Epsom and Ewell Energy Group

News

This is the news section, helping you stay up-to-date with the latest in energy efficiency advice and news.

Government announces new Boiler Scrappage Scheme Ed Criswick
16:51 12/01/10
The Government has announced details of its new boiler scrappage scheme, whick will provide vouchers worth £400 towards the cost of replacing home boilers more than 15 years old. The scheme will be run by the Energy Saving Trust, and people wishing to take advantage of the scheme will have to register with the Trust. The scheme requires that, householders pay upfront for the work, and then claim the grant. Only 125,000 grants will be available, so first come, first served! Click on the heading to be taken to the Energy Saving Trust boiler scrappage scheme webpage.
Energy Saving Light Bulbs - progress update Simon Langendoen
08:12 23/10/09
Web article on how the different sectors are adapting to low energy saving light bulbs.
Epsom & Ewell Reduce CO2 Emissions Ed Criswick
12:27 14/10/09
The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) has released figures on CO2 emissions for all local authority areas. Those for Epsom & Ewell show that CO2 emissions for the three years 2005, 2006 and 2007 were 365,000 tonnes, 363,000 tonnes and 359,000 tonnes respectively. These work out at 5.3 tonnes, 5.2 tonnes and 5.1 tonnes per head of population of the Borough. A small decrease, but welcome nevertheless. Click on the heading to see the source document (go to the full dataset).
Home Information Packs - New Rules Ed Criswick
10:00 12/02/09
The Government has introduced new rules for Home Information Packs (HIPs) from 6 April 2009. HIPs are required whenever a house or flat is put up for sale or rent. From April HIPs will need to contain a Property Information Questionnaire, which will include (where appropriate) information on flood risks, electricity and gas safety, service charges, structural damage and parking arrangements. Also, an HIP must now be made available from the day the property is put on the market. Click on the link to find out more about HIPs and Energy Performance Certificates.
Energy Efficiency Week 2008 Display, Ebbisham Centre Ed Criswick
14:55 26/10/08
Epsom and Ewell Energy Group had a successful day in Epsom's Ebbisham Centre on October 23rd. We gave out info on energy efficiency, and recycling. For more info and a photo, click the heading.
Shops selling batteries will soon have to recycle them Tim Chilton
18:42 16/10/08
EU law, likely to come into force Spring 2009 will force all retailers selling batteries or goods with batteries to provide a service to accept waste batteries. Make sure you ask stores that sell batteries whether you can recycle them or not. Hopefully this will force them to bring recycling in sooner!
Energy Group stand at Resident Association AGMs Ed Criswick
10:12 01/05/08
The Epsom & Ewell Energy Group was invited to attend six of this year's Resident Association AGMs - those for College Ward, Ewell Court, Ewell Village, Stamford Ward, Stoneleigh & Auriol, and Woodcote. At some of these we also gave a talk on energy saving and the environment. Our display attracted a lot of attention and we were able to provide lots of advice and information. We aim to tackle the other Resident Association AGMs next year!
Energy Saving Plug Adapter released Tim Chilton
08:03 22/09/07
Energy Saving Plug Adapter - Selected Currys stores are selling this new device which cuts the power of appliances left of standby saving energy and money!
DfT releases tables of lowest CO2 emissions vehicles Tim Chilton
09:06 05/08/07
The Department of Transport has launched an initiative called Act On CO2 that provides drivers with useful information on how to reduce your emissions. Their primary tool is a great guide to the lowest emission cars classified by class, gearbox and fuel type.
All new homes must be carbon zero by 2010, says Friends of the Earth Sarah Clayton
20:50 29/07/07
"The Government must insist that all new homes are 'carbon zero' by at least 2010, Friends of the Earth said today. The Government, which published it Housing Green Paper today, currently says that all new homes do not need to be carbon zero until 2016. The environmental campaign group also called on the Government to ensure that all new housing developments -as well as individual houses - are built to the highest environmental standards. "
Solar Power Sector Will Need To Cut Costs Sarah Clayton
20:48 29/07/07
Solar panel production could surge in the next two years due to additional investment in silicon, the main element of solar voltaic panels.
Energy White Paper - "Meeting the energy challenge" Tim Chilton
21:50 28/05/07

The Government has produced an Energy white paper called "Meeting the energy challenge" which sets out the Governments strategy "for tackling climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions both within the UK and abroad; and ensuring secure, clean and affordable energy as we become increasingly dependent on imported fuel."

The white paper is available here.

Published alongside the white paper is the start of a Government consultation on the use of nuclear power in the UK. This consultation can be found here.

The most controversial aspect of the paper and the associated nuclear power consultation is the strong indication that nuclear power must form part of the UK's long term strategy in this area.

Organisations such as CPRE have responded to this aspect here saying that "asking whether the UK needs new nuclear plants is ‘out of sync’ with the need for immediate action to reduce energy demand and climate change effects, and places too much faith in nuclear power."
Should Plasma TVs be taxed? Tim Chilton
13:16 16/05/07
Professor Paul Ekins says that Plasma TVs which use 4 times more energy than conventional cathrode-ray TVs should be taxed because of their greater impact on carbon-dioxide emissions.
Climate Change Assessment - Billions to face food and water shortages Sarah Clayton
21:06 11/04/07
"Billions of people face shortages of food and water and increased risk of flooding", experts at the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) have warned in their fourth assessment report. The report summary can be downloaded here.

The BBC has a useful interactive map that assesses some of the impacts of climate change available here
Plastic bottle recycling now at Sainsbury's car park, Kiln Lane, Epsom Tim Chilton
16:51 05/02/07
You can now recycle plastic bottles at the Sainsbury's in Kiln Lane, Epsom.

Specifically you can recycle:
Plastic drinks bottles, water bottles, milk bottles, shampoo bottles, detergent and bleach bottles.

The council asks that you help them by washing & squashing bottles before recycling / removing caps before recycling.

The intention from the council is to expand the recycling of plastic at more centres in 2007.
IPCC Report blames humans for Climate Change Ed Criswick
10:18 04/02/07
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - published 2 February 2007 - has concluded that global climate change is very likely to have been caused by humans. The reports sets out the likely rises in temperatures and sea levels by the end of the century, and other likely climatic effects such as heatwaves and tropical storms.
Energy usage of flat screen TVs Sarah Clayton
20:13 03/01/07
This link is a BBC article about how energy efficient the latest flat screen TVs are. The Energy Saving Trust claims that flat screen TVs on average use 3 times more power than a traditional Cathode Ray (CRT) television. However, research suggests that of the two main types of flat screen TVs, LCD screens use an equivalent amount of power to CRTs, whereas Plasma are a lot less efficient.
World's largest wind farm in Thames Estuary Tim Chilton
15:31 18/12/06
Two offshore wind farms are to be built in the Thames Estuary. In total they will power about 1.25 million homes and will be built in the next few years.
Wicks gives a helping hand to green householders Ed Criswick
11:44 22/11/06
The government has announced through energy minister Malcolm Wicks that there is to be a further £6.2 million of funding for the installation of micro-wind turbines, solar panels and other micro-generation technologies on people's homes. This money is made available through the Low Carbon Buildings Programme