SPRING EDITIONQUARTERLY NEWSLETTER APR 2016
2 | APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10
Introduction
I am delighted to welcome you to our Spring 2016 Newsletter. The first few
months of 2016 have required Elmhurst to spend a significant amount of time
with Government and trade groups ensuring that they truly understand the value of energy
assessments, and that they continue to embed EPCs into all future energy efficiency initiatives.
Introduction
Stephen O’Hara, Managing Director,Elmhurst Energy
DECC are currently considering what the next phase of
ECO will look like from April 2017. There is currently an
internal review taking place which is proposing a new Pay-
As-You-Save funding model, that is considered by some to
be more attractive to consumers. In addition to this Peter
Bonfield is concluding his review of Green Deal in a report
now titled “Every Home Matters”. In some ways it’s
frustrating because everything is under review, but as of
yet there are no conclusions. However the positive news
is that solutions are being considered which should make
summer and autumn an exciting time.
The other great boost for many of our members is that
in April 2016 the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards
will start to require landlords to assess the energy
performance of their buildings, and take action to achieve
a minimum of an E rating.
I am very pleased that the Andrew Warren, a great
advocate of energy efficiency and a real legend in our
industry, agreed to provide a footnote to this edition. His
belief that governments need to balance a carrot and stick
approach to encouraging energy efficiency is spot on, and
his metaphors typically amusing.
Now for a bit of news about Elmhurst itself. As many
of you will know the business is entering its 24th year
of trading and throughout that time we have focussed
exclusively on energy assessment tools, training,
accreditation and support, allowing us to proudly boast of
delivering Excellence in Energy Assessment.
Over the last 4 years we have invested in the staff and
management of the business and I am delighted to have
a new executive team, in Stuart Fairlie, Trusha Lakhani and
Martyn Reed to support me. They have helped design
robust systems and process for what we do, to develop
new products and services to benefit our members, and
give us the courage to acquire and successfully integrate
the energy assessment activity from BRE and Northgate PS
into our own. The collective result of this change is a more
resilient business.
With this confidence I have decided to step down from
direct management of the company and have asked
Martyn Reed to replace me as Managing Director. I will
still be very much involved as the Chairman of the group
of Companies and taking the lead on a number of related
business ventures which I am very excited about.
I would like you to join me in wishing Martyn the best of
luck with the new position and will ask him to introduce
himself more fully in the summer edition of this newsletter.
APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10 | 3
Contents
Introduction 2
Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, helping energy assessors gain more business 4
Scotland driving improvement in Non domestic buildings 5
ECO evolution not revolution! 6
Looking forward to the New Training Calendar Year from Elmhurst 9
Bonfield Review update 10
Elmhurst Energy Integrates Design SAP software with the Home Quality Mark 11
EU referendum - how are you going to vote? 12
NEW U-Value Competency Scheme 14
Year on from TechNet 16
Carrots, Sticks and Tambourines; A Donkey Serenade – by Andrew Warren. 18
4 | APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10
Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, helping energy assessors gain more businessFrom April 2018, The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales)
Regulations 2015 will bring into force Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) in the
residential and commercial private rented sector.
From April 1st 2016 a tenant renting a domestic property
can request that a landlord makes improvements to
the property. If this can be delivered to a property at no
upfront cost then the Landlord cannot reasonably refuse.
The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards dictate that a
landlord with an EPC Rating below an E will be required
to undertake work to improve the energy performance of
their property; otherwise they could face heavy penalties.
These new standards will be phased in over the next five
years, moving from targeting new leases to targeting ALL
residential and commercial leases.
The earlier landlords act, the more time they will have
to ensure their housing stock is up to the required
standards, especially in the case of commercial properties
where change can take significantly longer to action. An
Ideal first step for landlords is to commission an up-to-
date Energy Performance Certificate, as this will identify
the current rating (which may have changed over time),
and recommend opportunities for improvement. This is
great news for both domestic and non domestic energy
assessors, as it could result in more business.
