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New report on Skills needs: Household Energy Efficiency Skills Review

Carbon dioxide emissions from housing are a major contributor to global climate change - around a quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions come from our homes.  To tackle this, emissions from older homes must be reduced - although new homes are built to much higher standards, there are simply not very many new homes compared to all those older homes that are already there.  Householders will therefore be encouraged to undertake low carbon refurbishment or ‘eco-upgrades’ of their homes, and the new Coalition Government seems to be as commited to this as was the previous Labour administration.

In order to do this, householders will be reliant on the Household Energy Efficiency (HEE) industries (comprising heating, insulation and glazing, micro-generation, energy efficiency advice and home energy assessment).  Concern has been expressed that this industry doesn't currently have sufficient skilled people to support the level of work that will be needed.  So, the skills working group of the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes (EEPH) commissioned a major study into skills in this area. 

The report has now  been published and can be read here.

In this new vision for the provision of home energy efficiency improvements, there will be a shift from the current emphasis on installing single measures in homes, towards the integrated installation of multiple energy efficiency improvements.  This report recognises that Domestic Energy Assessors have an important role to play.  Their existing skills and knowledge provide a sound basis for them to acquire the advanced technical knowledge that will be needed by the whole house energy adviser.

CERT extension
Ofgem is consulting on the extension to the Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) scheme, which requires energy suppliers to spend some of the income from their customers on installing energy efficiency measures in homes.  Most people can benefit from the CERT offers, and you don't have to be a customer of the particular energy supplier to take advantage.  For more information on specific offers, take a look at the energy suppliers' web pages.

This consultation sets out Ofgem's proposals for administering the extension to CERT and explains what these amendments are, and the details of how they intend to administer them. It also provides further clarification on some areas of the existing CERT supplier guidance.


If you would like to read more, or to respond the this consultation, follow this link


Deadline for response: Monday 22 November 2010


Microgeneration Strategy


DECC has announced the first stage of a consultation on a Microgeneration Strategy for England.  This consultation will look at four key areas for development:

  • Quality: ensure consumers have confidence that equipment and installation is reliable and adheres to the highest standards
  • Technology: examine how to improve products through more trialling of technologies new to the UK
  • Skills: develop the microgeneration supply chain to ensure it is properly equipped with the right people to meet the expected rise in demand, as well as creating and sustaining jobs in the UK
  • Advice: provide more accessible advice and information about Microgeneration to homeowners, communities and small businesses.

 

Unusually, there is no consultation document available at present.  At this stage, DECC are inviting input from respondents, to help them create their strategy.  The consultation webpage states that questions around the four key areas will be posted shortly, and they aim to publish the final Microgeneration Strategy in early 2011.

Read more here

JTec hopes that the desire to provide advice and information about Microgeneration isn't used as a reason to delay the provision of advice on Energy Efficiency.  Doesn't everyone now agree that this must be the first step in delivering low carbon housing?

JTec responds to consultation: Making better use of EPCs

Communities and Local Government has consulted on making better use of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) and data.  The consultation document, which may be viewed here, states that  Warm Homes, Greener Homes: A Strategy for Household Energy Management (2010) has set out detailed plans to achieve targets for reducing annual emissions from residential buildings by 29 per cent by 2020. This will mean, as well as insulating all lofts and cavities where practicable by 2015, up to 7 million homes will receive an eco-upgrade, including major measures such as solid wall insulation or heat pumps. 


The consultation recognises that EPCs have an important role to play in supporting these carbon reduction aims, by providing vital information about the energy efficiency of buildings in England and Wales, and advice about measures to improve their energy performance.  It considers a number of measures intended to enhance the contribution from EPCs, by improving their effectiveness and by making better use of the energy performance data they contain.

CLG's Peter Matthew gave two relevant presentations at Ecobuild, which may be viewed here: Paving the Way for EPBD2, and here:
Update: EPCs and DECs. 

JTec Services' response to the consultation may be viewed here.

Requirement to have a HIP for home sales is suspended


Communities and Local Government have announced the suspension of the HIP regulations, pending future legislation to abolish them completely. The requirement to have an Energy Performance Certificate remains.  Information for home sellers about this can be read here.

