For some time now there has been speculation as to the potential advantage of buying allowances at the beginning of the phase and then surrendering them at the end of each year as required.

Here at Local Energy we have developed a spreadsheet which can be used to work out whether it is worth buying your CRC allowances in advance. The spreadsheet gives examples of scenarios where it would be beneficial to purchase allowances in advance with either your own reserves or using a loan.

To join the discussion about CRC purchasing strategies, please visit the Local Energy LinkedIn group here

If you are a member of Local Energy’s Carbon Saving Public Sector (CSPS) network and you have not recieved the spreadsheet, or you would like to join the network please contact Matthew Noble – matthew.noble@lgiu.org.uk. 02075542875

The post Should you purchase CRC allowances in advance? first appeared on Local Energy.

Membership of the network will prepare your authority step-by-step for the October 2012 launch of Green Deal. In addition, the CSPS network will help you to join up Green Deal with other low carbon initiatives such as the Renewable Heat Incentive, Feed in Tariffs and the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. The network provides:

–          Two delegate places at regional events. Events will be in February, July and September and supported by members of Local Energy, the Energy Saving Trust and other organisations such as DECC.

–          Advice, guidance and support on the Green Deal and on other legislation such as RHI, FITS, and the CRC. Local Energy will be available to answer your questions and solve your problems by email, phone and online and our partnership with the EST gives us access to expertise in a host of other energy saving areas.

–          A preliminary audit of your CRC data if you are a participant in the scheme.

–          Regular updates including briefings, fact sheets and explanation of changes to legislation.

–          Opportunities to network with other local authorities in person and through our online networks to find solutions to shared problems.

If you are interested and would like to speak to us please contact

Peter Chasmer – peter.chasmer@lgiu.org.uk

07825 745622 or 020 7554 2800 (LGIU switchboard)

CSPS Info Pack

The post Green Deal Network – Carbon Saving Public Sector 2012 first appeared on Local Energy.

Adair Turner, Chair of the CCC said:  

“DECC’s draft Impact Assessment notes that loft and cavity wall insulation account for much of the cost effective potential to improve energy efficiency in the residential sector, but projects that implementation of these measures will be very limited under the proposed policy approach. This is consistent with our own assessment… Low uptake would be problematic given the need to insulate lofts and cavity walls to meet carbon budgets and to mitigate energy bill impacts from investment in low carbon power generation.”

Mr Turner said that there has been good progress insulating lofts and cavity walls under the current Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) policy. He proposes that “the new policy should build on this, and that DECC / the Government should seriously consider including full potential for loft and cavity wall insulation in the ECO.”

Mr Turner attacked the “low level” of the current policy ambition and urged to government to strengthen the potential for emissions reduction. The full text of the letter can be seen by clicking on the link below.

The Green Deal consultation began on the 23/11/11 and closes 18/01/2012 

Green Deal Letter

The post Committee on Climate Change expresses concerns over Green Deal first appeared on Local Energy.

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Energy Secretary Chris Huhne stated that £10 million would be distributed through the Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF), and £20 million through the existing public sector Salix loans scheme.

The new £10m LEAF scheme will be managed by the Energy Saving Trust and community groups such as parish councils, voluntary associations, development trusts and faith groups are being invited to apply for funding awards worth around £50,000. Up to 200 such groups stand to benefit from the scheme.

The funding will be awarded in two phases with the first application period running from today until noon on 22 December and the second round running until noon on 20 January 2012. All successful projects will be notified by the end of January.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) told BusinessGreen that the £50,000 of funding could be used by community groups to deploy small scale renewable energy technologies or undertake feasibility studies and prototype deployments to lay the ground work for larger projects.

This scheme comes amid criticism that the government’s drastic slashing of the feed-in tariffs of over 50 per cent has led to the cancellation of a number of community energy projects using solar installations.

The spokeswoman told BusinessGreen that the department was consulting on how to better support community scale renewable energy projects as part of the review of feed-in tariff incentives. But she maintained some projects will be able to proceed even if deep cuts to incentives are imposed.