Elmhurst Energy has produced MEES guides and fact
sheets for Domestic Energy Assessors and Non Domestic
Energy Assessors to use, in order to educate landlords
and market their services. Elmhurst’s Operations Director
Martyn Reed has commented “The guides and fact sheet
are a fantastic tool for energy assessors to use. Not only
will they educate landlords and letting agents about the
imminent Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, but they
will also give them a reason to use the services provided
by their local energy assessor.”
To access the MEES guides and fact sheets please vist
http://www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/help-support/minimum-energy-efficiency-standards
If you require any further information please contact the relevant technical support team.
APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10 | 5
Scotland driving improvement in Non domestic buildings
Legislation comes into force in Scotland on the 1st
September 2016 which will require owners of non
domestic buildings (over 1000m²) which are eligible for
an EPC for sale or rent, to have an additional assessment
carried out; the resulting document will be known as an
Action Plan. This will contain improvement measures
designed to achieve the energy performance target and
emissions target for the building. Certain buildings will
be exempt from this legislation.
A new energy assessor qualification will be required in
order to produce an Action Plan. This person will be
known as a Section 63 Advisor, who must first be a Non-
Domestic EPC Assessor.
A Section 63 Advisor will be required to:
• Explain the background to, and the application of,
the relevant legislation and be able to advise building
owners of any exemptions from the legislation.
• Familiarise themselves with the building in question.
( If they have not already done so through EPC
production.)
• Verify any existing EPC for the building to ensure it is
usable for further assessment or produce an EPC.
• Produce an Action Plan and agree improvement
measures with the building owner which will be most
beneficial to the owner or occupier and still achieve
the energy performance and emissions targets shown
on the EPC.
• Lodge the Action Plan on the Scottish EPC Register.
The Action Plan will record confirmation from the
building owner of their agreement to either carry out
the improvement measures or to defer
• the implementation by providing a Display Energy
Certificate on an annual basis until such time as the
measures are carried out. Display Energy Certificates
(DECs) can only be produced by a qualified DEC
Assessor.
• Where the owner opts to carry out improvement
measures, a new EPC is produced and lodged upon
the completion of the measures in order to record
the status of the improved building. A new Action
Plan is also produced and lodged confirming the
improvement works that have been carried out.
I’m sure you will have gathered that there are
opportunities here for qualified Section 63 Advisors
to produce possibly more than one EPC and more
than one Action Plan. If the Assessor is also a qualified
DEC assessor they would be able to produce DECs on
an annual basis (if the client opts to not carry out the
improvement measures in the Action Plan).
We will shortly be announcing dates for training courses
in Edinburgh for both Section 63 Advisors using ISBEM
5.2g and DEC Assessors using the new Scottish ORCalc
software.
6 | APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10
Deemed scoring essentially groups
properties together (in a matrix) so
that ‘simple’ traits such as style and
build age will be enough to calculate
the carbon saving on installing any
given ECO measure, such as cavity
wall insulation or loft insulation. The
deemed ‘tonnage of CO2’ of any
measure can then be traded with
the utility companies to satisfy ECO
requirements.
This would remove the need for the
Energy Performance Certificate which
currently satisfies the requirement for
working out the ‘carbon savings’
The new proposed system is indeed
simple, but it is also very crude. The
move is seen as a hark back to the
‘good old days’ of CERT and CESP,
the previous policy to ECO. The
introduction of Energy Performance
Certificates (EPCs) into the ECO policy
apparently caused, for some, an overly
complicated system of bureaucracy
and regulation. Deemed scoring will
work more effectively according to the
people at the ‘coal face’ of installation
and lead finding.
Elmhurst Energy believes that EPCs
actually gave confidence, quality and
accuracy to the carbon scoring claims
made for ECO scores.
