Funding in England - Funding for Energy Efficiency Measures in Private and Social Housing

Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT)

CERT is statutory obligation on the six largest energy suppliers to deliver energy efficiency improvements in housing. Funding is available for various measures including insulation, heating upgrades and renewables. Funding under CERT will be available until December 2012.

Community Energy Saving Programme CESP

Is a new £350 million programme that will target households in designated areas of deprivation across Great Britain. CESP will promote a whole-house approach to energy efficiency and will be funded by the energy suppliers and generators.

Eaga Partnership Charitable Trust

The aim of this fund is the relief of fuel poverty and the promotion of energy efficiency. Priority will be given to projects which focus on fuel poverty and health, hard to heat homes and rural fuel poverty. Applications are based on merit and there is no minimum or maximum limit to the grant.

Regional Growth Fund

The Regional Growth Fund aims to promote long term growth and employment in the private sector across England. It is open to private-public partnerships and private bodies. It is administered by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and is open for first round applications from now until the 21st of January 2011.

European Regional Development Fund

Available through Regional Development Agencies this funding is aimed at innovation and knowledge transfer, enterprise, sustainable development and building sustainable communities. In England 3.2bn Euros has been allocated for the period 2007-13. 

              

Landlords Energy Saving Allowance

The Landlords Energy Saving Allowance (LESA) is a deduction for income tax purposes when energy efficiency investments are made to properties. It is open to all landlords who pay income tax and who let residential property. Tax relief is for a maximum of £1,500 per property and landlords can claim the allowance when completing their tax return.

Funding for Social Housing

Regional Housing Boards and Single Regional Housing Pot

For 2008-2011 the Department of Communities and Local government (CLG) has allocated £10.4 billion for regional housing capital programmes covering new social housing and improvements to the existing housing stock. We recommend that you contact the Housing Secretariat at your Regional Assembly to discuss any potential funding sources for your area.

Funding for Renewable Energy

Feed -in -Tariffs

Individuals, local authorities, community groups and other organisations who install low carbon electricity generating technologies up to 5MW will be eligible to receive Feed-in-Tariffs. The introduction of Feed-in-Tariffs aims to incentivise the installation of small scale, low carbon electricity generating technologies. Each installation will qualify for a payment for each kW they produce and a further payment for each kW exported to the grid.

Funding for Community Projects

Community Sustainable Energy Programme

Available to not-for-profit community based organisations in England. Funding is available for the installation of energy efficiency measures and microgeneration technologies as well as feasibility studies. Not available to local authorities or housing associations, but good to be aware of.

Big Lottery Fund

Grants are available to organisations in the public and private sectors. This funding supports a range of measures and proposals are welcomed. Big lottery fund offers a large number of programmes - a search function on their website can help to identify the most relevant funding.

Funding for Local Authority own estate and other initiatives 

Salix Finance

Salix is an independent company funded by the Carbon Trust to work with the public sector to reduce carbon emissions by investing in energy efficiency measures. Salix provides both grant funding and expertise. A range of measures are eligible for funding and Salix typically provides grants of £250,000 and up to £500,000.

Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEP's)

A share of a three-year funding package of £185 million from Communities and Local Government is available from the nine RIEPs which were created in April 2008. Depending on your RIEPs priorities funding is potentially available for projects relating to climate change.

Primary Care Trust

Health authorities are sometimes willing to invest in energy efficiency measures in the homes of the fuel poor. It is often more cost effective for health authorities to invest in reducing ill health rather than to spend money on treating the health problems.

Urban Energy

Urban Energy has earned a reputation as the south’s leading renewable energy specialist. This has been achieved by ensuring that from the initial point of client contact we offer 1st class customer service and care.

We only install products that lead the way within the renewable energy industry and that are renowned for their high quality and ecologically sound production. This reflects our own high standards and quality assurance.

We understand that introducing a renewable energy system to either your home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our in-house electrical and plumbing division it is our promise to you the customer that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period is our number one priority.

For further information about Urban Energy products and services:

Call: 0800 232 1624

Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk

Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/

Is going green a way to beat the energy price rip-off?