In addition to LEAF, the government has allocated a further £20m of funding for the Salix loan scheme. Salix loans are provided for energy efficiency projects that pay for themselves within five years through lower energy bills. Repayments are made from the money saved on bills, and once the loan has been repaid the organisation will continue to benefit from the low carbon equipment and the savings it delivers. To date, the scheme has funded over 7000 projects across Great Britain.

The post DECC announces new funding for community and public sector energy projects first appeared on Local Energy.

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http://www.localenergy.org.uk/crc-audit-service/

The post Local Energy’s CRC Audit Service first appeared on Local Energy.

Speaking to BusinessGreen, Greg Barker, Climate Change Minister stated:

“The RHI will usher in a new era in clean green heat technology,” Barker said. “It’s a world first and has the potential to put the UK at the forefront of a vibrant new green technology sector.

“Renewable heat will be a big win for our economy – it will support thousands of green jobs, reduce our dependency on imported fossil fuels, reduce our carbon emissions and help us meet our renewable target.”

Renewable technologies such as biomass boilers, heat pumps and solar thermal units installed since 15 July 2009 are eligible for payments between 4.5p per kWh and 8.5p per kWh for 20 years.

Under the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP), a pre-cursor to the RHI that will remain open till 31 March 2012, air source heat pumps proved the most popular technology, particularly in England and Wales.

Commenting on the scheme, Andy Johnston, Chief Executive of Local Energy said that the changes in FITs demonstrated the need to “act quickly”. He continued “Don’t sit on a plan or prevaricate over procurement processes… If the government thinks the budget is being squeezed they will rapidly change the tariff”.

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The post Renewable Heat Incentive applications open first appeared on Local Energy.

Local authorities using Green Deal for council housing

In principle, this could be one of the largest groups to benefit from Green Deal. Local authorities could use Green Deal finance to upgrade council-owned housing stock, with tenants paying for it through their energy bills. However, there is a requirement for consent from both the bill payer and the property owner: How easy will it be to persuade council tenants to give consent? They will be taking on responsibility for repaying a loan that has been used to make improvements to a council property… I would suggest this isn’t going to be easy (and remember, they have to be told that savings are not guaranteed and their bills may go up!). Local authorities need to think about how they can gain consent – financial incentives might be offered, but this could lead to accusations of bribery or tenants being coerced into taking on debt they didn’t want.

Local authorities using ECO (carbon emissions reduction obligation) for council housing

This component of ECO funding might be used for council properties where the cost of carrying out measures does not meet the Golden Rule (hard-to-treat homes). The only permissible measure that can be installed under ECO is solid wall insulation (plus other measures only if installed in addition to solid wall insulation), so the scope for using ECO is limited to specific types of property where solid wall insulation has been recommended by the GDA. This will be more useful for some local authorities than others, but they should consider how eligible properties can be identified and referred to ECO suppliers.

Local authorities using ECO (home heating cost reduction obligation) for council housing

This component of ECO funding will be aimed at the ‘affordable warmth group’, but the consultation indicates it is likely to be restricted to those in private housing tenures (owner occupiers and private tenants). (Social housing is excluded as it has ‘benefitted disproportionately’ from CERT, CESP and Decent Homes programmes previously and 81% of the fuel poor live in private tenure properties). This funding is unlikely to be available for council housing (or other social housing), therefore, but local authorities will need to consider how best to identify eligible households in private tenure and provide ‘referrals’ to the ECO suppliers.

We encourage all local authorities to start thinking about what role they will play in the Green Deal, and how it will fit into their wider sustainability strategy. Local authorities should participate in the consultation which ends on the 18^th January 2012 after reading the ‘Information note of Local Authorities’.

The post Local authorities: What will the Green Deal mean for you? first appeared on Local Energy.

We encourage local authorities to have a look at the consultation, which ends on 18 January. We expect the government to announce the substantial detail of the programme in the budget in March.

The post Green Deal consultation launched with information note for local authorities first appeared on Local Energy.