The Department for Energy
and Climate Change (DECC)
have recently announced
that Energy Companies
Obligation (ECO) funding
from April 2017, is likely to
move to a method called
‘deemed scoring’. This is
being pushed by installers
and utility providers as they
believe it simplifies the
current ECO process.
Stuart Fairlie - Head of Technical
ECO evolution not revolution!We also believe that the UK
population would want to know the
‘truth’. An EPC measures the home
as it is, and also vitally identifies all
other ‘energy efficiency’ measures
that can be applied, saving money
and making homes warmer. It is also
an ‘independent’ certificate that is
not solely interested in one or two
measures being delivered by any
given Government Policy.
Therefore it is vital that if ‘deemed
scores’ are indeed decided as the way
forward, OFGEM and the Government
mandate that, at the very least an
EPC is created after the improvement
measures have been installed. Not to
interfere in the mechanics of the ECO
policy, but to give homeowners and
tenants the ‘truthful’ position of their
home after the improvements have
been made. After all who doesn’t
want to see that their home has
improved?
“Deemed Scores Overview”:
Deemed scores would rely on a
matrix, requiring users to decipher
a number of ‘quick’ questions about
a property. To help readers envisage
this it would probably look like the
example below for one insulation
measure (solid wall insulation):
APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10 | 7
House Type, which will probably
include Number of Bedrooms e.g. 2
bed flat, 3 bed semi, 4 bed detached;
the Age of Building (A-L in RdSAP
bands); the existing wall type present
(solid or cavity wall); the fuel type for
the main heating (Mains Gas, Elec, Oil
etc) and the improvement Insulation
measure (U-Value).
Using this ‘simple’ matrix there could
be approximately 25,000 variants for
this one ECO measure! If each ECO
measure (and there are currently 57)
has similar matrices applied the total
number of variants is going to be
massive. This in our opinion also starts
to open up some very interesting
questions relating to consistency and
quality.
The framework must have
consideration to the users e.g. a
house with two bedrooms upstairs
and a reception room downstairs
converted into a bedroom; Is this still
a two bedroom house? (two up two
down traditional house) or is it now
three bedroom house? The three bed
roomed house would clearly get more
carbon for the deemed score.
The conventions and rules must be
clearly defined; they must be in line
with RdSAP/SAP conventions to allow
comparison to the current policy. We
believe that this is certainly the area
that will be open to fraudulent activity
if the move to deemed scoring takes
place.
EPCs introduced a common, proven,
set of rules and conventions, which
actually worked very well. Elmhurst
believe that the deemed scores
will open up more questions than
answers. As it will impossible to ensure
consistency amongst users, who
would no longer need to be Domestic
Energy Assessors (DEAs), for situations
they encounter in real life properties
– without very thorough conventions
and rules which would need effective
policing.
“The measuring tool is not wrong”
EPCs offered the third party oversight
of carbon claims for ECO and other
Government policies. The move to
deemed scores feels like throwing
the baby out with the bath water!
The measuring tool is not wrong;
the fact that it didn’t allow quick ‘lead
generation’ was the main issue.
If ECO still relies on contributions for
the householder/landlord (CISCO/
CERO) how will the installer guarantee
8 | APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10
any improvement values that would
be installed are correctly reflected in
an EPC? This is particularly concerning
if the property is a buy-to-let or the
ECO measure is for a landlord; as
they will be affected by the new MEES
regulations (F&G rated dwellings).
Potentially this could become open
to miss-selling, as measures are
installed to claim ECO but do not get
landlords to their legal requirement of
attaining an ‘E’ rating or above. This
will generate lots of negative press
and possible financial claims against
installers.
If there is no measurement at the
end, how do we manage our housing
stock moving forward? Elmhurst
believes that we need to create a
culture of change in the UK. We need
to give homeowners and tenants the
information they need to get best
value for money. This will allow good
decisions at the home level, as well
as at regional and national level. As
the old statement goes ‘if you can’t
measure it, you can’t manage it’
SAP and RdSAP allow accuracy and
flexibility, not only to reflect the
existing property but also on how to
improve the property. For example
how would a user overwrite a U-Value
to reflect a very poor wall, or a highly
improved wall using a simple matrix?
