The Department of Energy and Climate Change has today released the complete question and answers from their Green Deal web chat.

The web chat was held on 15th December 2011 and gave people the opportunity to raise any question or concerns they may have about the upcoming Green Deal.

The released document contains 40 pages of questions and answers from the event ranging from the available renewable technologies through to the finer details of the finance process.

The document can be found here – http://www.decc.gov.uk/

Government plans to cut subsidies for solar panels on homes have been ruled legally flawed by the High Court.

The government had said that subsidies for households that installed solar panels would be halved from 12 December.

Environmental charity Friends of the Earth and two solar companies went to court to test whether the proposals were lawful.

The government has said it would defend a challenge at judicial review.

Under the feed-in tariffs programme, people in Britain with solar panels are paid for the electricity they generate.

The new tariff of 21p per kilowatt-hour, down from the current 43p, had been expected to come into effect from 1 April, but in October the government said it would be paid to anyone who installed their solar panels after 12 December.

The tariff for surplus electricity exported to the national grid will remain at 3.1p per kilowatt-hour.

The government had said the subsidy cut would ensure the scheme carried on in the future.

Friends of the Earth (FoE) and solar companies Solarcentury and HomeSun argued that that cut-off point – which came two weeks before the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) consultation on changes to the scheme was due to end – was unlawful.

They said the lower subsidy could cost tens of thousands of jobs and bankrupt businesses, and had already led to unfinished or planned projects being abandoned.

But FoE said it was not opposed to cuts in the tariff.

Friends of the Earth’s Executive Director, Andy Atkinsm said: “These botched and illegal plans have cast a huge shadow over the solar industry, jeopardising thousands of jobs.

“Solar payments should fall in line with falling installation costs but the speed of the government’s proposals threatened to devastate the entire industry.”

The government’s decision has already been criticised by the CBI and the Local Government Association, which warned it would cost councils who had attempted to roll out the technology to poorer households hundreds of millions of pounds.

The public consultation on plans to slash the subsidy will remain open for comment until 23 December.

Source: BBC

Improved and redesigned Energy Performance Certificate

The current EPC was developed some years ago and has been in use since 2007. While it has many positive features, consumer research suggests that it is not always readily understood by the public which in turn makes it less likely that they will decide to implement some or all of the energy efficiency recommendations. In addition, it is important to ensure that the EPC can effectively support the Green Deal when it is introduced in October 2012. To address these issues, DCLG commissioned a redesign of the content and format of the EPC earlier this year.
A revised version of the EPC has now been developed and will be introduced in April 2012. The new document is a significant improvement on the current version. The changes that have been made include:

• more graphics and white space;
• a single energy efficiency graph on the front page;
• significantly reduced text;
• clear signposting to the Green Deal;
• indicating which recommendations could be funded through the Green Deal;
• greater focus on potential financial savings;
• recommended improvements nearer the front of the document;
• text of less immediate interest moved to the back page.

Developing the skills of Domestic Energy Assessors

As a result of the changes that are being made to the EPC, Domestic Energy Assessors will need to obtain a top-up qualification so that they:

• understand and can explain the changes that have been made to the EPC and the underlying RdSAP methodology;
• have an appreciation of the role of EPCs in the context of wider Government policy on improving the energy performance of buildings.

A further reason for taking the top-up qualification is the need for Domestic Energy Assessors to improve their knowledge and understanding in areas where a skills gap has been identified. A workshop held on 30 June this year identified a number of gaps in the skill set of many Domestic Energy Assessors, of which the key ones were:

• need to review recommendations and ensure they are appropriate;
• better overall knowledge of principles of building structure, elements and fabric;
• greater familiarity with software used to produce EPCs;
• ensuring evidence is collected and retained;
• better understanding of the interaction between building fabric and services;
• greater emphasis on interaction with the consumer;
• better understanding of the operating requirements.

The National Occupational Standards for Domestic Energy Assessors have been reviewed in light of the above and an additional top-up unit has now been developed by Asset Skills. The unit is in the process of being converted into a stand alone qualification which will be available from mid January 2012. Training courses will be available shortly afterwards.

