The National Energy Foundation

The National Energy Foundation was established in 1988 by Milton Keynes Development Corporation to continue its work on energy efficient housing through its Energy World project. Energy World was a demonstration of 51 low-energy houses designed to be at least 30% more efficient than the Building Regulations then in force. The Foundation was set up to increase public awareness on the safe and efficient use of energy through demonstration and research. From 1993 to 2001 NEF worked closely with the Energy Saving Trust in setting up the UK’s network of Energy Efficiency Advice Centres (EEACs) and managed the network for the first five years. NEF went on to develop the National Home Energy Rating Scheme, which was run by a trading subsidiary (National Energy Services) from 1994 and in 1998 NEF established the Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme for businesses which was transferred to the Carbon Trust in 2005 and later became the Carbon Trust Standard which continues to run to this day. Renewable energy was relatively unknown at this time and NEF became a thought leader as awareness began to grow and was at the forefront of educating the public on the latest developments. Through outreach events and working with schools, the team was introducing local people to the benefit’s renewable energy. When USEA (United Sustainable Energy Agency) merged with NEF in 2013, NEF started doing a lot of work on advice on domestic energy efficiency and fuel poverty which grew into the projects still running today.