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Residential Buildings Account For Just Under A Third Of The Total Energy Used ...

Residential buildings account for just under a third of the total energy used in many developed countries. (Elliott 2003: 81). Energy efficiency schemes have helped to reduce the amount of energy needed to heat the average home, yet initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of dwellings - such as the use of renewable construction materials - still have potential for further development.
The work of Local Authorities is limited due to financial restraints and the need to balance environmental concerns with other problems which arise in communities - such as crime and homelessness. However, recent years have shown an increase in universal participation towards energy saving, with council's manifestos including long-term aims towards reducing emissions while encouraging members of the public to become actively involved.
1.1 Definition of the Topic
The topic of this work is to investigate what energy saving schemes have been initiated by the government, and what measures for energy efficiency are in place for the boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Merton, and Surrey, which form part of the South West London Housing Partnership.
1.2 Rationale
Home energy efficiency improvement is something that many people aspire to do, but not as many people realise that not a lot of money is needed to do it. Energy efficiency can mean recycling and reusing materials, and buying different light bulbs which cost only a few pounds more. On the other hand, people are afraid to take steps such as insulation and extra glazing because of the cost required by unrepeatable companies. For this reason more information needs to be made public about the true nature of some ‘improvements' such as PVC U double glazing, where eight tonnes of oil is needed to make one tonne of PVC U.
This study specifically looks into condition of social housing and the attitudes of social housing tenants. It is realised that this sector is under pressure from other social problems, plus in some cases, language barriers. Thus extra effort needs to be made on the part of organisations to reach people who could benefit from energy saving schemes - such as Staywarm.
Chapter 2. Research Methodology
2.0 Research Methodology
The main body of research for this dissertation is secondary, presented in the form of a literature review, while 2 questionnaire surveys constitute the smaller body of primary research.
2.1 Literature Review
In order to establish the progress made concerning energy efficiency - both in the UK as a whole and in London boroughs a detailed literature review is carried out. Internet sources are used in order to ensure that data is as up to date as possible, and academic journals and books are used to give a relevant background.
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