It is estimated that about 8 hours training will be needed to cover the additional requirements. The training can be delivered as part of a Domestic Energy Assessor’s Continuing Professional Development. The Continuing Professional Development will form part of the Domestic Energy Assessors’ mandatory obligation that they must undertake to keep their skills up to date. It is in addition to the recommended 10 hours of annual Continuing Professional Development required by accreditation schemes.
Upon completion of the training, Domestic Energy Assessors will be required to undergo a short assessment in order to demonstrate that they have acquired the necessary additional knowledge and understanding. This will be a supervised online multiple choice test consisting of 40 questions and lasting for 60 minutes.

Domestic Energy Assessors who wish to continue practising, and to maintain their accreditation after 6 April 2012 will need to undertake training in the new qualification and successfully pass the examination.

There will not be any limit on the number of resits that can be taken. However, the top-up qualification and associated knowledge assessment will no longer be available after October 2012, at which time it will be subsumed into the general Domestic Energy Assessor qualification. Any Domestic Energy Assessor who has not passed the examination within that time period will need to start again from scratch and undertake training in the revised Domestic Energy Assessor qualification.

A number of training providers are expected to offer this additional training. However, DCLG is not in a position to recommend any particular training provider. Domestic Energy Assessors are strongly advised to satisfy themselves that that the level of training they undertake is sufficient for them to be able to successfully sit and pass the assessment. If they are in any doubt, Domestic Energy Assessors may wish to seek advice from their accreditation scheme(s).

The full document can be found here

Today’s transaction will make Vibrant the UK’s largest EPC provider, operating on a scale which should increase efficiencies and drive down costs for all estate agencies using its services. Increased volumes of business will allow Vibrant to double its number of employed DEAs and enable greater investment into training and systems in order to deliver an enhanced service across its product range.

Vibrant is already the UK market leader in EPC provision with the largest number of employed DEAs. This new agreement will not only increase its share in the residential market but also extend its EPC provision into the commercial and social housing arenas.

“Joining with the Connells Group over a year ago gave us access to greater volumes of business and new sections of the property market,” says Michael Wayman, Managing Director for Vibrant. “Extending this partnership to include Countrywide and LSL will increase our market share even further, allowing Vibrant to deliver high-quality, efficient EPC provision on behalf of a greater number of customers.

“The much anticipated launch of the ‘Green Deal’ next year will make EPCs even more central to improving energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings,” Michael continues. “Today’s partnership with the UK’s leading estate agency firms will put Vibrant right at the centre of delivering on the ‘Green Deal’s’ objectives.”

“This joint venture with Countrywide and LSL will strengthen Vibrant’s position as the UK premier providers of EPCs and drive efficiencies and cost reductions for its customers,” says David Livesey, Chief Executive for the Connells Group. “With the largest number of employed DEAs as well as its external panel, this new collaboration will facilitate Vibrant’s continued growth and improve EPC provision for its customers.”

David Newnes, Director of LSL Property Services, owners of Your Move and Reeds Rains said. “We are pleased to be joining Connells in this new venture not only because, through greater investment in DEA training, it will streamline the provision of EPCs, but also help in the drive towards improving energy efficiency in residential homes.”

Paul Creffield, Corporate Operations Director at Countrywide said,
“This joint venture will provide the necessary investment to improve standards and increase numbers of DEA in the industry; whilst also enabling new product innovation and providing homemovers with a much more cost effective suite of product and services.”

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) today launched a consultation on the proposed changes, confirming it wants the reduced tariffs to come into force as early as 12 December.

Under the proposals the new tariffs would apply to all new solar PV installations with an eligibility date on or after 12 December 2011.

Such installations would then receive the current tariff before moving to the lower tariffs on 1 April 2012, assuming the government does not make further changes following the closure of the consultation on 23 December.

The timeline prompted criticism from the solar industry, with founder of Solarcentury Jeremy Leggett stating on Twitter: “So you ‘consult’ until 23 Dec but cut off tariff from 12th? I guess you have a good lawyer?”
The proposed changes are largely in line with those that appeared in a document inadvertently published by the Energy Saving Trust on Friday.
If brought into effect they would cut rates of return for solar installations from current levels that have, in some cases, topped 10 per cent to just 4.5 per cent to five per cent.

