Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006
Encyclopedia
The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 (c 19) is an Act
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
which aims to boost the number of heat
and electricity
microgeneration
installations in the United Kingdom, so helping to cut carbon emissions and reduce fuel poverty
.
The Act was piloted through the House of Commons
as a Private Member's Bill
by Mark Lazarowicz
, MP
.
The Rt Hon Eric Forth
MP, a well known opponent of Private Members' Bills who often fillibustered them in Parliament, died during the passage of this bill through Parliament, after having prolonged the debate during Third Reading and Report for a number of days.
technologies are seen as having considerable potential by the Government. Microgeneration involves the local production of electricity by homes and businesses from low-energy sources including small scale wind turbines, ground source heat pumps and solar electricity installations.
The Government's own microgeneration strategy was launched in March 2006 was seen as a disappointment by many commentators http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4858766.stm. In contrast, the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act has been viewed as a positive step
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
which aims to boost the number of heat
Heat
In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...
and electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
microgeneration
Microgeneration
Microgeneration is the small-scale generation of heat and power by individuals, small businesses and communities to meet their own needs, as alternatives or supplements to traditional centralized grid-connected power...
installations in the United Kingdom, so helping to cut carbon emissions and reduce fuel poverty
Fuel poverty
A household is said to be in fuel poverty when they cannot afford to keep adequately warm at reasonable cost, given it's income. The term is mainly used in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, although the concept also applies everywhere in the world where poverty may be present.As the term fuel...
.
The Act was piloted through the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
as a Private Member's Bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
by Mark Lazarowicz
Mark Lazarowicz
Mark Lazarowicz, is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith since 2001...
, MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
The Rt Hon Eric Forth
Eric Forth
Eric Forth was a British politician. He was the Conservative Member of the European Parliament for Birmingham North, then Member of Parliament for Mid Worcestershire and finally Bromley and Chislehurst at his death. He served as a junior minister in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John...
MP, a well known opponent of Private Members' Bills who often fillibustered them in Parliament, died during the passage of this bill through Parliament, after having prolonged the debate during Third Reading and Report for a number of days.
Microgeneration in the United Kingdom
MicrogenerationMicrogeneration
Microgeneration is the small-scale generation of heat and power by individuals, small businesses and communities to meet their own needs, as alternatives or supplements to traditional centralized grid-connected power...
technologies are seen as having considerable potential by the Government. Microgeneration involves the local production of electricity by homes and businesses from low-energy sources including small scale wind turbines, ground source heat pumps and solar electricity installations.
The Government's own microgeneration strategy was launched in March 2006 was seen as a disappointment by many commentators http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4858766.stm. In contrast, the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act has been viewed as a positive step
The Act
The principal measures in the act are to:- require the Secretary of State (DEFRA) to report annually on greenhouse gas emissions during the year plus steps taken to cut them;
- require local authorities to take into account the content of a new 'energy measures report' that the Secretary of State will be required to publish within one year from the signing of the Act;
- require the Secretary of State to set national microgeneration targets no later than 31 March 2009;
- require the Secretary of State to expand the annual reports on progress towards sustainable energy aims (under the Sustainable Energy Act 2003), to include:
- progress in meeting the microgeneration targets;
- progress in meeting the target (under the Housing Act 2004Housing Act 2004The Housing Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It introduces Home Information Packs, which came into force for homes of four or more bedrooms on 1 August 2007. It also significantly extends the regulation of houses in multiple occupation by requiring HMOs to be licensed...
) for the energy efficiency of residential accommodation in EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
; - progress in meeting the target (under the Housing Act 2004) for the emissions of carbon dioxide in England;
- progress in meeting the target (under the Housing Act 2004) for the number of households in which one or more persons are living in fuel povertyFuel povertyA household is said to be in fuel poverty when they cannot afford to keep adequately warm at reasonable cost, given it's income. The term is mainly used in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, although the concept also applies everywhere in the world where poverty may be present.As the term fuel...
; - things done to promote community energy projects;
- things done to promote the use of heat from renewable sources.
- give the Secretary of State the power to impose a duty on energy companies to buy energy from microgeneration schemes, if the industry fails to create a voluntary scheme within one year.
