The Green Deal Push

You maybe aware that in order to apply for the Renewable Heat Premium Payment you’ll need to get a Green Deal assessment. This was introduced with the increased payments a couple of months ago. Previously only an EPC certificate was required.

Whilst this introduced an additional cost and complication to the process of installing renewable energy, we at Complete Renewables are pro the move. A Green Deal assessment is a handy way for home owners to get an honest impression of the improvements they can make to their home. And any encouragement for home owners to adopt renewable energies is a positive in our book. Furthermore, we often find ourselves installing solar panels in rural parts of Essex which are not on mainline gas. These homes are generally paying large amounts to heat their homes and could benefit greatly from an air or ground source heat pump.

Today we received a letter from Greg Barker MP, minister for the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Summarised, the minister is encouraging MCS certified installers of renewable energy to consider becoming involved in the Green Deal. His request is broad; raising the potential to become a Green Deal assessor, installer or Green Deal Finance Provider. It’s fairly obvious these efforts are in response to a general lack of interest, or at least not quite the level of interest the government was hoping for. However this shouldn’t necessarily be seen as a desperate sign that the Green Deal simply isn’t working. Instead, and more likely, the Green Deal just needs a strong helping hand; it good to see the minister active in it’s promotion.

Whilst we’re keen to respond to Greg Barker’s call to action, it will need to be met with customer demand. We are currently experiencing a strong increase in the number of installations of heat pumps and solar panels. However our customers are rarely interested in the Green Deal. Whilst many of them are vaguely aware of the Green Deal, they are not aware of how they may benefit.

Being a small business, attempting to educate our customers on the benefits of the Green Deal is a huge endeavour. What we really need is a greater public promotion. It’s a far more achievable target to respond to a customer’s interest in a service, than to create that interest in the first instance. I’m not suggesting that the government does the promotion and we’ll do the selling, but rather ‘you promote the theme and I’ll promote the specifics’.

The Importance of MCS

When researching renewable energy the term ‘MCS accredited installer’, is probably one of the most important you’ll come across.

What Does MCS Stand For?

MCS is the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, it’s quality assurance scheme which is backed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). MCS administer the Feed-in Tariff (FiT), Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP). They are responsible to ensuring those in the industry, both suppliers and installers, are attaining a high standard.

So Why Should You Use An MCS Accredited Installer?

If you’re interested in receiving any of the government incentives, such as the above mentioned FiT, RHPP & RHI, you’ll need to ensure you use a MCS accredited installer. Installing renewable energy is a highly technical process and requires a depth of knowledge and commitment to high quality. The MCS scheme inspects installers on a regular basis to ensure they are maintaining high standards. Furthermore, in order to become accredited an installer must pass a rigour testing procedure.

Additionally, benefits such as ‘permitted permission’ are only available to MCS accreditted installers. This allows the installation of renewable areas without formal application for planning permission.

Also, some insurance packages will only support MCS accredited installations.

More Information

If you’d like more information on the MCS scheme, please visit their website.

Complete Renewables Ltd. are an MCS accredited installer for solar PV, solar thermal and air/ground source heat pumps.

The Real Cost of Heating

The Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT), approved by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have released figures showing the cost per kilowatt of energy for the various ways of heating your home.

The below chart shows the costs:

This assumes a gas boiler efficiency of 80%

An air source heat pump efficiency of 3:1 and ground source of 3.5:1

To view this information on the Energy Saving Trust page, click here

Electricity, not on this chart, is the most expensive form of heating. This ranges from 9.08p (economy 7) through to 15.32p for standard rate.

The reason why air and ground source heat pumps are the cheapest is because their efficiency is a multiple of the energy used.

To explain this we can use the example of gas, which is normally around 80%. When 1kW worth of gas is burnt to heat your home, around 20% is lost due to inefficiencies within the boiler. Examples include a less than perfect fuel mix and inefficiencies within the heat exchanger.

The same can be said of LPG and oil burners. In fact it is only electric heaters which operate at 100% efficiency – all the electricity is used to create heat, none is lost as a by-product.

Air and ground source heat pumps take their energy from the atmosphere; either the air temperate or ground temperature. They are therefore taking more energy than they are using. In the case of an air source heat pump they need 1kW of electricity to take 3kW of energy from the atmosphere. So the cost of energy is 1/3 of the electricity used to generate that energy.

Details of the Renewable Heat Incentive Announced

For those of you who have been following the progress of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), it’s a tale of ups and downs. We’d all hoped that the scheme would get the industry going much in the same way as the Feed-in Tariff did for solar panels – although we’re keen to see a better long-term plan than was the case for solar.

However up until now we haven’t really had much to get excited about. Delay after delay has a very detrimental effect on an industry. Especially as plenty of customers are putting off installations to see what they will actually be entitled to.

So How Do The Figures Look?

