Consulting on CERT

SE² has just completed a series of stakeholder engagement events for DECC and the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes as part f the consultation on the extension of the Carbon Emissions Reductions Target (CERT) to the end of 2012.

The four stakeholder events – held in London, Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow – brought together representatives from across the energy efficiency supply chain to discuss some of DECC’s proposals in more detail.  We focussed particularly on the Super Priority Group – whereby the more of the most vulnerable, lower income households who are more likely to be in fuel poverty will receive more targeted support through CERT – and the Insulation Minimum – a proposal for a minimum of 65% of the CERT target to be met through insulation measures, accompanied by the removal of CFLs as an eligible measure.

These interactive workshops were carefully designed with DECC to ensure all delegates had an opportunity to contribute and put forward their views and ideas. The debates across the events were lively and thoughtful, and by visiting different cities we also captured regional differences and priorities. A report summarising the key themes emerging from all four events will be available short on the EEPH website.

The CERT Extension consultation ends on 14^th March: further details are available at www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/cert_ext/cert_ext.aspx.  (Published: 5/3/10) 

SE² continues to manage the Healthy Homes project for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and NHS Kensington and Chelsea.  By providing free telephone and face-to-face support to vulnerable residents, we are helping people to keep warm at home - reducing cold-related illnesses, helping with money management and improving the energy efficiency of people's homes.

January 2010 saw over 50 calls to the Healthy Homes helpline, a record month as the cold weather persists.  If you know any residents of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea who may be in need of advice and support to keep warm and manage their fuel bills, contact the Healthy Homes helpline on 0808 202 6204 or email healthyhomes@se-2.co.uk.  (Published: 10/2/10)

Saving water saves energy: a new contract for SE²

The energy used to heat hot water can account for around 23% of a home's carbon footprint, which means that saving water saves energy.  SE², in partnership with EnviroCentre, is conducting research into water and energy efficient retrofit programmes within the household sector and will be facilitating a stakeholder workshop in February to discuss the opportunities that exist for integrating these important agendas.

With ambitious government targets to reduce our national carbon emissions it's clear that reducing our hot water use has an important part to play and government plans to retrofit all existing homes with energy-efficiency measures by 2030 provide the perfect opportunity to equip existing homes with water saving measures.

This research project, on behalf of the Environment Agency and the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes, builds on previous work conducted with the Energy Saving Trust to establish the energy and carbon effects of water use.  (Published: 4/2/10)

Gold!

One of SE²'s biggest achievements this year has been becoming of only six SMEs in London to achieve Gold Level in the Mayor of London's Green Procurement Code.  The Code is a support programme for organisations wishing to reduce their environmental impact through purchasing and reflects our ongoing commitment to making our business as sustainable as possible.  A thorough audit by a Code Assessor scored our procurement practices above the average for all categories, including involving and engaging staff in green procurement, working with suppliers and embedding green procurement in our policy and communications.  We will continue to work on `greening' our supply chain, including evaluating all our purchasing decisions against sustainability criteria and seeking out ways to reduce and improve on what we buy.  Green procurement has become central to our everyday activities, but it's not something we consider an extra effort: it is how we run our business.  SE² aims to be environmentally aware in everything that we do so that when we are working throughout the energy and environment section, we can be confident that we are practising what we preach, and that we can talk from experience.  (Published: 9/12/09)