- introduce a statutory review that, it is hoped, may change permitted developmentPermitted developmentPermitted development is an aspect of town and country planning in the United Kingdom which allows people to undertake minor development under a deemed grant of planning permission, therefore removing the need to submit a planning application...
orders to allow certain domestic microgeneration without the need for planning permissionPlanning permissionPlanning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
. A consultation period on the proposed changes ends on June 27, 2007. - make changes to the Building Regulations to:
- include microgeneration within their scope;
- increasing to two years the time limit for prosecuting contraventions of the Building Regulations relating to energy use, energy conservation or carbon emissions;
- require the Secretary of State to report on compliance with these aspects of the Building Regulations and steps proposed to increase compliance.
- change the energy efficiency provisions of the Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989 to carbon emission based targets;
- require the Secretary of State to report on the contribution that can be made by dynamic demand technology to cutting greenhouse gas emissions;
- require the Secretary of State to promote community energy projects;
- permit parish councils and community councilCommunity councilA community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies...
s to incur expenditure (under the Local Government Act 1972Local Government Act 1972The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
) to encourage or promote microgeneration, biomassBiomassBiomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
production, biomassBiomassBiomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
fuels, and energy efficiency measures; - give a duty to the Secretary of State to promote the use of heat from renewable sources;
- modify the Electricity Act 1989 to enable Renewables Obligation CertificatesRenewables ObligationThe Renewables Obligation is designed to encourage generation of electricity from eligible renewable sources in the United Kingdom. It was introduced in England and Wales and in a different form in Scotland in April 2002 and in Northern Ireland in April 2005, replacing the Non-Fossil Fuel...
to be issued to a wider range of people and organisations; - modify the Energy Act 2004Energy Act 2004The Energy Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Section 198 - Short title, commencement and extent:The following orders have been made under this section:* *...
with the aim of capping charges for the transmission of renewable electricity produced in the Scottish islandsGeography of ScotlandThe geography of Scotland is highly varied, from rural lowlands to barren uplands, and from large cities to uninhabited islands. Located in north-west Europe, Scotland comprises the northern one third of the island of Great Britain...
, so reducing production costs and encouraging wind powerWind power in the United KingdomBy mid-2011, the installed capacity of wind power in the United Kingdom was over 5.7 gigawatts and the UK is ranked as the world’s eighth largest producer of wind power. Wind power is expected to continue growing in the UK for the foreseeable future, RenewableUK estimates that more than...
and wave powerWave powerWave power is the transport of energy by ocean surface waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful work — for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or the pumping of water...
.
Microgeneration technologies
For the purposes of the Act, microgeneration technologies include:- biomassBiomassBiomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
- biofuelBiofuelBiofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases...
s - fuel cellFuel cellA fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used...
s - photovoltaics
- water (including wave powerWave powerWave power is the transport of energy by ocean surface waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful work — for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or the pumping of water...
and tidal powerTidal powerTidal power, also called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into useful forms of power - mainly electricity....
) - wind powerWind power in the United KingdomBy mid-2011, the installed capacity of wind power in the United Kingdom was over 5.7 gigawatts and the UK is ranked as the world’s eighth largest producer of wind power. Wind power is expected to continue growing in the UK for the foreseeable future, RenewableUK estimates that more than...
- solar powerSolar powerSolar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
- geothermal sourcesGeothermal powerGeothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth's geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of minerals...
- combined heat and power systemsCogenerationCogeneration is the use of a heat engine or a power station to simultaneously generate both electricity and useful heat....
See also
- Climate Change Act 2008
- Energy policy of the United KingdomEnergy policy of the United KingdomThe current energy policy of the United Kingdom is set out in the Energy White Paper of May 2007 and Low Carbon Transition Plan of July 2009, building on previous work including the 2003 Energy White Paper and the Energy Review Report in 2006...
- Energy efficiency in British housingEnergy efficiency in British housingDomestic housing in the United Kingdom presents a possible opportunity for achieving the 20% overall cut in UK carbon dioxide emissions targeted by the Government for 2010...
- MicrogenerationMicrogenerationMicrogeneration is the small-scale generation of heat and power by individuals, small businesses and communities to meet their own needs, as alternatives or supplements to traditional centralized grid-connected power...
- Sustainable energySustainable energySustainable energy is the provision of energy that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable energy sources include all renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal...
- United Kingdom Climate Change ProgrammeUnited Kingdom Climate Change ProgrammeThe United Kingdom's Climate Change Programme was launched in November 2000 by the British government in response to its commitment agreed at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development...
External links
Media stories
- March 9, 2006, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, Is DIY power generation going to be the next big thing?
UK Legislation
- Explanatory notes to the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006.