Phase one of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme went live on Monday, inviting applications from the non-domestic sector interested in switching to renewable heating.

Under the Government’s flagship £865 million scheme, companies are eligible to install renewable energy technologies, such as heat pumps, solar thermal panels and biomass boilers, and get paid money for generating their own green heating and hot water.

Tariff levels and the amount of money paid will depend on the  the type of renewable heating technology installed, as well as the size of the system.

As one of the UK’s leading suppliers of wood pellets, CPL Distribution is pleased to see the phase one of the scheme finally go live, after a series of delays knocked industry confidence.

“There is no denying that the delays to the Renewable Heat Incentive’s launch knocked confidence among board-level decision makers and a large number of projects to install renewable systems have been stalled as a result,” commented Tim Minett, the firm’s chief executive.

“With the delays now behind us, this green light for the Renewable Heat Incentive will be a significant stepping stone in the UK’s transition towards a low-carbon economy.”

If you’re a business and you would like to know more about the scheme, give energy regulator Ofgem’s dedicated enquiries helpline a ring on 0845 200 2122 or visit www.ofgem.gov.uk.

The domestic side of the RHI will be launched next year.

It is the season to be jolly, and with Christmas fast approaching, the nice folk at Glow-worm have been working faster than Santa’s little helpers to source top tips and advice to help us all enjoy a low carbon Christmas. 

The winter months are starting to set in, and with the expensive Christmas season just around the corner, we’re all looking for ways to help save energy and money.

To count down the days running up to Christmas, the team at Glow-worm have today launched their fun alternative Christmas advent calendar. From now until Christmas Day, instead of the traditional festive images or chocolate treats, you will be able to feast on a variety of fun facts and figures and energy saving tips.

If you want to cut your costs and do your bit for the environment in the process, it’s worth considering these energy saving tips:

• Reduce your carbon footprint – ditch paper cards and send friends and family an e-card instead.
• Make your own recycled Christmas decorations.
• Use LED fairy lights – they use much less energy compared to traditional ones.
• If you really want to go to town you could decorate the outside of your home, but use energy-saving solar powered lights instead. You’ll be saving money on your energy bills if you use the sun’s renewable energy during the day to light up your house at night.
• And last but not least, give your boiler the best present of all by making sure it’s had its annual winter check-up. A service will ensure you don’t wake up to any nasty surprises on Christmas morning – like having no central heating. We can’t imagine anything worse than a Christmas without any heating - except perhaps having to eat a plate full of sprouts!

There’s no time like the present – pardon the pun! Check out www.needanewboiler.com to unwrap today’s first energy saving treat.

Just the mere thought is bad enough, but more and more people are having to choose between heating their homes or putting food on the table.

It’s hard to imagine the scenario, isn’t it. After all, we are living in the 21st century. But thanks to high levels of unemployment and shocking fuel costs, more and more vulnerable members of society are having to make that unimaginable choice.

The bleak situation facing the UK population as winter fast approaches has been highlighted by campaigners from Fuel Poverty Action Group. The group staged a ‘die-in’ protest outside the head offices of energy giant EDF Energy, which saw campaigners paint their lips blue and don layers of thick clothing to mirror what it’s like for the thousands of people who find themselves the victims of fuel poverty.

To highlight their cause, campaigners were armed with a wooden coffin – which had the  2010-11 winter deaths scrawled on it.

Fuelled by official statistics highlighting the fact that between 2010-11 there were 25,700 winter related deaths – 10% of which can be directly attributed to fuel poverty, according to National Energy Action (NEA) – campaigners adding their voice to the protest included pensioner Linda Powell.

“I’ve just become a pensioner and I’ve received my winter fuel allowance of £200, down from £250 thanks to the government. I am having to hold back on putting my central heating on, and do everything to cut back,” she said.

Thanks to high energy prices, poor heating and insulation and low household incomes, the choice between eating and heating is a very serious issue for millions of people, particularly pensioners. Last year was the coldest on record and high energy prices coupled with spells of severe weather will do nothing to help an already bleak situation get worse.

“I’m just about keeping going, to be honest,” said Ms Powell.

Calling on the Government to do more, the NEA said schemes like the upcoming Green Deal needs to deliver on its promise, particularly when it comes to heating the homes of society’s most vulnerable households.

Responding to the protest, EDF Energy said they were “committed to ensuring all of our customers get a fair deal over the winter period.

“So, going into the second successive winter, EDF Energy has the cheapest standard dual fuel prices of all the major energy suppliers, meaning a fairer deal for all of our customers.”

In a surprising victory for hygiene and a regrettable defeat for the environment, a new survey has revealed that Britons spend far longer in the shower than previously thought.

Lasting around eight minutes, the average shower is now estimated to use almost the same amount of energy and water as the average bath. The conclusion was drawn from data obtained by researchers who used innovative technology to calculate results.

The survey monitored 100 families over a period of 10 days, recording 2,600 showers – or 2.6 per family per day – in total. The technology used in the study calculated a shower lasting eight minutes to use approximately 62 litres of hot water. Despite using more hot water than previous studies suggested, the average shower still compares favourably to the average bath, which uses around 80 litres of hot water.

