Properties that currently feel the brunt of a cold snap may have an effective solution available to them that now avoids the minefield of applying for formal planning permission, and also forms an essential part of the governments current Green Deal initiative.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) recently clarified that the installation of external solid wall insulation constitutes an ‘improvement’ to a house rather than an ‘enlargement’ or ‘extension’. This means that, in many cases, the installation can be carried out as ‘Permitted Development’ and a formal planning application may not be required.

Planning consultant and Director of Summit Planning Associates, Amanda Olley, has had experience with this issue and was on hand to give her expert view.

She commented: “The idea behind the Green Deal initiative is a simple one. Install green energy saving technologies in your property with no up front cost. Pay the cost back over a period of time through your energy bill. A simple initiative such as this with the ability to provide efficient, low cost results, does not then need to be bogged down by the red tape of a planning system that could quickly dry up the cost savings passed on by the technology.

Prior to the announcement, which at this stage applies only across England, we had been having debates with Local Authorities who were applying too narrow an interpretation of the Permitted Development schedule and were requiring the submission of planning applications.

In times where planning application numbers are at a low, it is these grey areas that provide Local Planning Authorities with the means to artificially bolster their workloads. This welcomed clarification from DCLG will stop that from happening and provide greater certainty to installers of Green Deal technologies.”

Amanda Olley has been a Chartered Town Planner for 12 years and is an expert in her field. For more information, contact Summit Planning Associates via Tel: 01625 801800 or E-Mail: amandaolley@summitassociates.co.uk

The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Davey, has recently announced the new Energy Bill.

The Energy Bill had been the focus of an on-going debate between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats recently but Davey said “The decisions we’ve reached are true to the Coalition Agreement and we can have essential electricity market reforms up and running by 2014 as planned.”

If the reforms do indeed go ahead they will allow the government to meet the carbon reduction and renewable energy obligations, as well as supporting up to 250,000 jobs in the renewable energy industry. The changes will involve the creation of a Government company which will attempt to maintain confidence in low-carbon electricity projects, thus hoping to encourage investment.

Ed Davey also announced that market support for the low-carbon sector will begin at £7.6 billion – in line with current 2012 prices – a figure which is expected to rise to £9.8 billion in 2020, making solar power technologies a crucial element to meeting renewable-energy and carbon-reduction targets.

According to the British Photovoltaic Association, the government’s new Energy Bill “will help diversify our energy mix”. With sharp price hikes in the oil and gas markets – British Gas is to increase prices again in 2013, adding further to the average energy bill. Furthermore, it is expected that electricity from renewables will rise from the current level of 11% to 30% by 2020, and a significant part of this will be solar PV that creates clean electricity.

In November the government also officially opened the Green Investment Bank, a scheme which hopes to increase investment in renewable energies, including solar PV.

Gary Brandwood, Sales and Marketing Director at Renewables 4 Business said: “Renewable energy is increasingly powering U.K. businesses and the economy too. Knowing that the government’s fixed tariff ensures a minimum investment return will be a relief to those with solar PV systems, as oil and gas prices continue to rise indefinitely, causing energy insecurity and financial uncertainty for many people in the UK.”

For more information about the new Energy Bill, please contact Renewables 4 Business on 01925 764586 .

As a private, social or commercial landlord, you can supplement your rental income by installing a Solar PV system on your property or properties. This will generate a new 20 year guaranteed income stream through the Feed-In Tariff (FiT) scheme and also appealing free or low cost electricity for your tenants.

Gary Brandwood, Sales and Marketing Director at Renewables 4 Business said: “Landlords can make serious money from the light that hits their roofs, even if the property is empty!  This income stream could then help you to pay for vacant property business rates”

He Continued “An energy efficient premises is easier to find a tenant for and also keeps existing tenants happier, as tenants are likely to stay for longer and pay higher rents if energy bills are reduced.”  We estimate that you could achieve around an average 10% yield from the investment in solar PV each property rising each year in line with RPI – if you have a mortgage on the property, you could use the income to reduce long term mortgage debt.

Is Solar PV right for your properties?

