Louise Sunderland

The European Union is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels when it comes to space heating, with three-quarters of the energy used coming from fossil sources. Reducing the flow temperatures of water in heating systems is a key method for saving energy from heating and for integrating a more diverse range of clean resources into the heating mix. As such, this relatively novel approach is a no-regrets option for building owners and occupiers. Lowering the flow temperature can improve the… Show more

The European Union is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels when it comes to space heating, with three-quarters of the energy used coming from fossil sources. Reducing the flow temperatures of water in heating systems is a key method for saving energy from heating and for integrating a more diverse range of clean resources into the heating mix. As such, this relatively novel approach is a no-regrets option for building owners and occupiers. Lowering the flow temperature can improve the efficiency of heat pumps, solar thermal collectors, condensing boilers and district heating systems. Show less

While EU Member States implement a range of regulatory, funding and provision measures to ad- dress housing need and homelessness, these are today insufficient to meet the need for affordable, accessible and secure housing for all. Almost 10% of the EU-27 population spend 40% or more of their net income on housing, and almost 20% live in overcrowded dwellings. The poorest spend almost half their incomes on housing, and 20% are unable to keep their homes adequately warm. 1 Homelessness across… Show more

While EU Member States implement a range of regulatory, funding and provision measures to ad- dress housing need and homelessness, these are today insufficient to meet the need for affordable, accessible and secure housing for all. Almost 10% of the EU-27 population spend 40% or more of their net income on housing, and almost 20% live in overcrowded dwellings. The poorest spend almost half their incomes on housing, and 20% are unable to keep their homes adequately warm. 1 Homelessness across the Union is estimated at 700,000 people, an increase of 70% in the past 10 years. It is well established that homelessness, evictions and poor housing represent a threat to human dignity, create a sense of shame and social exclusion, and act as a barrier to equal oppor- tunity in Europe.

This book, written under the direction of Noria Derdek, Legal Officer, Abbé Pierre Foundation and Padraic Kenna, Professor of Law at the University of Galway resulted from a conference on The European Contribution to the Right to Housing Standards, Litigation and Advocacy Conference, in May 2022, organised by Abbé Pierre Foundation and FEANTSA. It marked the end of the COVID lockdown period, and enabled a con- temporary examination of the “state of the art” on housing rights in Europe. The expert speakers (and now writers) at this event addressed key topics such as the right to housing, EU law, social and environmental rights, strategic litigation, climate change, rent control, housing standards, social housing, energy poverty and regulation. Show less

This year (2013) more than half of the total emission allowances in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) will be auctioned after two periods in which free allowances were afforded to cover the vast majority of the emissions within the scheme.

The auctioning of allowances brings significant new revenue to Member States, estimated to be between €11bn and €20bn per year to from 2013 to 2020.

These new funds present an opportunity to support a redoubling of energy efficiency… Show more

This year (2013) more than half of the total emission allowances in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) will be auctioned after two periods in which free allowances were afforded to cover the vast majority of the emissions within the scheme.

The auctioning of allowances brings significant new revenue to Member States, estimated to be between €11bn and €20bn per year to from 2013 to 2020.

These new funds present an opportunity to support a redoubling of energy efficiency efforts. However, at a time of economic crisis when public budgets are being cut, there is huge competition for these new funds.

This paper considers the potential for the ETS revenues to be spent on energy efficiency, particularly in the building stock. It looks at the potential scale of resource available, what could be achieved if used for energy efficiency and the arguments for and against recycling of carbon taxes into carbon mitigation.

As Member States begin to announce their intentions with regard to the new revenues, a small number are following the recommendations of the European Parliament and latterly the Energy Efficiency Directive that EU ETS revenues should be used for climate protection purposes or more specifically to further energy efficiency objectives.