Renewable Heat Incentive

Communities and Local Government recently consulted on a proposal for a Renewable Heat incentive (RHI - also known as the clean energy cashback). 

The proposed tariff levels have been calculated to bridge the financial gap between the cost of conventional and renewable heat systems, with additional compensation for certain technologies for an element of the non-financial cost.  This produces a rate of return of 12% on the additional cost of renewables, with 6% for solar thermal. 

The intention is to have the RHI in place for April 2011, one year after the Feed In Tarrifs for electricity generation from renewables.

The consultation closed on 26 April 2010 but information may be viewed on this link renewable heat incentive.  

There is an excellent summary of this consultation, written by Cathy Debenham, on the
YouGen website


JTec responds to DECC consultation on extension to CERT 


JTec Services' response to this consultation, which closed on 14 March, can be viewed here. For more information about this consultation, see our consultations page.

This response comments on the provision of energy advice in CERT by Home Energy Advisers (HEAs), and how HEAs could assist energy suppliers to help households in fuel poverty.  It also highlights the inequity of recognising one qualification as a passport to the role of Home Energy Adviser, whilst not including another, which has been recently developed to provide a simple upgrade route for Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) and Home Inspectors (HIs) to become HEAs. 

DEAs and HIs are already well qualified to advise on improvements to homes and their heating systems.  They can also prepare an Energy Performance Certificate and Recommendations Report, which is a great way to learn more about saving energy, and money, in the home.


DECC announces HEM strategy update


The supporting papers have  now been added to DECC's website:

link to HEM strategy page of DECC website


Where an EPC exists, the energy advisor must be able to access it.  Apparently, last year's consultation on the Heat and Energy Saving Strategy strongly supported including a survey element in the home energy advice package, which suggests that the EPC inspection should form the basis for the adviser's survey . 


This may well be one of the reasons why DECC suggest that the new National Occupational Standards for Home and Community Energy Advisers are the best basis for a qualification for a Home Energy Adviser (HEA), as these standards include the ability to collect the data required to assess energy performance.  They combine the skills and knowledge already possessed by a DEA, with skills that a HEA also needs, and which may be new to the DEA.  These include skills such as being able to advice, and also knowing what advice to give - on behaviour changes that will enable clients to save energy, carbon, and of course, money.


Home Energy Management strategy

The strategy is now available on the DECC website, having been announced at EcoBuild on Tuesday 2nd March 2010.  Read the press release and follow the link to the strategy on the link above. 

Part IV, Supporting Customers, gives an insight into government's plans for future provision of energy advice, via mixture of free-to-access phone and on-line services, backed up with more tailored advice from accredited Home Energy Advisers (HEAs). 

There is confirmation that whilst the City and Guilds 6176 remains the minimum standard for advisers working on telephone advice lines, HEAs will, in future, need a qualification that fully reflects Units 1 - 5 of the NOS for Home and Community Energy Advisers. 

The role of the EPC within this provision is supported, but not mandated, and a further consultation is promised, later this year, on the detailed requirements for the HEA survey. 

The strategy states that government proposes to work towards a single accreditation framework for HEAs, and will also develop a Code of Practice for advice provided to the consumer by product manufacturers and service providers.

NHER conference outlines EPC options for the most efficient homes


The annual conference held by the NHER accreditation scheme in November 2009 outlined possible approaches for dealing with homes that are built, or improved, to the very highest standards of energy efficiency. 


RDSAP, the inspection method for existing homes, assumes that homes were built to the Building Regulations standards that were in force at the time.  This means that in some circumstances, homes that were built to much higher standards may receive a lower rating than they deserve.


One way of dealing with this could be to require the full SAP method to be used.  Requiring the use of full SAP is not straightforward, and in a workshop presented by NES' Dyfrig Hughes, the audience of DEAs, OCDEAs, and other energy professionals, was offered a number of options to consider. 


