Government spent £17 million testing cutting-edge Green Scheme Tech

You could retrofit a lot of houses with £17 million of taxpayers’ cash. But that was never the intention of the government’s retrofit for the future programme - it was all about innovation. Hence the majority of this substantial sum was split between just 86 projects led by social landlords. Each was allocated £150,000 and a monitoring programme, not only to test cutting-edge Green Scheme technology in a variety of property types, but also to identify the obstacles standing in the way of its widespread adoption.
 
But, nearly 18 months after the experiment was announced, and a year away from the start of the government’s flagship retrofit programme, the Green Deal, the housing sector has yet to learn some of the valuable lessons the programme has to contribute towards the UK’s ambition to cut carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

Sustainable Housing receives frequent press releases publicising the latest ‘innovative, exemplar retrofit scheme set to achieve 80 per cent carbon cuts using cutting-edge technology’. Great. But given a £150,000 spend and, in some cases, more than a year’s work, this is surely expected? And social landlords leading the retrofit revolution don’t need this gloss - they need to know where projects went awry and what best practice can be shared from these experiences so they are better placed to retrofit at scale.

This will happen eventually, but many retrofit for the future schemes have only just been completed and monitoring by the Energy Savings Trust has either not yet begun or it is too soon to see any meaningful results. In fact, this is set to continue into 2013 with the first results emerging next year, ahead of the launch of the government’s Green Deal, which funds energy efficiency measures through the reduction of future fuel bills.

We decided to speak to the architects behind the retrofits to bring some early onsite lessons to the fore. So, what are the major challenges and how can they be overcome? Here, we identify five key areas.

Source: insidehousing.co.uk

For additionalb information and news relating to the Green Deal Scheme see the following: www.green-deal.uk.com

Green Deal Fit for the future

The Autumn issue of Sustainable Housing went to press last night. It is set to be a cracker, overflowing with essential reading for anyone with an interest in all things sustainable: exclusive news on what the Energy Company Obligation will look like, an interview with the outspoken Jonathon Porritt, early lessons from the Technology Strategy Board’s Retrofit for the Future programme, a look at the eco-credentials of prefab development, and how to get tenants on board the green deal.

My production editor was flitting through and remarked: ‘the green deal has had a bit of a rough ride in this issue’. In retrospect, I suppose it has. The green deal is the common theme in nearly all the articles because it is one of the most important policy areas in housing. As a result, we have given it something of a constructive grilling. And right now, there are some major hurdles emerging to overcome.

FutureFit
The most interesting recent example of this were flagged up in Affinity Sutton’s£1.2 million FutureFit retrofit pilot results which Inside Housing exclusively revealed on Friday. The implications of these findings for the social housing sector are huge. Effectively the report shows that for social housing the green deal will fail to meet its target of reducing carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

The report identified a 26 per cent ‘carbon black hole’ in the green deal. It also flagged up a massive funding gap of around £3,000 per home between the net cost of the works and the value of the energy savings. This means that just under half of the savings in social homes will need to be subsidised and plugged by Energy Company Obligation funding – and if the green deal ‘low package’ of £6,500 was rolled out across Affinity Sutton’s 56,000 homes, would equate to a minimum funding gap of £130 million for the housing association. Ouch.

Another major problem – one that is perhaps more worrying for the government and would be green deal providers in the private sector – is the very low initial take-up rate. Just 4.8 per cent of the 800 residents approached showed initial interest. This is even worse than the findings of the Pay As You Save pilot carried out by BioRegional, B&Q and Sutton Council which saw 126 homes receive a home energy audit – yet only 67 eventually went ahead with the measures. If social landlords struggle to give away free energy efficiency works to tenants then the private sector is in for a rude awakening when it tries the same thing.