Well the good news is that this week we had an official announcement and a nice set of figures to get excited about. Air source heat pumps will be paid at 7.3p per kWh, ground source at 18.8p per kWh and solar thermal at least 19.2p per kWh hour. The amount of energy installers will be paid for will be based on the renewable energy their household generates. So the performance coefficients are important here; if a heat pump has coefficient of 3.5 it will generate 3.5 units of renewable energy for each unit of electricity it uses. The 3.5 units will be entitled to payments, and the 1 unit of electricity will be discounted.

What about dual heating systems?

The good news is that households who have maintained an existing heating system or installed one in addition (which is not renewable), will still be able to claim the RHI. They will however need to install a meter to ensure that they are only paid for the renewable energy they generate

So Not All Households Will Need A Meter?

If you’re not willing to, or don’t have the space, to install a meter you don’t have to. Estimated figures will be taken from your EPC and green deal assessment to workout how much renewable energy you will generate. If you are interested in installing a meter to get a more accurate payment, you can do this. Plus you’ll receive an additional payment of up to £230.

So The Future Looks Good For Renewables

At Complete Renewables we’re really excited about the RHI. We believe that it will be the boost needed to get the industry going. Heat pumps represent excellent value for money and can save households hundreds, often more, per year. Even without an incentive they are an excellent option for households looking to reduce their spend on energy. With this additional boost heat pumps will surely come to the straight to the front of the queue when it comes to replacing older less efficient technologies.

More information

If you’d like more information on our air source heat pumps, click here. For more information on ground source heat pumps, click here

The full details of the RHI can be found on the Government’s website here

Dimplex A Class – A Revolution in Heating Your Home

We were very exicited to be invited to one of Dimplex’s road show last week. The reason we were so excited? The new A Class air source heat pump was being unveiled.

Despite the fact that the this are of renewables is one of the fastest growing, plus the fact that there is huge potential for air source heat pumps to fundamentally change the way we heat our homes, there has not been a lot of development in this market recently.

Dimplex have changed all that with the new A Class. This is a heat pump designed specifically for the UK climate. Able to maintain it’s power output throughout our winters and provide the kind of efficientcy previously only seen in ground source heat pumps.

We believe this is a real game changer for the UK market. One of it’s great selling points is that it does what it says it does. Understanding air source heat pumps is not always straightforward. Despite the huge savings they can provide, customers are often put off because of the complexity of the technology. The A Class changes all this. It is now possible to specify and install a heat pump that is able to maintain it’s maximum output through a British winter.

The A Class is due to be launch late September/early October and Complete Renewables will be amongst the first to be registered and qualified installers.

Good News For The Solar Industry

Well it’s good news for the solar industry. The latest statistics from DECC have reported an increase in solar panel installations. For last week, ending June 23rd, over 3,000 installations have been completed. This is in the sub 50kW band.

This is great news, however the industry does have to contend with a reduction in tariff at the end of this month (June). The reduction is small though and will have only a small effect on the return on investment a solar panel installation provides.

We believe that this is a positive sign that the industry is maturing. Solar panels are being seen as a good long term investment as well as a responsible options for reducing a home’s carbon emissions.

Fracking and Renewable Energy

As you can imagine as a renewable energy company we are very much opposed to the reintroduction of fracking. Firstly there are the short term risks of a contaminated water supply and localised tremours, secondly and more long-term is the damage done to the renewable/green sector.

Yesterday it was announced by IGas that there maybe up to 170 trillion cubic feet of gas. We’re always pleased to hear about reductions in the cost of heating, after all that is our primary aim when installing a new heating system. However, our concern is the long term implications. Ultimately gas will run out, or at least start to become cost prohibitive. Without a strong well developed alternative heating costs will spiral.

Presently the UK is well positioned to react to a reduction in gas production. Renewable energies are now an advanced technology with an established reputation as a capable heating source. However this reputation is limited. Presently those interested in renewables are largely from the building sector, rural location or with a specific interest in green technology. We need to extend this market to the mainstream.

This is where the Green Deal should step in. However, presently most customers are only aware of the boiler replacement schemes. They are not aware that renewables are also available under this scheme. By not focusing more determinedly on renewable sources we run the risk of resigning them to the fringe of the energy market.

The opportunity now is to move renewables to the mainstream. How many people are aware that an air source heat pump is more efficient that the most efficient gas central heating system? With a focus on the short-term benefits of increase gas production we run the risk of leaving the long-term benefit of renewable till it is too late. So we say leave fracking, it’ll never help the environment or reduce heating costs long-term, and instead commit to a more energy efficient future.

If you’re interested in find out more about fracking, there’s a very clever website at: www.dangersoffracking.com/

Is The Government Getting Serious About The Green Deal?

