Reports & publications

Written by Donald Hirsch (Loughborough University), Ian Preston and Vicki White (both Centre for Sustainable Energy), this report makes an important contribution to our understanding of fuel poverty, particularly with respect to how low-income consumers respond to high fuel prices.

The research also sheds light on the relationship between fuel poverty and income poverty – a central issue for the Hills Fuel Poverty Review. The findings should help both inform the next stage of the Hills Review and future fuel poverty policy.

This report examines the current plans for the roll-out and operation of smart meters, and measures the plans against a range of consumer-oriented objectives (e.g. low costs, a confidence-inspiring roll-out process and a fair share of the benefits). But the report concludes that without remedy, the smart-meter programme may fall short, leading to consumer resistance and/or surrendering the bulk of the benefits to energy suppliers.

Written by Simon Roberts and Zoe Redgrove  |  November 2011

38% of English housing stock is considered hard-to-treat (defined as having no mains gas heating system and/or a solid wall property).

CSE has analysed English Housing Survey (EHS, 2007-08) data to understand a little more about the make-up, nature, geography, occupancy and general characteristics of England's HTT housing stock.

Internal research paper | November 2011

Warmer Bath is a 76-page book of practical guidance designed help improve the energy efficiency of Victorian and Georgian homes in Bath.

It grew out of a series of public meetings, workshops, consultations and surveys which explored local attitudes to preserving the historic environment of Bath and tackling climate change. For more about Low Carbon Bath read the project profile here.

Written by Will Anderson and Joanna Robinson
Published June 2011 by CSE and the Bath Preservation Trust (BPT)

Produced by CSE as part of PlanLoCaL (www.planlocal.org.uk). It was written in response to requests from community groups for factual information about wind energy, in part to counter the many myths and misconceptions surrounding this technology.

Published May 2011

An in-depth look at CSE's Freedom from Fuel Poverty scheme funded by Bath and North East Somerset Council, that aimed to tackle fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions in private sector housing in the area, through full funding of thermal efficiency improvements and renewable energy measures, in particular solid wall insulation and/or solar thermal installation.

This was a very innovative project, and the profile of this project was one of the most-visited pages on our website.

Written by Philip Morris  |  December 2010

Final report to Ofgem, prepared by Vicki White, with Simon Roberts and Ian Preston (all Centre for Sustainable Energy).

Published November 2010

This study aims to estimate the total cost of delivering an enhanced Decent Homes Standard to London's social housing by identifying the best technical options for delivering improvements relating to sustainable energy (energy efficiency and low/zero carbon generation), water efficiency and summer overheating. Produced in conjunction with the Metropolitan Housing Partnership (MHP).

Published January 2011 by CSE

Whilst the technical challenges of solid wall insulation are widely acknowledged, there has been little exploration to date of the human barriers to uptake. These are likely to be substantial, given the disruption involved and the impact of measures on building appearance. To help address this knowledge gap, CSE, with funding from eaga Charitable Trust, has undertaken a thorough evaluation of a solid wall insulation scheme (Freedom From Fuel Poverty) delivered in the Bath and North East Somerset area.

In-depth study which reveals that the costs of policies designed to tackle climate change are likely to be borne disproportionately by the poor.

Prepared on behalf of Eaga Charitable Trust  by Ian Preston and Vicki White (CSE) and Pedro Guertler (Association for the Conservation of Energy).

July 2010

A study of the 'coping-strategies' of households facing fuel poverty and the details of the daily reality of living on a low income in a British winter. Includes a face-to‐face survey of 700 households and 50 in‐depth telephone interviews.

By Will Anderson and Vicki White, both of the Centre for Sustainable Energy, and Andrea Finney, University of Bristol. Funded by eaga Charitable Trust.

June 2010

The aim of this report was to provide more detailed capacity profiles of community energy groups in Bristol, to identify key support needs, and to make recommendations for actions to support the sector in future  |  July 2011

Describes the results of a consultation designed to explore the attitudes to improving the energy performance of traditional buildings in the city of Bath. The results will inform the development of practical guidance about upgrading the diverse range of historic and traditional (solid wall) buildings in Bath.

Produced by CSE and the Bath Preservation Trust. Written by Will Anderson (CSE)

November 2010

CSE's research (Distributional Impacts of Personal Carbon Trading - see below) showed that a system based on an equal allocation of carbon allowances to every adult is broadly fair, but that a small proportion of low-income households would be made worse off.

This report, by Vicki White and Joshua Thumim for the Institute for Public Policy Research, aimed to find out how the system could be tweaked in order to moderate the negative impacts on low-income households.

