Cavity wall insulations crash by 97% following green deal introduction (UK)

[NickB79]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/may/29/cavity-wall-insulations-crash-green-deal

The number of homes installing cavity wall insulation has crashed by 97% since the government's flagship energy–efficiency scheme was introduced, new figures have revealed.

Previous energy-efficiency schemes meant cavity wall insulation – one of the cheapest ways of cutting energy bills and climate-warming carbon emissions – was heavily subsidised or free. But under the green deal, which aims to upgrade the efficiency of 14m homes, households have to take out a loan to pay for the measure.

A failure to deliver significant energy-efficiency savings puts in danger the pledge by ministers that soaring energy bills, due to rising gas prices and support for low-carbon energy, can be curbed by cutting energy use. It will also endanger the UK's legally binding carbon targets.

Figures collected by the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency, which monitors the issue of installations and guarantees, and seen by Building magazine, show that only 1,138 installations were completed in April, down from 49,650 in April 2012. The government's own impact assessment predicted in January 2012 that cavity wall insulations would collapse by 67%, but the reality has far outstripped this estimate. Government data shows that 1.4m cavity wall insulations are needed to meet its carbon targets.

Oops doesn't seem to cut it here.

[Buzz Clik]

1. These houses are now going uninsulated? Because the insulation is no longer free?

My, my.

[Sherman A1]

2. One would think, that

such insulation would be of benefit to the homeowner in improved energy efficiency and therefore while no longer "Free" (or paid through taxes) it would still be within the realm of enlightened self interest to have the project done.

[kristopher]

3. The energy efficiency program was sabotaged to provide market for nuclear power

The UK had a very effective efficiency program that they changed last year. At the time of the change government analysts stated unequivocally that the program as designed would be a complete failure. The response of the nucleo-maniacal Conservative government, of course, was to lick their chops and press on with great gusto.


From a Citigroup analysis of investment in new nuclear plants in Europe (with a focus on UK).

...Should EU countries go half way towards meeting their renewables target of 20% by 2020 that would be an extra ca. 440TWh. Even if EU went only half way, which by all means is a very conservative estimate, that would still be ca.220TWh of additional generation. Under its conservative ‘scenario A’ forecast, UCTE expects 28GW of net new fossil fuel capacity to be constructed by 2020. On an average load factor of 45% for those plants that’s an extra 110TWh.

Therefore under very conservative assumptions on renewables, we can reliably expect an extra 330TWh of electricity to be generated by 2020, leaving a shortfall of 16TWh to be made up by either energy efficiency or new nuclear.

There are currently 10GW of nuclear capacity under construction/development, including the UK proposed plants that should be on operation by 2020. If we assume that energy efficiency will not contribute, that would imply a load factor for the plants of 18%. Looking at the entire available nuclear fleet that would imply a load factor of just 76%. We do believe though that steps towards energy efficiency will also be taken, thus the impact on load factors could be larger.

Under a scenario of the renewables target being fully delivered then the load factor for nuclear would fall to 56%.

[Demeter]

4. Stupid, stupid, stupid

Why is it that Conservative governments are always robbing people and rewarding big business?