Publications
Standards And Guidance
Please view our Standards and Guidance section for more information.
AECB Research
- Comparing energy use and CO2 emissions from natural ventilation and MVHR in a Passivhaus house A CarbonLite Information Paper
- Projecting energy use and CO2 emissions from low energy buildings - A Comparison of PHPP with SAP
- The Green Electricity Illusion - Full paper
- The Green Electricity Illusion - summary
In this paper written for AECB, David Olivier demolishes the myth that the availability of "green" electricity tarrifs makes electric heating in some way "low carbon" and shows that instead, it is more like "double carbon".
In this research paper, and a summary of the paper (first published in Green Building) David Olivier explains the true carbon cost of specifying electric heating.
He points out that electric heating is energy- inefficient, and regardless of the tariff, if more electricity gets used, more will have to be generated. Because there is no spare renewable generating capacity, the only way to increase electricity supply is to burn more fossil fuel. If more people sign up to a "renewable" tariff, it merely increases the "share" of fossil fuel in everyone else's electricity.
In these papers, David Olivier sets out the way that current building standards give an artificial "get out" for electric heating, allowing electrically-heated buildings to sell themselves as greener than they really are.
At the same time, because electric heating is inefficient, it is expensive to run - though conveniently for developers and landlords, it is often cheap to install. But should electricity prices rise to reflect the true carbon cost, buildings designed to be dependent on electricity will be extremely expensive to convert to truly green energy sources (such as local heat and power systems) in future - they will turn out instead to be expensive relics that no-one can afford to live in.
Consultation Responses
- Renewable Heat Incentive: Consultation on the proposed financial support scheme AECB response: background and evidence
- AECB response to DECC questions
- Consultation on proposed changes to the Government's Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP)
- Heat Strategy - Call for Evidence; Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR)
- Code for Sustainable Homes Consultation