Unfortunately, the data revealed an alarming problem: power showers use twice the energy and water as the average bath. Although power showers arguably provide users with a cleaner, more pleasant experience, they come at a cost in terms of water and gas central heating consumption.

The study was carried out by the Research and Development wing of Unilever. A behavioural scientist working at the firm, Dr Hilde Hendrickx, said: “We know that 95 per cent of the associated greenhouse gas emissions are related to people [using] our products because they have to use hot water”.

The rather frank admission by Dr Hendrickx was followed by an insight into why household questionnaires were ineffective when it came to accurately assessing energy and water usage.

Dr Hendrickx noted: “The problem with [questionnaires] is that people do not often have a very good insight into their behaviour because it is a habit and they may not be very aware of what they are actually doing. When it comes to time perception, most people are not very good at estimating how long it took them to do a particular activity”.

The study ought to be reviewed with interest by UK households, who spend around £416 a year on daily eight minute showers. Spending £918 for the same time, families with power showers ought to be even more interested.

According to the latest Boiler Guide press release, reinstating the Boiler Scrappage Scheme in England will help homeowners cut their fuel bills.

Boiler Guide is backing the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC) who are calling on the Government to reinstate the boiler scrappage scheme in England, which last year saw more than 118,000 old and energy inefficient boilers scrapped in favour of new A-rated energy efficient models.

The incentive proved a runaway success last year, encouraging 61% of homeowners to replace their old boiler as a direct result of the scheme, enabling them to make their homes more energy efficient, saving money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the process.

Of the boilers replaced, 51% of them were over 25 years old and with energy bills at an all-time high, the need to become more energy efficient is growing in awareness amongst homeowners. Reintroducing the boiler scrappage scheme would be a productive way to help householders in their battle to save money as energy bills continue to rise.

Swapping an old inefficient boiler for a new boiler will help homeowners to save an average of £290 annually on their central heating bills. But there are many advantages to the boiler scrappage scheme, not least:

• It provides a financial incentive, encouraging homeowners to trade in their old boilers for newer energy efficient models
• Installing a new energy efficient boiler will save energy and reduce energy bills
• It will help to achieve cuts in greenhouse gas emissions
• The scheme raises money for the Treasury
• It helps to protect jobs and encourage growth in the UK’s domestic heating and hot water industry

David Holmes, founder of Boiler Guide says: “Saving energy means saving money and one very effective way to do that is to replace your old energy-sapping boiler for a brand new energy efficient model.

“Unfortunately during these increasing tough economic times, many homeowners simply cannot afford the initial upfront costs needed to install a new boiler. And that’s why schemes like this are worth their weight in gold.

“The merits of the boiler scrappage scheme have already been proven and given that the scheme continues to run successfully in Scotland, it’s high time the scheme was reinstated in England.”

As the UK’s leading online resource of boiler and central heating installers, whether your boiler needs repairing or if you’re looking to install a brand new boiler, Boiler Guide is the go to place to help you source boiler quotes from recommended installers and heating engineers.

For more industry news and views, or to find an engineer in your area visit www.boilerguide.co.uk

With the winter months fast approaching, energy consumers already struggling to meet the demands of rising gas and electricity costs are facing more worry when it comes to ensuring they stay warm and healthy this winter.

But for the most vulnerable members of society – the elderly and low income households – there is help at hand , thanks to a variety of schemes and incentives. One of which is the Government’s Warm Front Scheme.

Whether you’re in need of a new boiler to replace your old energy inefficient model, or would like to install loft insulation or cavity wall insulation, but cannot afford the up-front costs involved, the Warm Front Scheme can provide grants to householders who reside in poorly insulated or badly heated homes. If you’re eligible to benefit from the scheme you can apply for a grant of up to £3,500 or up to £6,000 if your property is not main gas connected.

“With the coldest months of the year fast approaching, there’s never been a better time for people on low incomes to pick up the phone and apply for a Warm Front grant,” advises Energy and Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker.

This year the Government has made more than £110 million available in funding, and another £100 million has already been allocated for 2012/13.

It’s estimated that around 90,000 people will take advantage of the Warm Front grant scheme over the next two years.

For more about the scheme, visit www.direct.gov.uk

Conservative MP Tim Yeo has called for greater transparency over the way in which green taxes are applied to energy bills.

Noting his party’s failure to become the ‘greenest ever’ Government, the head of the Energy and Climate Change Committee suggested energy bills ought to include details of green taxes in order to give rise to a “rational debate” on how a low-carbon future for the UK can be funded.

According to the industry regulator Ofgem, the green tax or levy increases the average annual energy (gas and electricity) bill by around 6 per cent (or £80). Mr Yeo is concerned about the way green levies are applied to bills.

Mr Yeo said: “The danger is that the levies are now hidden. The cost of the levies should be published on a regular basis. We need to be honest with the public that we need to keep the lights on and in a low-carbon way – and the consequence of that is higher bills. Then there can be a rational debate over which renewables are most cost-effective”.

