ENERGY EFFICIENCY
The speakers A green gamble
Shadow climate change secretary Luciana Berger reiterated that Labour “wholeheartedly” supports the principle and theory behind the Green Deal, which was developed from pilots run under Labour.
But she too agreed: “Unfortunately it still is a green gamble. The questions we’ve been asking and the points we’ve been raising still haven’t been answered or properly addressed, and that’s disappointing. We’ve been trying to make it the great scheme it should be.”
Berger explained that the interest rate was “absolutely crucial” to determining the success of the deal, and criticised the lack of clarity surrounding this, calling it “ridiculous” that the industry still did not know whether it would be the expected 7.5%.
If it is to be set at this rate, it could signifi cantly deter people from taking part, she warned.
To achieve the average ‘golden rule’ – where participants would offset repayments through energy savings – Berger suggested only a small range of measures would be able to be included on each property. If the interest rate is too high, full retrofi ts will be unachievable.
Berger called for further clarity around how the funding for Green Deal will be allocated, and added: “We don’t think a cash-back will incentivise public enough.”
She said: “If the interest rate isn’t brought down, the only way to make the Green Deal work is to drastically reduce the cost of measures.
“To do that we need a truly competitive market;
Damian Carrington, head of environment at the Guardian, chaired the event. The panel consisted of: Luciana Berger MP, shadow minister for climate change;
Dr Alan Whitehead MP, chair of PRASEG (the Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group); Dave Sowden, chief executive of the Micropower Council; Bill Rumble, commercial director of Mark Group; and Pete Moorey from Which?
we would like to see any provider go into any home and irrespective of the type of property or the fi nancial background, to offer a Green Deal package and at the moment that’s currently not the case. It’s restricted to the ‘Big 6’, at least 50% is restricted; that’s not going to drive down the costs as it could do if it was open.”
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opinion@publicsectorexecutive.com
Eager for Monobloc M
Donna-Marie Evans of Space Air discusses air source heat pump technology. Following Space Air’s
any Wealden District Council properties are off the gas mains and heated by
storage heaters or direct electricity; an expense passed onto tenants.
Having already experienced Space Air and the Daikin Altherma heat pump system, a three-bedroom semi-detached 96sqm home in Berwick was identifi ed by WDC to upgrade the ineffi cient and bulky storage heaters to an air- to-water heat pump system.
site survey, the low
temperature (up to 50°C without back- up heater) single-phase Daikin Altherma Monobloc air/water heat pump was selected (due to internal space constraints) connecting to slim line radiators throughout and a 200L DHW storage cylinder positioned in the loft, with a 3kW immersion heater (to raise the temperature for legionella protection). This system also gave the tenants the much-needed extra space inside their home.
A spokesperson for Wealden DC said: “As part of our Energy Strategy to replace old-fashioned storage heaters with suitable energy effi cient heating, we have been trialling the use of the Daikin Monobloc air
source heat pump technology.
“At a recent installation, the tenants were more than eager to have the ASHP installed and, although early days, are very happy with it. As a result of our trials, we are
now embarking on a complete roll-out of this technology to our off-gas properties.”
Space Air’s bespoke accessories used on this project included: the prefabricate piping kit, to fully optimise and protect the Daikin Altherma system as well as reducing onsite installation time and costs, wall brackets for mounting and a protective mesh cage to prevent accidental damage to the outdoor unit which is positioned on the rear wall of the property in the garden. A condensate tray to drain off surface water to prevent build-up of ice during the winter months was also supplied, and fi nally, as with all Space Air supplied Daikin Altherma systems, a wattmeter to monitor the heat pump energy use.
A Space Air approved dealer undertook the installation causing minimal disruption to the tenants and ensuring suffi cient space was left around the unit for the annual serving and maintenance. Space Air’s heating and hot water software simulation program
predicts the
residents will save at least 30% towards their heating and hot water bills.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
www.spacealtherma.co.uk
public sector executive Sep/Oct 12 | 33
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