Solar Power & Religious Buildings

Religious buildings could save up to 42,000 carbon tonnes a year if solar panels are used to replace conventional electricity measures says British Gas, the UK’s leading energy and home services provider. Just to put it into perspective, 42,000 carbon tonnes works out at around about 500 transatlantic flights! Not only will it save significant amounts of carbon tonnes being emitted, but it will also save religious buildings potentially hundreds and thousands of pounds. They [British Gas] used an example of a mosque that has recently converted to solar power and had the solar panels installed on the roof of the building which is saving £5,000 a year in electricity bills.

Solar powered panels are ideal for religious buildings because they are most commonly positioned to the south, this means that they get optimum amount of sunlight during the day.

Religious buildings are ideal because most of them are south-facing; meaning that they get the optimum amount of sunlight during the day and with the recession hitting churches, mosques and synagogues harder than ever it would be an ideal scenario for them to get on board with energy saving measures such as this as soon as possible.

In May this year a church in north London finished covering its south-facing roof with solar panels known as PV tiles and is now using them to generate energy.

Fr Shaun Richards, the parish priest of St Silas Church in Pentonville, said: “Even though not all UK churches could adopt this model due to planning and architectural conservation laws, there may be thousands of Church of England buildings out there that could help create a greener future by generating clean energy as well as some much needed income.”

In Birmingham, the Masjid-e-Hamza Mosque will soon be making as much as £6,400 a year from Feed-In Tariffs, having installed solar panels as part of the Sustainable Mosley project.
The scheme is likely to appeal to churches as their Sunday collections have been hit by the recession, and because many clergy are committed to caring for the environment.

Only 13% of companies have registered for the CRC

The CRC (Carbon Reduction Commitment) came into force on the 1st April this year. As most of you will know by now, the CRC is a mandatory scheme in place to encourage companies and organisations cut carbon emissions. As of the 5th July only 651 companies have registered from an expected 5,000, which is well below the result The Environment Agency were expecting.

The deadline to register with the Environment Agency under the CRC scheme is 30th September 2010. All public and private sector organisations that have at least one half-hourly electricity meter during 2008 are encouraged to participate. Failure to register before the deadline could result in fines of up to £5,000 plus an additional £500 per day for each working day that they fail to register up to a maximum of 80 days.

A spokesperson for The Environment Agency said: “Participants successful in reducing energy consumption will not only save money on energy bills, they will also receive financial incentives and boost their reputation as an environmentally-conscious organisation. These savings should be well in excess of the costs of participating in the scheme.”

Make sure you are prepared for the CRC and avoid hefty fines. Saving energy can be a positive, cost-effective and rewarding project. If you’d like to reduce energy for your business or organisation, contact Powermaster today who will discuss the possibilities of significantly reducing energy for your business and buildings.

For information on how to register with The Environment Agency, click here

Irish Environmental Campaigner Passed Away

On Saturday July 10th, anti Dublin Bay Oil Refinery campaigner – Sean Dublin Bay Loftus (formerly known as Sean Loftus), died at age 82. It was only a couple of weeks after he had news that the oil refinery he campaigned against would not built. Mr Loftus was described as “an environmental pioneer”, a “Kindly and encouraging gentleman” and “He led the way even before the Green Party came into existence” by his friend, colleague and the Irish Environmental Minister – John Gormley.

Solar Power is put to the test

New energy-saving technology advancements are achieved every day, but who would have thought that solar power would eventually be able to fly a plane? On Tuesday July 6th 2010 this is exactly what happened. Although the solar powered plane (The Solar Impulse HB-SIA) has had trial runs at least a dozen times since April 7th, this was the first time that it had its ‘first night flight ever’ meaning that it had to run solely on stored solar energy cells from sunset to sunrise.

The successful trial has been a breakthrough for energy saving technologies and could well set the stage for future renewable energy projects for the aviation industry. Although it has been said already that this technology is not intended to replace traditional aircraft fuel sources in the immediate future, with the flight instead focusing on trialling and promoting energy-saving technology.

The solar cells are stored within the wings of the plane which has a wingspan as wide as a Boeing 747’s and has four electric motors powered by 12,000 solar cells.