The cost of green levies on electricity and gas central heating bills have been greatly exaggerated by elements of the British media. The Press Complaints Commission ordered a full retraction last month after the Daily Mail had suggested green levies amounted to a “£200 stealth charge” on energy bills. No doubt many readers who were already dismayed by the high cost of gas and electricity decided the future ought not to be green upon reading the Daily Mail’s article.

Green levies are necessary, however, to fund the UK’s transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy, such as solar power. Although many people remain sceptical of renewables, the need to reduce carbon emissions while finding clean, sustainable sources of energy has never been so urgent. Now is certainly no time for the UK to turn its back on the future to shave a little money off energy bills.

As Andy Atkins, the executive director of Friends of the Earth, noted: “In reality, the cost is a fraction of our current energy bills… it’s our addiction to expensive fossil fuels that’s really ramping up bills”.

Community heating projects in Scotland have been awarded a loans boost of £1.9 million, which will aid the installation of nine small community biomass heating systems.

The loans, all of which were capped at £400,000, will see West Whitlawburn Housing Co-operative in Glasgow replace electric storage heating in two tower blocks with a wood-fuelled heating system.

Other projects to benefit include the West Highland Housing Association biomass project who, thanks to a loan of £280,000, will now be able to provide heating for 60 properties and a local school. The Mull and Iona Progressive Care Centre in Argyll and Bute have also been awarded £200,000 for infrastructure costs.

The schemes – part of a pilot project open to small businesses, councils and housing associations – will heat about 280 homes and are expected to save more than 68,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over 25 years and provide heat to around 280 homes in the area.

“We have a target of 11 per cent of heat demand coming from renewables by 2020 and district heating schemes will help Scotland achieve that target,” said energy minister, Fergus Ewing.

He added that many schemes fall by the wayside because of high start-up costs and unavailable finance.

“By offering these loans, we are helping communities to help themselves, developing affordable, green and locally-produced heat,” said Mr Ewing.

The plight of a pensioner in Skipton has highlighted one of the many discrepancies of the privatised energy market.

Pamela Barton, a widow living on Brougham Street, Skipton, has this month received an energy bill of £2,843.41 – a final demand for payment that includes current usage and arrears.

The bill was issued by E.ON, which has been receiving £42 per month from Mrs Barton since 2007. Unfortunately, the regular payments made by Mrs Barton have not been enough to clear her account, which continues to grow as her energy usage exceeds £42 in value each month. Mrs Barton has now resorted to candlelight to save money on electricity and gas central heating.

Mrs Barton said: “My pension is only £120 a week – I just can’t afford to pay all this. I’m just getting deeper into debt. I’m keeping the lights and gas off as much as I can. I sit with something warm around me and use a candle.

“I’ve even thought about selling the house. I’ve cried about how it could have come to this”.

Mrs Barton’s plight is one that is shared by many thousands of other energy consumers in the UK. Fuel poverty is a growing problem in the country and efforts to ensure the most vulnerable households can afford adequate energy appear to be failing.

Highlighting an apparent disparity of the energy market in the UK, whilst Mrs Barton, a fuel-poor pensioner and widow, struggles to afford enough energy to light a room or heat a stove, Stoke-on-Trent City Council has announced a deal with British Gas that aims to provide help for low-income households.

Under the deal, British Gas will invest around £3.6 million to improve the energy efficiency of 785 private and council properties in Northwood. Energy efficiency measures include installing solar PV panels, loft insulation, draught proofing and new condensing boilers. The measures should ensure that households in the area are able to save hundreds of pounds on annual energy bills.

Unless similar help is afforded to households in Craven, Mrs Barton may be spending her Christmas by candlelight.

According to the results of a British Gas survey, half of those under 40 are clueless when it comes to servicing their homes for the winter.

The last two harsh winters seems to have highlighted a lack of knowledge when it comes to preparing our homes for severe weather conditions. The survey of 2,200 adults aged between 18 and 40 has revealed that 50% of people under the age of 40 are nowhere near clued up about the effects of winter.

More than half of the survey’s participants can’t bleed a radiator, while three quarters of those surveyed are in the dark when it comes to checking the water pressure on their central heating boiler. Perhaps not quite as surprising, a massive 90% admitted to not knowing how to thaw a condensate pipe.

The British Gas report highlights a generation who still regard snow and freezing weather as a bit of a novelty.  Between the late 1970s until the mid 2000s, climate data shows that during this time the UK experienced mild winters compared to those of recent years.

To help households cope with extreme harsh winter conditions, British Gas says householders need to get into the habit of servicing their homes on a regular basis, in a similar way they service their cars. The energy provider has put together a series of how-to guides, which appear on its YouTube channel, designed to talk people through common, easily solvable issues.

The channel includes a guide to bleeding radiators, as well as a step-by-step guide to thawing a condensate pipe. Check them out at www.youtube.com/britishgas