VOA常速英语2008年-Britain Requires Energy Inspections for Home Sa

By Mandy Clark
London
26 March 2008
 
An eco-friendly home in Britain is considered not just globally responsible but now it is becoming personally profitable.  Nearly 40 percent of Britain's energy is consumed in lighting¹, heating and cooling the country's 25 million buildings.  The British government says even minor² improvements in energy performance can help significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions³.  Now, as part of a European-backed plan, British homeowners are encouraged to take energy-saving measures to help sell their homes. VOA's Mandy Clark reports from London. 

Putting a home up for sale in Britain is no longer just about bricks and mortar⁴.

Energy performance is now part of the selling process, as Oliver Skelding has discovered. Since December, every home put on the market is required to have its 'carbon footprint' measured - the amount of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the home's energy usage. It is all part of a strategy to cut the country's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.  An environmental group says 27 percent of Britain's emissions come from its 25 million homes.

"It's a little rough on a country like England which has a hell of a lot of old properties,"  says Skelding.

The energy inspector⁵ arrives and gets down to business, considering everything from the boiler⁶ and thermostats⁷ to the double glazed⁸ windows, the type of light bulbs and the fireplace.

Even the cat-flap is thrown into the equation, along with the dimensions of each room. Skelding looks a bit nervous. Inspector Ieman Barmaki's data will ultimately determine the home's energy rating.

It will be graded on a scale of A to G, with A being the best. That is a home that is completely self-sufficient and even supplies excess power to the community. G is the worst - an expensive energy sucker.

Bermaki explains, "When you get a rating on energy efficiency, you're going to want the house a little bit more energy efficient to get a higher rating and hence make it a little bit more desirable."

These measures are applied⁹ across all European Union countries to help improve the continent's energy performance. Making a home here more energy efficient has never been more desirable, after several of Britain's largest energy providers raised their prices by 15 percent last year.

Sellers learn how they might improve efficiency. Ed Matthews from Friends of the Earth says the government will eventually have to make such improvements mandatory¹⁰ if Britain is going to meet its government target of slashing¹¹ 60 percent of its CO2 emissions in about 40 years.

"People need to be compelled to take action, so what we think we need in the UK is minimum standards for energy performance at homes, all homes," he said. "So you can't actually resell that home unless you can show it meets the minimum standards of energy efficiency."

As for Skelding's home:  It got a D rating - slightly above the national average. He has not had any offers yet, but he considers the extra insulation¹² and new thermostats he installed a good investment.

1 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

2 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

3 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

4 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

5 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

6 boiler   

n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等)

参考例句：

• That boiler will not hold up under pressure.那种锅炉受不住压力。
• This new boiler generates more heat than the old one.这个新锅炉产生的热量比旧锅炉多。

7 thermostats   

n.恒温（调节）器( thermostat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This is the basic operating principle of many thermostats. 这是许多恒温箱的基本工作原理。 来自辞典例句
• Thermostats can be used to regulate the temperature of a room. 恒温器可用来调节室内温度。 来自辞典例句

8 glazed   

adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神

参考例句：

• eyes glazed with boredom 厌倦无神的眼睛
• His eyes glazed over at the sight of her. 看到她时，他的目光就变得呆滞。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

10 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

11 slashing   

adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Slashing is the first process in which liquid treatment is involved. 浆纱是液处理的第一过程。 来自辞典例句
• He stopped slashing his horse. 他住了手，不去鞭打他的马了。 来自辞典例句

12 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。