How do manufacturers show that their
product gives more savings to home
owners using the simple matrix? We
can’t see any solution to this problem
using the matrix approach. We think
that the industry needs to be very
careful in what it is asking for.
Whilst we see deemed scores helping
to identify quickly where a property
is suitable for funding; If we are
not careful the deemed scores will
become as complicated as the RdSAP
calculation route, but at the same
time less accurate. It will have many
restrictions on lots of property types
and will not allow for flexible and
dynamic solutions.
What Next?
Elmhurst believes that if deemed
scores do go ahead, they should be
kept simple, they should err on the
side of caution, and ultimately they
should allow users to use RdSAP/SAP
to keep the many advantages of that
approach. The RdSAP/SAP should be
part of the process if industry decides
and sees the increased flexibility that it
gives manufacturers and installers.
The EPC must be mandatory at the
end of the process at the very least,
as it is independent and validates the
measures installed. It ensures that
the householder/landlord knows the
‘truth’ about their home; it gives a
measurement to Government and
is vitally independent to the whole
scheme. Most importantly It will
tell them what else they can do to
help improve their home. This is not
to get in the way of the deemed
scores and ECO trading, but to add
value and oversight to the process.
This is something Elmhurst Energy
is lobbying hard for on behalf of
our members and the wider energy
efficiency industry.
Elmhurst Energy agrees that if the
tweaks to the ECO policy deliver
more energy efficiency installations
and leads, then this is a good thing.
However the only way we can all work
together is to start to look at homes
as an entity and that is what the EPC
does. If we as a society want to get
rid of Fuel Poverty and eradicate
cold and hard to heat homes, we all
need to work together. The EPC is
the measuring tool, it identifies other
applicable improvements and without
it, we are blind and can’t move forward
together.
APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10 | 9
Looking forward to the New Training Calendar Year from Elmhurst
As the current Training Calendar year is coming to a close, it is an ideal time to reflect on the
continued success of the Elmhurst Training Offer. We also wish to thank all those who have
continued to contribute their suggestions and support on how we can successfully meet
their training needs.
We have introduced many new courses across all strands
throughout the year including;
The hugely successful and unique Level 3 and Level 4
Non Domestic Practical days, which have provided an
opportunity for both experienced and new practitioners
to conduct real time surveys on complex buildings with
an industry leading expert.
Other new courses include:
• Solar PV
• Legionella
• Understanding Energy Consumption
• Basic Construction
• OCDEA Masterclass
• Energy Efficient Lighting
• Understanding Quality Assurance
• Health & Safety
• Inventory
• Project Management
• Introduction to BIM
• Managing your customers’ expectations
We have also continued to show our commitment to our
e-learning policy which adds flexibility to our training
offering by delivering over 20 Webinars across all of our
strands.
Thoughts on the New Training Year ahead.
Looking forward to the new Training Calendar year, we
are continuing to look at new areas to see how we can
best service the needs of our members and also engage
with new members.
We have listened to the demand for more events to be
delivered outside of our Lutterworth Training facilities
and have scheduled over 80 events at other regional
locations across the UK.
With the ever changing market and technological
advancements, Elmhurst Energy is keen to offer new
training events to meet these demands and will be
introducing a number of new courses during the coming
year. As ever, we would like to hear your ideas for new
events or additions to current events.
Some of the new and exciting courses coming this year
include:
• Introduction to Energy Management
• Making Elmhurst Mobile software work for you
• U Value Competency
• SAP Common Pitfalls and Conventions
• Air Conditioning
• RdSAP improving your Survey Skills
• Engaging with Customers – Customer Service Skills
I look forward to you sharing in our continued success and
seeing you at some of our events throughout the year.
