Comments for Energy Efficiency Green Paper

Comment on Making cost-effective energy savings by mike

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 15:44:30 +0000

The Green Paper says homes could save $200-1000 per year but isn’t this too small to motivate the enormous existing population of householders to take action?

Comment on Audited awards for Energy Efficiency by mike

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 10:40:25 +0000

Energy efficiency played a key role in Woking’s win in Montreal. A radio interview with the energy manager in the period 1990-2005 provides a brief practical overview of the contribution of energy efficiency, and also the way in which it interfaces with other actions and dimensions. These include the operation of private distribution networks, investment in renewables, combined heat and power, hydrogen storage, establishing high technology partnerships, finance and economics.

Comment on IEA highlight energy efficiency at the Montreal Conference by mike

Wed, 14 Dec 2005 16:50:14 +0000

One of Mandil’s main points at Montreal was the role of energy efficiency in buying time while new technologies are developed.

Comment on Electricity transportation efficiency by Mike

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 12:22:49 +0000

Is it a bit unfair to make comparisons between the system loss levels reported by countries in Europe? Some are very heavily industrialised.

There is some evidence that mainly rural countries, often regarded as poor performers,are doing more than the lower loss ones to improve things, eg by investing in 20kV distribution.

Comment on Electricity generation by Mike

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 12:13:43 +0000

It is true, as the Green Paper states, that CCGT is now being preferred in Europe. The older coal-burning stations were often built far from centres of population, and it would have been difficult to harness their heat output.

But factors other than energy efficiency may have contributed to the choice of CCGT, including deregulation of the electricity industry, scope for utilities to increase independence, lower levels of carbon emissions and the sale of inherited rights, the availability of cheap gas in Europe, initial investment costs, obtaining planning permission, construction times, lower operating manpower.

Comment on Lack of expertise at the point of installation? by Mike

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 12:08:57 +0000

Purchasers are likely to be particularly concerned about the reliability and long-term service support of high-technology plant such as heat pumps, condensing gas boilers, CHP installations.

A similar problem arises with servicing and repair. Replacements and repairs are usually distress purchases, with a need to get the system running again as quickly as possible.

Comment on Utility Role in Energy Efficiency by Mike

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 11:26:26 +0000

Before deregulation the energy efficiency advice provided by European gas and electricity utilities spanned consumer information, commercial and industry sector initiatives and publications, the introduction of high technology eg heat pumps, automation and control, conferences, demonstrations. The provision of this service was often a statutory requirement.

Some of these activities were undertaken or coordinated on a pan-European or global level, for example through the utility-supported Union International de l’Electrothermie / International Union of Electroheat (now UIE)

Comment on Merging emission trading with Contraction and Convergence (C&C) by Mike

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 11:20:12 +0000

Similar concepts have also been proposed. One reflects a criticism that carbon trading, as established in Europe, provides financial incentives for large organisations, while at the same time small businesses and individuals are subject to various forms of climate change levies and energy taxes: View Another suggestion being discussed, bringing together energy efficiency, renewable energy and fuel switching policies, gives a personal carbon allowance to energy consumers (AUCH - average utility carbon per household) View

Comment on Setting the Green Paper energy savings targets by Mike

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 11:05:31 +0000

It is a great pity that the enormous potential contribution of transformers to energy efficiency is not adequately recognised. The Green Paper describes appliances, boilers, compressors, cooling, heating, lighting, motors, water heating, in some cases a number of times, but transformers are not mentioned.

There still seems to be little appreciation of the fact that energy-efficient transformers do not meet the considerable structural, technical, manufacturing and market barriers to adoption faced by these other products. Their position as free-standing system components means that interface problems within a network in terms of dimensions, performance etc are very limited.

Energy efficient transformers are readily available using existing design and manufacturing technology, and supplied mainly to sophisticated purchasers. They are relatively heavily loaded and also have a working lifetime many times longer than most other items.

Comment on International Energy Efficiency Conference in London on 2-3 November 2005 by Mike

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 12:44:51 +0000

At yesterday’s summit for energy and environmental ministers, ahead of the conference, Tony Blair said that he was ‘very nervous and worried’ about legally binding targets to reduce pollution. View He said that when the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012 the world would need a more sensitive framework for tackling global warming.