A controversial suggestion, to make it mandatory for all DEAs to qualify as OCDEAs so that they would be able to use full SAP wherever it proved necessary, received support from many of those present.  A member of the audience suggested that requiring all DEAs to gain these skills, in order to continue working as a DEA, was an excellent idea.  It would not only increase the general proficiency level of DEAs, but would also 'weed out' any who did not wish to gain the additional skill and knowledge required to work at this higher level. 


Two other options were discussed.  Firstly, RDSAP could be amended to include some (but not all) of SAP's extra data.  This would reduce the number of homes that RDSAP would model less well, but there would still be some that would need full SAP.  Secondly, DEAs could choose whether or not to qualify to create EPCs using SAP, without it being compulsory.  Under this option, only those who decided to qualify would be able to use this higher-level system to assess the most energy efficient homes. 


We were promised that the presentations made in the very useful conference workshops would soon be made available on the NHER website.


EEPH publishes its report from EPBD recast workshop


As part of the Government's consultation on the proposed recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, CLG and the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes hosted a stakeholder event on the 24th September in London.


CLG's presentation and the event report are now available on the EEPH website here.


EEPH publishes its report from HESS delivery options event


To support the HES development process, the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes held a joint workshop with DECC. This stakeholder event, held on 21st September 2009, was intended to help develop proposed policy packages.


The presentation and event report are now available on the EEPH  website here.


Government publishes summary of HESS responses


The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has published the responses to DECC's consultation, earlier this year, on the proposed Heat and Energy Saving Strategy.  They also provide an analysis of the Heat and Energy Saving Strategy Consultation Responses, and an initial government response. 


For the real detail of what HESS will contain, we shall have to wait a little longer.  DECC states that 'We are drawing on these responses in developing the Heat and Energy Saving Strategy, and will publish further proposals later in the year'.


These documents may be downloaded from the HESS consultation website here.


CLG presentation on EPBD recast


The presentations given at the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes' annual conference are now available.   CLG's presentation on the recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD2) is particularly useful and may be dowloaded here.  

You can see the rest of the conference presentations on the EEPH website at
Partnership Conference presentations.


JTec responds to CLG consultation on EPBD recast


Communities and Local Government's consultation on the recast EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings, often referred to as EPBD2, has now closed, although there is plenty of information about the recast still available on the web.  CLG's consultation document is available here, there is more information on EPBD2 here: euractiv.com and here: EU, and a full summary of the content of the recast is available on the eur-lex website here.


It's been rumoured that the Conservatives, if they are elected, may remove the right for consumers to see the EPC at the start of the purchase or rental process, by moving EPC production to the very end of the transaction.  This would mean that buyers and renters would not be given information about the energy performance of their new home until just before they move in.  However, this may not comply with EPBD2 as drafted, which requires the energy performance indicator from EPC to be displayed in all advertisements for the sale or rent of buildings: clearly, this requires the EPC calculation to have been undertaken prior to the property being marketed, much the same as happens now.  The response from JTec comments on the importance of providing this information at the start of the proces..


JTec's response may be downloaded here.


Part L Consultation: JTec responds


Part L is the section of Building Regulations covering energy efficiency: officially, Conservation of Fuel and Power.  Part L is supported by Approved Documents (ADs); currently, these are ADL1a dealing with new homes; ADL1b, existing homes; and ADL2a & 2b, dealing with new and existing non dwellings.   New requirements are proposed for new homes, for work done on existing homes, and for non dwellings.

The consultation closed on 17 September, but the proposals are still available for download at
 part L 2010 consultation

JTec Energy Performance's response may be seen here

JTec Energy Performance submission highlights
The standards for new homes are not sufficiently challenging: some of the claimed 25% improvement will actually come from changed methodology, rather than real carbon savings;

Training and dissemination needs to recognise the important contribution of the Energy Assessor accreditation schemes, which accredit the Energy Assessors to carry out assessments for Part L;

Building work on existing homes should trigger the need for an assessment using RDSAP, and should require "consequential improvement" to bring the building up to a standard set using RDSAP;

Domestic Energy Assessors might have a role in helping ensure compliance with Building Regulations and this possibility should be investigated.