The findings from both schemes show that the government’s market-led assumption that residents will take up the green deal on the rational of potential bills savings alone may be somewhat flawed as residents appear to motivated as much by the prospect of increased warmth as they are financial benefits. That said, with massive bill hikes anticipated from energy companies, this may well change over time.

for further information please see the following link http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/ihstory.aspx?storycode=6517623

Or for further information and Green Deal News visit www.green-deal.uk.com

Green Deal to be the best for consumers

Climate Change Minister Greg Barker has set out plans to ensure the Green Deal won’t rip off consumers.

The Green Deal is the government’s flagship energy saving plan to transform the country’s homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run. From next year, people will be able to access up to £10,000 upfront to pay for energy efficiency work, repaying the costs through savings on energy bills. Similar support will be available through the Green Deal for businesses and there will be extra help for vulnerable people or those living in homes which need more work than Green Deal finance alone will stretch to.

The legal framework is currently progressing through Parliament under the Energy Bill and will be discussed at Committee stage in the House of Commons next week.
Greg Barker said:

“The Green Deal will be the biggest home improvement programme since the Second World War shifting our outdated draughty homes from the past into the future, so it’s vital people can trust it. I have heard too many cases of shoddy workmanship or dodgy technology from Government schemes in the past so from day one there will be strict rules about standards, information will be readily available and there will be a proper route for complaints.

“We’ve already started putting in place the foundations for this and I am pleased the United Kingdom Accreditation Service has been formally appointed to ensure that installers and assessors will meet the necessary standards when the Green Deal starts next year.

For more information relating to the Green Deal follow our Facebook page www.facebook.com/greendeal or visit our website www.green-deal.uk.com

Green Deal and old buildings

It’s true that old buildings present a challenge for energy efficiency improvements and care needs to be taken when installing insulation and other measures – particularly if solid wall insulation is the only option.

Nevertheless, the Green Deal scheme provides a unique and ideal opportunity for these buildings to be properly assessed in order to explore the options. It’s also an opportunity for the proposed Energy Company Obligation to work in parallel with Green Deal to provide funding for those higher cost measures that may not pass the Green Deal Golden Rule.

Despite the characteristics of old and listed buildings, and the care needed when assessing appropriate measures, it is important that the entire building stock throughout the UK is considered within the scope of Green Deal if we are to make serious progress towards our national carbon saving targets.

For more information see our website @ www.green-deal.uk.com or follow us on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/gresendeal 

Green deal Heating Scheme For Social Housing...

DECC Launches £3m 'Green' Heating Scheme For Social Housing Tenants 

A £3 million scheme has been launched to help install green heating technologies in the homes of social housing tenants. Heating equipment including biomass boilers, solar hot water panels and heat pumps will be available under the new scheme, but bio heating oil is ineligible for inclusion within the scheme.

Registered Providers of social housing, such as local authorities and social housing associations, will be able to bid for a share of the £3 million, part of the £15 million Renewable Heat Premium Payment budget, to make home heating improvements to tenants' homes.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said, "Improving and greening Britain's homes must make strong financial sense if we are to provide a real sustainable alternative to expensive old heating systems. If people choose to go green, they want to see real savings.

"This new programme is directly targeted at many of the people who will be struggling to pay their heating bills next winter. It will drive the take up of new heating technologies in social housing and help slash their dependence on big energy companies and expensive tariffs.

"In the face of rising gas and electricity bills, the Premium Payment scheme is a valuable way for people to get involved in energy generation at a local level, insulating them from volatile fossil fuel costs and ensuring homes are heated in a greener, more sustainable way.

"The Renewable Heat Incentive for householders will be up and running next year making it even more attractive to get involved."???

Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive of the Energy Saving Trust said, "The only way to tackle the energy efficiency of our housing stock is to make it possible for everyone in our society to take action, and low carbon heating systems are a major part of this. The Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme goes a step further in bringing these technologies to more households."

David Orr, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation said, "The National Housing Federation welcomes this specific allocation of £3 million from the Renewable Heat Premium Payment budget to assist social housing providers, such as housing associations to increase their use of renewable heating technologies and so to reduce emissions."