• Solar PV is a well-established, low-risk technology, with very little maintenance required
• Installation is straight forward in most cases – with minimal disruption to your tenants or the property
• If you have limited roof space, you can also use disused land or outbuildings
• No planning permission is required for the majority of roof-top Solar PV systems; where planning is required, a service is available to support you
• Feed-in Tariff scheme offers income from both generation and export rates, meaning you get a regular income, and your tenants enjoy free or low-cost, low carbon electricity
• If roof areas are causing you an issue, combining a re-roof with solar PV will enable the whole project to pay for itself rather than it being just a substantial capital outlay
• Capital allowances may be available to you to reduce the effective cost of a system, providing elevated returns

Renewables4business are Solar PV specialists with professional roofers, they offer a wide range of solutions and systems for your entire property portfolio.

If you are interested in learning how Solar PV can be of benefit to your property, please contact Renewables 4 Business on 01925 764586 .

Being energy efficient, or ‘greener,’ is considered ‘key’ for businesses in the 21st Century. Since the Green Deal has been introduced to encourage business to be resourceful with their energy, companies have been expected to join the trend of cost-effective and resourceful power usage, regardless of their signing up to the deal or not. It was also expected that power generation companies would reap the benefits from this trend.

However Salford-based power generation group Ener-G has recently moved its focus to overseas to help cut their losses. The group reported a pre-tax loss of £1.77m in the year to 31 March 2012, down from a £5.35m loss in 2011, while revenues dropped from £122.3m to £113m. Ener-G “designs, develops and finances energy efficient, sustainable and renewable solutions on a business-to-business basis globally,” and won a 3i Private Business of the Year award back in 2010.

While time is yet to tell whether the Green Deal is fulfilling its objective, confidence in its ability to help businesses and power-gen groups alike seems to be waning. In August 2012 it was announced there would be a further £7m loan to The Green Deal Finance Company to help ensure it is ready to offer finance to Green Deal Providers in early 2013, but Green Wise reported that the £700m insulation industry will contract by almost half unless the Government reforms its flagship energy efficiency scheme, causing a possible 16,000 job losses.

Ever since its announcement, there has been constant criticism of the coalition that they have been reluctant to launch the plan and been scaling back on their promises constantly.

Ener-G commented on their recent move, saying they had been laying foundations for accelerated growth in new international markets, including USA, Latin America and Eastern Europe. However they maintain their growth potential lies in pipeline projects overseas AND in the UK.

All that can safely be said is, it’s a difficult time for going green in the UK, power-gen company or otherwise.

Are you a power generation company working in the North West?

Are you struggling to survive in the UK market or are you thriving?

Or are you a small to medium sized business in the region trying to go green?

Either way, we’d like to help tell your story. Please contact us with your story via: info@m3publishing.co.uk

All businesses are seeing their energy costs rise, but the smaller ones are being particularly squeezed and are expected to see price increases of 15 per cent by the end of 2012, according to research commissioned by Make It Cheaper from the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

On the positive side, however, The Carbon Trust estimates that SMEs could, however, cut their energy costs by 20 per cent through energy efficiency measures. And the Green Deal, being launched later this year by the Government, should help businesses realise these savings.

Potentially, the Green Deal could see 14 million homes and businesses retrofitted by 2020; a huge challenge, but also a big opportunity for accredited advisors, installers and the manufacturers of the materials that will be needed to bring poorly insulated and energy-hungry homes and businesses up to modern standards. To deliver at this level will require massive commitment from the supply chain, in particular those companies who are gearing up to undertake the retrofitting. The scale of the task is enormous and those involved will only launch themselves into it if they can be confident that the scheme will work.

The idea behind the Green Deal is to enable business owners – as well as homeowners – to gain access to upfront capital, expected to be capped at about £10,000, in order to complete energy efficiency measures, such as insulation, draught-proofing and lagging. Other measures such as green technologies and water efficiency are also likely to be funded with the help of the Green Deal.

However many people in the property and construction industry feel that the Government is very keen to support the Green Deal through a regulatory regime that makes life easier for itself , and harder for builders, plumbers and the construction industry all-round.

Peter Knight, director of Manchester-based property and construction management company Knight Site Solutions, said: “There is a huge amount of time, energy, resource and expertise being expended on the Green Deal both on behalf of the Government and the industry to get it into a position where as a concept and as a process, it actually works. This is not without difficulties because it is such an enormous task.

This is a flagship policy, and as such, the industry should really be behind it to support it and understand how to make it work to the best effect of not only the industry but, more importantly, the end-consumer.”

Property Aspects appreciate the assistance from Peter Knight of Knight Site Solutions in compiling this article.

What will property professions need to do to assist with the effective discharge of the disclosure and acknowledgement obligations?