Recently closed consultations

Three consultations have recently closed.  Links were provided by the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes..link to the Partnership's website for more information and links to the consultation documents.  The consultations are described below:

Code for Sustainable Homes: Technical Guide

This is part of a consultation on changes to the Code for Sustainable Homes in 2010, to align with changes to Part L of the Building Regulations and the proposed approach to adopting the 2016 definition of zero carbon. 

The Technical Guide is the critical technical document underpinning the Code.  It's purpose is to enable licensed Code assessors to deliver environmental assessments of new dwellings on the basis of the Code scheme requirements.  It includes:

Part One
• The Code for Sustainable Homes assessment procedure
• The scoring system
Part Two
• The environmental issues to be assessed
• Performance requirements and their evaluation
• Evidence required to confirm performance evaluation
• Calculation algorithms, checklists and other tools used in the assessment method.

The Code for Sustainable Homes covers nine categories of sustainable design, with Energy and CO2 Emissions being only one of these.  As a result, the Code has been criticised as placing emphasis on items which some consider to be of lesser importance.

The consultation closed on 24 March 2010.

Extending the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target

Government announced, in the 2009 UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, that CERT would be extended to December 2012 to align with the end of the first carbon budget period and to provide ongoing certainty of household energy efficiency investment. This CERT extension consultation raises key proposals:
 
For a new higher target of 293 million tonnes of lifetime CO2 savings by December 2012;

For the provision of an insulation minimum and the removal of compact fluorescent lights as eligible measures, so as to drive insulation delivery at scale and ensure we meet our target to insulate 6 million homes by December 2011; and,

For a new Super Priority Group obligation to ensure that the most vulnerable householders who are least able to afford energy saving measures are offered assistance.

The consultation closed on 14th March 2010.  JTec Services has responded to this consultation; to see the response, check the news page.


Saving Energy Through Better Products and Appliances

Defra has launched a second consultation on its analysis, targets and indicative standards for a range of energy-using products, setting out how these products need to improve over the period to 2030 in order to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions.


This consultation looks at domestic and commercial lighting, consumer electronics, white goods, motors and circulators, heating, air conditioning and IT equipment. It considers the effects of all policies that are aimed at improving the energy efficiency of products.


A number of stakeholders participated in an event in July 2009 to feed into the analysis. In light of the consultation, our revised analysis and targets will be published later in 2010.


Comments were requested by 12 March 2010.


Zero Carbon for New Non-Domestic Buildings

This consultation sets out proposals for working towards the Government's ambition that all new non-domestic buildings should be zero carbon from 2019, with the public sector leading the way from 2018. It sets out policy principles and further modelling work, and seeks views on these and their implications for viability for individual developments and sectors

This consultation closed on 26 February 2010.  The consultation documents may be downloaded from the following link: non-domestic zero carbon buildings

NHER research: 80% non compliance with energy legislation

Even the greenest of businesses are unlikely to be able to make informed choices about the energy efficiency of the premises they buy or rent right now, according to new research published by National Energy Services (NES).

88 out of 108 agents (81%) failed to provide an EPC. Almost half of these agents (47%, or 41 agents) said they believed the certificate was not necessary, or just could not give an explanation about why no EPC was available.

Read more, and download the full report, at NHER research

Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) Supplier Guidance


New guidance on CERT for energy suppliers, dated 18 September 2009, has been published  by Ofgem.  The guidance document sets out how Ofgem will fulfill its duties under the Electricity and Gas (Carbon Emissions Reduction Obligation) Order 2008 and the Electricity and Gas (Carbon Emissions Reduction) (Amendment) Order 2009.  It explains what the obligated gas and electricity suppliers need to do, in order to comply with the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, and the timetable for doing so.


The trigger for this new guidance was the change to CERT arising from the CERT 2009 amending Order, including the availability of two new behavioural measures: Energy Advice and Real Time Displays.  It consolidates the guidance to obligated suppliers following the CERT 2008 Order, and the CERT 2009 amending Order.


The guidance includes a definition of the type of advice that householders should receive through energy suppliers' CERT schemes, and minimum qualifications and other requirements for their energy advisers.  This is the latest step in defining energy advice provided under CERT, outlined in earlier posts on this website.