August 2009

This study sought to define a core specification for real-time energy displays (smart meters) derived from a qualitative investigation of consumer experience of the gadgets currently available on the market.

Written by Will Anderson and Vicki White (both Centre for Sustainable Energy) on behalf on the Energy Saving Trust, the study was based on focus-groups plus literature reviews by Clive Frankish (University of Bristol) and Sarah Darby (University of Oxford).

October 2009

Informing the opportunities and spatial planning requirements for renewable and low carbon energy in five West Sussex local authorities (Arun, Chichester, Horsham, Mid Sussex, Worthing).

This study was written by Martin Holley, Joshua Thumim and Zoe Redgrove for the Centre for Sustainable Energy with Kelly Lee (Impetus Consulting Ltd) and Rebecca Knight (Land Use Consultants).

October 2009

Our Big Energy Challenge was a £750,000 initiative, funded by HM Treasury’s Invest to Save Budget, that aimed to cut the carbon emissions of various public-sector organisations in Bath by 10%.

Did it succeed? All the facts and figures are in this short report.

February 2010

Researched and written by CSE and Adrian Smith, Independent Planning Consultant.

NB this 80-page report contains a large number of maps and graphs. In order to keep the file size down, these are reproduced at a low-resolution. A high-resolution PDF (13.5MB) can be found on Bristol City Council's website here.

June 2009

Please note: the book's unusual format is reflected in the uneven pagination of the PDF.

Free copies of this book are available. Email info@cse.org.uk with your name and address.

June 2009

Initially Accenture were commissioned by Defra to undertake an analysis of the technical feasibility and potential cost of a Personal Carbon Trading scheme.

The findings in the study provide a basis for further investigation into the feasibility and cost of this type of Personal Carbon Trading scheme and the opportunity to consider alternatives. The report highlights some of the next steps Defra might take if either of these paths were pursued.

Produced for CSE by Simon Roberts and Josh Thumin.

February 2008

This report builds on CSE's earlier work for Defra (see A Rough Guide to Individual Carbon Trading) and attempts to identify the distributional impacts that would emerge in the event of the introduction of a Personal Carbon Trading scheme. It looks at the likely winners and losers in different income groups, across geographical area and by household composition.

Written by Joshua Thumim and Vicki White (both Centre for Sustainable Energy)

March 2008

After the, then, Secretary of State for the Environment, David Miliband, opened public debate on the issue in July 2006, Defra asked CSE to help carry out some initial analysis of the issues around different approaches to individual involvement in carbon trading.

By Simon Roberts and Joshua Thumim

November 2006

The main findings in a couple of pages. Explains why we need a national re-think about social tariffs.

By William Baker (CSE)

April 2006

Research for this project included a literature review, qualitative semi-structured interviews with ‘stakeholders’ and secondary data analysis of current social tariffs provided by suppliers.

A policy-makers' summary of this report is also available.

This report was funded by UNISON and written by William Baker (CSE) with the support of the National Right to Fuel Campaign.

April 2006

This report was commissioned by Islington Strategic Partnership Borough Council meet its carbon-cutting targets. It required CSE to collect data on the energy use of the 22 members of the partnership, assess the opportunities for the council to reduce carbon emissions, and weigh this against the likely 'background' reductions in carbon emissions that result from national policy.

Written September 2007 by Joshua Thumim, Zoe Redgrove and Simon Roberts

The target in the Mayor of London’s Energy Strategy of at least one zero carbon development in every borough by 2010 will, in most cases, require action by boroughs, and this report was designed to assist boroughs with this task.

This report aimed to present a robust, broadly accepted working definition of zero carbon developments (and, if possible, low carbon developments) and to produce supportive information for London boroughs to aid them in the identification of suitable sites.

Co-authored by CSE and the planning team at Merton Borough Council, and prepared for the London Energy Partnership on behalf of the Greater London Authority. Introduction by Ken Livingstone.

July 2006

By Martin Holley, Centre for Sustainable Energy, in partnership with Wardell Armstrong International Ltd.

September 2009

This report presents the results of a sustainable energy study for two key areas for future development in Plymouth: the city centre and Derriford. Both areas are being considered under Plymouth’s Local Development Framework Area Action Plans, in which there is a need to develop integrated sustainable energy strategies for the period up to 2026.

This study sought to find out what kinds of local and community initiatives are most effective at influencing changes in behaviour and at what levels, and whether learnings from these are transferable to the issue of climate change.

The study involved a brief literature review, interviews with 21 community-based initiatives, and a workshop of 23 expert stakeholders from both sustainable energy and community development sectors.

It was produced by Mark Letcher, Zoe Redgrove and Simon Roberts (all CSE) and Community Development Xchange on behalf of several government departments (Defra, CLG, DTI, Department for Transport and HM Treasury).

