ALEO web forum

Renewables • Research findings relating to LZC technology in new homes

2015-04-30T12:53:49

I have recently completed a research project which examines how householders, within mainstream new housing, interact with pre-installed low and zero carbon (LZC) energy technologies. Predominant technologies examined included solar thermal, air source heat pumps and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems. The research questions I address are detailed at the end of this post and the research findings contribute to current understandings in this subject area. I am currently disseminating these findings to organisations that are best placed to act upon them or to benefit more generally from an improved knowledge base.

The geographical area selected for the research was a local authority where a stringent version of the Merton Rule has applied since 2006; as a consequence, most new dwellings built in this area over recent years have had LZC technology installed. This area therefore constitutes an early test-bed for the accelerated introduction of such technology, which is set to become more commonplace nationally given the scheduled changes to the Building Regulations. Conducting research within such test-bed areas provides an early opportunity to identify any problem issues, to investigate the potential causes of these and to highlight where improvements can be made.

The research findings are derived from a borough-wide survey and semi-structured interviews with householders. All sizes and types of developments within the borough, and their associated LZC technologies, were encompassed within the research effort.

I am keen to disseminate the research findings and would welcome the opportunity to present these to relevant personnel within your organisation and to answer any queries you might have on what you hear. Clearly, not all the research questions listed may relate to your core activities and you might therefore wish to select a sub-set of questions for me to address. If you would like to discuss this proposition further, please reply to lise.andreassen.2010@live.rhul.ac.uk.

Regards,

Dr Lise Andreassen

Research questions addressed

Moving in with LZC technology
1. Which LZC technologies have developers selected to comply with the Merton Rule-type planning policy (i.e. data on the number of installations of each type installed)?
2. To what degree do householders percieve pre-installed LZC technologies as a positive feature during the home selection process, as opposed to it just constituting a known or unknown feature immaterial to decision-making?
3. What are householders’ perceptions of the written instructions provided for LZC technology?
4. What verbal instruction on LZC technology is provided on moving in?

Getting on with LZC technology
5. Which sources of information do householders refer to in order to improve their understanding of LZC technology?
6. How are householders influenced by the design and positioning of LZC technology?
7. To what extent does feedback from LZC technology engage householders and shape actions?
8. To what degree does LZC technology influence householders’ everyday routines?
9. What trials (experiences, interactions or receipt of new knowledge) trigger householders to change how they interact with their LZC technology?

Processes of maintenance and repair
10. What is the prevalence and cause of faulty LZC technology and how do these faulty installations come to light?
11. To what extent are LZC technologies maintained and what are the underlying reasons for this?
12. What are the wider benefits of maintenance processes?
13. Has any on-going communication been received or feedback sought (e.g. from installers or manufacturers) in relation to the LZC technology?

Intra-household and inter-household dynamics
14. Do LZC technologies slot into existing gendered patterns of everyday life?
15. What symbolic meanings do new home occupants attach to their LZC technology and do these ascribed meanings effect how the technology is used?
16. To what extent do households in a given development provide LZC technology-related support to each other?
17. What role do Residents’ Associations play in facilitating information exchange and assisting with formulating neighbourhood norms?
18. To what extent do new home occupants recommend their LZC technology to others and have these others proceeded to install LZC technology?

Statistics:Posted by LiseAndreassen — Thu Apr 30, 2015 12:53 pm

Renewables • Ways & Means of Hitting SAP Band Targets

2015-02-04T17:01:56

With pressure on to achieve SAP Band E for properties by 2020 and Band C by 2030, you will no doubt be planning:

i) assessments of all properties to catalogue the SAP Band (EPC) with those below band 'E' moved to a priority list
ii) lists of the recommended measures for each property and the SAP improvement points each measure represents
iii) a shortlist of the minimum mix of measures required to meet band E and the expected cost of these measures
iv) an understanding of how much budget is required spread over 2015 to 2020 to fit these measures

Further to the above, you will be considering what measures have optimum/full funding now (to be tackled immediately) and which require full contribution from you now (which may attract funding in the future).

At this point, the finer points you will be focusing on should generally be around how best to balance the spend and delivery over the next 5 years while achieving best value.

For this I would recommend you CEMENT your approach to ensure you select the right partner and get best value while hitting your delivery targets:
Consult your asset manager - Stock information is key, many social housing providers suffer from FDS (fragmented data syndrome). Ensure your LA has its property build type/classification/EPC data in one place and if not set in motion plans to coordinate the accumulation of this data by appointing a central handle on all EPC surveying resources (both internal & external).
Examine the data - understand the scale of the challenge and organise properties by key archetypes that will relate to similar categories for measures/cost
Make the case - put the indicative cost per annum to achieve the 2020 target to the powers that be and gain support for proactive treatment
Engage with delivery partners - invite them to demonstrate best value by assessing both funding rates and unit costs
Nominate PILOT schemes - invite your favoured partners to deliver small batches of work for each measure consisting of property archetypes representative of your major 'Tender or direct award - identify the measures attracting the best funding deals presently and quantify their volume and value. Understand the timescales of these offers! If small enough value award to your contractor of choice based on the PILOT programmes or if OJEU applicable tender for these works customising your tender based on learnings and 'nice-to-haves' identified from the PILOT programmes. Stipulate the time frame to be delivered with consideration of the limited funding windows of opportunity.

