The
National Energy Foundation (NEF) is an independent
BritishGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
charityA charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
, established to encourage the more sustainable use and generation of energy.
Aims
The charity's mission is to mobilise individuals, businesses and communities to make their contribution to reducing
carbon dioxideCarbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
emissions through
energy efficiencyEfficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
and use of sustainable energy sources (notably
renewable energyRenewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
) in order to maintain affordable energy services and combat
global climate changeGlobal warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
.
Activities
NEF was founded in 1988 by
Milton KeynesMilton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
Development Corporation in order to preserve for the future benefit of the UK public some of the energy initiatives that had been undertaken within the new city. Its initial projects included extending a technical home energy label (known as the Milton Keynes Energy Cost Index - MKECI) into a more generally applicable home energy rating called the
National Home Energy RatingThe National Home Energy Rating Scheme is both a UK accreditation scheme for energy assessors and a rating scale for the energy efficiency of housing.The NHER is owned and operated by National Energy Services...
(NHER), and technical energy monitoring work on low energy homes in the Milton Keynes Energy Park. In 1994, the NHER Scheme was injected into a subsidiary company which still runs the business on behalf of the charity.
From 1993-2001 NEF worked closely with the
Energy Saving TrustEnergy Saving Trust is a non-profit organisation jointly funded by the British Government and the private sector in order to help fight climate change by promoting the sustainable use of energy, energy conservation and to cut carbon dioxide emissions in the United Kingdom.-Background:The Energy...
, setting up the UK's network of
Energy Efficiency Advice Centres (EEACs) on their behalf, and managing the network for the first five years. But as domestic energy efficiency moved more into the mainstream, NEF expanded its interests into Renewable Energy (from 1995) and non-domestic energy efficiency, through its management of the
Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme from 1998 onwards. In 2005 this scheme was transferred to the Carbon Trust but still managed by NEF; in 2008 it was relaunched as the
Carbon Trust Standard.
Many of NEF's activities are concerned with
renewable energyRenewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
and, in particular, with integrating it into buildings and assisting local authorities and other bodies to create the right environment for a wider uptake of
sustainable 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...
. It also provides secretariat functions to the
Ground Source Heat Pump Association and the
Green Energy Supply Certification Scheme. In support of these functions NEF runs a programme of training courses and educational activities. In 2007-8 it launched a
global warming gameA global warming game, also known as a climate game or a climate change game, is a type of serious game. As a serious game, it attempts to simulate and explore real life issues to educate players through an interactive experience...
called LogiCity, funded by the Defra Climate Challenge Programme, in an attempt to raise interest in the subject among young adults. Most of the charity's work is within the UK, although it participates in a number EU projects and has undertaken some work in SE Asia.
Most local and regional domestic energy efficiency activities have been handed over to the
United Sustainable Energy Agency (formerly Milton Keynes Energy Agency - MKEA), but it retains involvement in projects such as Milton Keynes' Low Carbon Living (formerly ThimkAgain!) campaign. The Foundation undertakes work with local communities across the UK in partnership with the
Sustainable Energy Academy, most notably through the
Old Home Superhome project.
Buildings
NEF occupies a purpose built low energy building designed to demonstrate some of the features that it espouses. Built in 2002-3, its office is heated by a Ground Source Heat Pump, with hot water being partly provided by an evacuated tube
solar water heatingSolar water heating or solar hot water systems comprise several innovations and many mature renewable energy technologies that have been well established for many years...
system. There is a winter back-up heating system in the form of a
wood pelletWood pellets are a type of wood fuel, generally made from compacted sawdust or other wastes from sawmilling and other wood products manufacture, but also sometimes from sources such as whole-tree removal or tree tops and branches leftover after logging and which otherwise help replenish soil...
stove. The building is naturally ventilated, with
brise-soleilsBrise soleil, sometimes brise-soleil , from French, "sun breaker"), in architecture refers to a variety of permanent sun-shading techniques, ranging from the simple patterned concrete walls popularized by Le Corbusier to the elaborate wing-like mechanism devised by Santiago Calatrava for the...
to prevent overheating in summer, and use of daylight is encouraged through
light tubesLight tubes or light pipes are used for transporting or distributing natural or artificial light. In their application to daylighting, they are also often called sun pipes, sun scopes, solar light pipes, sky lights or daylight pipes.Generally speaking, a light pipe or light tube may refer to:* a...
('SunPipes'). Around a fifth of the office's energy is supplied by a 6.47kWp
photovoltaicPhotovoltaics is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material...
array. As well as energy features, its environmental credentials include the use of rainwater for toilet flushing and a low thermal mass sustainably sourced timber frame structure.
The adjacent low energy building was constructed in 1999 to show how super-insulation can enable a 1,000m
2 building to be heated from a gas condensing boiler little larger than would be used in a typical UK home. This served as NEF's headquarters until 2004.
Leadership
- President: Dr Mary Archer
- Chair: Brian White
Brian Arthur Robert White is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was Member of Parliament for North East Milton Keynes from 1997 to 2005.-Early life:...
- Chief Executive: Dr Tim Lunel
- Deputy Director: Ian Byrne
See also
- Energy Use and Conservation in the United Kingdom
Energy use in the United Kingdom stood at 3,894.6 kilogrammes of oil equivalent per capita in 2005 compared to a world average of 1,778.0. In 2008, total energy consumed was 9.85 exajoules - around 2% of the estimated 474 EJ worldwide total...
- Global Warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
- Renewable energy commercialization
Renewable energy commercialization involves the deployment of three generations of renewable energy technologies dating back more than 100 years. First-generation technologies, which are already mature and economically competitive, include biomass, hydroelectricity, geothermal power and heat...
External links