From today, bids are invited for funds of up to around £175,000 per housing provider to support proposals which should in total finance at least 17 social housing projects. The deadline for bids is 15th of September. The scheme will be managed by the Energy Saving Trust.

The bids will be evaluated by a panel of experts on criteria including value for money, the number of individual eco-heaters installed, the opportunity for learning and the number of homes not supplied by mains gas. Successful applicants will be informed in early October and can therefore start installing renewable heat equipment as soon as they receive confirmation of their winning bid.

Source oilfiredup.com

For more information in the Green Deal please see www.green-deal.uk.com

British Gas launches its own 'green deal'

British Gas launches its own 'green deal'

British Gas has geared up its services business in a bid to take on retailers backed by rival energy suppliers.

The company has done a deal with Barclaes bank, which will offer customers loans at 6.9 per cent for energy efficiency measures such as insulation and boilers. Customers pay off the loan over five, ten or fifteen years, and the rate will not increase if they switch supplier. British Gas said the rate was "subsidieed" but not part of its supplier obligations.

To qualify for the 6.9 per cent rate, the measures must be recommended by British Gas sales staff and meet the "golden rule" - they must save more than they cost over the payback period.

Householders can also borrow money to install microgeneraen tariff (FIT) return of about 10 per cent. FIes do not currently contribute to the golden rule, so customers will have to pay a larger deposit. British Gas is lobbying government to change this.

British Gas said: "We can be sure of service because we have everything in house." It said other companies used contractors. Marks & Spencer partners with Scottish and Southern Energy for its home energy offering.
Consumer groups gave the move a cautious welcome. Consumer Focus said it would be "interesting to see how consumers respond to paying according to how much they save". But it added that British Gas sales­people should not "cherry-pick specific measures such as solar panels because they give a better rate of return".

Which? said "early movers must be certain that customers have the protection they need".

by Brendan Coyneetility Week

Green Deal apprenticeship scheme gets go ahead

Source clickgreen.org.uk

At least 1,000 Green Deal apprentices could receive Government funding towards their training, as part of plans to insulate the UK’s homes and businesses against rising energy prices and reduce carbon emissions.

Funding for the apprenticeships is part of a package of measures announced by the Government today to create a skilled workforce for its flagship Green Deal programme.

Today’s announcement, made during a visit by the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne to B&Q’s flagship energy saving store in Sutton, has received the backing of leading companies including B&Q, Carillion, E.ON, British Gas and InstaGroup.

The Deputy Prime Minister said: “We want to be the greenest government ever. We will reshape the economy, change the way we power our transport, heat our homes, and generate our electricity. We must put the development of the green economy at the centre of our ambitions to rebalance the economy.

“The Green Deal is about the future – and it is important we ensure that future generations have the skills they need to take advantage of the opportunities of the green economy. These apprenticeships are a perfect example of how government and business can work together towards a low carbon future.”

Business Secretary Vince Cable added: “Teaching practical skills is as essential to growing the green economy as complex scientific research. Without them we will be unable to take full advantage of the huge potential for economic growth the green economy offers.

“Apprenticeships offer the perfect training for creating the skilled workforce we need – providing the practical on the job training aligned to employers’ needs. Green Deal apprenticeships will play a critical role in its success.”

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne said: “The new green economy is going to support jobs, growth and help defend Britain from high oil prices.

“The Green Deal is a great opportunity to seal Britain’s draughty buildings. To succeed we’ll need a big injection of skills and investment which is why today’s announcement is important.

“The Green Deal is likely to support 100,000 jobs by 2015 and up to 250,000 when it reaches its peak and will be great news for local economies with local firms encouraged to get involved in this new exciting industry.”

