Tag Archives: Passivhaus

Why aren’t we tackling energy efficiency in buildings when it’s so simple to solve?

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5905213394_77ab6664ca_z.jpgThis post is by Andy Ford, director of the Centre for Efficient and Renewable Energy in Buildings (CEREB) at London South Bank University and Bruce Tofield, associate consultant with the Adapt Low Carbon Group at the Passivhaus Enterprise Centre, University of East Anglia.

What’s the easiest thing that we could do to reduce energy use, tackle climate change and make life healthier, more affordable and more comfortable for millions of people in the UK; something that will also promote higher productivity, quality and skills?

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Tackling the other housing crisis

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This is a guest post by Bruce Tofield, who led the University of East Anglia’s involvement in the European energy saving project Build with CaRe.

Earlier this year, we provided detailed evidence of several major barriers that are inhibiting a transition to low energy construction and refurbishment of buildings, and showed how these could be overcome.

Transforming our buildings to, or close to, passivhaus energy efficiency is the biggest opportunity available to reduce global energy use. Read more

Passivhaus buildings could transform UK energy demand

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This is a guest post by Green Alliance member Dr Bruce Tofield of the Build with Care Project based at UEA. He gives his perspective on the green economy discussion at Green Alliance’s annual debate, which took place last week at the German Embassy.

 

“Make a bottleneck and, guided by regulation, the market economy will find a solution”

This was the stimulating advice by Professor Dr Klaus Töpfer, former German environment minister in his introductory comments at Green Alliance’s annual debate on 1 March, at which Edward Davey MP, UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, also spoke.

In just a few minutes Professor Töpfer outlined how long term thinking has enabled Germany to become Europe’s leader in waste management and in renewable energy infrastructure.  He then mentioned how another bottleneck – the need for energy storage capacity to complement renewable electricity – can be being tackled via renewable methane. Read more