When a new government policy is announced its launch is often accompanied by concerns that its demise is not in the too distant future. How many times can we point to policy which hasn’t quite caught the public’s imagination (or caught too much of it) and then been promptly binned?
There’s plenty of us in the industry who have high hopes for the Green Deal, but also fear for its future. Involvement in the deal isn’t cheap; it costs large sums of money to get staff up to speed. And we all remember the Home Information Packs – how much money was squandered during its brief life?
So when we heard that the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) was to be substantially increased, we were naturally pleased. Not only because it means our customers will get an even better deal, but because of the involvement of the Green Deal. All new installations will now require a Green Deal assessment prior to payment of the grant. This will result in an additional cost to the customer (probably only around £75 more than the previous EPC requirement) but that’s more than offset by the new payment amount.

By involving the Green Deal in the RHPP, not only does this increase uptake and so boost public awareness, but it also encourages customers to look at other areas to save energy. Too often we face the perception that energy saving features cost more to implement than they save. We don’t enjoy the reliable sun of the Mediterranean; we need to use a lot of energy to keep ourselves comfortable. The more the Green Deal is popularised, the more often we will see people turn to renewable energy as a way to save for the future.

So let’s hope this the RHPP strengthens the Green Deal and renewable energy in general, it’s certainty a step in the right direction

Complete installation of solar panels on roof in Essex

Church Solar Panel Installation – Commercial Feed-In Tariff

Over the last year we’ve been working with Crowstone St. George United Reformed Church to install a 12.5 kW system. Larger projects such as these are necessarily more complicated and so can take some time to complete. In the case of Crowstone church, there were various internal factors which added to consultation time prior to installation process. Such factors are based on board approval, general announcements/notice time and revenue raising. During this time we are often called on to provide more information and even sometime present information to various groups. We’re always happy to take this time to do this. We appreciate that when many people are involved, and when the interests are broader than a private installation, it pays to take the time to ensure that every aspect is covered.
The installation itself was for an array of 50 250W panels, with an estimated yield of 10,730kWh per year. The Feed-In tariff is available for commercial entities for an amended amount. This still represents a great investment. For commercial organisations the Feed-In tariff will provide a significant long-term revenue yield. Installations of this type are also popular for farmers, supermarkets and most large buildings. Whereas domestic households use most electricity during the evening and at weekends, commercial premises generally use their power during the day. This can represent significant saving as less power is returned to the grid and instead used on site.
As you can image installing 50 panels on a historic church’s roof involves a great deal of responsibility and careful treading. Scaffolding was installed to ensure that our workmen had easy access to all aspects of the church’s roof. Furthermore we took great care when working with tiles of this age.

We are happy to report that the church installation was a resounding success. The job was completed in under a week, in keeping with our agreed timetable. The system is currently running and generating a healthy return for the church.

Why are solar panels not a more popular option for home owners?

Home energy costs are on the rise, especially given the recent cold winter. Furthermore it’s hard to find any strong indicator that gas and electricity prices are set to decrease. Even the expected boost in gas production from shale gas is not assured (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22300050)

On the other hand solar panel installations have never been cheaper; Complete Renewables are now offering 16 panel 4kW arrays starting at under £6,000. The Feed-In tariff is still providing government back payments, leading to returns of over 12%.

There’s also technological innovations such as Solar Cache, which allows homeowners to divert unused electricity generated during the day to heat their hot water. This can represent significant saving, especially for families who are mostly not at home during the day.

When solar is combined with other renewable technologies, there is yet more potential to save both money and energy. For example many of our customers who choose to install ground or air source heat pumps also install solar.

With this list of benefits, why doesn’t every roof have a panel array? Well there’s the obvious reasons; lack of funds, rental properties, short-term occupancy. However this only discounts a minority of homes. One explanation we hear often is that homeowners believe they have ‘missed the boat’, that the Feed-In tariff used to a great deal, now it is hardly worth it. It is true that the Feed-In tariff was once more generous, however it still does still represent a quantifiably strong investment. Returns average around 12%, there are very few alternative options with these kind of guaranteed returns. The bank certainly won’t match those figures.

How about the lack of understanding that seems to shroud the industry? There has always been a stigma associated with renewable energies. The same scepticism that wind and wave generated power suffer from. Even heat pumps suffer this: ‘How can heat pumps possibly work in cold weather?’ is a question we hear often. The general public can often be reluctant to believe that a new technology which harnesses solar power (even indirectly, such as wind and heat pumps) can create the necessary power, in the way fossil fuels can. This is, of course, despite the fact that fossil fuels originate their energy from the sun themselves – organic compounds, etc.

It’s not that renewable technologies are any more complicated. Maybe it’s that mostly we’ve all lived through their infancy and development. We’ve heard the anecdotes about wind turbines that cost more in energy to construct than they’ll generate in their lifespan. Although maybe this points to another issue; a generally unenthusiastic media – when did you last read a positive story about renewable energy in the press? Maybe it’s just easier and more appealing to note the negative story. Let’s face it, our media is more interested in what’s going wrong than what’s going right.