Measures to develop the skilled workforce needed include:

* Department for Business and Department for Education will provide sufficient funding to match employer demand to train at least 1000 Green Deal apprentices aged 16 and over

* Employers and Sector Skills Councils (SummitSkills, Asset Skills & ConstructionSkills) will design new apprenticeship frameworks and revise existing ones, for workers to be trained or re-trained with the skills that this growth sector will require

* DECC will work with the sector to set out new standards for green deal installers and will work with employers to encourage them to take on new trainees and up-skill their existing staff

* In addition, DECC will also offer concessions on the Green Deal installer registration fees for those organisations which take on young people

This package of measures will help apprentices become experts in a range of areas including cavity and solid wall insulation, new energy efficient heating systems and also learn about new green technologies.

Welcoming today's announcement, Euan Sutherland, CEO B&Q and Kingfisher UK, said: “B&Q is delighted to support a programme that encourages Green Deal employment opportunities. As the first retailer to introduce a City & Guilds qualification for retail skills selling eco products last year, a green apprenticeship programme is a great next step towards creating a greener work force able to advise and help more home owners access energy efficiency measures to green up their homes.”

And Phil Bentley, Managing Director of British Gas, added: “British Gas has the biggest apprenticeship programme in the energy sector and we look forward to playing a leading role in the Green Deal.

“In the last 18 months, British Gas created 1000 new green collar jobs and we’re planning to recruit almost 2000 more this year."

Carillion Chief Executive, John McDonough, said: “We expect The Green Deal to create major new opportunities in the energy services market. Through Carillion’s proposed acquisition of Eaga plc, we aim to create the UK’s largest independent energy services provider, capable of playing a leading role in helping to deliver the Government’s Green Deal objectives.

“As a leading private sector provider of apprenticeship training services, we train over 2000 apprentices every year in our national network of 17 training centres. Carillion will therefore be looking to use its experience and resources to train the apprentices needed to support the delivery of The Green Deal. ”

Managing Director of InstaGroup, Robin Davies said: “Green Deal Apprenticeships represent a great opportunity for young people to work towards a truly sustainable career in the new Green market place.”

Don Leiper, Director, New Business, E.ON Energy Solutions, said: “Making sure that we have the right skills available is going to be vital to delivering the energy efficiency measures that the country’s homes need. We’ve already invested heavily in our own facilities to train our teams, alongside local people, in the communities where we’re installing energy efficiency measures and we’re also taking a lead in developing the right qualifications for the low carbon energy sector. It’s therefore great news that the Government is giving its own backing to investment in green skills.”

The Government is already working with a number of councils to explore how they can develop their role in the Green Deal – from supporting whole community refurbishment and training of local people, to creating and focussing local demand to encourage investment. Greater Manchester in particular will be working closely with social landlords to promote greater energy efficiency while also developing local skills.

Cllr Dave Goddard, Chair of the Greater Manchester Environment Commission said: “This apprenticeship scheme will kick start the capacity that local areas need to deliver the Green Deal to homes and businesses. It will capitalise on the groundbreaking work and unique partnerships already in place between businesses, colleges and the public sector across Greater Manchester by helping them deliver on the local jobs and growth potential of a low carbon economy."

Cllr Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, whose portfolio covers sustainability, added: "Birmingham is committed to cutting CO2 emissions by 60% by 2026. The Government's Green Deal working in partnership with local councils will ensure that we not only save energy but also create local jobs and apprenticeships through the procurement process.

“Green Deal will provide cities like Birmingham with a huge investment and job creation opportunity as we develop the goods and services required to transform our inefficient homes and buildings into cheap to run, low carbon buildings of the future."
This scheme has also received the backing of the Princes Trust, who believe that this is a great opportunity for young people.

Ginny Lunn, Director of Policy & Development at youth charity The Prince’s Trust, said: “Many young people are passionate about the environment and the green economy is, potentially, a real growth sector. The Prince’s Trust welcome initiatives that enable unemployed young people to gain apprenticeships and sustainable jobs.

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