ENERGY MANAGEMENT Janet Jukes, Grant Aided Heating Installers’ Network
and philosophy should place members with a strong foundation as they enter and develop the renewables marketplace – a marketplace which is already placing a huge emphasis on quality and services delivery.
In this respect, the Government has already rubber-stamped a move towards using renewable energy sources in conjunction with conventional measures by announcing a £860 million funding for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which will come into force in June 2011. This will support households and businesses investing in renewable heat measures. It is designed to provide financial support to encourage the uptake of renewable and low carbon heat technologies. It is expected to expand twelvefold, during the decade, the amount of heat generated from renewable sources.
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is a fixed payment for the renewable heat the energy user generates. It is very similar to the Feed-in Tariff, a comparable scheme for electricity, which went live in April 2010. According to the Energy
EMBRACE RENEWABLE ENERGY A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
educing the consumption of fossil fuels is the central plank towards meeting the Government’s 2020 target for a 34% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and for 15% of energy to be from renewable sources. Looking to the future the long term target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% on 1990 levels by 2050. If that is to be achieved, between 400,000 and 1.8 million homes a year will have to be upgraded between now and then, at an annual cost of between £5 billion and £15 billion.
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In addition, there is now an overriding problem that has put the reliance on oil in jeopardy. Not only has the civil unrest in the Middle East caused the price of oil to soar out of all proportion, but it is also threatening the security of supply. The Grant Aided Heating Installers Network (GAIN), that represents professional heating and renewable installers and suppliers to the grants and wider market, stresses the need to put the transition towards a green economy even higher on the energy efficiency agenda. Indeed, GAIN members have significantly extended their range of products and services to help meet the future challenges of the renewable sector. Renewable energy measures installed by GAIN members include solar photovoltaic and solar panels, air and ground source heat pumps, wind turbines and energy catchers.
An early initiative developed by GAIN was to formally insist on full members having one of six international accreditations as a means of
differentiating the association and putting a marker down in terms of delivering high quality services. This particular initiative
24| SUSTAINABLE FM | MARCH 2011
Saving Trust the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) Scheme guarantees a minimum payment for all electricity generated by the system, as well as a separate payment for the electricity exported to the grid. These payments are in addition to the bill savings made by using electricity.
In December 2010 the Energy Bill was introduced to Parliament and this includes provision for a new ‘Green Deal’, which the Department of Energy and Climate Change believes will revolutionise the energy efficiency of British properties. The Government is establishing a framework to enable private firms to offer consumers energy efficiency improvements to their homes, community spaces and businesses at no upfront cost, and recoup payments through a charge in instalments on the energy bill. A quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions comes from energy use in the home, and a similar amount comes from businesses and public sector, industry and workplaces. If legislation goes to plan, it is anticipated the first Green Deals will appear in Autumn 2012.
Commenting on the Green Deal initiative Greg Barker, Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, said “The
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