The Solar Impulse HB-SIA reached an altitude of 8,600 metres and approximately two hours before sunset on Tuesday July 6th started a slow descent eventually reaching an altitude of 1,500 metres where it carried on flying, using only the energy stored in its batteries until the next sunrise and landing in the early hours of Wednesday.

The plane, which was controlled by chief executive and co-founder of the Solar Impulse Project, André Borscherg, landed safely at the Payerne airbase in Switzerland. Borscherg said: “For seven years now, the whole team has been passionately working to achieve this first decisive step of the project”.

Project co-founder Bertrand Piccard said: "When you took off it was another era. You land in a new era where people understand that with renewable energy you can do impossible things."

To read more about the Solar Impulse Project, click here: http://www.solarimpulse.com

10:10 initiative - 10 percent reduction at big-name music festivals

The folks orchestrating the 10:10 campaign have been busy again! Now they have got ten leading music festivals that are taking place in the UK this summer on board with their aim of reducing carbon emissions by ten per cent. Big names such as Reading, Lovebox, The Big Chill, Latitude and Bestival are just some of the big-name events participating in the 10:10 initiative. As an example, solar powered lighting and compostable toilets are being introduced to a few festivals this year, such as Bestival. A report published by Oxford University illustrated that with 500 festivals and more taking place this year alone in the UK, this would contribute 84,000 tons of carbon emissions. This figure is mainly due to people travelling to and from the festivals, litter and diesel-powered generators used to power the sites.

Well done 10:10, you have Powermaster’s full support!
Read more about the 10:10 campaign on their website here: http://www.1010global.org/uk

How The World Cup 2010 Is Thinking Green

Three green initiatives have been launched in order to reduce the carbon footprint of major sporting events such as the imminent 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted in South Africa. These are: Greener lighting for World cup host cities; Green Passport; and offsetting team’s emissions.

The initiatives are supported and funded fully by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), UNEP and the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), which altogether are contributing $10 million to support these initiatives. The 2010 FIFA World Cup to be hosted this year in South Africa is said to have about eight times the size of the carbon footprint of the World Cup hosted in Germany, mainly due to significant increase in international air travel as well as domestic air travel. This equates to an estimated 2.7 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Greener Lighting Initiative was introduced to bring in solar-powered lighting to busy areas of the city, including billboards, street lights and traffic lights. Not only does this have potential for greater energy & cost savings, (not only environmentally and economically), but it also reduces the stress on the electric grid of the neighbouring cities.


The Green Passport is an initiative set to help people understand the importance of offsetting their carbon emissions while attending the World Cup 2010, the 32-page booklet will be distributed to 100,000 football spectators, as well as people emerging from the busy airports and hotels. The idea is to raise awareness of travelling responsibly with a carbon-friendly attitude whilst in the country. Inside the booklet contains information about host city green goal plans and achievements, restaurants, activities, green accommodation, specific guidelines for sustainable tourism and a carbon footprint calculator to calculate how to reduce ones personal footprint.


The Offsetting Team’s emissions initiative was introduced in order to reduce the carbon footprint of the teams participating, so far only 11 teams that are participating in the World Cup will be offsetting their emissions, but UNEP hopes this will rise while the tournament starts to get underway. The teams participating so far are: Algeria, Cameroon, England, Argentina, Italy, Ghana, Cote d’lvoire, Uruguay, Switzerland, Serbia and the Republic of Korea. The teams’ carbon footprint will include travelling internationally as well as domestically, coach trips to and from matches and accommodation in hotels (totals to around 6,050 tons of greenhouse gas emissions when you start including the officials as well as the team players).


In addition to these initiatives, an SMS campaign has been initiated in partnership with Foneworx and KPMG, to generate funds towards offsetting the 2010 carbon footprint. By texting SMS "GOGREEN" to 34066, a small donation would be made, which would then be put towards carbon offset projects.


We can only commend the efforts that has been put into this event to try and make it as carbon-friendly and as an enjoyable an experience as possible and we hope that if you are travelling to South Africa this year, you help to reduce your own carbon footprint too, for our environment.