Significantly, the returns would be below the five to eight per cent originally envisaged by the feed-in tariff scheme.
The consultation also proposes cuts of between 14 per cent and 55.5 per cent for larger installations with between 4kW and 250kW of capacity.
The largest cuts of more than 55 per cent are reserved for installations with 4-10kW of capacity, while larger installations with 150-250kW capacity that are typically favoured by businesses and community projects will see tariffs fall from 15p/kWh to 12.9p/kWh.
Industry experts have warned the deep cuts would lead to a severe contraction in demand, and an end to free solar financing schemes and social housing projects.
Leading solar firms are predicting significant job losses if the proposed changes come into effect and are promising to mount a high-profile campaign against the scale of the cuts and the rapid pace at which they are expected to come into effect. There are also rumours that some solar firms could pursue legal action against the government over the rapid timeline for the consultation and the manner in which the proposed cuts could come into effect before the consultation exercise is officially completed in late December.

However, climate minister Greg Barker insisted the deep cuts were essential to ensure the feed-in tariff scheme remains within its spending cap and provides more “sustainable” foundations for the UK’s solar industry.

“My priority is to put the solar industry on a firm footing so it can remain a successful and prosperous part of the green economy, and so it doesn’t fall victim to boom and bust,” he said in a statement.

“The plummeting costs of solar mean we’ve got no option but to act so we stay within budget and not threaten the whole viability of the FITs scheme.
“Although I fully realise that adjusting to the new lower tariffs will be a big challenge for many firms, it won’t come as a surprise to many in the solar industry that have themselves acknowledged the big fall in costs and the big increase in their rate of return over the past year.”

DECC said that based on the current rate of adoption of solar panels, the feed-in tariff scheme would breach its Treasury-imposed £863m spending cap and solar PV would cost consumers £980m a year, adding around £26 at 2010 prices to annual domestic electricity bills in 2020.

It added that under the new proposals, feed-in tariff PV costs will be limited to between £250m and £280m in 2014-15, reducing the impact of PV installations to an estimated £3 a year on energy bills by 2020.

The consultation also proposed a new energy efficiency requirement that would mean any household or business applying for feed-in tariff incentives from April next year would have to meet minimum energy efficiency standards.

The consultation suggests these standards could include ensuring the building has an Energy Performance Certificate level of C or above, or requiring people to take up Green Deal measures before they can install solar panels.

DECC said that as a transitional arrangement installations with eligibility dates between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013 would have 12 months from entering the feed-in tariff scheme to comply with the energy efficiency requirement.

Industry insiders have warned that unless any new standards are well structured they could act as a further barrier to solar adoption.

In addition, it proposes new multi-installation tariff rates for aggregated solar PV schemes, presumably aimed at free solar and social housing projects, where a single individual or organisation owns or receives feed-in tariff payments from more than one PV installation located on different sites.

Under the proposals the new tariff rates would come into effect from 1 April 2012 and would provide tariffs of 80 per cent of the standard tariff rate for all aggregated PV schemes.

The change would represent a further blow to free solar financing schemes and social housing projects, which are already likely to be halted if rates of return fall below five per cent – a level at which industry insiders believe it will be impossible to attract private finance.

However, the government said that as part of the review it would “consider whether more could be done to enable genuine community projects to be able to fully benefit from FITs and whether, for example, a definition of community scheme is required and, if so, how this should be defined”.

Green groups accused the government of dealing a crippling blow to a fast-expanding green industry.

“This is a real setback for jobs in Britain today, with the government announcement that they are slashing funding for solar panels,” said Louise Hutchins from Greenpeace. “The renewable sector is one of this century’s critical growth industries, with the solar industry creating more than 20, 000 jobs in the last year alone. There’s a real inconsistency with the government’s approach to job creation – on the day that deputy PM Nick Clegg announced funding for 35,000 new jobs the Treasury pulls the rug out from under this vibrant industry.”