Download a copy of the guidance here

News from the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes annual conference, 9 July


EPBD 2


As for EPBD1, the Government lead on this is being taken by CLG.


The latest draft of EPBD2 includes revisions proposed by the European Parliament in April 09, most of which will be acceptable to the UK, but there are concerns over some. The UK's response to the amends will be known by end of July, when CLG will set out the details in a consultation paper, which will run for 12 weeks. This consultation opened on 31 July and there is now a link on the Open Consultations page of this website.


EU's Swedish presidency is keen to have EPBD2 adopted prior to 7 Dec 09, ie before the Copenhagen summit. The proposed timescales for implementation are tight: by 31 December 2010 for public sector, 2011 for remainder.


The 8 key requirements currently proposed are:
1 DECs will be required for smaller public buildings, >250m2; this change is estimated to affect 70,000 additional buildings
2 Commercial buildings >250m2 will be required to display their EPC (note, EPC not DEC), but only where one already exists.


3 Consequential improvement (that is, requiring improvements to the energy performance of the existing building when undertaking building work, e.g. adding an extension) will now apply to all buildings, not just those >1000m2. This means it will also affect homes. The dropping of consequential improvements for existing homes, from the current consultation on Part L, was challenged by many in the audience. Since CLG will be required to implement this requirement under EPBD2, it seems perverse not to take the opportunity to consult in advance on how best to implement it


4 Minimum energy efficiency requirements for building services (UK is ahead on this and already complies)


5 Common principles to apply across Europe for defining a low or zero carbon (LZC) building


6 Requirements to increase the number of LZC buildings, with targets to be set for different sectors


7 A single methodology across Europe to assess “cost optimal levels” of building energy performance


8 Recommendations made with the EPC to be bespoke, technically feasible for the building being assessed, and advice to be available on implementing them, with the intention of increasing take up. Clearly this could be significant for DEAs, as it should remove the current prohibition on their giving advice and help to install measures.


In the open session, CLG was asked how long it would take to have EPCs on all UK homes. Their response was 40 years, if legislation remained unchanged, but they confirmed their willingness to consider other triggers for EPCs, eg applying for planning permission for improvement works, or as part of a regular “MOT” for homes.


Housing Energy Advisers


Domestic Energy Assessors will be keen to know the latest news from Government on the role and qualifications of Housing Energy Advisers. 


There was nothing in the public sessions of this Annual Conference on the minimum qualifications for HEAs, nor was the nature of the advice to be provided within CERT made clear, and there were conflicting references to behavioural advice, and advice on hard measures. Some detail is expected in the Statutory Instruments being laid in Parliament this week, although it's likely we will have to wait for Ofgem's supplier guidance for the final details. It seems perverse that if only behavioural advice is allowed, advisers will be telling clients to turn down the thermostat, but won't be able to recommend installing a thermostat where none is present! We were told to expect to see the SIs published before the summer recess.


We were told that Government will issue a White Paper before the summer recess, describing a proposed Integrated Strategy on Climate Change and Energy.  According to this weekend's press, this will be published on Weds 15 July. This will be followed, later in 2009, with a consultation on the full Heat and Energy Saving Strategy. DECC's presenter confirmed that the energy audit to be provided in HESS would inform householders what they need to do to their homes – i.e. physical measures, not just behaviours.


Responding to questions in the open session, DECC recognised the benefit of the newly approved NOS over existing, theory based qualifications. When questioned on the benefits of a competence based qualification, they indicated they wished to move towards this; in response to questioning about the EPC being included in the home energy audit, they responded that they recognised that receiving an EPC increases the receptiveness of householders.  Many of those present supported the idea that more effort should be made to follow up the recommendations made in the over 2,000,000 domestic EPCs lodged in the twelve months to June 2009.