February 2007

These workshops held in London and Manchester sought to explore how government policies and programmes can encourage and enable communities and local government to fulfil their potential in helping achieve low-carbon communities.

Report by Zoe Redgrove and Simon Roberts (both CSE).

May 2007

Report commissioned by Defra as part of its examination into the role of community initiatives in mobilising individual behaviour change.

See also other 'Mobilising' reports above.

By Zoe Redgrove and Simon Roberts (both CSE).

May 2007

The UK's poorly insulated, energy inefficient housing stock could be easily transformed by the end of the next decade.

This report, written by CSE for WWF-UK, shows that without a radical shift in Government policy the UK is set to miss out on the biggest opportunity to cut household energy bills, and reduce CO2 emissions.

Produced by Ian Preston for CSE.

April 2008

This study aimed to assess geographically the potential for, and constraints on, the cultivation of miscanthus and short-rotation willow crops in Devon, along with the opportunities for using arisings from existing woodlands as an energy source.

A series of maps illustrates areas where cultivation of energy crop is not appropriate, due to landscape value, soil type or other restrictions.

Report to Devon Wildlife Trust by Joshua Thumim and Vicki White (with additional contributions from Rebecca Knight (Land Use Consultants) and  John Garstang (ADAS),

October 2007

A report for the Renewables Advisory Board and DTI by CSE with BDOR and Peter Capener

May 2007

A report for the Renewables Advisory Board and DTI by CSE with BDOR Ltd and Peter Capener, May 2007

The REvision 2020 project sought to establish targets for renewable electricity to 2020 plus targets for renewable heat for 2010 and 2020 and a target for on-site generation within new developments. Because the targets were intended to support the South West's Regional Spatial Strategy, a range of proposed planning policies to support the implementation of these targets was included.

Funded by the Government Office for the South West in partnership with the South West Regional Assembly. Written by the Centre for Sustainable Energy, Peter Capener and Wardell Armstrong International.

June 2005

Summary of the findings and recommendations of the evaluation of the Warm Zone pilot programme. Executive summary only; for full report, see below.

Warm Zones is a major initiative designed to systematically reduce fuel poverty on a local, area basis. CSE was contracted to evaluate the Warm Zone pilot programme. This report was prepared in partnership with National Energy Action.

March 2005

This is the full and final report into the Warm Zones scheme presented by CSE to Defra in March 2005. For the executive summary only, see above.

Toolkit to help local authorities keep track of the actions to curb carbon emissions

CSE's contribution begins on page 73 and is based around our on-going 'distributional impacts' work. See www.cse.org.uk/dimpsa for more.

October 2009

Energy Matters was developed and run by CSE in London and other parts of England. This resource includes: Looking at Energy (key stage 1); Home Energy (key stage 2); Home Energy (key stage 3); Sustainable Energy (key stage 3), and; Teachers support material.

The resources was funded by the Shell Foundation Sustainable Energy Programme.

1999/2003

This best practice review provides a ‘snapshot’ of current community activity on climate change. The review does not provide an exhaustive list of UK initiatives or comprehensive details of the schemes identified.

It was designed to specifically focus on initiatives driven by energy and carbon reduction objectives – as opposed to the far wider spectrum of community environmental initiatives which could claim to be related to the climate change agenda but are driven by other objectives (such as waste reduction and recycling, sustainable transport, local food initiatives etc).

Prepared for EST by Ian Preston, Vicki White, Lucy Lloyd-Price and Will Anderson

May 2009

 The findings of the ‘quantifying rural fuel poverty’ research project provide evidence on the extent and characteristics of rural fuel poverty in England, making comparisons with rural fuel poverty with urban fuel poverty, and with deprivation in general. The report concludes with recommendations for rural fuel poverty policy.

The report for Eaga Partnership Charitable Trust was produced by William Baker, Vicki White and Ian Preston.

August 2008

This brief study looks at energy policy across the English regions. It looks at how different Government departments and national agencies currently consider energy policy and climate change objectives.

It also seeks to ask what are the opportunities and potential value of improving practice.

This report was commissioned by BERR and produced by CSE's Simon Roberts.

September 2008

There is a need to reduce consumers’ energy consumption by changing the way people use their energy. Modifying tariff structures is one way suppliers could give customers an incentive to use less energy. However, the different tariffs currently offered do little to encourage energy efficiency or reward customers for reducing energy use.

This report considers the sustainability of energy tariffs. It evaluates , ba range of both existing and possible future tariffs, against a set of sustainability criteria developed by NCC.

