David Symons

£88bn expenditure planned for UK #water sector between 2025-2030 This morning, Ofwat published its Draft Determinations on water company allowances for the #AMP8 regulatory period (2025 to 2030), representing a substantial increase in investment when compared to the current regulatory period. The headline numbers include significant efficiency challenges for water companies to meet, with the £88bn total 16% below the level companies had sought. Of the £88bn, £10bn is set to tackle storm overflows with a target to reduce spills from storm overflows by 44% from levels in 2021. This should deliver welcome progress in an area of public concern, but demonstrates that totally solving this challenge will take multiple price control periods. At a glance, performance targets will be tough for the industry to achieve, especially in wastewater. When compounded with higher incentive rates, and fewer caps and collars than at PR19, this looks set to be another tough outcomes settlement. Elsewhere Ofwat has sought to reduce risk to the sector through the use of approval 'gates' for large investment schemes, greater risk mitigation for changes in the costs of labour, energy and plant and material costs and high sharing rates for much higher outperformance. Based upon these plans, customer bills will increase by 23% on average, from £436 in 2024/5 to £536 in 2029/30 for the median combined water and wastewater bill. Water companies now have until 28th August to respond to Draft Determinations and Ofwat will publish Final Determinations in December 2024. What is already clear is that the period from 2025 to 2030 will be very busy for the water sector with important delivery targets and a need to rebuild trust after a challenging few years. Get in touch for some expert help!

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*Green Enterprise Grants* Mid Devon District Council has launched a new capital grant scheme to help SMEs to save energy and carbon. Capital grants £500 to £5k for up to 50% of eligible costs, with a maximum project budget of £25k. Projects should be fast to deliver and ready to go. *Applications for the Green Enterprise Grants are open until midday on 10 June 2024.* Details and bid guidance: https://lnkd.in/e-r9wq9t Councillor Natasha Bradshaw, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, said: “We know that Mid Devon businesses want to take positive action on climate change, this grant scheme supports them in achieving this.” Councillor Steve Keable, Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Regeneration, added: “Reducing carbon emissions is good for the planet and for business. Through this scheme we will demonstrate that small changes really do lead to big impacts in terms of reducing a business’ carbon footprint.” #grants #SustainableMidDevon Devon Climate Emergency Mid Devon Network - Business Networking

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Phase 5 of the Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund opens to applications tomorrow!   With up to £16m of funding to boost decarbonisation skills, the grants aim to help public sector organisations to engage the specialist and expert advice and skills required to create robust heat decarbonisation plans to prepare for heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency works.   Apply by with delivery partner Salix by 1st May 👉 https://lnkd.in/eqjA3dse #PublicSector #Procurement #ProfessionalServices #Consultancy #PublicSectorFunding #Funding Bloom Procurement Services

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💥🍃An absolutely staggering figure from a new report published by the Green Finance Institute. Key points: 📉 Nature depletion will cost the equivalent to 3% of UK GDP loss 💣 As climate-change impacts become more acute this could rise to 6% loss of UK GDP - equivalent to the 2007/08 financial crash 🌳 The new *Nature-Related* Risk Inventory will help assess physical, transition and litigation ⛓️Illustrates the link between finance and #biodiversity 📊 Highlights necessity of #NatureRestoration and importance for businesses to analyse their risks and dependencies on #nature, and mitigate against them https://lnkd.in/eFZfzU_u University of Oxford UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) Encore WWF-UK #NaturePositive #NetZero #NatureFinance #NatureRelatedRisk #TNFD #CSRD

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This week's #ricsapc quiz is about a favourite of mine (and I think it should be mandatory to Level 2 to meet RICS Rules of Conduct 3)...... it's of course on the mandatory #sustainability competency. https://lnkd.in/e4BVeNM3

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Circular Communities Scotland (CSS) is calling for the Circular Economy Bill to include restrictions on the disposal of unsold goods, instead allowing reuse charities to receive these items to help those in need. Mark Morgan, CEO of humanitarian charity Stella’s Voice said: “We believe that income generated from circular policies and activities in Scotland should be reinvested into charities and social enterprises that practise reducing waste. It is harder and more challenging than ever to finance a charity under the cost of living and cost of running crises, and our services are needed now more than ever. “It’s crucial that the Scottish Government understand the link between saving waste and benefits for families. These products and materials aren’t of any use in the bin, instead they do a lot of harm. Reuse charities like Stella’s Voice save items from landfill and allow them to be used for good. It makes sense to support our work, for the environment, and those in need.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eNJMx3uv

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Environmental Priorities for the next UK Government As the nation gears up for the upcoming general election, the Environmental Policy Forum (EPF) has unveiled its report titled ‘Environmental Priorities for the Next UK Government’. To read the full article, follow the link below. #ACDEnvironmental #EPF #UKGOV

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Exciting News! 🚀 We've just launched 5 new advice packs designed to guide and support the retrofit supply chain. These packs provide essential insights and are very easy to follow. Check them out and let us know your thoughts! #SupplyChain #DomesticRetrofit

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Continuing insights from Cornwall's Draft Housing Decarbonisation Strategy, thanks to Laurence Childs, George Bennett and their team for their framework of categorising heat pump readiness based on peak heat load and emitter flow temperature. Naomi Grint adopted this as the basis for our work on archetyping the housing stock based on heat pump readiness, which involves a different set of considerations to traditional approaches to archetyping.

