A local energy system demonstrator project aiming to evidence how ground source heat pumps with smart heating controls can reduce heating costs for residents, whilst also lowering carbon emissions, is officially underway in Oxford. Leading housing provider Stonewater has partnered with Kensa Contracting to have 60 of its homes at Blackbird Leys installed with Kensa’s innovative low carbon heating solution. Individual Kensa Shoebox ground source heat pumps in each property, connected to a communal ground array, will integrate with smart controls and time-of-use tariffs to optimise heat production for cost and carbon savings. The heat pump installations form part of Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO), a a world-first project showcasing an integrated approach to decarbonising power, heat and transport across Oxford. Supported by Innovate UK, ESO is led by consortium partners Oxford City Council, Pivot Power, Habitat Energy, Kensa Contracting, Invinity Energy Systems and the University of Oxford. The renewable heating scheme with Stonewater is the first phase of Kensa Contracting’s aim to pilot the smart technology in 300 homes around Oxford over the next two years under the ESO project. ESO aims to demonstrate how ground source heat pumps with smart controls can help balance the electricity grid as part of an integrated local energy solution that also includes grid connected batteries and smart electric vehicle charging. Leon Storer, Assistant Director – Capital Investment at Stonewater, said: “We’re delighted to be a part of this innovative and forward-thinking project, supporting the local authority in achieving a net zero carbon future. “By replacing our residents’ current high carbon night storage heaters with Kensa’s ground source heat pump systems, we’re able to not only work towards a more sustainable future, but an economical one too. This is because a benefit of transitioning to this type of heat pump system is the significant cost savings it provides for residents.” Dr Matthew Trewhella, Managing Director of Kensa Contracting, said: “Kensa is delighted to partner with Stonewater for the first phase in this 300 property pilot ground source heat pump project. The residents will benefit from clean, renewable heat with savings of up to 25% compared to a standard ground source heating system. Smart meters enable residents to switch to Octopus’s unique Agile Tariff, which varies the electricity price every half hour and optimises energy use when renewable power is prevalent on the grid, and together with Switchee internet connected smart heating controls will automatically run resident’s heating systems at the lowest cost times to reduce their bills while maintaining their comfort levels, and caring for the environment.” Despite delays to commence as a result of coronavirus, Kensa expects to complete the installations across the Stonewater homes before winter 2020.

The popular energy, sustainability and environmental-focused BetaTalk podcast, sponsored by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), has released a two-part episode focused on renewable energy and ground source heat pumps, uniting British ground source heat pump manufacturer, Kensa Heat Pumps, with seasoned heating engineers. Host Nathan Gambling of BetaTeach, an educational resource for plumbers, electricians, heating engineers and students, says: “Travelling the country to meet the people involved in low carbon heating technology is a real pleasure. It was my first time visiting Kensa and I was really impressed!” The Kensa podcasts explore a number of hot topics affecting the renewables and heating industry, spanning opportunities and the need to upskill heating engineers to embrace the UKs transition to zero carbon, to the various solutions on the table to meet this target, including district heating and shared ground loop arrays with ground source heat pumps, nuclear energy, hybrid heat pumps, hydrogen, and load shifting. Representing Kensa Heat Pumps in the podcast are Darren Veal, Technical Sales Support & Commissioning Engineer, and Ally Cook, MCS Compliance Coordinator, accompanied by heat pump specialist William Johnson and regular BetaTalk guests and heating companies BTSE Heating and Renewable Heat. The vital role of system design and commissioning is explored in detail in the podcasts, where it is identified that in order for the UK to fully trust, embrace and benefit from renewable heating technology, system installations must be exemplary, with training critical to ensuring this. Darren says: “At Kensa we don’t just sell systems, we design them. We see training as being as big a part of company growth as anything else. “It was great to spend time with Nathan and his Beta Talk team discussing low carbon solutions and the upskilling of engineers. Here’s to a decarbonised future for all generations!” The two-part podcast is available to listen to here.

