Energy
New Indicator Measures Fuel Poverty Levels in Hertfordshire
Access to clean, secure and affordable energy to heat and power our homes and work places is essential for maintaining a good quality of life. Whether it is the combined effects of high energy prices and poorly insulated homes leading to fuel poverty and its associated health and economic issues, or the impacts on climate change, our consumption of energy has wide ranging consequences.
Renewable Energy in Hertfordshire
Greater use of renewable sources to produce our energy is key to tackling climate change and ensuring a secure supply of heat and electricity. Using sources such as wind, solar and biomass; and waste products such as sewerage and landfill gases, reduces the use of fossil fuels and their consequent carbon dioxide emissions.
Latest figures (as of June 2009) from Renewables East confirm that the East of England remains the leading region for the generation of renewable energy. However, Hertfordshire’s contribution to the region’s success is limited as the figures presented below indicate.
East of England installed generating capacity (MW) from renewables by county
| Beds | Cam | Essx | Hert | Nfolk | Sfolk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onshore wind | - | 98.83 | - | 0.23 | 21.45 | 2.75 |
| Biomass | 0.79 | 36.85 | 12.77 | 2.88 | 41.50 | 20.72 |
| Landfill gas | 49.21 | 17.86 | 87.83 | 6.16 | 15.60 | 14.75 |
| Sewerage gas | 0.56 | 0.34 | 0.34 | 1.48 | 3.14 | - |
| Micro-gen(<50kW) | 0.02 | 0.09 | 0.11 | 0.06 | 0.15 | 0.13 |
Source: East of England Renewable Energy Statistics, Renewables East, June 2009
Energy Consumption in the Residential Sector
For the second consecutive year residential gas use figures show reduced consumption in all districts in 2007, creating an overall decline in the county of around 1% compared to 2006. Eight districts saw a small fall in domestic electricity consumption whilst the remainder consumed slightly more than in 2006.
Table 1: 2007 Gas consumption and resulting carbon dioxide emissions from domestic sources
Table 1: Gas consumption and carbon dioxide produced as a result in each district in the residential sector
| District | Gas Consumption GWh | CO2Tonnes Produced |
|---|---|---|
| Broxbourne | 589 | 108,073 |
| Dacorum | 1,020 | 187,341 |
| East Hertfordshire | 859 | 157,773 |
| Hertsmere | 759 | 139,421 |
| North Hertfordshire | 809 | 148,562 |
| St Albans | 1,067 | 195,805 |
| Stevenage | 520 | 95,451 |
| Three Rivers | 689 | 126,431 |
| Watford | 589 | 108,165 |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 743 | 136,434 |
| County | 7,645 | 1,403,455 |
Source: Consumption data: DECC March 2009 CO2 values: Defra September 2009. 1 GWh = 100,000 kWh
Table 2: 2007 Electricity consumption and resulting carbon dioxide emissions from domestic sources
| District | Electricity Consumption GWh1 | CO2 Tonnes Produced |
|---|---|---|
| Broxbourne | 185 | 94,484 |
| Dacorum | 282 | 145,080 |
| East Hertfordshire | 307 | 157,969 |
| Hertsmere | 202 | 104,001 |
| North Hertfordshire | 254 | 130,338 |
| St Albans | 271 | 139,056 |
| Stevenage | 142 | 72,083 |
| Three Rivers | 181 | 93,250 |
| Watford | 159 | 81,962 |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 202 | 104,097 |
| County | 2,186 | 1,123,521 |
Source: Consumption data: DECC March 2009 CO2 values: Defra September 2009. 1 GWh = 100,000 kWh
Energy consumption in the commercial sector
Commercial sector energy consumption figures include use from offices, shops and industrial buildings. Commercial sector gas consumption fell by 6% for the county. As with residential consumption, commercial use of electricity in 2007 remained largely unchanged from 2006 figures.
Table 3: 2007 Gas consumption and resulting carbon dioxide emissions from commercial and industrial sources
| District | Consumption GWh | Tonnes Produced |
|---|---|---|
| Broxbourne | 178 | 32,664 |
| Dacorum | 292 | 53,519 |
| East Hertfordshire | 329 | 60,401 |
| Hertsmere | 318 | 58,308 |
| North Hertfordshire | 353 | 64,808 |
| St Albans | 337 | 61,892 |
| Stevenage | 347 | 63,613 |
| Three Rivers | 171 | 31,424 |
| Watford | 190 | 34,837 |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 363 | 66,585 |
| County | 2,876 | 528,053 |
Source: Consumption data: DECC March 2009 CO2 values: Defra September 2009. 1 GWh = 100,000 kWh
Table 4: 2007 Electricity consumption and resulting carbon dioxide emissions from commercial and industrial sources
| District | Electricity Consumption GWh | CO2Tonnes Produced |
|---|---|---|
| Broxbourne | 228 | 117,052 |
| Dacorum | 303 | 155,924 |
| East Hertfordshire | 338 | 173,573 |
| Hertsmere | 314 | 161,600 |
| North Hertfordshire | 307 | 157,959 |
| St Albans | 291 | 149,379 |
| Stevenage | 332 | 170,501 |
| Three Rivers | 177 | 90,939 |
| Watford | 308 | 158,407 |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 392 | 201,643 |
| County | 2,990 | 1,536,977 |
Source: Consumption data: DECC March 2009 CO2 values: Defra September 2009. 1 GWh = 100,000 kWh
NI 187 - Fuel Poverty
Fuel poverty - where a household cannot afford to keep warm - damages the health of those living in cold homes and affects their quality of life.
The Government has an aim to ensure that, as far as reasonably practicable, people in England do not live in fuel poverty after 2016. The most widely accepted definition of a fuel poor household is one which needs to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel to maintain an adequate heating regime.
NI 187 measures progress in tackling fuel poverty through the improved energy efficiency of households inhabited by people claiming income related benefits, with success demonstrated by a reduction in low energy efficient ratings and an increase in high energy efficient ratings.
National Indicator 187 - % of people receiving income based benefits living in homes with a low/high energy efficiency rating 2008/09
Source: Hertfordshire District Council submissions to DECC, March 2009
download and view this data in excel - disclaimer
The chart above shows the NI 187 results for Hertfordshire’s ten districts for the first year of reporting. It is important to note that comparisons in the performance between authorities cannot be made due to large differences in the nature of the existing housing stock in each local authority area.
Herts Essex Energy Partnership
Hertfordshire’s 10 district councils, together with 5 partners from Essex secured over £6.5m worth of funding over two years to establish the Herts Essex Energy Partnership. Launched in July 2009, the scheme aims to tackle fuel poverty and reduce residential carbon dioxide emissions by offering subsidised and free loft and wall insulation, renewable energy installations and energy efficient boilers to qualifying residents. The scheme also offers higher cost measures for the ‘able to pay’ sector as 50% interest free loans secured on residents’ property. See www.heepgrant.org for more information on the technologies available and the qualifying criteria.