Energy Advancements Must Be Sustainable
By Tal Potishman
By Tal Potishman
During the past many years, great strides have been made in improving the UKs energy efficiency ratings.? This is only the beginning of a long-term commitment for achieving a low carbon economy.? The nations gas & energy sectors are obligated to advance their efforts in the area of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while, at the same time, limiting the burdens placed on consumers.
Gas & electricity projects related to energy conservation & lower greenhouse gas emissions must meet Government requirements year after year.? Power stations combined with industries & residences contribute 66% of the UKs carbon dioxide emissions.? Programs piloted by the gas & electricity sectors in 2006 & 2007 resulted in an emissions decrease of 4%.? These programs concentrated on coal to gas conversion & renewable energy projects.
Following the trend of declining energy consumption since 2005, consumption in 2007 was down 3%.? Both the gas & electricity sectors reported considerable usage decreases, with a 4% decrease in gas consumption & a 3% decrease in electricity consumption.? Government mandates call for a continued downward trend in energy usage each year.
One of the most hard challenges for the fuel markets is to balance the move toward greener energy with the financial burdens placed on customers.? Fuel prices have reached some of their highest levels in recent years, & some consumers have struggled to keep up with the escalating costs.? This comes in the midst of one of the shakiest economic periods in recent history.? Statistics reveal that in 2006, 3.5 million UK households were in fuel poverty, & 2.75 million of these were classified as vulnerable households.? Fuel poverty households spend greater than ten percent of their total income on fuel to keep their homes warm.? Final reports of fuel poverty households for 2007 & 2008 have not actually been finalised, but estimates are that the increases in fuel poverty households were .7 million in 2007 & .5 million in 2008.?
Ofgem (the Office of Gas & Electricity Markets) organizes efforts between the Government & energy sectors for sustainable development programs.? Energy efficiency goals as well as consumer protection are managed by the agency.? Fuel poverty is a great concern for Ofgem, & they have set 2018 as the year that this overwhelming social issue is eliminated.?? Ofgem is a dependable resource for the development, initiation, execution of green energy programs.
The gas & electricity sectors have achieved positive results from their efforts in the past many years to save energy, protect the nations supply of fuel, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, & lower energy costs.? Ofgem has played a large role in the energy sectors reaching & exceeding low carbon goals.? Concentrated effort & further innovations are needed, how ever, in order to meet the Governments targets for continual improvement.
Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about plumbers, central heating, Bolton plumbers, underfloor heating & solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.