What is your Carbon Footprint of…?

I was reading an interesting article yesterday by Mike Berners-Lee of the Guardian Newspaper. Across a range of his articles, Mike looks at how cycling and using mobile telephones, for example, can have a significant impact on our carbon footprint. I found it interesting to know that if we use our mobile for an hour once a day for the year it would be the equivalent of flying one way to London to New York in Economy Class! It isn’t necessarily the usage alone that is causing such an impact, it’s the energy required to transmit calls across networks. In 2009, 2.7 billion mobile phones were in use, which means mobile calls account for about 125 million tonnes CO2e, which is just over one-quarter of a per cent of global emissions.
We’re not suggesting you stop using your mobile phone, nor are we trying to make you feel guilty for doing so! But there are a few lower-carbon options instead you could put into practice instead such as text messaging or using a land line, because it takes about one-third of the power to transmit a call when you have a fixed landline network than it does when both callers are using a mobile.
As for cycling, Mike highlights the positive things about cycling to work every day instead of driving:

Ø Healthier lifestyle
Ø Lower your carbon footprint
Ø No need for petrol money
Ø Burn some carbs!
Ø No queuing in traffic reduces carbon emissions. (Mike says: “It's a little-known fact that a car on a congested road can produce as much as three times the amount of CO2 as the same car travelling at a steady speed.”)

And he also goes on to explain how cycling is a low-carbon way to travel – but it depends on what you eat.

To read the full article about cycling and measuring your carbon footprint in the process click here.

To read about the carbon footprint of your mobile phone, click here.

10 Downing Street Backs 10:10 says Cameron

The new Prime Minister of Great Britain, David Cameron has announced that he will be supporting the 10:10 initiative of cutting Britain's CO2 emissions by 10% by 10/10/2010.

The Prime Minister said: “I don’t want to hear warm words about the environment. I want to see real action. I want this to be the greenest government ever. Today, taking our lead from 10:10, I commit us to a 10 per cent reduction in carbon emissions across central Government in the next twelve months. You’ll be driving this forward."

“But I have also made sure all Cabinet ministers are involved, developing plans to show how they will meet their share. And the public will be involved too – because we’re going to publish the energy use of government headquarters in real-time, so people can hold us to account for our performance. If we do this, we’ll cut the Government’s energy bills by hundreds of millions of pounds.”

In a meeting with staff at the DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change), it was announced by Cameron himself that he will ensure that the Government Department headquarters will publish online in real time their energy use so that the general public are able to hold ministers and civil servants accountable for their carbon footprint. The Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne has been appointed to ensure that this target is reached within government with the help of representatives from key departments and the private sector.

(Source: http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/latest-news/2010/05/central-government-emissions-to-be-cut-pm-2-50121)

To read this story in full, click here or the link above.
To read more about the 10:10 campaign, click here.

Shell becomes first fuel site to be awarded Carbon Trust Standard

Shell has introduced innovative energy-saving features at 200 petrol stations across the country in a bid to increase energy efficiency, cut carbon emissions and reduce energy costs. The sites involved in the Shell EnergySave Sites programme are aiming to achieve an average drop in energy consumption of 25% by introducing high-tech lighting and improvements in the cooling and heating systems.

Shell asked the Carbon Trust Standard Company (CTSC) to validate the energy saving success of pilot sites in Hayward’s Heath, High Wycombe and Salford Quays.

All three sites were found to have successfully measured, managed and reduced their carbon footprints. As a result, they are the first retail fuel sites to be awarded the coveted Carbon Trust Standard.

Shell now intends to work with CTSC to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard across all 200 petrol stations currently involved in the Shell EnergySave Sites programme and any further stations that join it.

The majority of savings from the Shell EnergySave Sites programme will be achieved by reducing electricity use. Shell worked closely with manufacturers to develop state-of-the-art solutions and train local staff. The innovations include motion-sensitive lighting, new LED signage, improved refrigeration and more efficient heating and air-conditioning systems. None of the changes will affect the safety of these sites for customers visiting Shell.

Shell also announced that to continue improving energy efficiency and reducing the carbon footprint of its retail operations, all new stations built in the UK will be constructed to be more energy efficient.