Her comments were echoed by Friends of the Earth’s energy campaigner, Donna Hume, who warned the changes could put tens of thousands of people out of work.
“Greg Barker says he wants to make subsidies fairer, but the new rates mean that unless you have significant savings, you’re unlikely to be able to afford solar panels,” she said.

“The government should be encouraging more people – not fewer – to save money by making their own electricity, freeing us from the stranglehold of the Big Six energy firms that are pushing up our bills.”

Source: Business Green

Tony Fadell caused surprise when he quit Apple in 2008 after heading its music player division. Fortune magazine once tipped him as a successor to former chief executive, Steve Jobs.

Mr Fadell has now revealed his efforts went into the Learning Thermostat.

The smart device adjusts the temperature based on the presence of people and their habits. It can “learn” about a house’s cooling and heating patterns to optimise its performance, and adjust itself to the weather conditions. Mr Faddell said the device could cut 20 to 30% off the average household’s energy bill.

He said it is also possible to control the $249 (£156) thermostat remotely via a smartphone app.

The price is around fifteen times higher than what basic thermostats sell for in the US.

There are also alternative “smart” models on the market.

A Canadian firm Ecobee produces web-connected programmable “green” thermostats.

But according to Mr Fadell’s company, Nest, the Learning Thermostat is more user-friendly, and has the advantage of being able to “observe” household members and their surroundings.

Using a motion sensor, it can detect whether or not anyone is home – and if the house or flat is empty, it goes into the energy-saving mode by turning down the heater or air conditioner.

It is possible to adjust the temperature remotely, from a computer or a mobile device
Smart thermostats are just one kind of the growing number of “intelligent” devices that are connected to the web and able to interact with humans and among themselves.

Smart meters and smart grids are among the best known ones, but companies are also experimenting with smart parking places, smart tags at retail stores and even a so-called Urban operating system aimed at controlling devices of a future smart city.

The tech website CNET, which interviewed Nest’s co-founder Matt Rogers, says the start-up is likely to move beyond smart thermostats in the years to come.

“You don’t hire a crack team to build a product. You hire them to build a company,” the site quoted Mr Rogers as saying.

Source: BBC

It suspects that the problem is worst in commercial buildings, where non-compliance could be running at over 80%. Complaints have been made to the European Commission.

According to an impact assessment published earlier this month by CLG, the EU could request the European Court to impose a daily penalty or a lump sum.

The impact assessment, signed off by minister Andrew Stunell, says: “If the EU Commission were to take further action resulting in successful infraction proceedings, it could request the European Court to impose a daily penalty or a lump sum.

“There is a formula for working out the final sanctions that could be imposed on a Member State and although the Department for Communities and Local Government has not done detailed calculations, for the UK we estimate this would amount to approximately £10m in the case of the lump sum.

“There is also a formula for working out the daily penalty amount, based upon the following variables: the seriousness of the infringement, its duration and the need to ensure that the sanction itself is a deterrent to further infringements.

“It is not possible, however, to state what the daily penalty amount is likely to be. It will be for the EU Commission to advance the case for a daily penalty and an amount based upon the seriousness and duration of the breach.”

The document urges action, saying: “There is a risk if we do not take action that we could face further complaints being made to the European Commission which could result in infraction proceedings. At present we lack a strong evidence base which could prevent us from providing a robust response to the European Commission.”

Action could include publicity campaigns to raise awareness, or amending the Regulations to make compliance and enforcement easier.

Source: Estate Agents Today

On the 14th October, “Renovate Europe Day”, Building Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) released an in depth review into the energy performance of building in all 27 member states as well as Switzerland and Norway.

Utilising the potential for energy savings within the building sector can bring significant benefits to the European economies and increase the energy security of the European Union. Whilst several actions have been put in place in order to exploit this potential, the challenge of transforming the existing building stock remains. A key obstacle to the challenge is for the moment our limited knowledge and hence limited understanding of key aspects related to buildings across the EU. There is a need for a comprehensive review of all major aspects related to the energy performance of buildings across Europe. To achieve the energy targets set by the EU, it is imperative to monitor and evaluate the current performance status of all buildings for all Member States.