Hasn't home energy been a horrible drain on our finances this last two years? If it isn't rising gas prices, or big bills for winter chills, it's the scandal of 2010 prices that refuse to fall. There's a nagging sense that the days of cheap fossil fuels are over, but with no affordable alternative. We're yet to have a cheap source of green energy on a national scale.

At a household level, you need to invest in the technology and home improvements before you see the savings.

However: what if green energy became a money saver in itself? If there was a way to hurdle the upfront costs, could going green be the ultimate way to beat the energy price rip-off? There could already be a way - four ways, in fact. If you're ready to act, green energy could really be about to save you cash.

1. Get paid to produce solar energy & solar thermal

Does this sounds almost too good to be true?

It's true. The UK has introduced a feed-in tariff, which means that if you install a solar panel that generates electricity (a.k.a solar PV), you can get paid for ever unit of electricity that you produce. Even for the units you use yourself!

The scheme rewards your initiative by paying you a generous price per unit for every unit you generate, and an additional payment for surplus units that you supply back to the National Grid.

The estimated return on investment is 5 - 8% a year, and of course there's the effect on your bills. You'll still use grid electricity when your solar panels are less productive (winter evenings being an obvious case in point) but your overall electricity costs will be slashed.

The government will be paying out a surprisingly large amount for every tonne of carbon saved and here's a scheme that will pay you back up to maximum of  just over £1,650 a year for 25 years, that's over £41,250 — and you can't say fairer than that.

In April 2011, the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will offer further financial support for a range of technologies, including ground source heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar thermal. It will work much the same as the FiT scheme, however, it is thought that the payments will not be as generous.

Until now, the high costs of renewable or low carbon heat installations would have deterred many. However, the RHI support levels will be calculated so there will be a financial return on any investment made.

Where will you find the money for the initial investment in the technology? See 'PAYS'

2. Fund a home energy makeover with Pay As You Save
Pay As You Save is a proposed way to fund a whole-house energy efficiency makeover.

It isn't happening immediately — the bill needs to get through Parliament first, and a general election could get in the way of that — but it's been announced, and pilot schemes have already been completed.

Here's how it should work. You'll have your house assessed for the necessary improvements that will reduce the energy you use, and you'll get the work done without paying upfront. Instead, you'll repay the cost over the long term (20 years) using the amounts you're saving on your bills.

Although the scheme's far from perfect, it does make sense on several fronts: it's an attempt to address the issue of making our ageing housing stock more energy efficient, and crucially, it's trying to address how we pay for it. If the bill passes through Parliament, the scheme should start running in 2012.

So if you're caught in an energy bill Catch-22, shelling out hundreds to heat a draughty old house but unable to pay out now for the necessary improvements, there could be light at the end of the tunnel.

3. Get your walls done

The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) fund is something every British household has been indirectly paying into for several years, through a levy on energy suppliers — and now it's time to get your money back and save on heating as you do!

This means means grant money towards helping the country meet its CERT by giving you a big helping hand towards the cost of a better insulated home. More efficient, for most homes, means better insulated. If you have solid walls, cavity walls with no insulation, or a loft space with less than 270mm insulation, you're a prime candidate. The benefits are obvious: a warmer home, smaller bills, and much less to pay out for the work.

Better still, if you’re a family with children under 16, if you're in receipt of certain state benefits, or are over 70, you’re in the priority group and should get your insulation done for free.

To take advantage of CERT, contact your existing energy supplier (or your new one after you've switched — see point 4!)

4. Switch and save

If you're not ready to do any of the above (for example — if you're renting), are there other ways green energy could save you money?

Yes. If your gas and electricity bills are still with 'heritage' companies (i.e. British Gas for gas, and one of the local electricity board successor companies for electricity), you will save money by switching supplier — and this can be your chance to go 100% green on electricity too.

Look beyond the 'green' tariffs every company offers and opt for one of the companies promising 100% renewable energy sourcing (Good Energy and Ecotricity are two examples). Unlike the mainstream suppliers' green tariffs, which persuade customers to buy in to green power sourcing that they are duty bound to achieve anyway, switching to one of the specialist suppliers is meaningful contribution to extending Britain's renewable power generation.