This paper reviews the plans published by these Member States (eg France, Germany, Czech Republic) alongside arguments from other countries for not hypothecating the revenues (eg UK). It also draws on evidence from carbon tax schemes outside of the EU that have evaluated the value of reinvestment in carbon mitigation to discuss the economic and political feasibility of the largest potential source of public funding for energy efficiency in recent years.
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The new Gas and Electricity Directives, which repealed in 2011, recognise that “energy poverty is a growing problem in the Community”. The Directives introduce a requirement for Member States to, firstly, “define the concept of vulnerable customers”, specifically indicating that this may refer to energy poverty, and, secondly, to “take appropriate measures” through national action plans or frameworks, social security systems or support for energy efficiency improvements to address energy… Show more

The new Gas and Electricity Directives, which repealed in 2011, recognise that “energy poverty is a growing problem in the Community”. The Directives introduce a requirement for Member States to, firstly, “define the concept of vulnerable customers”, specifically indicating that this may refer to energy poverty, and, secondly, to “take appropriate measures” through national action plans or frameworks, social security systems or support for energy efficiency improvements to address energy poverty where identified.

In the first part of this paper the need for Member States to provide a definition of the concept of energy poverty as an extension of vulnerability is considered. In the absence of a European definition of energy or fuel poverty, the paper considers how energy poverty is distinct from general poverty, outlines the causal factors that define the issue and finally examines the challenges presented within the on-going discussions on a standard definition.

The second part of the paper considers the “appropriate measures” available to, and being used by a number of Member States, to address the issue. Drawing heavily on the extensive experience of the UK, but including examples from other Member States, the paper considers the efficacy of mechanisms that are considered to alleviate fuel poverty. In culmination, the paper considers the creation of energy poverty policy in the context of wider policy relating to energy efficiency in the building stock. It reveals the challenges and threats the introduction of energy poverty into the policy sphere can pose but also highlights the opportunities that can be exploited for the promotion of stronger energy efficiency policy and delivery.
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This report for Consumer Focus presents the findings of research into the experience of delivering Solid Wall Insulation (SWI) to date, based on interviews with stakeholders and a review of SWI schemes and trials.

The Government wants policies within the 2011 Energy Act, in particular the Energy Company
Obligation (ECO), to drive a dramatic increase in the installation of SWI. It anticipates all social housing with solid walls will have had SWI installed by 2018. Relatively high… Show more

This report for Consumer Focus presents the findings of research into the experience of delivering Solid Wall Insulation (SWI) to date, based on interviews with stakeholders and a review of SWI schemes and trials.

The Government wants policies within the 2011 Energy Act, in particular the Energy Company
Obligation (ECO), to drive a dramatic increase in the installation of SWI. It anticipates all social housing with solid walls will have had SWI installed by 2018. Relatively high take-up is expected in the social housing sector for several reasons:
- Social housing is more amenable to concentrated delivery of SWI, reducing costs through
scale
- The established supply chains and value for money delivery experience of social housing
providers, due to Decent Homes and other refurbishment programmes
- The relative ease with which fuel companies can engage with one social housing contact,
representing a number of tenants and properties

However, delivery of SWI in social housing will not be straightforward. This report highlights a range of issues that will need to be addressed if SWI installation is to take off. Show less

The Hackney Carbon Emissions Reduction Pilot project was scoped and commissioned by the
Sustainable Environment Group of Hackney’s Local Strategic Partnership in response to the
carbon reduction target set out in the 2008-2011 Local Area Agreement.

The project was delivered by Global Action Plan (GAP) in ten months from May 2010 to March
2011, in four stages. The project approach was to focus largely on behavioural changes and to
provide highly personalised face to… Show more

The Hackney Carbon Emissions Reduction Pilot project was scoped and commissioned by the
Sustainable Environment Group of Hackney’s Local Strategic Partnership in response to the
carbon reduction target set out in the 2008-2011 Local Area Agreement.

The project was delivered by Global Action Plan (GAP) in ten months from May 2010 to March
2011, in four stages. The project approach was to focus largely on behavioural changes and to
provide highly personalised face to face advice and engagement.

