Energy Company Obligation</a> in 2013, which compelled energy suppliers to reduce household bills and emissions. This led to more expensive interventions, such as external wall insulation, which demanded <a href="https://t.co/rOLfQx3m9W?amp=1">greater contributions</a> from most households.</p>
<p>The UK government did try to make the process more affordable with the Green Homes Grant. But this achieved relatively little before being <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/27/uk-government-scraps-green-homes-grant-after-six-months">axed after six months</a> – a failure of policy design rather than a lack of appetite from the public. </p>
<p>Despite delivering just £256 million across 47,500 households – a fraction of the targeted £1.5 billion investment across 600,000 homes – the voucher scheme web page attracted over <a href="https://www.nao.org.uk/report/green-homes-grant/">half a million</a> unique views. It received 3,000 complaints from applicants due to delays in the issuing and paying of vouchers and difficulties in finding certified installers. </p>
<p>Energy efficiency is also only the first step to reducing household exposure to gas price shocks. The next is to move homes away from gas entirely, for example by installing heat pumps powered by (renewable) electricity in place of boilers.</p>
<h2>National priority</h2>
<p>Energy efficient homes feel warmer, are more comfortable and better for <a href="https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/improving-publics-health/warmer-and-safer-homes">health and wellbeing</a>. Heat pumps can also be used for cooling too, which will be vital during the hotter summers predicted as the UK’s climate changes.</p>
<p>But energy efficiency is not just a matter of consumer choice, but one of national energy security. In 2020, the UK imported almost <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1016822/UK_Energy_in_Brief_2021.pdf">half of its gas</a>. The electrification of domestic heating can reduce the country’s reliance on gas imports, since heat pumps can be powered by electricity generated domestically. The costs of renewable power generation also continues to tumble and now undercuts gas. Generating electricity from existing UK gas power plants is <a href="https://ember-climate.org/commentary/2021/09/21/fossil-gas-uk-electricity-prices/">three times more expensive</a> than from new onshore wind and almost twice that from new solar.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A square unit resembling an air conditioner mounted on an external brick wall." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423809/original/file-20210929-20-59utt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423809/original/file-20210929-20-59utt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423809/original/file-20210929-20-59utt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423809/original/file-20210929-20-59utt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423809/original/file-20210929-20-59utt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423809/original/file-20210929-20-59utt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423809/original/file-20210929-20-59utt3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Air-source heat pumps work like air conditions in reverse to heat homes with hot air.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/airsourceheatpump-128742230">Lari Saukkonen/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Of course, renewable electricity is not immune to short-term price shocks, given its inherent intermittency. Even so, replacing gas with renewable power and coupling this with smart grids and significant amounts of electricity storage, like grid-scale batteries and electric vehicle-to-grid, will help to better align periods of energy demand and supply.</p>
<p>The main barrier to people adopting new household technologies appears to be cost. Many homes also need an improved level of insulation before heat pumps can operate most effectively. The price of insulating and switching all UK homes to low-carbon heating is estimated to be <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/net-zero-the-uks-contribution-to-stopping-global-warming/">£15 billion a year until 2050</a> – about <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/23/buyers-of-brand-new-homes-face-20000-bill-to-make-them-greener">£26,000 per home</a>. For most households, the upfront cost is likely to be too high and monthly energy bill savings too small.</p>
<p>Learning from the failure of the Green Homes Grant and Energy Company Obligation, the UK government must make access to home insulation and low-carbon heating grants easy and attractive. These should sit alongside strict deadlines for phasing out gas and oil boilers, as well as minimum building efficiency standards for all new homes. </p>
<p>These carrot-and-stick policies will only work with a supply chain capable of delivering on them. Retraining programmes desirable to workers are essential, as are measurable standards to ensure each installation and renovation performs as expected. Shifting the costs of all this from energy bills to general taxation would immediately reduce bills for the fuel-poor.</p>
<p>The transition to low-carbon homes will ultimately offer an opportunity for businesses too. <a href="https://www.constructionleadershipcouncil.co.uk/news/national-retrofit-strategy-v2-launches/">A recent report</a> suggests that if the government invested around £5 billion in reftrofitting homes by 2024, it would create 100,000 jobs, generate revenues in excess of £12 billion, and potentially provide an additional £21 billion of GDP.</p>
<p>Now is the time for the government to acknowledge that record energy prices are a function of our addiction to gas and to take immediate steps to wean households off this fossil fuel. By insulating UK homes, we can also insulate households from unpredictable gas prices and spiralling bills.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/168611/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Hannon has received funding from UKRI. He sits on Scottish Power Energy Networks’ Customer Engagement Group and USwitch’s Green Tariff Accreditation Panel. He is a council member of the British Institute of Energy Economics, chair and trustee of the community energy charity South Seeds and an Honorary Member of the Green Angel Syndicate.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathan Clarke does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The government’s failure to insulate housing stock has meant that households aren’t insulated from record energy prices.