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The impact of developing infrastructure on sustainability goals One of the challenges in reaching sustainability goals alongside cost is the infrastructure needed to support measures. It is not enough to develop innovative ways to harness green energy, the UK needs to change supply lines and develop battery storage to ensure that energy can be distributed and stored. Whilst it seems technology has worked out how to generate renewable energy either through measures such as ground source heat pumps, solar panels or biomass boilers, the infrastructures haven’t quite caught up.... #sustainability #netzero #RenewableEnergy

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Looking forward to joining #BlakeMorgan in Southampton for a session on circular and low carbon estates. If you want to engage on this more, why not join us? Along with colleagues, Joanna Rees (legal perspective) and Mark Richardson (decarbonisation and energy productivity) we will explore how recycled commodities can have real-world impacts on circular and low carbon design in the built environment. #circulareconomy #sustainableconstruction #lowcarbondesign #recycling #europeanmetalrecycling #emr #lifecycleassessment #circularity Its not to late to register: https://lnkd.in/e8ahzfuv

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🌍 Steps to Achieve Net Zero for UK Businesses 🌍 Achieving Net Zero emissions is vital for addressing climate change. Here’s a streamlined approach for UK SMEs and larger enterprises: Commitment & Target Setting: Join initiatives like the UNFCCC's 'Race to Zero' campaign. Set targets through the SME Climate Hub or Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Base Year Assessment: Calculate your Scope 1, Scope 2, and, if possible, Scope 3 emissions using reliable data and tools. Emission Reduction Plan: Develop a plan with specific measures such as energy efficiency, renewable energy adoption, and waste reduction. Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy: Implement efficiency measures and switch to renewable energy sources like solar power. Employee Training & Engagement: Educate and engage employees in sustainability practices to foster a culture of sustainability. Supply Chain Engagement: Work with suppliers to reduce emissions throughout the supply chain. Carbon Offsetting & Removal: Offset remaining emissions by supporting projects that reduce or remove CO2, ensuring at least a 90% reduction before offsetting. Monitoring & Reporting: Track progress and submit annual emissions reports if committed to SBTi or SME Climate Hub. Commit to Net Zero and drive your business towards a sustainable future! 🌱💼 Be part of Tees Valley Net Zero programme here: https://lnkd.in/ehFjPCcP #NetZero #Sustainability #ClimateAction #SMEs #RenewableEnergy #CarbonNeutral #GreenBusiness #ClimateChange

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For both nutrient neutrality and biodiversity net gain, local planning authority and Natural England resources are not sufficient to meet demand... I spoke to ffinlo Costain about how The Labour Party can start to make Nutrient Neutrality work. Link in the comments

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‼️‼️Please take some time to engage with the consultation - guidance for the industry NEEDS input from the industry to ensure that there is consensus and consistency on climate resilience in the built environment - link below! ‼️‼️

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UK emergency services go green. Project RESPONSE aims to transform emergency services with zero emission technology, funded by Innovate UK. #climatechange #climatecrisis #climateaction #climatesolutions #netzero #sustainability #sustainablefuture #energytransition #energysecurity

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A key insight from Cornwall's Draft Housing Decarbonisation Strategy is that public awareness of the need for heat decarbonisation is low. Only 5% of people interviewed for DESNZ’s Public Attitudes Tracker were ‘very aware’, and 28% ‘fairly aware’, of the need to change heating system. Half of respondents knew little or nothing about heat pumps, representing significant untapped potential to accelerate their deployment.

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📝 Multus has signed a joint letter calling on the next government to prioritise UK climate tech. ⚡ The letter emphasises the importance of innovation for combating climate change and ensuring the country hits our net zero goals. 🗳️ Whichever party wins on the 4th of July must have a comprehensive policy agenda for making the UK the best place in the world to found a climate tech business. 🌐 This is not only an environmental necessity but also an economic imperative which can lead to: 🔹 Increased job opportunities, 🔹 Economic growth,  🔹 A sustainable future for all. ✏️  Written by Startup Coalition and ClimateImpact, the letter features the signatories of over 180 climate tech leaders. ⏩ Read here: https://lnkd.in/ewtqWJqt #SustainableFoodSystems #NetZero #LCAW #UKElection #ClimateTech #UKInnovation

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We're falling behind, but check out this excellent summary of the latest report from the UK's CCC to Parliament, delivered last week. 13 key recommendations: 1 Rebalance policy & social levies on electricity and gas 2 Ramp up woodland creation and peatland restoration 3 Reinstate the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel car sales 4 Reinstate the 2035 fossil fuel boiler installation phase-out 5 Ensure that electric heating is the default in all new buildings 6 Get clear on home energy efficiency 7 Remove planning barriers for heat pumps and EV charging points 8 Plan strategically for the decarbonisation of public sector bldgs 9 Modernise the CfD auction scheme for renewables 10 Plan strategically to decarbonise industrial heat 11 Publish a comp strategy to close looming green skills gaps 12 Finalise business models for man-made carbon removal tech 13 Strengthen the National Adaptation Programme to bolster climate resilience https://lnkd.in/e4Td2n4T

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