Environment

Britain’s Leaky Homes Make The Energy Crisis Worse

Britain’s leaky homes make the energy crisis worse. Why have governments not fixed them?

Over the past few days the country has been thrown into panic, as soaring gas prices threaten to plunge hundreds of thousands more households into fuel poverty, joining the 2.5 million already there. For others, uncomfortably tight budgets will be further squeezed. Any country reliant on the worldwide gas market faces the risk of perennial price shocks. But let’s be clear: the extent of this crisis was not inevitable. It is, in significant part, the result of a decade of government failure to insulate us from the disastrous downsides of fossil-fuel dependency.

The UK is a difficult country to keep warm. It has some of the oldest and leakiest housing stock in western Europe, ensuring that heat dissipates through walls, windows and doors quickly after leaving radiators. Nine in 10 households rely on gas boilers, and lots of gas boilers need lots of gas: UK households consume more of it than almost all of their European peers, at around twice the EU average. In 2000, when North Sea gas accounted for 98% of overall supply, households were at little risk of price shocks. But as national production has tumbled by two-thirds in the two decades since, imports have risen from just 2% to 60% of supply to fill the gap.

Gas burned in households now equates to half of all imports – that is why any spike in gas prices immediately translates into higher heating bills. In times like these there is little standing between the average household and the opaque mechanics of a deeply politicised, and profit-driven, global gas market. Using cheap gas to compensate for poor housing stock only works as long as gas is cheap – and as long as you don’t have a climate crisis spinning out of control.

Given all this, you’d be forgiven for thinking the government might have made it a national priority in recent years to reduce our entrenched reliance on fossil gas. While a significant task, a well-designed programme to repair the nation’s homes should not have been beyond us. It’s Rockwool insulation, not rocket science. Instead, we have witnessed a decade of half measures and outright failure.

In 2013 the Tory-led coalition launched the “green deal”. Intended to be cost-free for government, it offered loans – with interest – to householders to install efficiency measures, repayable via the household’s energy bills. Unsurprisingly, the complexity of the scheme combined with its inherent financial uncertainty did not lead to strong takeup. Of a target of 14m insulated households by 2020 just 15,000 had been completed when the programme was binned a couple of years later.

Next, the zero carbon homes standard, which had been due to come into effect in 2016, would have required new homes to generate as much energy on-site from renewable sources as they used – it was a flagship policy genuinely worth the hype. Instead, soon after the surprise 2015 Conservative election win, George Osborne killed the programme at the behest of the construction lobby. It has never been revived.

Then came the green homes grant, announced in one of the first Covid economic stimulus packages last year. This was a simpler scheme, with upfront government grants. And yet, despite very high levels of public interest and applications to the scheme, it reached only 5,800 of its target 600,000 homes – a select committee investigation called its implementation “botched” and its administration “disastrous”. Like the green deal nearly a decade ago, it was cancelled early.

The sum total of this is not pretty. Between 2012 and 2019 the number of home insulation installations actually dropped by 95%. The charity National Energy Action has noted that at that rate it would take nearly a century to properly insulate all of the current fuel-poor homes in the country. In 2021, millions still live in fuel poverty, and many more will likely join them this winter, while domestic gas boilers account for one in seven tonnes of carbon the UK emits each year, accelerating the climate crisis.

This must be the last winter fuel crisis we ever face, and our homes must be future-proofed without delay. Ministers are already more than a year late on delivering plans for how to end burning gas for heat. They must deliver a credible plan immediately. Only an ambitious, long-term, well-funded and properly designed national retrofit scheme will do.

Even further than this, it is well past the time to bid farewell to gas boilers altogether. No new builds should be connected to gas, and every time a boiler breaks, with a handful of exceptions, it should be replaced by a heat pump – an ultra-efficient device that uses electricity to harvest ambient heat from the air (or ground) to heat your home. The UK props up the table of European countries for annual installations: Lithuania installs five times as many per year as we do, Italy 10 and Norway 60.

At the current rate it will take the UK around 700 years to move to low-carbon heating. The government’s legally enshrined climate commitments require us to be halfway there by the mid 2030s. The good news is the public are increasingly warming up to change: polling by researchers at Walnut Unlimited in June found that more than two-thirds of people agreed that homes should switch to a low-carbon heat source. Like solar panels, the more that are installed the more we’ll learn – and the cheaper they will get.

This task is ambitious, but also entirely achievable. To succeed, we must learn from our mistakes – and the success of others. Whether this government does so will be a deciding factor in whether we will find ourselves again at the mercy of the markets as the winter nights draw in.

Max Wakefield is director of campaigns for the climate action group

Environment

FG issues licence to construct floating LNG plant

The Federal Government has issued a licence to construct (LCT) Nigeria’s pioneering floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility to UTM FLNG Limited.

This marks a giant leap in the country’s energy sector.

The issuance of the LTC by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) last Friday was part of a major fulfillment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assurance in July, last year, to give necessary support to the Nigerian firm to actualise the landmark gas project.

The President, while hosting the management of the company and its foreign partners at the State House in Abuja, pledged to remove all impediments to the timely completion of the project.

The UTM FLNG plant, which is located offshore Akwa Ibom State, is expected to be completed and inaugurated in 2028 with gas production projected to begin the following year.

