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Please note that telephone/fax
numbers for Environmental Protection staff with current numbers
of the form 020 7944 xxxx will change from 29 September.
New numbers will be prefixed with the code 020 7082 followed by
a (changed) four digit extension number.
From that date, please contact the Defra switchboard on 020 7238
6000 if you don't know the new number of the person you are trying
to contact. We will update individual contact numbers on these web
pages as soon as possible.
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Energy - gas and electricity - used in the home is responsible for 25%
of the UK's carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas
produced when electricity is generated or gas is burned, is a major contributor
to climate change ("global warming"). Improved energy efficiency is therefore
a key element of the UK Climate
Change Programme, which sets out the full range of activity envisaged.
Wasting less energy saves money (significant improvements in energy efficiency
can usually be achieved for low capital outlay and with a short payback
period), creates jobs and helps make industry more competitive. Energy
efficiency measures also improve the quality of housing, helping bring
warmer, healthier homes to old and vulnerable people living in fuel poverty.
Latest News
Further details
More information on Defra's energy efficiency activity is available as
follows:
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Delivery of the Energy White Paper; the
Energy Efficiency Implementation Plan; and the Government's Response
to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's 22nd Report 'Energy
- The Changing Climate'.
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Our strategy for tackling Fuel Poverty,
and the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme - now marketed
as the Warm Front Team - bringing warmer, healthier homes to people
living in fuel poverty
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2002/3 Energy Survey: A survey
of household energy consumption is being undertaken in England during
the Winter of 2002/03. The survey will begin during the first week
of December 2002 and will be completed by April 2003. As part of this
survey approximately 5,000 households will be asked to take part.
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Sustainable buildings initiative:
A Better Buildings Summit was jointly convened by ODPM, DTI and Defra
on 21 October 2003, bringing together all key stakeholders to consider
how best we can improve the sustainability of all aspects of construction
and the key role that sustainable buildings will have in helping us
meet our energy efficiency goals. More information on this Energy
White Paper commitment and external links to all summit papers is
available here. 
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The Energy Efficiency Commitment for
2002 to 2005 - requiring electricity and gas suppliers to achieve
targets for the promotion of improvements in domestic energy efficiency.
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Local government energy efficiency activity
(including the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995).
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Lighting and appliances which use less energy are good for the environment
and for the consumer - see details of the Market Transformation Programme
and Energy Labels for
Refrigeration and Washing Appliances.
See also Energy labelling
of household air conditioners and electric ovens: Consultation on
New Regulations for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
(closing date 30 August 2002)
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A Climate Change Levy now applies to energy used by businesses (and
the public sector). For energy-intensive industries, specific arrangements
will apply where agreements have been negotiated with the Government.
For more details, see the pages on the Climate
Change Levy and Energy Efficiency Agreements. In parallel, an
enhanced capital allowances scheme provides for firms making energy
saving investments (see "External links", below).
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Combined heat and power (CHP) - is a
particularly efficient way of generating power that is actively promoted
by Defra. Details of the various support and promotion mechanisms,
such as the CHP Quality Assurance programme (CHPQA), and the Government's
CHP Strategy to 2010 (due to be published by the end of the financial
year) are available here.
- The Community Energy programme provides
grants for community heating schemes, primarily contributing to the
Department's carbon savings and fuel poverty targets.
International Initiatives
Information on the following European Commission activities and proposals
is available:
Energy Efficiency Research
- Domestic energy fact file: England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
This document shows comparative information for the main housing and
energy efficiency criteria for each country of the UK. The information
is useful for both fuel poverty and climate change purposes as it shows
the indicative trends over the past decade. The information has been
prepared by the Building Research Establishment using the BREHOMES model.
External links
A key commitment in the Energy White Paper was to set up a new Sustainable
Energy Policy Network, a network across government departments, the devolved
administrations, regulators and key delivery organisations. The SEPN website
was launched on 4th June at www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn.
The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Partnership (REEEP) is an international partnership launched at WSSD.
Action Energy (formerly the Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme)
and Envirowise produce an extensive range of information, aimed at professionals
and advisers in industry, commerce, business transport, public sector
and buildings. For details:
- Ring the Environment and Energy Helpline on Freephone 0800 58 57 94
- Visit the following Web Sites:
- Information on the energy efficiency of boilers is available from
the Boiler Efficiency Database web
site.
The Government-funded Energy Saving Trust runs a number of programmes
to promote energy efficiency, including the "Energy Efficiency" campaign.
Details can be obtained by:
Information on the Enhanced Capital Allowances scheme
proposed for business under the Climate Change Levy is available from
the Enhanced Capital Allowances web
site.
Contacting Defra
If you want further information regarding energy efficiency activities,
then you should first consult the pages indexed above. If you then need
to contact Defra, you can use the following e-mail addresses:
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