Phil Hyams – Training Manager
If you would like to book on to one of these
courses, please click the links below.
• Project Management on
(11th May in Lutterworth)
• Introduction to Energy Management and
ISO50001 in Organisations
(25th May in Lutterworth)
10 | APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10
Bonfield Review update
• Recommendations on the
improvement of existing
dwellings only, not commercial
and not new build.
• Confirmation of an underlying
belief that where quality
problems have occurred it’s not
the product that fails, but the
suitability of the dwelling for
that product and the quality of
installation that is lacking.
• A central hub of information for
consumers with a single website
portal and a “single point of
contact”, for consumers.
• The need for a Scheme quality
mark.
• A will to align MCS and PAS 2030
requirements
• That skills are an issue. Participants
will need to have “training”
to be able to have a “holistic
consideration (for the dwelling)”.
• Compliance and enforcement
to be rigorously enhanced with
more severe sanctions for those
that don’t comply and an ability
for certification bodies to share
data to prevent scheme hopping.
• Consumer protection will have
an enhanced code of conduct.
• An “Implementation Board” will
be charged with delivering the
recommendations of the report.
Elmhurst will continue to make
the point that Green Deal failed,
not because of the quality of work
delivered but because the financial
model did not make pay-as-
you-save an attractive and viable
proposition. The issues that this
review is wrestling with appear to
be all about quality and standards.
DECC advise that a seperate group
are considering the financial model
and we asked for visibility of those
discussions and a timescale for
implementation.
We had hoped to include a
feature on the Bonfield Review,
now renamed as “Every Home
Matters”, but unfortunately, at the
time of going to press, the report
has not been published.
However, as recently as Monday
20th March Elmhurst represented
PEPA at a DECC workshop at
which stakeholders were updated
on progress, unfortunately there
was still no firm commitment to
a publication date and, perhaps
surprisingly, it became clear that
the Review is not considering
the financial model that is
needed to underpin a Green Deal
replacement.
In summary, when the team
complete their review in “Spring
2016”, the conclusions and
recommendations are likely to
include;
For regular concise updates please visit Elmhurst Latest News on our website
www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/news
APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10 | 11
Elmhurst Energy Integrates Design SAP software with the Home Quality Mark
Last October the BRE launched a new scheme called the
Home Quality Mark. The Home Quality Mark is intended
to replace the now defunct Code for Sustainable Homes
scheme and is currently operating on a voluntary basis
for developers to sign up to. The Home Quality Mark
incorporates some elements of the Code for Sustainable
Homes scheme, but it is aimed at being more consumer
orientated, with a simple star rating system for each
dwelling. The scheme consists of three sections; ‘Our
Surroundings’, ‘My Home’ and ‘Knowledge Sharing’, with
credits awarded for each section, resulting in an overall
star rating.
Although the scheme is still labelled as a ‘BETA’, it is fully
operational, and assessments can now be submitted by
Home Quality Mark assessors. More information on the
BRE’s Home Quality Mark scheme can be found at
www.homequalitymark.com
In support of the Home Quality Mark, Elmhurst Energy
has been working together with the BRE to ensure
Design SAP 2012 is the first SAP software to produce an
output that can be used by Home Quality Mark assessors.
Design SAP 2012 can now produce an output file which
can be used by Home Quality Mark assessors to submit
to the BRE’s Home Quality Mark assessment system. The
file can be produced for individual properties or multiple
properties in one quick action.
For more information on the update
to Design SAP 2012 please contact
our On Construction Support Team
on 01455 883 236.
12 | APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10
Of course no one can predict the future, and there
is certainly a lot of political activity to keep us all
‘entertained’ over the next three months, but the
outcome of the referendum is not a given, and most polls
are suggesting that there is a solid lead for those that
want us to remain in the EU.
EU referendum - how are you going to vote?
