NEWS EDITOR’S CHOICE


ORGANISATIONS MUST BE AWARE OF METERING REGULATIONS


n energy and environmental management consultancy is warning organisations to get informed when it comes to metering regulations to ensure they are not caught out if sanctions should come into force. Swansea-based EFT Consult, a specialist in energy management, power and indoor environmental quality, claims a lack of awareness about the Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014 has meant many organisations are not compliant with the requirements set out by these UK-wide regulations. The regulations implement a number of the requirements of the European Union’s (EU) 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) with respect to the supply of distributed heat, cooling and hot water, and apply to anyone who is a 'heat supplier'. A heat supplier is defined as a person who supplies and charges for the supply of heating, cooling or hot water through a district heat network (DHN) or a communal heating (CH) system. The aim of the regulations is to enable users of heating, cooling and hot water supplies to be aware of the amount they are consuming and subsequently be


A


incentivised to lower that consumption, thus helping to promote energy efficiency. Yet confusion exists around the


subject, leaving many organisations, landlords and property owners unclear as to what they need to do to ensure they are compliant. Amended regulations are expected in coming months following a public consultation by the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which will assess the cost effectiveness of metering. EFT Consult specialises in energy


management for all types of organisations across the public and private sectors. The company offers a holistic approach that takes into account economic, environmental health and social wellbeing principles to enable organisations to be self-sustainable whilst saving money. Chris Jenkins, director of EFT Consult,


said: “It is clear from our experiences that many organisations do not understand or aren’t even aware of obligations surrounding the metering of heating, hot water, cooling and billing. These rules should be of great concern


EFT Consult www.eftconsult.co.uk T: 01792 277165 UK WASTE MANAGEMENT CONTRACTORS BENEFIT FROM NEW INCOME STREAMS


he UK waste management contracting market, which includes collection, treatment & disposal and materials recovery, was estimated to have decreased slightly in 2016 compared to the previous year according to ‘Waste Management Market Report – UK 2017-2021 Analysis’ report. The reduction has been partly due to the impact of Central Government cuts to local authority environmental services budgets and the impact of falls in global commodity prices on recyclable materials. Up to 2015, annual growth was


T


primarily driven by the implementation of EU Directives, aimed at reducing the volumes of landfilled waste and increasing the levels of material recovery through recycling, composting and


energy-from-waste. Above all, the impact of the Landfill Tax escalator on landfill gate fees has made these alternative approaches more commercially attractive. From 2014 through to 2015 the drop in the price of crude oil also contributed towards a fall in prices for key commodities including certain grades of steel, plastics and glass. This then forced down prices for recyclates in turn making single-stream waste collections and recycling financially unviable. Also, with reduced volumes of higher value materials being accepted for treatment at recovery facilities, growth overall gate revenues have also been constrained. However, later in the second half of 2016 through to early 2017, commodity and recyclate prices for some grades have recovered. Growth in contractors’ annual revenues


AMA Research www.amaresearch.co.uk T: 01242 235724 30 SUMMER 2017 | ENERGY MANAGEMENT / ENERGYMANAGEMENT


has been driven by the development of relatively new income streams, including segregated recycling collections, organic waste collections and the development & operation of energy-from-waste (efw) plants. Investment in the expansion of efw and recycling infrastructure capacity has contributed towards growth in aggregate industry revenues from these sub-sectors, and diversification into new areas of product recycling e.g. WEEE (waste electronic & electrical equipment), ELV (end-of life vehicles) and mixed plastic packaging have also stimulated growth. EfW, landfill and other non-hazardous


waste treatment & disposal services are estimated to account for up to 45% of industry revenues, with collection and recycling services each contributing around a quarter of the total.


Figure 1:


Chris Jenkins, director of EFT Consult


for landlords in particular, who supply such amenities to multiple buildings via a district heating network or to tenants in a multi-let property via a communal heating network. “We are able to assist those who need to ensure they are up to date with the Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014 and help them to understand what is required of them as amended regulations come into place.” As part of its operation, EFT Consult


promotes the virtues of the circular economy, whereby materials and resources are used for as long as possible and then recovered or regenerated at the end of their life. In the context of energy management, this means adopting greener technologies, storing energy, minimising energy waste, recycling energy where possible and ensuring all aspects of a business are as efficient as possible. Adopting this approach can also lead to


much wider and very tangible benefits for companies. These include economic gains, usually through cheaper bills and the greater efficiency of staff; environmental health, thanks to better lighting and air quality; and wellbeing.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36