Scam concerns over the new Energy Certificate

ONE MONTH since the introduction of the new Energy Efficiency Certificate and already there are major concerns with scams offering cheap certificates. It’s hardly surprising that the new legislation has bought out the cowboys. What is surprising to the professionals is how fast the illegal marketing has occurred.

“A general reduction of prices is not bad in itself,” says Fidel Perez Montes, Director of Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía, IDAE, “the problem is whether this reduction is accompanied by suspicious practices.”

For example, the Colegio de Aparejadores de Madrid has discovered advertisers that guarantee the highest rating (A), "something that turns the certificate in to a mere triviality when the initiative is crucial if we want to reduce CO² emissions to achieve more energy efficient homes and buildings," says Jesús Paños, President of the college.

José Antonio Galdón

Another malpractice is to offer the certificate without visiting the premises "This is not acceptable in anyway," says Jose Antonio Galdón, President of the General Council of Industrial Engineering of Spain, who explains “the Royal Decree requires a skilled and authorized professional to survey the property.”

Further concerns are about the cost of the certificate compared to the prices in the UK. Energy Performance Certificates were introduced in England and Wales in 2007 as part of the Home Information Packs (HIPs) for domestic properties. When the requirement for HIPs was removed in May 2010, the requirement for EPCs continued and this created a price war between assessors gunning for work. Some of those same assessors are offering their services here, which they are not legally authorised to do.

An EEC must be issued by an architect, engineer, or a qualified technician who is authorised to undertake building projects and thermal installations for buildings (this is important because not all architects and engineers are certified). They must belong to an official provincial association (colegio oficial) and have a member number. This allows them to offer their services professionally. If the assessor is not authorised then it will be impossible to register the certificate.

Jose Antonio Galdón emphasizes that for a house, "I would become suspicious of those who offer cheap certificates. The price you should expect to pay is between 200 and 300 euros per household". 

This price is the average cost of an Energy Efficiency Certificate across mainland Europe. In addition, those who breach the rules are liable for prosecution with fines up to 6,000 euros.

Al Gore hails President Obama's Climate Change Speech as "Historic"

PRESIDENT OBAMA lays out his vision for a comprehensive plan to reduce carbon pollution, prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change, and lead global efforts to fight it.

"We don't have time for a meeting of the Flat Earth Society" warned Obama, "sticking your head in the sand might make you feel safer, but it's not going to protect you from the coming storm!"

Environmental activist and former Vice President Al Gore hailed President Barack Obama's climate change speech at Georgetown University on Tuesday as "historic" and "the best address on climate by any president ever."

"I applaud the new measures announced by President Barack Obama this afternoon to help solve the climate crisis -- particularly the decision to limit global warming pollution from existing as well as new power plants," Gore wrote on his blog. "Following the important pledges he made in both his inaugural address and State of the Union speech earlier this year, and the historic gains in renewable energy and fuel efficiency that the President delivered in his first term, the policy changes he announced today represent important steps forward in the battle to halt catastrophic climate disruption."

In his speech, Obama invoked his executive authority to undertake a wide range of measures aimed at curbing climate change and its impacts. Of particular import to Gore was the president's directive to the Environmental Protection Agency to move forward with climate change regulations to limit carbon emissions from existing coal- and gas-fired utilities.

"This action -- if followed by skillful and thorough execution of the plan -- has the potential to fundamentally alter the course of our nation's energy infrastructure development and help to promote a sustainable future," he wrote. "On the international front, this action will bolster U.S. credibility and moral authority in negotiations with other countries."

The comments came after Gore -- who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in climate advocacy -- made a rare appearance on Capitol Hill to support the efforts of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), whom Gore has described as the Senate's leading advocate for solving the climate crisis.

It looks like Obama, too, has earned a gold star.

Source: The Huffington Post

President Obama is Taking Action on Climate Change

AT 7:35PM CET (1:35pm EDT) Tuesday 25th June President Obama will speak at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. on the growing threat of climate change. He will lay out his vision of where we need to go, to do what we can to address and prepare for the serious implications of a changing climate. Tune in at www.whitehouse.gov/live

Use a Home Energy Monitor to Calculate your Electricity Use

USING A home energy monitor can save you money on your electricity bill by helping you understand how much energy you are using, how much that energy is costing you, and which appliances use the most energy.

It’s a device that provides real time feedback on electrical use. Not to be confused with Smart Meters, these are portable household devices used for displaying energy usage and cost, as well as CO² emissions.