If anyone else has other suggestions / summary methods on how best to approach the SAP band challenge, please feel free to post here.

Statistics:Posted by John — Wed Feb 04, 2015 5:01 pm

Renewables • Re: Innovation in social housing - case studies?

2014-09-02T11:30:48

Jon, I agree. Having looked into things in more detail the number of batteries requried to store anything useful for a household would have taken up an entire standard sized shed, it seems. Much more sensible to use hot water to store the excess energy. Plus as Hazel says to educate people to make the best use of their appliances in the day time etc.
Lisa

Statistics:Posted by LJWiltshire1 — Tue Sep 02, 2014 11:30 am

Renewables • Re: Innovation in social housing - case studies?

2014-08-29T08:44:08

I would be very surprised if batteries are a good idea. Although battery design is constantly improving it's still unlikely to be cost effective to store energy at home in batteries. The only system I've seen advertised for home use with PV would not come close to paying for itself.

Statistics:Posted by JonBird — Fri Aug 29, 2014 8:44 am

Renewables • Re: Innovation in social housing - case studies?

2014-08-28T15:39:42

Hi,

don't have a case study for that particular combination but have an alternate combination for future consideration which actually pays for itself and makes significant energy bill savings for the residents. If you'd like to discuss this please feel free to drop me an email.

Best regards,

John
john.eghan@markgroup.co.uk

Statistics:Posted by John — Thu Aug 28, 2014 3:39 pm

Renewables • Re: DECs/EPCs for PV

2014-06-06T13:55:28

Thanks to Darren Adams who has emailed to highlight that Ofgem have recently released some new guidance covering school and community installations; see page 25 of https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publicat ... ay2014.pdf, which confirms that a Non-Domestic EPC is required.

- CAN National Secretariat

Statistics:Posted by ALEO Admin — Fri Jun 06, 2014 1:55 pm

Renewables • Re: DECs/EPCs for PV

2014-05-20T18:07:45

I would have to disagree on the reasonableness for the prices. While an EPC is based on building size, it should never cost anywhere near £2,000 for a school!

Typically £500 or below is reasonable for most but the largest schools. EPCs are though increasingly just bits of paper to meet legislation with limited value in their own right. Even the recommendations reports should be taken with a big pinch of salt. Many, (Though not all) EPC assessors are not technology experts or engineers and just know how to punch the numbers into the software. This means that these reports are not very helpful in making future investment decisions, decisions on whether a solar system will perform or not or in making SALIX interest free loan applications. (if you don't know what SALIX is google it, it is worthwhile!)

I would suggest however if you are purchasing an EPC anyway, it is a great opportunity to get a proper energy survey done of a school, as long as you recruit a knowledgeable energy surveyor to do the work. While we are in schools anyway, we tend to offer schools a proper energy independent energy survey for a small amount extra. This can them be relied on to justify spending money or applying for a SALIX loan for example. With SALIX the additional cost (but not the EPC cost) can be rolled in with the loan application.

Some Free PV companies will also offer to pay for the whole lot, EPC included.

Statistics:Posted by Jeromebaddley — Tue May 20, 2014 6:07 pm

Renewables • Re: DECs/EPCs for PV

2014-05-20T16:52:03

Hi all

Thanks to everyone who's responded to this so far.

Below are two more responses that were emailed:

I have come across cases were the school has used a DEC rather than an EPC. The main issue is that a DEC can often show a much better rating than an EPC (and vice versa) which means the school may not be eligible for the higher tariff and could get into difficulty if they were found out.

This is bound to continue if the FIT approval body accepts DEC or, more likely, doesn’t know the difference between DECs and EPCs.

- Richard Holmes

And

In response to your query from Simon Winch the schools will have to have a current EPC (rated D or above) if the owner of the PV wants to claim FiTs.
Given the work involved in producing the EPC, which is proportional to the size of the building, the prices quoted are not unreasonable.

- Malcolm Potter

Thanks for sending these through.

- CAN National Secretariat

Statistics:Posted by ALEO Admin — Tue May 20, 2014 4:52 pm

Renewables • Re: DECs/EPCs for PV

2014-05-20T15:59:25

Hi All
My undertsanding is that the requirement for an EPC rating of D or above to access the higher rate of FIT is waived for schools. However they would still need an EPC.