To read more on this story visit www.shell.co.uk

Microsoft first technology company to achieve Carbon standard.

Microsoft UK has become one of the first technology companies to achieve the Carbon Trust standard, which requires companies to measure and reduce their carbon footprint.

The voluntary standard does not require companies to hit a certain target, but to show that they have proactively measured and reduced their carbon footprint and will continue to do so. The company has reduced its carbon footprint by 7% compared to the 2007 figure it is using as a baseline. It wants to shrink it by 30% by 2012.

"Getting the standard has really helped us understand our footprint," said Darren Strange, head of environmental sustainability at Microsoft UK. "There is a financial incentive as well, as it reduces costs."

The standard also helps the company to save money on its carbon reduction commitment, which requires companies over a certain size to measure their carbon footprint and pay £12 per tonne. Some will then be able to apply for a rebate, depending on how well they can demonstrate their efforts to reduce it.

Strange said Microsoft UK has made cuts so far by reducing business travel, with executives using unified communications and video conferencing instead. Next the company is looking to reduce the number of buildings it runs by making more efficient use of space, and cut electricity use.

He added, "We don't see this as the end of it, but it shows we are on the right track."

For more visit www.computerweekly.com

Lib Dems thinking Green!

The Lib Dems have big plans to rebuild the battered national economy in a darker shade of green.

This would include redistributing £3.1bn of public spending currently 'wasted' to fund offshore wind energy, energy efficiency in buildings and a scheme to bring quarter of a million empty homes back into use.

The plan includes the widely-reported intention of converting ailing shipyards to manufacture wind turbines and to offer cash back to home owners investing in measures to improve the energy efficiency of their properties.

Schools will also be offered interest-free loans to improve their energy performance in a move portrayed as protecting budgets meant for learning from being spent on meeting the obligations of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC).

For the full article and more visit www.edie.net

CRC needs to be amended according to FoE

An environmental organisation has called for aspects of the government's Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC EES) to be adapted.

Friends of the Earth (FoE) has said that the plans fail to differentiate between companies and councils which could be deemed unfair.

David Powell, economic campaigner for FoE, said: "Its right to require both the public and private sector to cut their emissions, but expecting councils to compete with companies for carbon credits is wrong in principle and wrong in practice."

However, the scheme has the potential to cut carbon emissions in the UK substantially.

Launched last week (April 1st) the CRC EES could reduce carbon dioxide emissions from homes and businesses by at least 34 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020.

Energy efficiency measures and products, as yet unused by many businesses, are the cornerstone of the plans, which it is hoped will have the additional benefit of saving public and private sector organisations around £1 billion a year.

For more info visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

80% Carbon reduction possible

Cutting Europe's carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050 is possible, but the continent must eradicate carbon-emitting power generation.

This is the conclusion of a new report by the European Climate Foundation, which states that an 80 percent cut on 1990 levels would require a move to an almost zero-carbon power supply.

In the short term, the cost of implementing these policies would be higher than conducting business as usual, but over the longer term it would not lead to higher energy prices, the document stated.

Matt Philips, a spokesman for the European Climate Foundation, said: "When the Roadmap 2050 project began it was assumed that high-renewable energy scenarios would be too unstable to provide sufficient reliability."

It was also thought that they would be uneconomic and that major breakthroughs in technology would be needed to move in this direction.

"Roadmap 2050 has found all of these assertions to be untrue," he said.

According to data from the European Commission, carbon emissions from companies covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme fell by 11.2 percent last year.

For more info and article visit
http://www.lowcarboneconomy.com/community_content/_low_carbon_news/9268/80_percent_cuts_in_carbon_emissions_possible

Large Businesses have priority in Climate Change

Small businesses do not believe they have as significant a role to play in reducing carbon emissions as households, big business and the public sector, research from energy supplier npower has found.

The annual Business Energy Index survey asked 200 small firms how they rated their influence in cutting carbon emissions. On average they ranked their importance at 5.1 out of a maximum score of 10. They rated households' importance at 6.8, large businesses' at 7.7 and the public sector's at 8.1.