The world is turning its focus to the point of environmental awareness as people strive to incorporate eco-friendlier methodology into their day-to-day practices. Everyone is becoming clean and ‘green’ as far as the things they purchase, the food they eat, and how they function on a regular basis. Reducing every person’s carbon footprint is the way to make the planet a healthier, safer place for the generations that follow. While you can effectively save the energy within your home or business through the installation of new windows and doors, a simple solution that can be implemented quickly is the use of commercial solar lights. These lights use the energy produced by the sun for power to light various areas throughout your property. They’re not only good for the planet; they’re cost-effective. Types Of Solar Lights There is a multitude of different types of solar lights spanning the market. Depending on your aesthetic, manufacturers have created a variety of styles, shapes, colors, and sizes so the lighting can be useful in any design scheme with them serving a wide range of purposes. Solar-powered path lights: Designing various pathways, sidewalks, even the driveway around the home or your small business are great ways to give curb appeal. But you can only really enjoy the beauty of this type of landscaping during the daytime. The perfect way to enhance these features is to add illumination that will showcase them even when it’s dark. Not only will solar lights add charm at night, but they will also act to protect visitors from missteps or falls when it’s difficult to see. Solar lights for decoration: Decorative lanterns, blown glass, string lights, and a host of other styles are the perfect backdrop to outdoor evening get-togethers, whether it be a pool party or a barbecue on the deck. They produce the ideal ambiance for the intimate gathering without the need for added expenses to run lighting for the event, plus they’re beautiful in comparison. For benefits of these light sources go to https://www.buildings.com/buzz/buildings-buzz/entryid/227/benefits-of-solar-lighting. Solar-powered spotlights: A solar spotlight boasts as being among the brightest of the solar family. It notes to produce light that is comparable to that of a 40-watt incandescent bulb. You can set these to highlight a focal point for which you want to bring special attention. Some people like to do this with their front door entryway and some have specific beloved garden elements they want to stand out. You can get these with the option of motion detection, so they come on when there is any type of movement. A motion-detected spotlight would be helpful at the entrance to a house or company front entry as people approach. Or you can merely have those that stay on. The main issue facing the environment is the ever-expanding carbon footprint that stems from energy production through the use of non-renewable sources. There are genuinely simplistic things that each person can do in an effort to reduce their impact. And solar lights are not only a way to do a good thing for the planet, but they are also a way for you to add cost-effective light sources to any environment. Click here to learn the benefits. The issue that some people face in going green or clean is that the price point for items such as the solar lights themselves can prove to be somewhat stifling at first glance. But when you take into consideration the amount of money that you save with energy bills, not to mention supplies such as light bulbs, you’ll see that you will truly get your money back and some. The amount of money in light bulbs for regular lighting alone can be incredible. When you purchase solar lights, there’s no added expense after that point. They have the potential to last for years with very little maintenance, if any. Solar lights provide an unlimited source of power if you place them where they can make contact with the sun. It’s an ideal alternative to any other resource, such as electricity. Going green doesn’t have to take tons of effort or be exhaustive. You can start small, and solar lights are ideal for

A new district energy centre has been opened in Newcastle as part of a commitment to tackle climate change in the area by saving more than 30,000 tonnes of carbon over 40 years. The energy centre is being officially launched by ENGIE UK, in partnership with Newcastle City Council. The official launch event, which took place on Wednesday, January 15, saw the district energy centre – which forms part of a wider £20m low carbon scheme within the City – further boosting Newcastle’s commitment to tackling climate change by saving more than 30,000 tonnes of carbon over 40 years. The facility on the flagship Newcastle Helix site, will use a 5km network of underground pipes to supply heating and cooling to 10 buildings and up to 450 homes on site. Using heat and power created through the use of low carbon and cost-effective energy solutions, including natural gas fired CHP (Combined Heat and Power), the centre also generates chilled water and cooling facilities and electricity to neighbouring buildings. It’s hoped the new centre will be the first of many innovative energy projects resulting from the Regenerate Newcastle Partnership; a joint venture between ENGIE and Newcastle City Council, to develop and operate district energy schemes within the City over a 40-year term. Nicola Lovett, Chief Executive of ENGIE UK and Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be marking the completion of the new Helix Energy Centre, the first of what we hope will be many innovative low carbon energy projects delivered by our long-term partnership with Newcastle City Council. “With local authorities playing an increasingly key role in the drive to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions, ENGIE is committed to using its expertise to support Newcastle with its climate goals and on its journey to becoming a zero carbon city by 2030.”  The centre has been made possible with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Government’s Local Growth Deal through the North East Local Enterprise Partnership. Leader of Newcastle City Council, Cllr Nick Forbes, said: “Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet so it’s incumbent on all of us to do what we can to reduce our carbon emissions. “Last year we declared a climate change emergency and since then have set up a Climate Change Convention and are putting in place a range of measures to make the city carbon zero by 2030. “The opening of the District Energy Centre is a significant boost to our climate change credentials and will provide affordable and sustainable heating to residents and cutting-edge businesses which are bringing high quality jobs to the city,” added Cllr Forbes, who also chairs the council’s Climate Change Committee. Helix District Energy Centre is the first innovative scheme in a venture to develop District Energy in the Newcastle city boundaries as part of the Regenerate Newcastle Partnership.

