More than a third of people would let their energy supplier turn off their heating
By Michael Fell, on 23 March 2015
A sinister engineer in orange overalls and dark glasses looms from behind your fridge, hands raised, as if to strike… This is the scenario painted in the Daily Mail in a 2013 article on ‘direct load control’, or the possibility that third parties (‘outside forces’) such as energy suppliers could turn appliances in people’s home off and on to help keep the UK’s electricity system in balance.
Building performance and scientific research: why we need more of it
By Sofie Pelsmakers, on 18 March 2015
This week is British Science Week and last week the EPSRC held its ‘science for a successful nation’ conference. This made me reflect on the use of scientific methods in building performance research, which is essential for us to understand and improve the buildings we design, build, operate, transform and live in.
The answer is blowing in the wind – tackling climate change by putting the washing on when the wind blows and the sun shines
By Moira Nicolson, on 16 March 2015
Most of us know that we need to reduce how much energy we use – but did you know that the timing of our energy use will also make a difference to the fight against climate change?