The referendum result is just the
start of the process and it will
take many years to unravel legislation
that the politicians want to keep, from
that which they consider an imposition
from Europe. A good example is that the
Building Regulations/Standards require
an EPC to ensure that the property
satisfies the Regulations/Standards. Most
observers want to keep industry standards
and so the EPC helps this process.
Energy rating is not an invention of
Europe and has been used to assess
UK building stock for many years, and
will continue with or without Europe. The
Standard Assessment Procedure and the
reduced version were invented in the UK for
UK buildings and climate conditions.
Many commitments that the
Government make have nothing
to do with Europe, for example, we
recently signed up to reduce our carbon
emissions by signing up to a UN climate
change commitment. The Government
will still need policies and tools to enable
the country to use less energy and save
people money.
Consumers now expect information
on everything they buy and buildings
are no different. That demand will remain.
If you buy a fridge or car and see an
energy rating, why would consumers not
want to know the same for the single
biggest investment in their lives, their
properties?
You will all be aware that the Government has declared that we will be having a
referendum on the 23rd June 2016; the outcome of the vote will decide whether the UK
retains its membership of the EU. Knowing that Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs)
are a requirement that comes from a European Directive, some energy assessors have
already called to ask what that means to them and the future of EPCs.
However if the referendum decides that we are to leave
it is important to note that;
31
24
APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10 | 13
Elmhurst Energy's Martyn Reed gave his personal opinion
"The EU is a complex beast and affects
nearly every bit of our lives. No legislation
will be universally welcomed, however
when it comes to energy efficiency I think
that the EU has made a largely positive
impact. Various directives and rulings
have raised the profile of energy efficiency
matters in a way that the UK government
may not have done on their own, nor
found so easy without the collective drive
and experience that you get by operating
in a larger market.
A British exit from the EU will not be
a disaster for energy assessors, but it
will create uncertainty and ultimately
may allow the Government to rethink
the Energy Performance of Buildings
Regulations, which were the UK response
to the Energy Performance of Buildings
Directive. It is difficult to be sure whether
the EU has led the UK, or vice versa,
but, whatever the answer, because of
the poor state of our housing, the high
proportion of people in fuel poverty and
our dependency on imported energy,
it is important that the UK is at the top
table when it comes to driving energy
efficiency"
Whatever the outcome of the referendum, or the
decisions that follow, you can be sure that Elmhurst
Energy will be lobbying the decision makers to ensure
the good work Elmhurst Members do, is understood,
and that the value of EPCs is fully appreciated. We will
also commit to ensuring that you are kept up to date
with the EU referendum, as it develops.
14 | APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10
The U-Value competency scheme:
• Provides a quality stamp of approval for calculating U-Values
• Compliments Elmhurst’s comprehensive U-Value software.
• Increases business revenue and helps to win corporate contracts.
• Is part of an industry scheme for reliability, consistency and quality.
If you are interested in joining the scheme please complete the online booking form which can be found at
www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk
NEW U-Value Competency Scheme
The course and competency scheme has been set up to
offer additional validity/credibility of U-Value calculations
produced by OCDEA and NDEA Level 4 assessors by
assessing and monitoring the competency of U-Value
calculations. Elmhurst’s approved logo will uniquely
identify those who are part of the scheme and will
provide a quality stamp of approval, which will reassure
customers. Information about our scheme members will
also be made publically available on our scheme listing
on the Elmhurst Energy website.
Elmhurst Energy is launching a brand new U-Value Course and Competency Scheme
in early April, that gives accredited On Construction and Non Domestic Level 4 Energy
Assessors an opportunity to further their understanding of U-Values and allows them to
expand their current skills and knowledge.
APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10 | 15
Going on Holiday?To avoid returning to an overdue QA request, please remember to notify the QA Admin Team of your holiday dates.
Your holiday notification should be e-mailed to:
Domestic: [email protected]: [email protected] Construction: [email protected]
16 | APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10
Year on from TechNet
Following the success of Elmhurst’s 2014 Conference, our Members emphasised
the need for regional events. In response we held our first pilot TechNet event
in Warrington in January 2015 and went on to provide another 9 TechNet events
throughout the UK.
