News

Free Business Energy Monitoring Kits in Derbyshire

Tue, 11 October 2011
Are you a Derbyshire-based small or medium sized business looking to reduce your energy usage and cut your bills? Then Derbyshire County Council can help you with free energy monitoring kits available to borrow for 12 weeks. The kit includes a real time monitor, separate plug-in monitors for individual pieces of equipment, monitoring forms and climate change and energy management guides. The aim is to help you know what energy you’re using and where so that you can then use less.
 
To arrange a loan contact your local Derbyshire library or call 01246 207207 to arrange collection from the Chesterfield Commerce Centre. For general enquiries about the scheme email or call 01629 538304.
 
www.derbyshire.gov.uk/council/news_events/campaigns/save_energy/business_monitors/default.asp

Cut Carbon Emissions to Prevent an Alien Attack

Tue, 11 October 2011

NASA Scientists have claimed that reducing our carbon emissions could prevent an alien attack. Extraterrestrials could view changes in the earth’s atmosphere as evidence that humans are spiralling out of control and decide to take pre-emptive action to wipe us out to ensure we don’t become a threat: ‘Humanity may just now be entering the period in which its rapid civilisational expansion could be detected by an ETI because our expansion is changing the composition of the Earth's atmosphere, via greenhouse gas emissions,’ a report states.

 http://arxiv.org/abs/1104.4462

Behaviour Change and Energy Use

Tue, 11 October 2011

A new report combining ‘behavioural economics and psychology’ explores why people make energy saving decisions and how to nudge them in the right direct direction. From the newly formed Cabinet Office's Behavioural Insights Team it considers how to increase take up of renewable energy generation and domestic energy efficient behaviours.

 www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/behaviour-change-and-energy-use.pdf

Government Failing to Back Greener Travel

Tue, 11 October 2011
Sustrans and Friends of the Earth believe that the government are failing to take value-for-money steps proven to cut traffic and carbon emissions, despite the advice of the Government's own expert advisor.
Their research shows that only a faction of £6 billion allocated to councils for Local Transport Plans is being spent on sustainable travel. This is despite specific recommendations by the Committee on Climate Change for a phased roll-out in towns and cities across the UK of Smarter Travel Choices (STCs) – schemes that promote greener travel, including walking and cycling, public transport and car sharing.
The research looked at 16 transport plans and found that an average of just 70p per head per year is being spent on STCs despite recent pilot studies in three areas showing that encouraging sustainable travel can be very cost effective.

Derbyshire County Council to Install Solar Panels

Tue, 11 October 2011

Solar panels are to be installed at Derbyshire County Council's properties, including schools, at a cost of £500,000. The investment will be paid back through the Government's Feed In Tariff incentive. The plan was reported in this article in the Derby Telegraph http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/Solar-panels-plan-set-ahead/story-12921409-detail/story.html  and has since been approved.