The first stage of a study sponsored by insulation manufacturer Rockwool, has been completed on a West London estate that could provide a blueprint for taking householders out of fuel poverty.

'High Rise Hope' presents evidence from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on the social impact of greening homes by insulating residential tower blocks.

The study measures energy costs and social conditions before and during a £16 million upgrade of three tower blocks at the Edward Woods Estate in Shepherds Bush. Improvements affected community pride, feelings of safety, relationships with other residents, energy bills and fuel poverty.

A long-time champion of building energy efficiency, Steve Selkowitz, is one of two recipients of the new Lifetime Achievement Award from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Selkowitz received his award in the Societal Impact category for “solving important challenges for society, research that furthers solutions to large social problems, or scientific breakthroughs that have improved the world.”

For 35 years, Selkowitz has led the Building Technologies Department at LBNL, a group that includes 80 researchers and carries out some of the world’s leading research on energy efficiency in such areas as building simulation, window glazings, daylighting, electric lighting systems, and demand-response technologies. The nomination statement for the award noted that “few in the world have had as big an impact on reducing energy use in buildings” and went on to describe Selkowitz as “the ‘Steve Jobs’ in the world of energy-efficient buildings,” adding, “he has literally changed how we design, build, and inhabit buildings the world over.”

Construction work has begun on Europe's largest man-made nature reserve, located in Essex.

Wallasea Island is being transformed from farmland into a 670-hectare (1,500-acre) wetland.

The site is using 4.5 million tonnes of earth excavated from the Crossrail project, for which a 21km (13 mile) tunnel is being bored through London.

Ministers have today confirmed the Green Deal will benefit from a cashback scheme to boost take-up.

Householders who are quick off the mark could be eligible for as much as £1000 cashback, if they opt for a full home retrofit using the Green Deal, the Government confirmed today. A total of £125 million is being made available and will operate on a first-come-first-served basis. The money is part of £200 million announced last November by the Treasury to encourage householders to sign up to the energy efficiency scheme. Today’s announcement is the first time details about the bonus scheme have been unveiled and was welcomed by companies looking to offer Green Deal products and services. Although the Green Deal launched on October 1, no big brands have yet signed up to become providers of the scheme and many Green Deal contractors have been waiting for the Government to get behind the national insulation programme with measures that will encourage take-up of the scheme.

"This cashback offer will help get the Green Deal off to a flying start. It really is a great offer – the more work households have done, the more energy they stand to save and the more cash they receive," Energy Secretary Ed Davey said as he unveiled details of the incentive scheme.