Almost 150 individuals have attended this networking
event over the last year, with TechNet proving to be very
popular with Assessors across the UK. Open to both
Elmhurst members and members of other schemes,
TechNet provides industry updates, an excellent networking
opportunity and 2 hours CPD. It has become a very
successful event for the Energy Rating Industry.
With the constant changes in Government policy and
Legislation in recent times it has been an eventful year,
with TechNet providing an opportunity for Energy
Assessors to keep up with developments and discuss
their implications; covering subjects such as the closure
of the Green Deal Finance company, new Minimum
Energy Efficiency Standards, and new opportunities like
Legionella Risk Assessment.
With the purchase of BRE and Northgate schemes by
Elmhurst in 2014 and 2015 respectively, in addition to
the regional events for new members, TechNet has also
provided additional opportunities to welcome those new
members and demonstrate Elmhurst’s newly developed
range of mobile software provided, free to all members.
TechNet has also been a great opportunity for Energy
Assessors to suggest what they need to help support
their businesses; for example at the Warrington TechNet
at the end of February, attendees emphasised how
important regional training was for them, so in response
we released a new RdSAP Masterclass CPD Training
course in Warrington on the 23rd March.
APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10 | 17
Due to popular demand Elmhurst have now released additional TechNet dates throughout 2016:
Elmhurst Energy are at the forefront of Energy Rating and we welcome feedback from our Members, so if
there is anything you would like to add to the TechNet agenda please let us know.
To reserve your place now please visit our website www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/training/networking
27th April 2016 London
25th May 2016 Leeds
29th June 2016 Exeter
27th July 2016 Durham
24th August 2016 Sevenoaks
28th September 2016 Stirling
26th October 2016 Belfast
29th November 2016 Lutterworth
7th December 2016 Cardiff
18 | APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10
With the ‘Bonfield Review’ on
our doorstep, Andrew’s view on
Government Policy is especially
pertinent:
“On average, we are all 18%
wealthier in real terms than we
were at the start of the century.
On average, we are achieving this
increase in affluence whilst using
14% less energy than in 2000.
One way this turnaround has been
achieved is by treating us all like
donkeys.
How come? Well, there are three ways
to get donkeys to do things. You wave
a carrot in front of their noses. You
bash them on the rump with a stick.
And most importantly, around their
ears, you rattle away on a tambourine.
All three work together, to get the
donkey’s attention.
Every successful energy saving
programme needs precisely the
same set of components. Carrots, to
provide inducements. Sticks, to ensure
compliance. And tambourines, to
increase awareness.
Put the three together, the programme
should work. Omit any one, and
Andrew Warren is the Hon President of the Association for Conservation of Energy (ACE).
Andrew is a very well known advocate for Energy Efficiency in the UK and has a CV that
speaks for itself; being a member of many Government and European Committees and
Forums, as well as publishing articles in many industry and national newspapers (including
the Financial Times, The Guardian and The Independent).
Carrots, Sticks and Tambourines; A Donkey Serenadeby Andrew Warren.
you have a distinctly Sisyphean task,
pushing that notorious boulder of
altering consumer behaviour uphill.
I want to focus on one case study,
where all three dimensions were
knowingly employed. And which
ended up delivering a really effective
improvement in energy efficiency.
The subject matter is domestic gas
boilers. In use in around 85% of British
homes. Each year around 1.4 million
of these are replaced. And practically
all of the replacements are now more
than 90% energy efficient.
It was not always thus. In the early
1970s, what is still to date the biggest
switch in the residential sector took
place. To celebrate the discovery of
gas in the North Sea, every home
previously linked into the town
gasworks, and many others on far
more intermittent heating systems, got
visited. And switched over, onto the
national network.
Lots of new boilers were installed.