This very project screens European buildings and buildings policies across all 27 Member States as well as Switzerland and Norway. The data will help to get a better idea of the existing energy and emission saving potentials in Europe. The collected data allowed to determine the energy and CO2 saving potential of European buildings and to model a variety of scenarios for the systematic renovation of the European building stock till 2050.

The report will be of particular importance to the individual MS as they draw up their plans for implementing the elements of the recast EPBD and improving the energy efficiency of their building stock. It will also guide policymakers on EU level in terms of understanding the current situation and real potential of reaching the desired EU targets. Finally, the report will be used as a tool necessary for the industry and other relevant bodies to raise the importance of ‘energy efficient renovations’ and ultimately assist in pushing for higher renovation rates.

The study will be presented in detail on November 10th (9.30 to 13.00) 2011

Click the above image for the full report or visit http://www.bpie.eu for more information.

These exciting opportunities will require candidates to play a key role working as part of a busy team delivering solutions to the residential markets. With many legislative changes on the horizon this is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a market leading company that are committed to providing suitable candidates with a clear career path in energy.
VEM was bought by the Connells Group in June 2010. Connells is a subsidiary of Skipton Building Society and is the UK’s second largest and most profitable Estate Agency business, making £48m PBT in 2010. Since acquisition, Connells partnership with Vibrant Energy’s management team has had a significant positive impact and the business is now poised to launch the next phase of growth.

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITES:

• Your role will be to provide Energy Performance Certificates on properties being sold or rented
• You will also receive training and be expected to deliver other products with our range of services – Floor Plan and Inventory experience are a necessity.
• You will be responsible for your own bookings however we do operate a fully functional supporting back office

YOU:

• Will be a qualified and accredited DEA.
• Will have a full UK driving licence, your own transport, and appropriate insurance.
• Will have a home PC and a broadband connection.
• Have strong interpersonal skills.
• Will have excellent communication skills and have strong IT skills.
• Will possess good time keeping and organisational skills.
• Should be based in the location specified

BENEFITS:

• A basic salary ranging from£13.5k to £18.5k with on target earnings in excess of £21k. The roll comes with the opportunity to earn commission on top of the basic wage.
• Expenses and mileage are paid in addition to the basic salary and commission.
• A company mobile phone is also provided
• All other equipment is provided
• Further training opportunities in both the residential and commercial markets
• Excellent management support

The closing date of for all applications is Monday 31st October 2011.

Vibrant Energy Matters wholeheartedly welcomed the proposed changes which were due to come in on the 1^st of October 2011  and are aimed  at improving overall compliance within the EPC Sector .  This delay is therefore very frustrating as the guildlines include the following proposed changes:

Commissioning an EPC before marketing

Although the onus will remain on the ‘relevant person’ (i.e. seller or landlord) to commission the EPC before marketing this will now be required on both the sale and rental of both residential and non-residential buildings. Along with this the current 28 day period in which the EPC is to be secured, using ‘reasonable efforts’ will be reduced to 7 days. If the EPC cannot been obtained within that period the relevant person will have a further 21 days in which to do so.

Power to Require the Production of Documents

Currently Trading Standards Officers have the power to request copies of the EPC from the ‘relevant person’. Under the new guidelines TSO’ will have the ability to request the EPC from and persons acting on behalf of the seller or landlord. e.g. Lettings and Estate Agents.

Clarifying when an EPC is required

The new guidelines amend Regulation 5 by deleting the words “before entering into a contract to sell or rent the building or, if sooner”. This is aimed at removing the belief that the provision of the EPC can be delayed until shortly before the parties enter a contract.

Consequential changes

This changes a number of factors to allow TSOs to enforce their new duties

EPC Information in Written Particulars

This new guideline will add the requirement for the EPC to be attached to all written particulars in relation to buildings sold or rented out. The option to include the asset rating will no longer apply.

The guidelines are now due to be released  6th April 2012. We are currently awaiting additional information and guidance is due to be issued shortly.The full document can be found here

These changes are the first step towards EPCs being mandatory on the first day of marketing. However this change is not expected until April 2013, after the introduction of the Green Deal.