Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

Portsmouth wastes £2m ditching controversial energy firm amid fears of even more losses

13.08.18:   A south-coast local authority will go ahead with plans to scrap its fledgling energy company after it was deemed to be too expensive— losing at least £2.5m of public money in the process. In an announcement, Portsmou...

Stay on top of energy efficiency

06.08.18: As the grid goes green, do we still need to consider energy efficiency? The Mayor of London’s RE:FIT team investigates. According to recently published greenhouse gas emissions factors, the UK is making excellent progress towards deca...

Councils should have power over fracking plans, Tory councillors say

03.08.18: A recent survey has found that a vast majority (80%) of Conservative councillors agree that fracking firms, where they have a license to drill and explore for gas, should be made to apply for planning permission before drilling. The Campaig...

New £420m construction sector deal to spur ‘bytes and mortar revolution’

05.07.18: A new joint government-industry sector deal worth £420m was launched today with the aim of transforming construction through innovative technologies and increasing productivity to help Whitehall deliver its pledge to build 1.5 million home...

Planned council-owned energy firm could drastically cut bills in Wales first

29.06.18: A “pioneering” proposal is being considered by Swansea Council for the creation of an energy firm wholly owned by the authority – which, while not innovative in England, would be the first of its kind in Wales. If the prop...

Ultra-low emission buses: a clear vision for clean air

25.06.18: Earlier this year, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the £48m Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme, which transport minister Nusrat Ghani says will go a long way to cleaning up our air and eliminating carbon emissions. From bustli...

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...