Tech

Businesses that ignore the threats of climate change and do not improve their efficiency practices are putting the lives of many people at risk, Unilever chief executive Paul Polman has said.

All new buildings constructed after 2020 will be built to European standards for high energy performance and will incorporate renewable energy sources to meet the low energy demand of each building.

The UK subsidiary of Dutch energy company Eneco is to change its strategy and focus more on energy “as a service”, the firm has announced.

District heating networks will be a “big development” of the second half of this decade, according to former energy minister Lord Barker.

Sustainability measures supplier Kingspan has revealed that rolling out energy efficiency products across its own sites added more than €1 million to the company’s net profit for 2013/14.

Chancellor George Osborne has announced that the Renewable Heat Incentive will see its budget increase to £1.15 billion to 2020 but has promised substantial reform of the scheme.

Candidates in the race to become the next Mayor of London have committed to a target for the city to become zero carbon and run on 100% clean energy by the year 2050.

The number of domestic applications under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) has dropped considerably in the last year as the industry waits for a decision on the future of the scheme.

The Conservative government’s ambition on energy efficiency has fallen into question after evidence emerged that its current aims fall well behind those achieved by the previous government.