Used together with on line monitoring software, home electricity information can be viewed in real time on a laptop, tablet or smart phone. Energy monitoring systems can provide an array of historical information for tracking energy consumption. This produces several benefits including viewing how much you have spent on electricity over a specified period and the ability to set a budget on how much you want to spend. 

A home energy monitor is not intended to check the accuracy your electric meter but it could serve as a useful guide if you suspect your meter maybe faulty or if you suspect your electricity supply is being illegally tapped into.

Efergy is a global leader in the manufacturing of energy monitoring systems having sold over 800k energy monitors and 250k energy saving products in over 50 countries. There range of energy monitor products are designed to make it easy for any home or small business owner to quickly and effectively reduce their use of electrical energy.

According to Gavin Munro, Communications Manager at Efergy Technologies, "Spain is one of our biggest markets, people are very aware of power consumption. We have performed surveys and had our products vetted independently, and an accurate figure on how much the user saves is 17%. The units themselves don't save any money, but they encourage behavioural change through awareness. Our customers tend to look at their displays around 5 times a day...it becomes a habit, a bit like checking email! Through this constant monitoring people very quickly figure out their consumption behaviour and where to make positive changes to reduce waste consumption."

In 2009 a European Commission recognised the company for its innovative contribution to a successful domestic energy-saving campaign in Sabadell in northern Spain achieving an average monthly saving in households of 14.3%.

This week sees the launch of the Efergy engage app for iPad allowing remote monitoring. Check out their full range of energy saving products at www.efergy.com

Though ultimately it depends on you actively changing your bad habits, a Home Energy Monitor system provides you with all the tools needed to do just that.

Global Wind Day 2013

GLOBAL AWARENESS days are a bit like London red buses, they show up in 3's. We recently had Earth Day 2013, then earlier this month World Environment Day, now today it's Global Wind Day.

I can easily think of a few ambassadors for Global Wind Day but on a serious note... it is a day for discovering wind, its power and the possibilities it holds to change our world. Global Wind Day is a worldwide event that occurs annually on 15 June.

In more than 75 countries around the world, wind farms are in operation, generating energy from a clean and renewable source.

Thousands of individuals are involved in the production of energy from the wind, but for many people, wind energy is a mystery. Global Wind Day is the day when you can visit wind farms, meet experts, attend events, take actions to support wind energy and find out everything you want to know about wind energy.

The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) coordinate the Global Wind Day through a network of partners. The day started as a European one in 2007 and went Global in 2009. On 15 June, hundreds of public events are organised all over the world.

In Spain from 3-15 June you might notice the special Global Wind Day lottery tickets. Some five million special tickets have been printed, in association with ONCE – the Spanish association for blind people, and the lottery will be drawn on Global Wind Day itself.

AVEN issue model Energy Label

THE VALENCIAN Energy Agency (AVEN) has published a model for the energy label based on the label outlined by the Ministerio de Industia, Energia y Turismo.

An energy label will be issued by the authorised registration body for each Autonomous Community once the Energy Efficiency Certificate is registered.

Submitting an unauthorised EEC will be treated as false documentation and will be subject to penalties. Ensure the certificate is issued by a qualified professional who is registered at the official provincial association (colegio oficial).

For more information about the energy label published by the Ministro de Industria, Energia y Turismo click here

World Environment Day 2013 - Think.Eat.Save

THIS YEAR'S World Environment Day celebrations support Think.Eat.Save, an anti-food waste and food loss campaign encouraging everyone to reduce their foodprint.

Every year 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted, equivalent to the same amount produced in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, 1 in every 7 people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 die daily from hunger. 

Given this enormous imbalance in lifestyles and the resultant devastating effects on the environment, Think.Eat.Save encourages everyone to become more aware of the environmental impact of the food choices and empowers individuals and organisations to make informed decisions. 

We are asking people to act, by spreading this message, to reduce food waste and protect our environment.

Registry established for Murcia

JUST PUBLISHED in the Official Boletin for the Region of Murcia (BORM) is an order dated 24th May 2013 announcing the creation of a register for the Autonomous Community of Murcia to regulate Energy Efficiency Certificates for buildings.

In accordance with the Royal Decree approving the basic procedure for certification of energy efficiency in buildings each Autonomous Community is obligated to create a registry within three months of the RD coming into force.

At the moment there is only one way to register an EEC in Murcia. That is by presenting the certificate to the "ventanilla única", located in your local town hall. In the future it is expected that it will be possible to register an EEC online at www.carm.es, but for now it can only be done in person. 

We await an official announcement regarding the registry for EECs in the Autonomous Community of Valencia.