Clean Energy

With the April 1 2012 deadline upon us, solar power installations in the UK must now abide by the EPC requirements to access the full solar feed-in tariff rates. One of the pivotal aspects with domestic homes reaching the ‘D’ banded EPC rating is the presence of a condensing boiler. This is because in combination with a solar power system the condensing boiler lifts the majority of properties into the required EPC band.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has announced that it will provide £3.5 million worth of funding to help train energy assessors and installers to participate in the upcoming Green Deal.

Hertford-based Riversmead Housing Association has called for “considerable changes” to Government’s Green Deal scheme, to help it support the poorest of its tenants.

Alliance Homes, a Somerset-based housing association is looking at developing a legal framework that would see it become one of the first landlords to set up as a Green Deal provider.

British Gas and Thames Water have combined to help their customers save money by encouraging them to use water and energy more wisely.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has launched a set of proposals on changes to the Building Regulations regime, which could boost the uptake of Green Deal measures. Under the new requirements, building owners carrying out extensions or conversions could be forced to add energy efficiency improvements worth 10 percent of the value of the improvements.

In its Green Deal consultation submission, sent to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) before the January 18 deadline, Worcester Bosch warned Government that commission-based assessors might be tempted to inaccurately sell Green Deal finance packages.

The Property and Energy Professionals Association (PEPA), a trade body representing business engaged in the provision of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Display Energy Certificates (DECs), has urged Government to reconsider its plans to fully introduce the Green Deal in October this year.

Greg Barker, the Climate Change Minister, has defended the Government’s flagship green policy: the Green Deal. In recent weeks, the policy has come under mounting criticism from interested parties, with the consultation period set to draw to a close today.

According to the Government’s own figures, the number of cavity wall and loft insulation installations will fall dramatically under the Government’s flagship green policy: the Green Deal.