Blog entries from Ellie Austin

What does the Lib-Con Coalition mean for greener homes?

Ellie Austin — Thu, 20 May 2010 09:15:29 +0100

I’m feeling quite positive about the coalition and what it could mean for greener homes in the UK. During the fraught talks on those crucial days post-election as the new coalition was formed, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had plenty of big issues that they disagreed on, not least of all nuclear power. Despite this, there does seem to be an element of consensus on environmental issues between the parties and they have agreed on policies around a smart grid, renewabRead More...

Will the Chancellor’s Green Investment Bank help pay for low carbon homes?

Ellie Austin — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:36:43 +0100

This week the Chancellor published the Budget for 2010 which received some pretty mixed reactions. In terms of the green measures, there were a range of announcements including support for the renewables industry, both small and large, some extra cash to help low carbon businesses and green manufacturers, plus some boosts to promote energy efficiency.

For me, the most interesting announcements were around a so-called ‘Green Investment Bank’. Here at UK-GBC we were verRead More...

Sounds like a good idea…but how will PAYS work?

Ellie Austin — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0100

We know we need to do something radical to reduce the contribution of our nation’s homes to the UK’s overall carbon emissions: 27% of UK emissions come from the homes that have already been built. But what practical steps can be taken to reduce emissions? And how can we make this simple so that every home in the UK is at least properly insulated?

Last week the team here at the UK Green Building Council published a new report about the so-called ‘Pay As You Save&Read More...