The research also highlighted that 97 per cent of small firms said reducing costs was more of a priority than reducing emissions. In addition, 52 per cent said the economic climate was reducing their ability to reduce their carbon footprint - up from 47 per cent a year ago.

"As we come out of recession it's no surprise that businesses are relegating emission reduction in favour of managing costs, but it's important that they do not ignore the importance of reducing carbon in the long term," said npower Energy Services spokesman, David Titterton.

The British Chambers of Commerce's senior policy adviser, Gareth Elliott, said the survey results had to be tempered by the fact that we're just coming out of recession.

"Many small businesses are doing something to assist in reducing their emissions, even though they're doing it while trying to reduce their bottom lines," he said. "Our Reconnecting Britain survey, published this month, found that seven out of ten chamber members introduced energy efficiency measures in the past 12 months.

"We would urge the Carbon Trust to refocus on small businesses," added Elliott. "Currently it's very focused on large businesses, but they already have many of the skills and knowledge in-house. Small businesses have limited knowledge and resources and they need help and assistance.

"Small changes are important," he said. "As much as people laugh at things such as turning off light and computer monitors, collectively they can make a big difference."

For more info and the original article visit The Law Donut

President Obama urged to give consumers energy info

President Obama has been urged by a group of almost 50 US organisations, including Google, to give homes and businesses access to timely information on their energy use.

Studies and experience show that when people have access to direct feedback on their electricity use they can achieve substantial energy savings through simple behavioral changes. In the U.S., for example, a 15% reduction in electricity consumption by 2020 represents greenhouse gas savings equivalent to 35 million cars off the road, saving consumers $46 billion on energy bills or $360 per customer per year.

Of course this is taking place in America, but even here in the UK, we can see the savings that could be made, and it is good to see an attempt at making homes and businesses more aware of their energy use.

Sainsburys leads the way for UK retailers.

Sainsburys saves energy while expanding.

Leading UK supermarket chain, Sainsburys, has tackled the problem of commercial expansion without adding to their carbon footprint. The Durham store will open on Monday with 50% more space, but due to the introduction of energy efficient measures and renewable technologies, the energy required to run the store will actually fall by 10%.

A report, carried out by research company, Mintel, shows that, despite the environmental policies in place, most leading retailers in the UK increase their absolute carbon footprint due to commercial expansion.

However, Sainsburys has found a way to combat this by using a biomass boiler, which burns wood pellets that would have otherwise gone to a landfill site. In addition to this, the store will also employ CO2 refrigeration which will cut down the company’s carbon footprint by a third.

The move enjoyed the backing of the UK Green Building Council as it has addressed the problem of reducing the carbon footprint of existing buildings. In the report, published by Mintel in October of last year, it was suggested that the most affective way of introducing commercial expansion and reducing your carbon footprint, was through the use of renewable energy.

Are you ready for the CRC?

The Carbon Reduction Commitment comes into effect on April 1st. It is central to the UK’s strategy for improving energy efficiency and reducing Carbon Dioxide emissions, and has been designed to raise awareness in large organisations and encourage changes in behaviour and infrastructure.

Below are five tips to prepare for the Carbon Reduction Commitment.

1. Learn what the CRC is.

A compulsory carbon emissions cap and trade scheme for all organisations using over 6,000MWh of electricity per year. You will be required to buy an allowance for each tonne of carbon you emit, starting at £12 a tonne. It is important to know whether your organisation falls under this parameter.

2. Look at the opportunities as well as the risks.

Organisations will be rewarded or penalised for their energy efficiency performance. Good performers will make money by saving money on energy bills and will receive a greater recycling benefit than the cost of their allowances. Poor performers will receive less payment back than their expenditure on allowances and will face larger energy bills.

3. Remember the CRC league table.

An annual league table is being published to track the improvements made by those participating in the scheme. It will be important to perform well, as your achievements will be there for all to see!

4. Encourage improvement in your schools

For most local authorities emissions associated with the schools in their area will be the majority of their total CRC emissions. It is important to look at the energy used in schools and how this can be reduced in a number of different ways.

