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Homeowners and landlords can now see for themselves how the government’s new Green Homes Grant scheme can help make their homes warmer and more energy efficient. Business and Energy Secretary Alok Sharma has unveiled a new opportunity for consumers to get tips for making their homes more energy efficient, and details of how the Green Homes Grant scheme can make...

The government has launched a new call for evidence to examine how the UK could build marine renewable projects across the country. Marine renewables include emerging technologies such as floating offshore wind farms, tidal stream and wave energy. Secretary of State for Business and Energy Alok Sharma commented on the launch: "As an island nation we are perfectly placed to capitalise...

New research shows that a vast majority of Brits have no idea how much water they use each day, a new survey by Water UK and Waterwise reveals. 46% of the respondents believed their household uses under 20 litres a day (roughly equivalent to taking a two-minute shower) when the true figure is closer to 142 litres per person per...

The Government has confirmed today that the plastic carrier bag charge will be extended to all retailers and increased to 10p from April 2021. Since the charge was first introduced in 2015, the Government has successfully prevented billions of plastic bags being sold and ending up in the ocean and environment. The latest statistics show the current levy, which stands at...

A long-running debate between different groups of green house-building experts seems to be reaching a creative conclusion, Stuart Fairlie, Technical and Operations Director at Elmhurst Energy, tells ICON.     Energy efficiency is one of those issues which usually means something different to each expert you ask. Some talk about it in terms of carbon, while others talk about space heating demand. Others...

The UK Space Agency has announced £3.4 million of new funding for ten projects that back UK academics using space to tackle global development problems from the spread of malaria to human trafficking and forced labour. One of the projects backed by the cash injection will see UK academics at the University of Nottingham apply Earth observation technology from satellites...

John Lewis Partnership trials a furniture scheme with a circular twist as it partners with world's largest product rental marketplace Fat Llama to launch a furniture rental scheme. Customers will be able to rent John Lewis furniture including desks, chairs, dining tables and sofas for three, six or twelve months and have the option to buy them at any time with...

The British High Commission has provided £10,000 to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation in response to the oil spill the grounding of the MV Wakashio bulk carrier and the subsequent oil spill off the island nation of Mauritius. The Japanese-operated MV Wakashio ran aground off the Indian Ocean island earlier this month, and according to the BBC is thought to have...

Following a consultation between May and June, Ofwat has unveiled details of how it will design and implement its innovation fund using two types of annual competition. In its strategy, ‘Time to Act, Together’, Ofwat said the water and wastewater sector faces many challenges, such as climate change and population growth, that put the services we all rely on at...

A district-level licensing scheme making it easier for developers to protect threatened populations of great crested newts is being rolled out in Cambridgeshire. Natural England’s district level licensing initiative helps put an end to the costly delays faced by developers building in areas where the iconic species has been spotted. In the past, landowners or housing developers in Cambridgeshire had to...