NEWS In brief
FUNDING FOR POOR- PERFORMING HOMES STUDY The government is to spend £380,000 on a study into the poor energy performance of many new build homes. The study, announced at
Ecobuild by Building Regulations Minister Don Foster, is to be carried out by the government, and manufacturing and construction industries. It will look into the reasons why many new homes fail to meet expectations, including the use of building materials and problems caused by construction practices. The Minister said the
alternative ‘would be further regulation of industry, but I do not want to add red tape and financial burdens that would just be passed on to already- struggling homebuyers’. Foster said he would rather ‘work with industry to improve standards and performance in practice’.
TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUM OPENS THIS MONTH This month CIBSE will be staging its third Technical Symposium, which will take place in Liverpool on 11-12 April. Focusing on ‘Delivering buildings that are truly fit for purpose’, the symposium will hear from a host of speakers presenting their papers, latest practice and research. Topics to be covered include benchmarking systems, monitoring and feedback methods, the integration of renewable energy systems and innovations. For information and to book your place, visit
www.cibse.org and click on the ‘Training and Events’ tab.
Heat pump industry calls for RHI certainty
l RHI changes welcomed, but questions remain
The Heat Pump Association (HPA) has cautiously welcomed the changes to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) announced by the government following a public consultation
The government has set a target of 6.8 million heat pump installations in the UK by 2030, which would require the industry to step up activity from the current level of 20,000 units a year to 600,000. Support through the RHI is seen as a crucial market driver.
The HPA said it was concerned that implementation of Phase Two of the non-domestic scheme still seemed to be some way off, and urged the government to confirm that it would proceed, and that
air source heat pumps (ASHPs) would be included, as indicated in the consultation.
The association also said there was a danger of creating a ‘self- fulfilling prophecy’ by announcing a very low ‘trigger point’ for a cut in the tariff for ground source heat pumps (GSHPs).
‘Investment in the RHI will be crucial in helping to develop the market’
‘The HPA is very concerned that it appears the view being taken is that deployment for GSHP is likely to remain low and, thus, a trigger point for its digression in tariff has been set at just 5% of total spend,’ a statement said.
‘GSHP deployment is low for a number of reasons, and a
more realistic tariff, along with preliminary accreditation and, ideally, enhanced preliminary accreditation (EPA) would contribute positively to its wider deployment.’
All technologies have a ‘trigger point’ that, when reached, means the government will reduce its tariff, but most are set at 150% of anticipated uptake.
Heat pump manufacturer NIBE also welcomed the investment in the RHI, which it said would be crucial in helping to develop the market. UK managing director Phil Hurley said the government’s vision was ‘ambitious but achievable’. He said it would also require significant investment in the country’s energy infrastructure to support the greater volume of heat pumps.
‘There are also big issues with heat pumps not being installed properly,’ he told a reception at Ecobuild. ‘We need the installer network and the skills – if that is not in place, then it all falls down,’ said Hurley.
DECC ordered to pay £180,000 FiT legal bill
The government has been ordered to pay a total of £180,000 in legal costs to solar firms and campaign group Friends of the Earth as a result of claims, following its decision to slash Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) in 2011.
FOE and two solar panel suppliers, HomeSun and Solarcentury, appealed against the cuts to the High Court. The judge ruled that the cut-off date for FiT claims was ‘retrospective and illegal’ and two subsequent government appeals have now been thrown out.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change
(DECC) was originally ordered to pay the costs in December 2011. A spokesman for the solar firms said the government’s decision to cut the tariffs retrospectively caused ‘genuine damage’ to the industry and undermined employment prospects for thousands of people.
‘It would have been better if the government had not taken this action and dragged it out so long, not just because of the money spent but because of the confidence in the industry that was lost,’ added Donna Hume, an energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth.
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CIBSE Journal April 2013
www.cibsejournal.com
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