Amey has joined forces with a specialist supplier in the augmented reality field to develop a new app to address ‘unflushables’ in the sewer network. The firm will utilise ClicksandLinks technology to show householders right before their eyes how flushing the wrong items would block their drains and sewers. The app allows sewer operatives to ‘overlay’ a typical sewer network on a customer’s property or surrounding area on their Android mobile phone. The app then runs animations which mock-up how ‘unflushable blockages’ are formed in real time. It will be piloted across the Severn Trent contract, which serves 4 million properties and 8 million customers across the area. Currently, blockages are the most frequent waste issue reported to all water companies, with around 70% of sewer blockages on the network caused by unflushables, such as fats, oils, grease, wet wipes etc. Amey is hoping that the app will be an effective way to increase customer understanding about the impact unflushables have on the water network, and help to prevent future blockages. Speaking about the app, Ben Hawkins from Amey’s innovation team, said: “The UK water industry spends about £90m a year clearing sewer blockages. Many of these are caused by putting unflushables down the drain. This app is the first of its kind and demonstrates Amey’s commitment to using new technology, in increasingly tech-reliant times, to help our customers visualise and solve these issues.” The app will be launched in 2020.

The team at Online Mortgage Advisor have conducted in-depth analysis on the areas of the country most at risk of flooding in the future. As well as giving users in England an idea of how ‘at risk’ their county and local authority is of flooding as a percentage, the English Flood Predictor tool also demonstrates if their local MP decided to vote for or against new climate change legislation to come into place,  as well as the flood risk for specific MP constituencies. According to the analysis* undertaken, the 10 UK counties with the most risk of flooding in percentage are: ·         East Riding of Yorkshire – 48.2% (% of the county at risk of flooding) ·         Lincolnshire – 33.21% ·         Inner London – 22.8% ·         Somerset – 18.3% ·         Surrey – 11.27% ·         Berkshire – 10.85% ·         Cambridgeshire – 10.83% ·         Leicestershire – 10.45% ·         Norfolk – 10.34% ·         Nottinghamshire – 10.1% Furthermore, the English constituencies with the highest proportion of properties with a ‘high risk’ of flooding, alongside their relevant MP’s voting record, emerged as follows: Constituencies MP’s & Voting Records   Constituency % at ‘High Risk’ MP Name Party Voted? 1 Boston & Skegness 10.81% Matt Warman Conservative Against 2 Runnymeade & Weybridge 8.05% Phillip Hammond Independent For & Against 3 East Devon 6.09% Hugo Swire Conservative Against 4 Calder Valley 4.56% Craig Whittaker Conservative Against 5 Louth & Horncastle 4.21% Victoria Atkins Conservative Against 6 Windsor 4% Adam Afriyie Conservative Against 7 Leeds Central 3.91% Hillary Benn Labour For 8 Loughborough 3.33% Nicky Morgan Conservative Against 9 Westmorland & Lonsdale 3.26% Tim Farron Liberal Democrat For 10 Rochester & Strood 3.25% Kelly Tolhurst Conservative Against Pete Mugleston, Mortgage Expert at Online Mortgage Advisor, commented: “With reports on flood-ravaged towns and villages up and down England dominating the recent news agenda following periods of heavy rain – and many worried about how their homes and areas might fare should the weather take a turn for the worse again – we wanted to showcase to English inhabitants precisely how at risk their homes are of flooding in the future. “With a general election just around the corner, we also built the English Flood Predictor in a bid to help those living in areas at a risk of flooding to understand how much emphasis their local MP’s put on the environment and tackling the effects of global warming.”

Kier is set to continue serving 1.8 million customers across the South West after being named on the new Network Services Alliance (NSA) Water Framework. The contractor was successfully reappointed to the South West Water framework as it continues to develop its long-standing relationship with the national utility. The framework, which is part of AMP7, will begin in April 2020 for an initial three-year period with the potential for a five-year extension.   Under the framework, Kier will continue to deliver both planned and 24/7 reactive services including mains network repair and maintenance, metering, new connections and developer services to SWW customers. A new scope of works for AMP7 will now also include waste reactive network and developer services into the contract. Barry McNicholas, group managing director at Kier Utilities and Rail, said: “It’s testament to our long-standing relationship with South West Water that we have been awarded these ongoing AMP7 works. Delivering quality services for 1.8 million customers in the South West has been our focus for over 25 years and we are looking forward to continuing to ensure this vital infrastructure is maintained to the same high standard and working in collaboration with South West Water to offer an industry leading experience for its customers.” Iain Vosper, South West Water’s Operations Director – Drinking Water Services, added: “The Network Services Alliance (NSA) contract is our most significant operational contract between 2020 and 2025.
 “The NSA contract has been a key strategic contract for SWW that has been successful in delivering network distribution, metering and new connection activity since 2016/17 for both South West Water and Bournemouth Water regions. The collaborative approach the business took to the tender process has resulted in the inclusion of similar activities across the water, wastewater and engineering directorates to target greater efficiencies in activities previously undertaken under separate contracts. “This is an exciting time for South West Water and Kier, as we have both accepted stretching and challenging performance metrics, delivering industry-leading service to our customers.”