Energy efficiency

Councils key objectives

Energy Efficiency and Affordable Warmth in Solihull.

One of the Councils key objectives is to improve the quality of life for residents of the Borough. This should include ensuring the most vulnerable members of the community are able to afford to heat their homes to desired levels is a pre-requisite. There are approximately 83,500 properties in Solihull, of which 79% are owner-occupied, 15% are rented from the Council, 2% from RSLs and 3% from private landlords.

A significant aspect of concern in this area of energy conservation is fuel poverty. The main causes of "fuel poverty" have been identified as, low incomes, poor housing conditions and high fuel prices. Those particularly at risk are older people, lone parent families, the unemployed, people with disabilities and young people in receipt of benefits, being particularly at risk.

Fuel poverty in the UK is defined as "a household which has to spend in excess of 10% of its income in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime" (21° C in the living room and 18° C in the other occupied rooms).

The Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (HECA) requires all local authorities to submit to the Secretary of State an annual Energy Conservation report identifying their policies and strategies that are likely to result in a significant improvement in the energy efficiency of all housing in their area.

Solihull has set a target to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% by 2010, (based on CO2 emission levels in 1995). Solihull is committed to meeting the Government target in relation to the eradication of fuel poverty by 2010 in vulnerable groups and the eradication of fuel poverty in all domestic dwellings by 2016. The UK Fuel Poverty Strategy suggests about 4 million households in England in 1996 were in fuel poverty. DEFRA looked at Regional fuel poverty in 1998 and suggested 16.4% of households in England and 20% in the West Midlands were fuel poor. A fuel poverty risk assessment undertaken in Solihull indicated a baseline figure of 6,440 fuel poor households at 31st March 2004.

The assessment update for 2005/06 indicates a rise in fuel poverty to 10,675 households due to the fact that fuel price increases have more than cancelled out the fuel cost reductions achieved from the installation of energy efficiency measures.

Energy Efficiency Assessment

The SAP is the Government's recommended system for energy rating of dwellings. The Standard Assessment Procedure is used for calculating the SAP rating, on a scale from 1 to 120, based on the annual energy costs for space and water heating and also for calculating the Carbon Index, on a scale of 0.0 to 10.0, based on the annual CO2 emissions associated with space and water heating. The SAP rating is used to fulfil requirements of the Building Regulations to notify and display an energy rating in new dwellings.