Almost all made in Britain. Many
of these have subsequently been
replaced, but an alarmingly large
minority is still in place. Operating at
around 50% efficiency, if lucky.
APR 2016 - Spring Edition - Issue 10 | 19
Boilers are of course quintessentially
traded goods. Which means that
their effectiveness legitimately falls
under the authority of the EU. Some
twenty-five years ago, the European
Commission tried to set minimum
standards of efficiency for residential
gas boilers. They succeeded. But with
far less stringent standards than they
had hoped.
The main country that fought these
higher standards was the UK. On the
quixotic grounds that, because our
boilers are mostly to be found in a
home's living area (like the kitchen),
rather than in outhouses as on the
Continent, the “wasted” heat from
their inefficiency helped to keep
homes warm. Amazingly, this line
of argument proved persuasive: no
serious EU standards were agreed.
At that time, the high efficiency
condensing boiler was a very rare
beast. I remember having one installed
myself at home. Such was the lack of
expertise amongst local gas engineers
about this new fangled technology,
every time it malfunctioned,
somebody had to travel 150 miles
from the manufacturers in Hull to
effect repairs.
The technology became more reliable.
But it remained a distinctly esoteric,
niche market product. The similarities
in market profile with another
“alternative”, high efficiency product,
compact fluorescent lighting, are
striking.
The first to break the logjam on this
was the Energy Saving Trust – then
a government agency. It began
publicising condensing boilers as a
trendy new concept in home heating.
It deliberately offered cash back on
every installation. Gradually consumers
became more aware of the alternative
option. A few more heating engineers
became familiar with the technology.
The market share crept up, almost into
double figures.
But the full potential, of delivering a
20% or more improvement on each
existing boiler, remained unfulfilled.
Enter a determined minister.
Lord Larry Whitty held the energy
efficiency brief during the second
Blair government. During that
time, he presided over a complete
transformation in the market for
such boilers. So that now almost all
new installations are high efficiency
boilers, and 85% of these are A rated.
How did he achieve this? First by
talking to the boiler manufacturers.
And agreeing with them a multi-
faceted- and donkey proof -
approach.
It was now clear that the technology
worked. But consumers had yet to
demand them. And most heating
engineers from whom they would
demand them, on what is usually a
distress purchase – “my old boiler
is clapped out” - were yet to feel
comfortable installing them.
The deal was simple. If the
manufacturers would facilitate, Larry
Whitty would provide some pump-
priming money for re-training of
the heating engineers (carrots). This
opportunity for subsidised mid-
career retraining would receive
maximum publicity within the
trade (tambourines). And he would
also arrange a special change of
the relevant part of the Building
Regulations, to make gas condensing
boilers the norm (sticks).
This thoroughly integrated programme
was completed over a two-year
period. It was by any standards an
unqualified success. An initial worry
that old-fashioned heating engineers
would promote a patch-and-mend
alternative to boiler replacements has
proved completely unfounded.
Indeed the only blemish has been
that no extra promotional effort,
to encourage continuous faster
replacement of elderly but still
functioning boilers, has yet appeared.
The success of the intermittent boiler
cash back schemes – particularly
in Scotland - is evidence that the
marketplace responds to such stimuli.
But that should not detract from
celebrating what is a model of
effective co-operation between
industry and government. It delivered
an important step change in the
marketplace for energy efficiency. The
old donkey truly learned some new
tricks. And we are burning far less fuel
as a result.”
This article was first published by the Association of Environmentally Conscious Building (AECB) and has been reproduced with their kind permission
www.aecb.net/carrots-sticks-and-tambourines-a-donkey-serenade-by-aecb-guest-author-andrew-warren/
Andrew Warren.
Elmhurst Energy Systems Ltd. 16, St Johns Business Park, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, LE17 4HB
© Copyright 2016 Elmhurst Energy Systems Ltd
T: 01455 883 250 E: [email protected]
Recommended