Statistics:Posted by c.horth — Tue May 20, 2014 3:59 pm

Renewables • Re: DECs/EPCs for PV

2014-05-20T15:36:15

Hi - am part of a community energy group and we also came up against this.

You do need to get an EPC done to claim the Feed-in Tariff. A couple of things that may help you are; firstly the feed-in tariff guidance states that
"2.88. Where the energy efficiency requirement applies applicants are required to demonstrate that the building to which the solar PV is wired to provide electricity has achieved an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of level D or above in order to receive the higher tariff."
and that
"2.105. Where an installation is wired to provide electricity to a number of buildings that are relevant buildings, only one of those buildings needs to satisfy the energy efficiency requirement."

The wording means (as far as our experience goes) that if a smaller building is wired to the same meter that the PV installation is wired to you can get an EPC done for the smaller building and submit that.

Also, if any of your schools were built after ~2008 the construction company is obliged to provide an EPC when the building is finished (details in EPC guidance on the DCLG website.) We managed to save a bit of money by chasing up a construction company who hadn't provided the EPC for a couple of schools built in 2009.

Cheers,
Helen

Statistics:Posted by HelenGriffin — Tue May 20, 2014 3:36 pm

Renewables • Re: DECs/EPCs for PV

2014-05-20T12:39:28

NEP Energy Services is an environmental social enterprise owned by a charity. We have just won the Queens Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development.

We are on the National ESPO framework for EPCs, DECs and other energy surveys.

Our rates for EPCs for schools, even up to up 10,000m2 are generally under £500. NEPes does not aim to profit out of these surveys, rather we aim to cover our costs and ensure that the surveys lead to investment in energy, carbon and cost savings.

We are working with schools across the UK. Schools are either purchasing our services directly through ESPO, if they are ESPO members, or through LA framework contracts.

As an environmental social enterprise, we are very keen to encourage carbon saving installations of renewable energy in schools, we have worked on several of these projects. For this reason if schools are developing PV projects, we are happy to offer similar rates to the high volume based rates on our ESPO contract.

Kind regards
Jerome Baddley CEnv MIEMA BSc(hons) PGCE
Sustainability Services Manager
NEP Energy Services Ltd
As a social enterprise and a registered charity, 100% of our profits are reinvested in public health and carbon reduction projects.

Direct: 0115 985 3005; Office: 0115 985 9057; Email: Jerome.b@nottenergy.com; Web: In The Workplace | Nottingham Energy Partnership
NEP Energy Services Ltd is a trading arm of The Nottingham Energy Partnership Charity Number.1091513

Statistics:Posted by Jeromebaddley — Tue May 20, 2014 12:39 pm

Renewables • Re: DECs/EPCs for PV

2014-05-20T12:18:23

Hi,
In Reading, we had this problem. As you said Ofgem were extremely uncompromising and in the end we arranged for our solar provider to give us a 'cost price' EPC. This reduced the cost dramatically.

Given that you already have a DECC, you will only be interested in the most basic service EPC, so your solar provider might be prepared to do you deal on it?

Ben

Statistics:Posted by Ben Burfoot — Tue May 20, 2014 12:18 pm

Renewables • DECs/EPCs for PV

2014-05-20T09:09:49

Hi

We deliver a council programme installing PV to schools. Although all the schools already have DECs, to qualify for FIT a school needs an EPC and not a DEC (we've obtained chapter and verse from Ofgem on this). The problem is, lots of commercial installers are approaching our schools directly and just using the existing DECs, and they seem to be getting away with it. The cost of an EPC makes a big difference to the business case - we've been quoted somewhere between £500 and £2000 depending on the size of the school.

Have any of you come across this problem? Any ideas welcomed!

Kind regards
Simon

Statistics:Posted by SimonWinch — Tue May 20, 2014 9:09 am

Renewables • Re: Innovation in social housing - case studies?

2013-08-27T08:59:56

The mix of PV, With Electric off - peak heating is a very good combination. The addedd advantage of diverting excess electricity to provide hot water provides the icing on the cake. This will add approx £500 costs per household.
the most important element would be educating those to use electricity " when the sun shines" to take highest advantage of the install and to run appliances in sequence. Regards
Hazel

Statistics:Posted by hazelhi — Tue Aug 27, 2013 8:59 am

Renewables • Innovation in social housing - case studies?

2013-08-27T06:39:12

Hi,
Does anyone have any experience of, or know where I can look up, case studies re. using renewables and "smart" technologies in social housing? For our own stock, we are looking at fitting out a cluster of properties that are off-gas (currently oil) with Quantum storage heaters (asset management's choice), combining with PV and either a battery storage system or the switches that allow you to flick unused power from PV through to an immersion heater for stored HW provision, rather than automatically diverting to the grid.
Any ideas gratefully received.
Thanks

Statistics:Posted by LJWiltshire1 — Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:39 am