Matthew Hannon, Strathclyde Chancellor's Fellow of Technology and Innovation, University of Strathclyde
Jonathan Clarke, Senior Teaching Fellow in Global Sustainable Development, University of Warwick
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/168021
2021-09-20T16:18:29Z
2021-09-20T16:18:29Z
Insulate Britain: blocking roads will alienate some people – but it’s still likely to be effective
<p>Insulate Britain is a campaign group urging government action on greenhouse gas emissions and fuel poverty in the country’s housing stock. Their methods have recently landed them in the news, as activists <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/15/green-protesters-bring-m25-traffic-to-a-halt-for-second-time-this-week">blocked parts of the M25</a> – the motorway surrounding London – by sitting on slip roads and in the carriageway until their removal by police. </p>
<p>The long delays their protests caused drew outrage from motorists and much of the media that reported it. So what is the purpose of this kind of disruption, made popular in recent years by Extinction Rebellion (XR)?</p>
<p>The American sociologist <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Social-Movements-1768---2018/Tilly-Castaneda-Wood/p/book/9780367076085?gclid=CjwKCAjw-ZCKBhBkEiwAM4qfF0VHBNbgJLgg2hMg9eqk7tSFD_Hci0NBC6ArrHa0nRe4eOo8KsdRexoC3LUQAvD_BwE">Charles Tilly</a> argued that all protest actions were what he called WUNC displays: shows of worthiness, unity, numbers and commitment. The goal was not to stop or make something happen directly, but to demonstrate the strength and appeal and values of the protesters, so that both those in power and the general public would listen to their message.</p>
<p>Direct action groups tend to be slightly different from traditional social movements: their actions typically carry higher risks, and they tend to have fewer organisational resources. While they are very committed, being “respectable” isn’t necessarily so important, and the actions are typically carried out by relatively small numbers of people. Creating disruption helps make up for these shortcomings.</p>
<h2>Novelty and attention</h2>
<p>Protest is the language of people denied access to power – it is designed to draw attention, to be seen and heard. It is much more likely for protesters to achieve something if they inconvenience others in the process, rather than (as more established groups tend to do) leading a march or a demo. Many activists in Britain drew that lesson from the massive anti-Iraq war protests of 2003, which mobilised so many people and yet achieved little. </p>
<p>Recently, <a href="https://theconversation.com/decade-of-dissent-how-protest-is-shaking-the-uk-and-why-its-likely-to-continue-125843">researchers</a> have shown this to be true by comparing various kinds of protest over the past decade. Strikes, sit-ins, occupations and blockades have proven more likely to achieve some degree of success than less disruptive protests such as marches, demos or petitions.</p>
<p>One reason for the efficiency of disruption is that it is much more likely to provide press coverage, particularly when it is novel. It’s instructive to compare the Insulate Britain protests with the recent Extinction Rebellion protests. In April 2019, XR were able to garner widespread media and political attention by occupying central London for nearly two weeks. Since then however, doing the same thing has brought diminishing returns: the <a href="https://www.cusp.ac.uk/themes/p/blog-gh-xr-september-2020/">police are better prepared</a>, the actions are less disruptive, they mobilise fewer people, and the media has turned elsewhere.</p>
<p>Yet people stopping traffic on the M25 <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9999901/Priti-Patel-orders-police-decisive-action-against-Insulate-Britain-M25-protest.html">has attracted attention</a>. And the small group of activists have managed to get their demands – insulate all social housing by 2025 and all homes by 2030 – printed in <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/16126456/protest-group-insulate-britain/">national newspapers</a>. Their clear demands are an evolution of XR’s preference for leaving details of what policies are needed to tackle climate change to a future citizens’ assembly.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A worker in blue overalls rolls out wool in an attic." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422112/original/file-20210920-13-1fa6bwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422112/original/file-20210920-13-1fa6bwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422112/original/file-20210920-13-1fa6bwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422112/original/file-20210920-13-1fa6bwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422112/original/file-20210920-13-1fa6bwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422112/original/file-20210920-13-1fa6bwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422112/original/file-20210920-13-1fa6bwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A nationwide retrofit and insulation campaign could slash emissions and fuel poverty.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/worker-insulate-attic-mineral-wool-1898667700">Irin-k/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Is annoying people worthwhile?</h2>