 A report written by William Baker and Vicki White of CSE for the National Consumer Council.

July 2008

The UK Government is legally committed to eradicating fuel in vulnerable households by 2010, and in all households by 2016 where practically possible. This report by CSE looks at the costs associated with carrying out such measures.

The study also examines the current government-funded fuel poverty programmes, Warm Front and the Energy Efficiency Commitment priority group programme, and concludes that these do not provide the measures required to meet these targets.

Carried out for the Eaga Partnership Charitable Trust by Ian Preston at CSE, in partnership with the Association for the Conservation of Energy and Dr Richard Moore.

June 2008

The Fuel Poverty Indicator (FPI) predicts the incidence of fuel poverty at ward and sub-ward level across England and, since it was published in 2003, has become a widely used tool for informing affordable warmth policies and targeting fuel poverty programmes at a local level.

This report summarises progress in updating the fuel poverty indicator (FPI) for England.

Written by Eldin Fahmy and David Gordon at the University of Bristol.

May 2007

Local authorities have a key role to play in the development and delivery of action to curb the threat of climate change, particularly through cutting emissions of carbon dioxide.

The analysis in this report shows that there are extensive actions available to all local authorities to curb carbon emissions within their localities as a result of their existing roles and responsibilities.

Prepared by CSE for the Local Government Association.

July 2007

This report examines the potential social implications of an obligation on energy suppliers to reduce the carbon emissions of their domestic customers.

A study for Defra produced by Simon Roberts at CSE with Vicki White, Ian Preston and Joshua Thumim.

August 2007

Consultation response from the Centre for Sustainable Energy to the Defra and DfT consultation.

April 2007

Report looking at the 'Opportunities to deliver action & policies to stimulate success' that local authorities and regional agencies can adopt to support national government fuel poverty efforts.

Prepared for Defra by Simon Roberts and William Baker (both CSE).

February 2006

This is the executive summary of the final report into the Warm Zones scheme presented by CSE to Defra in March 2005. For the full report, click here. 

A report to the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes' Fuel Poverty Strategy Group.
84pp

Report to DEFRA for the UK Climate Change Programme Review looking at the scope for further CO2 emission reductions from local and regional activity

A feasibility study into the scope and options for utilising local biomass as a source of renewable energy to meet heat needs at appropriate Bristol City Council owned or controlled sites.

Report considering the options and potential for reducing CO2 emissions from energy use at Sanford Housing Cooperative, in Lewisham, South East London.

A study of UK practice and comparison with leading European countries. Report to the Renewables Advisory Board and the DTI

A summary of the report Community Benefits from Wind Power (above)

Scoping research into the accreditation of financial products that promote sustainable energy use. Report to the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes (Home Purchase and Finance Group).

Examining the feasibility of coordinated action between the health, community and social services sector and providers of energy efficiency services across the Somerset Coast area.

Evaluation of the Government-supported Warm Zones pilots for eliminating fuel poverty  |  Prepared with the Centre for Sustainable Energy and National Energy Action, August 2004  |  Submitted to DEFRA and DTI by the Energy Saving Trust

Lessons from 25 Years of the Centre for Sustainable Energy

Making the Most of Birmingham City Council's Aerial Thermographic Study. Report for Central Midlands Local Authority Support Programme.

CSE's report to Ofgem.

Summary research findings from the evaluation reports into CSE's Energy Matters programme (12pp)

One of this website's most popular resources - downloaded thousands of times!

Ian Preston, Centre for Sustainable Energy and Lisa Jones, South Gloucestershire Council

December 2004

Summary report prepared by CSE, in partnership with Peter Capener and Regen SW.

Examining the feasibility of embedded renewable energy supply for a proposed community and library building on Symes Avenue in Hartcliffe, Bristol.

Research undertaken by CSE on behalf of the Energy Saving Trust.

April 2004

Investigating methods required to stimulate the adoption of high-efficiency small-scale wood-fired heating systems.

Feasibility study into incorporating wind power within plans for a new eco-centre in Ealing.

CSE's own evaluation report examining the influence of the Energy Matters education programme.

Independent evaluation report on CSE's flagship education programme, Energy Matters prepared by New Perspectives.

Final Report on the Development of the Fuel Poverty Indicator by William Baker (CSE), Graham Starling and David Gordon (University of Bristol).

Improving Consumer Feedback on Energy Consumption. CSE's Report to Ofgem

Evaluation by CSE and National Energy Action, of the Government-supported Warm Zones pilots for eliminating fuel poverty. Submitted to DEFRA and DTI by the Energy Saving Trust.

Prepared by CSE for Eaga Charitable Trust

West of England Sustainable Energy Strategy and Action Plan