Although this wasn't addressed at the Conference, later in the week DECC corrected the drafting error in its responses to the CERT and CESP consultation responses, see

DECC CESP response


Essentially, this means that the existing theory only qualification from City and Guilds (C&G 6176) will be accepted as qualifying a person as a HEA for the purposes of CERT and CESP.  Conversely, the DEA qualification is not recognised.  If the advice provided in these two programmes will be on behavioural changes only, then although this change of heart is unwelcome, it is perhaps logical, since this is the main focus of the 6176. However, the 6176 is totally inappropriate if advice on hard measures is to be required, and for this the DEA qualification is a better match.  A competence based qualification founded in the new NOS for Housing Energy Advisers would combine both types of advice, plus other elements identified in the NOS as being relevant to the provision of Home Energy Advice.


In summary, it appears that the new NOS are more likely to become relevant in connection with the new HESS, which will be developed to replace CERT and CESP. Let's hope that lessons learned from delivering energy advice in CERT and CESP will lead to the provision in HESS of genuinely useful, quality energy advice, provided by properly qualified Housing Energy Advisers and founded on an EPC assessment.


Potential for new employment via energy efficiency investment


Research was cited showing a large potential for employment / stimulating economic growth with energy efficiency investment. See:


greenpeace report

tuc report

ace report


Summit Skills (the sector skills council for Building Services) warned of the discrepancy between the number of installers working, or considering working, in what they called “micro environmental technologies” (ground source heat pumps, microgeneration, etc) and the numbers who had been trained in these specialisms.


According to Summit Skills, up to 100,000 people needed training if these measures were to be fitted correctly to get the largest benefit. Currently training is only provided by manufacturers and there is no formal qualification available. Employers don't see the future demand for these measures and therefore won't invest in training. However, the EEPH Heating Group chairman countered that the requirement for training in this area is well known. Summit Skills/EEPH are already liaising on it, and a paper on training development has been put to Government.


More information


The Conference programme was wider than this, and the above is my summary of matters likely to interest DEAs.  EEPH normally places an event report on the Partnership website, which should cover the remaining sessions: see  

EEPH


Government publishes its response to CESP and CERT uplift Consultations


Amongst other proposals, the consultations on CERT and CESP suggested that Domestic Energy Assessors could provide better targeted energy advice to householders, based on an energy audit carried out during a home visit. 

Whilst stopping short of requiring all energy advisers working within CERT and CESP to also be DEAs, the Government's response appeared to recognise that such advisers should be properly qualified against Units 1 to 5 of the newly approved National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Housing and Community Energy Advisers (link to NOS available below).  It had previously been rumoured that Government were considering recognising previously available qualifications (not based on the newly approved NOS) as sufficient to deliver energy advice under CERT and CESP.  Regretably, it has since been revealed that this was a drafting error, and the rumours were true: the previously available qualification will be accepted within CERT and CESP.

The NOS were created to deliver higher standards of energy advice than has been commonly available up to date, including many of the provisions of the Code of Practice for Domestic Energy Advice.  For example, the NOS cover the provision of follow up contact with the client, after advice has been given, which has been reported to increase the take up of measures following receipt of home energy advice. 

From later this year, the provision of home energy advice will be recognised as a valid measure under CERT (the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target).  The new Community Energy Saving Programme will also deliver community wide schemes intended to reduce emissions, cut fuel bills and reduce fuel poverty.  The quality and effectiveness of the energy advice provided within these schemes will, of course, depend on the quality of the energy advisers delivering it.

The proposals outlined in the consultation documents recognised the benefits of delivering energy advice based on an energy audit, and of adopting a whole house approach to improving the energy performance of existing homes.  However, there is now some doubt as to the type of energy advice to be delivered, and whether it will be based on an energy assessment of the property.  

Futhermore, there is no indication in the Government's responses whether the qualification will be competence based (as, for example, is the DEA qualification) or purely a test of knowledge.  Competence based awards are to be preferred, since they offer the added reassurance that the candidate has demonstrated the ability to do the task, rather than simply demonstrated that the candidate has the appropriate knowledge base.


Read the press release on CESP and CERT here press release

The two Government responses may be downloaded here CERT  CESP

The National Occupational Standards for Housing and Community Energy Advisers may be downloaded via this page NOS

The original consultation documents are available here consultations

JTec's response to the HES consultation may be read here JTec response

JTec's response to the CESP consultation may be read here JTec response

JTec's response to the CERT uplift consultation may be read here JTec response