This report is the product of an independent evaluation which was carried out alongside the project. The evaluation aims were to to provide ongoing evaluation of project activities to inform the development of the project and of its outcomes, and to produce lessons to inform future work in Hackney. The this evaluation and of a stakeholder workshop held to discuss the
initial findings with a range of partners from within Hackney.
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The improvement of energy efficiency and the proliferation of renewable energy generation technologies are fundamentally complimentary strategies in the pursuance of deep reductions in carbon emissions. However, the implementation of policies focussed on the achievement of a single target that fail to holistically consider energy efficiency and renewable energy generation together, risks counterproductive outcomes. Using the example of the UK’s micro-renewable incentive schemes (the Feed in… Show more

The improvement of energy efficiency and the proliferation of renewable energy generation technologies are fundamentally complimentary strategies in the pursuance of deep reductions in carbon emissions. However, the implementation of policies focussed on the achievement of a single target that fail to holistically consider energy efficiency and renewable energy generation together, risks counterproductive outcomes. Using the example of the UK’s micro-renewable incentive schemes (the Feed in Tariff and the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive), this paper will provide insight into how policies focussed solely upon achieving targets set out in the Renewables Directive can undermine the achievement of progress in energy efficiency, fuel affordability, and carbon reduction. The end result distorts markets by creating perverse incentive and potentially promoting the inefficient use of energy.

The paper will describe and critique the policy development process in the UK, highlight the areas of tension between the delivery of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and consider the different drivers that led to the lack of coordination between policy areas. It will then discuss ways in which policy proposals could be adapted to ensure the twin delivery of energy efficiency and renewable energy: specifically whether receipt of payments for renewable generation should be conditional on energy efficiency improvements. Finally we will assess the options for integrating financing schemes that support micro-renewables with energy efficiency schemes to encourage a comprehensive approach to low carbon refurbishment. The key metric within the comparison of these approaches will be the cost per tonne of CO2 saved.
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The new Gas and Electricity Directives (which repeal their predecessors in March 2011) recognise that “energy poverty is a growing problem in the Community”. The Directives introduce a requirement for Member States to, firstly, define the concept of vulnerable customers, specifically indicating that this may refer to energy poverty, and, secondly, to “take appropriate measures” through national action plans or frameworks, social security systems or support for energy efficiency improvements to… Show more

The new Gas and Electricity Directives (which repeal their predecessors in March 2011) recognise that “energy poverty is a growing problem in the Community”. The Directives introduce a requirement for Member States to, firstly, define the concept of vulnerable customers, specifically indicating that this may refer to energy poverty, and, secondly, to “take appropriate measures” through national action plans or frameworks, social security systems or support for energy efficiency improvements to address energy poverty where identified.

In this context of the growing problem of energy poverty in Europe and new requirements for Member States to take action, this paper considers the risks, potential conflicts and opportunities in the development of energy poverty alleviation policies under the umbrella of energy efficiency and carbon reduction. Drawing from experiences in the UK where targets for the eradication of energy poverty (termed fuel poverty) have been in place since 2000 (Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act), the paper considers the risk that energy poverty poses to the development of challenging demand reduction policies, the potential conflict between energy poverty reduction policies and carbon reduction policies, the tension between the need to keep fuel affordable and the cost of climate change policies, and the strong social driver that energy poverty provides for investment in energy efficiency improvement. The paper will provide insights and lessons for the development of what for many Member States will be a new policy strand in the carbon reduction stable of policies.
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Written with the supoprt of Carillion Energy Services, this paper is the second in a series identifying options for the future of fuel poverty programmes and household energy efficiency policy. It examines the options for the design of, and priorities for, the new Energy Company Obligation (ECO) in the context of the Green Deal policy framework.

The report presents a series of recommendations on the key, priority topics in response to the government's early announcements on the Green Deal. The report covers finance, costs, delivery, communication, quality assurance and accreditation and minimum standards for low carbon refurbishment. The positions were prepared by the Existing Homes Alliance in consultation with other organisations active in this arena.

Author of one of six chapters (delivering deep low carbon refurbishment).