You can use our energy supplier comparison calculator to work out what your likely savings will be, and initiate your money-saving switch online.

Reference: Modified from original article on moneyhospital.co.uk, author Mark Churchill

URBAN ENERGY

Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."

Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.

Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.

For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/

OFGEM WARNS HOUSEHOLDS COULD FACE 25% INCREASE TO BILLS IN 10 YEARS TIME!

In a report out 03.02.2010, Ofgem has given its biggest indication yet that bills will rise dramatically over the next decade. It has announced that bills could rise by up to 25% in the next ten years due to factors such as the global financial crisis, tough environmental targets and increasing gas import dependency. Based on today’s average bill size of £1,239, this will mean bills could hit £1,549 in ten year’s time[1].

However, uSwitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service, is warning that Ofgem could be underestimating the increases. It says that ongoing pricing trends coupled with required investment could see household energy bills hit as high as £4,733 a year by 2020[2], nearly four times higher than they are today. The additional cost of investment alone is expected to add £548 a year onto household bills[2].

Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch, says: “Today’s report is one of many recent announcements from Ofgem, which have gradually lifted the lid on what household energy bills are expected to look like in the future. When you add the pieces together it’s a big wake-up call and raises serious concerns about the ongoing affordability of our energy. While investment in the sector is crucial, there can be no doubt that it will have a big impact on household energy bills and this has to be explained to consumers now so that they can start taking action to protect themselves in the future.

"The £5,000 a year energy bill may seem like an outside possibility, but we have to remember that energy bills doubled in the last five years alone and that the huge investment needed to keep the lights on in Britain will alone add £548 a year onto our bills. The fact is we are entering a new era of high cost energy and households will have to adapt their behaviour accordingly by paying the lowest possible price for their energy and reducing the amount they use.”

£233.5 billion investment – what are the key costs?[2]
Renewable energy generation - £112.5 billion
Power plants (including gas-fired, coal-fired and nuclear) - £52.1 billion
Upgrading pipes, networks and gas storage - £39.8 billion
Roll-out of smart metering - £13.4 billion
Carbon emissions reduction target - £15.7 billion

Total = £233.5 billion

Reference: uSwitch.com

URBAN ENERGY

Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care”.

The Feed in Tariff (FiT) announced earlier this month, for introduction in April 2010, means that every household installing solar electric photovoltaic (PV) panels could earn over £1000/year for 25 years.

These new tariffs will allow people to turn their homes into mini-power stations. For householders who have a south-facing roof, PV panels are really worth looking at. Not only are they a sound financial investment (approx.10% return on your initial investment), they will also allow you to do your part in tackling climate change.

0% interest instalment payment program available for domestic solar thermal and photovoltaic systems.

For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/

1. Based on a medium user consuming 3,300 kWh electricity and 20,500 kWh gas, on a standard plan, paying on receipt of bill with bill sizes averaged across all regions. In 2004, the average annual dual fuel bill was £580. At present it is £1,239.

2. Based on a medium user consuming 3,300 kWh electricity and 20,500 kWh gas, on a standard plan, paying on receipt of bill with bill sizes averaged across all regions. The £4,733 figure takes into account pricing trends over the last 5 years and investment costs required by the energy industry. According to Ernst & Young, reported in The Times on Monday 25th May, 2009 in an article written by Robin Pagnamenta, these investment costs total £233.5 billion and imply a total bill of £8,977 or £598 a year for the next 15 years for every household. However, Ernst & Young factored in £112.5 billion for renewable generation and £15.7 billion of Carbon Emission Reduction Targets (CERT) investment. Consumers are already contributing for these items on their bills: according to Ofgem, in 2006/07, the Renewable Obligation cost each domestic consumer about £10 a year plus, under the CERT scheme we are all paying an extra £19 a year on gas and £18 on electricity to provide funding to support energy efficiency measures. Therefore, to reflect these costs across all domestic energy accounts we have added £548 a year onto household energy bills instead of the £598 a year predicted by Ernst & Young.