Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

Energy efficiency: not just a matter of more money

30.04.18: David Reilly, head of cities & regions at the Carbon Trust, reports on the findings from this year’s Low Carbon Cities Conference. Each year, in advance of the Carbon Trust’s Low Carbon Cities Conference, we reach out to del...

Councils urged to reduce energy bills by switching from ‘Big Six’

23.04.18: No local authority in Britain has switched to a fully renewable energy supplier, according to new research. Nine out of 10 councils are supplied by one of the “Big Six” or an oil supermajor, at a cost of over £863m. A Freed...

Oxfordshire councils receive funding for ‘exciting’ autonomous vehicles plan

26.02.18: Trials of the first connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) on public roads are set to take place in Oxfordshire after Whitehall officials agreed a deal between local firms and the county and district councils. The project is being led by...

Sheffield council launches trial to use hydrogen vehicles in road maintenance fleet

19.02.18: A trial to use hydrogen-powered vans to carry out road works in Sheffield has been announced by the city’s council. The scheme will see Amey, which is delivering Sheffield City Council’s Streets Ahead programme to upgrade paveme...

Sussex councils join forces to form new public energy partnership

14.02.18: Councils in Sussex have joined forces to encourage households to save money on their energy bills. Residents across Sussex can now buy gas and electricity through the council energy partnership, Your Energy Sussex, which aims to help more p...

The future of communal heating in Cheshire

22.12.17: PSE’s Josh Mines speaks to Dan Griffiths, projects and programmes manager at Cheshire East Council’s Skills & Growth Company, about how the ELENA project is set to transform heating networks in the area. Rising prices of gas...

An innovative approach to flood risk

18.12.17: Tom Palmer, project design engineer at Essex County Council (ECC), on a new scheme currently underway that will significantly reduce local flood risks by using an innovative approach to leaky dams. The Kingsmoor area of Harlow in Essex has...

Driving forward a healthier Scotland

10.11.17: Dundee City Council is leading the way in boosting electric vehicle (EV) uptake in Scotland, writes Rebecca Wallace from the local authority’s fleet team. Dundee is in the midst of an exciting new development in the city. In Augu...

Energy efficiency retrofit in Ceredigion

10.11.17: Ceredigion County Council’s energy efficiency project manager, Graeme Lane, offers an insight into maximising the delivery of energy efficiency funding for homes in the region. Identifying an area in need is the first step to qualific...

Authority pension schemes invested £16bn in fossil fuels in 2017

09.11.17: In the past year UK council pension schemes have invested over £16bn on fossil fuels, an increase of £23.5bn since 2015. Despite pressure from sustainability groups and the public the figure is similar to 2016 and represents aro...

The Energiesprong approach

06.11.17: Jane Lumb, head of energy and sustainability policy at Nottingham City Council, discusses a new housing procurement approach being trialled in the region to radically improve the energy efficiency of older homes. There is little doubt that...

Delivering an integrated housing market

06.11.17: Cambridgeshire is one of a small number of local authorities leading the way with the development and delivery of an integrated energy strategy, write Sheryl French and Cherie Gregoire from the county council. Cambridgeshire council’s...

Harnessing your energy potential

06.11.17: Vicky Kingston, strategic director for energy at Local Partnerships, a joint venture between the Treasury and the LGA, considers the role that councils can play in the success and future expansion of the energy sector. Local authorities pla...

People power

01.11.17: Helen Andrews Tipper, senior manager of cities and regions at the Carbon Trust, on why clean energy infrastructure needs better citizen engagement. There are currently more questions than answers about the future of our energy system, but o...

LECCY: Competing with the Big Six

01.11.17: In May, Liverpool City Council launched a new not-for-profit energy company to tackle fuel poverty in the region. Here, its cabinet member for neighbourhoods, Cllr Steve Munby, explains why. Fuel poverty has always been an issue in Liverpoo...