Energy efficiency policy and fuel poverty programmes are experiencing their biggest ever shake-up. The high ambitions for the untested Green Deal finance package, the full overhaul of the Supplier Obligation alongside the winding down of Warm Front, and the introduction of an incentive for renewable heat combine to form a sea change in how energy efficiency and fuel poverty objectives are financed and delivered. There is uncertainty around each new programme, as well as how they combine into a… Show more

Energy efficiency policy and fuel poverty programmes are experiencing their biggest ever shake-up. The high ambitions for the untested Green Deal finance package, the full overhaul of the Supplier Obligation alongside the winding down of Warm Front, and the introduction of an incentive for renewable heat combine to form a sea change in how energy efficiency and fuel poverty objectives are financed and delivered. There is uncertainty around each new programme, as well as how they combine into a coherent strategy for energy efficiency that will succeed where previous programmes have failed to stem the dramatic increase in the number of fuel poor households.

It is against this backdrop that this paper examines the potential for ensuring Green Deal finance is flexible enough to be accessible and beneficial to fuel poor and low income households.

The paper applies the principle of fairness to the Green Deal, and develops a concept for Green Deal finance repayments to be uniquely adjusted and supported where necessary to ensure that every household might genuinely consider a Green Deal offer as attractive and stand to gain from it. It proposes a mechanism that targets assistance effectively and can leverage the value of energy savings from fuel poor households where available. It assesses how this stacks up financially across all fuel poor households and addresses searching questions on comfort-taking, the costs of delivery and administration, information requirements and changing household circumstances under such a scheme.

The report concludes that it is crucial to ensure that the legislation which enables the Green Deal is designed flexibly enough to encourage and facilitate modifications to the scheme such as those we put forward in this paper. We cannot afford to miss our fuel poverty targets, and as such we have to take the opportunity to extend the Green Deal’s reach to those less well off. Show less

Commissioned by The Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes, the aim of the research was to produce a raft of informed policy recommendations to promote a significant scale up of the improvement of Hard to Treat Homes (HTTH) and and inform the future activities of the Partnership’s HTTH sub-group.

The project involved an analysis of the measures that are needed to improve HTTH that were not currently being delivered at sufficient scale, the funding available currently and in the near… Show more

Commissioned by The Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes, the aim of the research was to produce a raft of informed policy recommendations to promote a significant scale up of the improvement of Hard to Treat Homes (HTTH) and and inform the future activities of the Partnership’s HTTH sub-group.

The project involved an analysis of the measures that are needed to improve HTTH that were not currently being delivered at sufficient scale, the funding available currently and in the near future and the delivery mechanisms, in the form of projects and programmes, that have been used to deliver HTT measures.

The research report outlines a detailed raft of recommendations arising from the research which centre around the need to mainstream the more expensive measures that are used to treat hard to treat homes. The report also reveals the need to place more emphasis on insulation measures and urgently address the current situation in which the fuel poor living in hard to treat homes are paying for energy efficiency schemes but are not benefitting from the most appropriate improvements to their homes. Show less

Retrofitting technologies and systems into existing houses is far more complex and technically challenging than integration into new build. The multiple priorities driving retrofit, the complexity of the existing stock itself and the diverse needs of the residents that inhabit it require multifaceted and sensitive solutions.

This paper draws on the findings of one project designed to address multiple targets of energy and CO2 reduction, fuel poverty alleviation, health and wellbeing… Show more

Retrofitting technologies and systems into existing houses is far more complex and technically challenging than integration into new build. The multiple priorities driving retrofit, the complexity of the existing stock itself and the diverse needs of the residents that inhabit it require multifaceted and sensitive solutions.

This paper draws on the findings of one project designed to address multiple targets of energy and CO2 reduction, fuel poverty alleviation, health and wellbeing improvement. It presents the monitoring results and lessons learned from a project installing ventilation and energy efficiency measures into homes in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (McLean et al 2007). The intention of the project was to enhance indoor air quality, reduce domestic energy consumption and bills and improve the health and wellbeing of the householders. The focus was on the fuel poor, who made up 78% of the 120 households.

Monitoring showed improvements in the indoor environment and reported self identified health benefits. It is not clear from the results whether or not use of the ventilation systems led to a reduction in energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions.

In addition to the monitoring findings, this paper draws lessons from the project management and evaluation design on critical issues and considerations around the treatment of existing homes. The paper reveals the importance of demonstration or technology test projects, the difficulties in assessing cost-effectiveness of measures with multiple priorities and the importance of partnerships for holistically addressing these priorities.
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