<p>Critics say that blocking roads hurts vulnerable people. In this case, talk radio hosts highlighted delays to <a href="https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/nick-ferrari/m25-insulate-britain-furious-mother/">one girl’s taxi journey</a> to her special needs school. In the case of anti-fracking activists who blocked the A583 in Lancashire in July 2017, the trial judge argued that the inconvenience caused – the police had to set up a contraflow – justified sending three of them to jail on a <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/fracking-protesters-jailed-cuadrilla-little-plumpton-lancashire-shale-gas-drilling-a8556331.html">public nuisance charge</a>.</p>
<p>But as any motorist can tell you, these things happen every day. If you drive a car to work, you’ll know how often you are delayed, by accidents, roadworks, sheer weight of traffic.</p>
<p>Other critics will point to the confused logic of blocking roads for the cause of insulating homes. There is, indeed, little connection between the two, unlike activists <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/19/students-protest-at-science-museum-over-sponsorship-by-shell">occupying the Science Museum</a> to protest Shell’s sponsorship of its climate change exhibition, or blockades of fracking sites. But then again, there isn’t much of a direct connection between marching through London and demanding that British forces don’t invade Iraq, either.</p>
<p>Where groups engage in more indirect forms of disruption, it’s necessary to do more behind the scenes for the protest to make sense, including making the link explicit for onlookers. <a href="https://www.insulatebritain.com/">Insulate Britain</a> held banners with their name and logo – a quick search on the web takes you to a website outlining what the group wants. It is, in other words, all about the target audience, the public, which activists reach through the media. Nothing will be achieved there and then. Britain’s homes will not be insulated as a result of this particular protest.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/five-numbers-that-lay-bare-the-mammoth-effort-needed-to-insulate-britains-homes-162540">Five numbers that lay bare the mammoth effort needed to insulate Britain's homes</a>
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<p>Of course, disruptive protest annoys people, and protesters sometimes lose support because of this. YouGov measured public support for XR recently and found that nearly half of those polled have a <a href="https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/survey-results/daily/2021/09/03/3ee46/1">negative opinion of the group</a>. But broad popularity isn’t all that relevant. Direct action groups aren’t running for elections. They don’t need to be supported by a majority. At least 73% of those polled had heard of XR – more than Momentum (33%), Stonewall (50%), ActionAid (60%), or the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (64%).</p>
<p>What Insulate Britain want is to highlight political inertia and force the government to take action. And it is unlikely that people will be against insulating homes just because they get annoyed at protesters. An estimated <a href="https://www.nea.org.uk/articles/what-is-fuel-poverty/?parent=about-us">four million UK households</a> currently live in fuel poverty. Insulating homes is an essential part of lowering Britain’s emissions – and saving British households a lot of money. So, while Insulate Britain may well not be popular, their strategy appears to be to take the hit among some groups who might be irked by their methods in order to get home insulation in the news and up the government’s agenda.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/168021/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Oscar Berglund is a member of the Labour Party.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Graeme Hayes is a member of the Labour Party.</span></em></p>
Climate activists don’t have to be popular to achieve their goals.
Oscar Berglund, Lecturer in International Public and Social Policy, University of Bristol
Graeme Hayes, Reader in Political Sociology, Aston University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.