5. Start taking action immediately

If your company falls into the CRC category, you will need to register before September 2010, and have accurate energy usage data from April 2010 to March 2011. It is therefore important that you start thinking of ways to save energy as soon as possible.

To read more about these tips you can click here. Or, if you would like help in preparing for the CRC visit www.power-master.co.uk for ideas on what you can do to make your company more energy efficient.

Sustainable Schools

Schools target Sustainability.

With sustainability becoming a major factor in the current climate, it is no surprise to learn that many schools are now taking an active role in securing a greener future. With the government planning to reduce carbon emissions by 60% in 2050, it is more important than ever to start thinking about climate change and what we can do.

Currently English schools emit an estimated 8.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. That’s around 15 per cent of public-sector emissions and 2 per cent of the national total. With schools playing an active role in the development of future generations they are ideally placed to take a lead within communities to help reduce carbon emissions.

The Sustainable Development Commission has published a report for schools entitled Carbon emissions from schools: Where they arise and how to reduce them detailing the measures which could be implemented to ensure we reach our goal of substantial reductions in carbon emissions by 2050.

The CRC (Carbon Reduction Commitment) Are you prepared?

The Carbon Reduction Commitment

It is now only one month until the introduction of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), a scheme which is being introduced by the government to combat climate change. From 1st April 2010 large public and private sector organisations will be required to take part in the scheme by reducing their carbon emissions. While the scheme is mandatory, it gives businesses a fantastic opportunity to cut down on energy costs and plan ahead for a more sustainable future.

Joan Ruddock, energy and climate change minister commented "This is a real opportunity for business and industry to take a leadership role in tackling climate change and gain reputational advantage as a result."

What is the Carbon Reduction Commitment?

The CRC is designed to improve energy efficiency by reducing carbon emissions in large organisations. Operating as a ‘cap and trade’ mechanism, the CRC will help organisations determine how much carbon they emit, and how they can reduce this number. By placing a cap on the total allowances available to each CRC member, organisations can then determine the most cost effective way of reducing their carbon emissions. The scheme is targeting large public and private organisations within the UK, who contribute almost 10% of the UK’s total emissions, affecting almost 20,000 organisations.

How you can reduce your Carbon Emissions.

Thanks to significant advancements in energy saving technology, it is now easier than ever to reduce your carbon emissions and make huge savings in the process. Powermaster is here to help the process even easier. The starting point for any business is to determine exactly where energy savings can be made, and so we offer a free, comprehensive on-site survey with no obligation to buy, so you can start saving money and energy as quickly as possible.

We offer a range of innovative new products which will help you maximize your energy efficiency and reduce your carbon emissions. To read more about our products you can visit us at www.power-master.co.uk, where you can also read how other businesses are already benefitting from our products.

London 2012 makes sustainability a priority

In 2012 the Olympic Games come to London for the first time in 64 years and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) are making sustainability one of their main priorities. The ODA have earmarked almost £4 billion in preparation for the games, with most of the money going towards new facilities. But with such a huge, worldwide event taking place, what measures are being taken to make these Olympic Games more environmentally friendly?

Right from the beginning, London has been focused on sustainability in preparation for the Games. The Changing Places programme focuses on communities and encourages their participation to help create a cleaner, greener environment. This involves the improvement of public spaces such as parks, open spaces and watersides which, in turn, helps improve the quality of the local environment around Games time and then looking further into the future.

As well as improving the already existing facilities and areas, London has ensured that the Games use as many existing facilities as possible, and, if new structures need to be built, they are planned with a long term future in mind, rather than simply for use during the Games. In those instances where long term structures would not prove beneficial, temporary structures will be built. London is seeing the Olympic Games as an opportunity to promote sustainable living throughout the whole of the UK, and this is reflected in their planning and preparation. They are the first city to embed sustainability in their preparations from the very beginning

We, at Powermaster, feel that this is a huge step in the right direction for a more sustainable life for future generations. We can help you plan for a more sustainable future, by cutting down on your energy usage and carbon emissions, while reducing your energy costs. The huge advancements in technology make sustainable living even easier, and if we begin to plan for sustainability right from the outset we can all begin to feel the benefits of a greener, cleaner Britain.