The plant, with a capacity of 2.8 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), will produce LNG, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and condensate from re-injected gas at the OML 104 Yoho Field.

The project represents a significant step forward in Nigeria’s energy sector, enhancing the country’s ability to harness its untapped 209 trillion cubic feet of natural gas for both export and domestic consumption.

It is expected to leapfrog the national economy by ensuring availability of gas at lower cost, generate massive employment and multi-million naira business opportunities for Nigerians and other nationals.

The presentation of the licence to the company at the NMDPRA headquarters at the weekend in Abuja was witnessed by key industry players, including the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo.

Environment

NiMet forecasts 3-day thunderstorms, rains from Monday

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted rainy and thundery weather conditions from Monday to Wednesday across the country.

NiMet’s weather outlook released on Sunday in Abuja forecast isolated thunderstorms over parts of Katsina, Sokoto, Kano, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna, Adamawa and Taraba states in the northern region during the Monday ‘s morning hours.

“Later in the day, isolated thunderstorms are expected over parts of Kaduna, Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Yobe, Taraba, Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi States.

“Intermittent rains are expected over parts of Benue, Niger, the Federal Capital Territory, Kogi and Kwara States during the morning hours.

“In the afternoon and evening hours, localised rains are envisaged over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Plateau, Niger and Nasarawa states.

“Isolated rains are expected over parts of Ebonyi, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and cross river States during the morning hours,” it said.

According to NiMet, localised rains are anticipated over parts of Ebonyi, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Ondo, Anambara, Osun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa and Edo States later in the day.

The agency anticipated isolated thunderstorms over parts of Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa and Taraba States during the morning period on Tuesday.

It later envisaged isolated thunderstorms over parts of Bauchi, Kaduna, Gombe, Yobe, Zamfara, Borno, Sokoto, Taraba, Kebbi, Kano and Jigawa States.

“Intermittent rains are expected over parts of the Benue, Kogi, the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa states during the morning hours.

“Later in the day, isolated rains are expected over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Plateau, Benue, Kwara and Nasarawa states.

“Intermittent rains are expected over parts of Edo, Ondo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa States during the morning hours.

“Later in the day, intermittent rains are expected over the entire Southern region,” it said.

For Wednesday, it said thunderstorms are expected over parts of Kebbi, Bauchi, Sokoto, Borno and Katsina states during the morning hours.

“In the afternoon and evening hours, isolated thunderstorms are expected over parts of Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Adamawa, Kano and Taraba states.

“Morning rains are expected over parts of the Federal Capital Territory and Niger States,” it said.

According to NiMet, isolated thunderstorms with rains are expected over parts of the Plateau, Nasarawa and Niger states later in the day.

It predicted cloudy skies over the southern region during morning hours with prospects of moderate rains over parts of Abia, Ebonyi, Ondo, Imo, Edo, Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Cross River States later in the day.

NiMet advised the residents to avoid flood-prone areas as there is a high likelihood of urban flooding in major cities due to heavy downpours.

“Strong winds may precede the rains in areas where thunderstorms are likely to occur, public should take adequate precaution.

“Adhere to safety advisories issued by relevant authorities. Public and Airline operators are advised to get updated weather reports and forecast from NiMet for effective planning in their operations.

“Residents are advised to stay informed through weather updates from NiMet. Visit our website www.nimet.gov.ng,” it said.

Environment

NEMA issues flood alert to Benue, Kogi, Anambra, four other states

The National National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned of impending flood in Benue, Kogi, Anambra, Delta, Imo, Rivers and Bayelsa.

The agency advised other States in the central and southern parts to prepare ahead of potential floods that may soon affect communities downstream.

Some of the actions to be taken to mitigate the impact of the flood, according to NEMA, include immediate clearing of blocked drainages, constructing temporary flood barriers and evacuation from flood plains to safe higher grounds.

The agency in a statement on Thursday night by the Head of Press Unit of NEMA, Manzo Ezekiel said: “Following the recent flood that impacted many communities across some states and rising water levels in River Benue and River Niger, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) advises states in the central and southern parts to prepare ahead of potential floods that may soon affect communities downstream.

“The advice has become imperative to activate the State, Local Government Authorities and communities to take necessary actions to mitigate against the risk of flooding and avoid the scale of losses recorded so far in areas that have been impacted, including loss of lives, displacement of communities, and significant damage to property and infrastructures.

“Specifically, the states that are highly probable to the hazard in next few weeks to come are Benue, Kogi, Anambra, Delta, Imo, Rivers and Bayelsa.”

On the expected actions to mitigate the impact, the agency stated: “Some of the actions to be taken include immediate clearing of blocked drainages, constructing temporary flood barriers and evacuating from flood plains to safe higher grounds”.

It also adviced communities to stay informed through weather updates and flood warnings from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA).

“Residents are advised to avoid crossing flooded areas, relocate from flood-prone zones, and cooperate with local emergency services.

“NEMA is working closely with state emergency management agencies and other relevant stakeholders through the National Emergency Operations Centre situated in the Agency’s headquarters to ensure that necessary support, including rescue and relief operations are available to affected communities.

“We urge all residents, especially in vulnerable areas, to heed our warnings and take immediate preventive measures to safeguard lives and property. Preparedness is key in reducing the impact of flooding.”