Everyone has a carbon footprint - it's your own personal measure of how much carbon dioxide you create and how much you contribute to climate change.
Use the Act on CO2 calculator to find out what your carbon footprint is. You'll also get a personalised action plan with recommendations about how you can help tackle climate change - including links to further information on Directgov and the Energy Saving Trust website.
UK Electricity Scenarios for 2050
UK Electricity Scenarios for 2050. Jim Watson. November 2003. Tyndall Centre for Climate Change. (pdf file link click & please wait.)
A furious ward councillor has blasted United Utilities after their contractors dumped waste material and boiled vats of red hot tar on recently landscaped public open space near the library and day centre in Golborne.
He is now urging Wigan council to claim compensation from the Warrington based UU, who are relaying electricity cables in the High Street and Tanners Lane area.(Read More)
U.K. electricity grid operator
Boston Globe - United States
With its $7.3 billion takeover of KeySpan Corp. completed yesterday, British energy giant National Grid PLC plans over the next four to six months to begin ...
The Great British Power Swindle: Consumers are being charged 10 ...
Fair Investment Company - Bristol,UK
UK electricity companies are making an extra £446 million year out of consumers through their old regional monopoly status - around £32 a year on average ...(Read More)
The Ampere Strikes Back
By Pete Smith
In a new report, 'The Ampere Strikes Back: how consumer electronics are taking over the world', the Energy Saving Trust predicts that by 2020 45% of the UK electricity, around 34TWh (terawatt-hours), will be devoted to running "gadgets" ...
The Coffee House (Read More...)
Plans to turn Scotland into the renewable-energy powerhouse of Europe are under threat from new rules being proposed by the UK electricity regulator.
Ofgem is preparing to enforce higher charges on electricity generators located further away from large population centres.
Scottish Renewables compared the planned charging structure to a ‘don't build here’ sign for the wind-farm industry and the fledging wave/tidal sector.
Ofgem is expected to approve the changes to the cost of connecting to the National Grid, which would make it more expensive for generators located further away from cities and towns.
The regulator said this would cut the amount of electricity lost as heat, as it travels along cables, saving £15 million a year and 150,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.
For a large wind farm in northern Scotland, with an annual turnover of £21 million, the connection charges would rise from £60,000 a year to £200,000, Ofgem said.
Source UK energy.
August 14 2007
MPs have called on the Goverment to have a moratorium on the building of new homes and schools near High Voltage Overhead Transmission Lines.
A Cross- Party Inquiry set up to examine in detail the association between High Voltage Overhead Transmission Lines and an increased risk of childhood leukaemia will today publish its recommendations to Government.
Its findings will call for a moratorium on the building of new homes and schools within at least 60 metres of existing High Voltage Overhead Transmission Lines (HVOTL) of 275 kV and 400 kV and on the building of new HVOTL within 60 metres of existing homes and schools and the same within 30 metres from 132 kV, 110 kV and 66 kV lines. In addition the inquiry recommends that the Government consider the case for extending this distance to 200 metres for the highest voltage lines and pro-rata to lower voltages.
The backbench parliamentarians involved in the enquiry were Nick Hurd MP, Sandra Gidley MP, Dr Ian Gibson MP, Michael Connarty MP and Dr Howard Stoate MP. They heard evidence from house builders, RICS, scientists, the electricity industry, Ofgem, the Health Protection Agency, estate agents and national and local campaign groups and legal experts.
Dr Howard Stoate MP, chair of the Cross-Party Inquiry said:
"This important Inquiry has led us to the conclusion that a moratorium on building close to high voltage power lines is absolutely necessary. We have taken evidence from a range of valid sources and we think that there is enough to warrant the immediate implementation of sound precautionary measures to protect the health of children. The most recent scientific research has indicated that there may be a link between childhood leukaemia and proximity to electricity pylons. It would be wrong to wait any longer before taking action. In representing my own constituents and the wider general public I think there is a duty to put children's health at the top of the agenda where this issue is concerned."
WATER giant United Utilities is teaming up with a Spanish company Acciona to bid for multi-million pound contracts to end drought Down Under. ( Source Manchester Evening News)
Related Link:-
UK Construction Industry Goes From Strength to Strength
Every inch of the proposed new road is estimated to cost £897. And when construction inflation has been built in - currently 9% a year - the likely figure will top £1,000. Either will make it the most expensive piece of tarmac ever laid, with the entire project, according to the Highways Agency's own figures, expected to cost £2.9bn and take three years.
Special Report,Transport in Britain.
'bag it and bin it!' Highways Agency launches campaign to fight litter on England's roads
The Highways Agency today launched its campaign to fight the problem of litter on roads across England, part of its commitment to protecting the environment.
The 'Bag it, Bin it' campaign has support from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). Drivers are being encouraged to pick up a Highways Agency litter bag to put rubbish in and dispose of it in a bin when they reach their destination - rather than throwing it from a car window.
With many people out on the roads during the holiday season, litter can build up and may often block drains. Not only is litter unsightly and a threat to the environment, but clearing rubbish from roadside verges and central reservations puts the workers at risk of injury from moving traffic and diverts resources away from road maintenance and repairs.
The Highways Agency campaign is supported by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), and their new president, Bill Bryson, who has placed litter at the top of his agenda.
Highways Agency "Bag it and Bin it" litter bags can be found in service stations across the country.
Highways Agency Chief Executive, Archie Robertson, said:
"This unsightly and environmentally damaging problem is a big concern for us. Money spent on clearing litter thrown from vehicles could be better spent in reducing congestion and improving safety."
"Working on or next to fast moving traffic is a dangerous job. People are putting themselves at risk clearing the litter thrown from vehicles. We want all road users to think about the consequences of littering. Please keep your rubbish with you, pick up one of our bags, and dispose of it safely and sensibly when you reach your destination."
Notes to editors
1. The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport. We manage, maintain and improve England's motorways and major A roads on behalf of the Secretary of State.
2. Real-time traffic information for England's motorways and major A roads is available:
* From the web at http://www.highways.gov.uk/trafficinfo
* By phone from the Highways Agency 24-hour voice activated phone service on 08700 660 115. (Calls from BT landlines to 0870 numbers will cost no more than 8p per minute; mobile calls usually cost more).
Before using a mobile, find a safe place to park. Never stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency. Make sure it's safe and legal before you call.
3. For more general information about the Highways Agency and its work, visit the Highways Agency website http://www.highways.gov.uk, or telephone the Highways Agency Information Line on 08457 50 40 30 at any time. (Calls to 0845 numbers cost no more than 3p/min from BT residential landlines. Call charges from other landlines and mobile networks may vary)
Safe driving at roadworks
During 2006 two workers were killed and 19 seriously injured in the course of their work on Highways Agency roads.
For the safety of all road users and roadworkers, when you are approaching roadworks:
* Keep within the speed limit - it is there for your safety.
* Get into the correct lane in good time - don't keep switching.
* Concentrate on the road ahead, not the roadworks.
* Be alert for works' traffic leaving or entering roadworks.
* Keep a safe distance - there could be queues in front.
* Observe all signs - they are there to help you.
The construction industry may have to adopt a zero waste to landfill approach by 2020 if a new strategy on tackling the sector's waste is given the go-ahead. Read more...
"United Utilities has demonstrated a commendable act of goodwill and community spirit in agreeing to this project and I would like to thank them." Read More...
A BOMB was discovered in rural East Lancashire after a walker with a metal detector unearthed it on a United Utilities waste water treatment works in Dunsop Bridge in the Ribble Valley late on Saturday night.Read More:-