If property professionals assume a duty to discharge these obligations on behalf of property owners, should they face the same consequences as the owners, where they fail to do so?

For guidance on the consent, disclosure and acknowledgement under the Green Deal Scheme and implications for estate agents, lettings agents, solicitors and others in the property professions, please get in touch:

GREEN DEAL IMPLICATIONS FOR PROPERTY PRACTITIONERS

For more information and a copy of our Green Deal Passport for professionals, please send your details to  info@m3publishing.co.uk

Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) are largely failing in the battle to address energy inefficiency.

Their purpose is to increase the awareness of prospective buyers and tenants to the energy rating of the property they are considering.

EPC’s have failed probably because customers lack awareness of them and Property Agents believe customers are not interested.

However, from April 2012 the Government will make EPC data publicly available under the provisions of the Energy Act 2011.  This is important for Green Deal as full EPC data will be accessed on a bulk address basis.

The funders for Green Deal are likely to be major retailers, local authorities, energy companies and others.  These funders will use EPC data by accessing customer knowledge to maximise marketing strategies to identify potential Green Deal customers.

Property Agents therefore must start to understand the new obligations that will placed on them including the disclosure obligation for a Green Deal improved property.

GET YOUR GREEN DEAL PASSPORT

To help you achieve the best possible opportunities for Green Deal and ECO work, Property Aspects Magazine Green Deal expert Phyllis Boardman has designed a ‘Passport to Green Deal’ which is a menu of options available to all types of organisations.

To receive a copy of your ‘Passport to Green Deal’, Please email your name and contact details to  info@m3publishing.co.uk

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Industries have been sceptical of the Green Deal due to it’s lack of awareness, political U-turns, complexities and uncertainties of the economy.

The Government has therefore committed to the success of the Green Deal by incentivising initial take-up.

This is intended to make the Green Deal hit the ground running, and to make it as attractive as possible to millions of households and businesses.

£200m of new and additional Government funding will provide a special time-limited ‘introductory’ offer to boost the early take up of Green Deal.

What is the Green Deal?

Every UK domestic and non-domestic property will be eligible under the Green Deal Scheme to install packages of energy saving technologies at no upfront cost with low interest loans.  The Golden Rule will ensure repayments are made over time from the energy savings made.

Green Deal is expected to kick start around £14 billion of private sector investment over the next decade.

There will be support to help small family firms as well as big high street names to get involved in the Green Deal in order to ensure their market share.

Get your Green Deal Passport document detailing options for taking advantage of the Green Deal

To help organisations to achieve the best possible opportunities for Green Deal and ECO work, Property Aspects’ Green Deal expert Phyllis Boardman has designed a ‘Passport to Green Deal’ which is a menu of options available to all types of organisations.

To receive a copy of your ‘Passport to Green Deal’, Please email your name and contact details to  info@m3publishing.co.uk

  Phyllis Boardman BSc (Hons) MCIH

Green Deal Specialist Property Aspects Magazine 

When a property changes hands, a number of professions take part in the transfer process.

For ‘Green Deal’ properties, these professions will need to understand their obligations towards any new potential bill payers:

Estate agents and letting agents must assist sellers and landlords to disclose the Green Deal by providing potential buyers and tenants with the EPC.

Solicitors must engage with the Green Deal when representing clients in the transfer of property, through sale, rent or license and assist buyers in understanding the terms of the Green Deal.

Surveyors will need to check that Green Deal measures are present and they are as detailed on the EPC.

Property Aspects Magazine will be providing you with more information on how Green Deal will impact on your property service over the coming months.

To help property professionals to achieve the best possible opportunities for Green Deal and ECO work, our Green Deal expert Phyllis Boardman has designed a ‘Passport to Green Deal’ which is a menu of options available to all types of organisations.

To receive a copy of your ‘Passport to Green Deal’, please email your name and contact details to  info@m3publishing.co.uk

 

The Green Deal will present many opportunities throughout the UK for thousands of organisations.  The Government is putting in billions of pounds worth of investment over the next 10 years, and business opportunities will be many and diverse.

Your organisation, no matter what size, whether specialist or generalist, will have an opportunity for business growth under the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO).

According to the Government: 

“The Green Deal will be the biggest home improvement programme since the Second World War shifting our outdated draughty homes from the past into the future, so it is vital people can trust it.”

Time is running out to get qualified or accredited!

Time is running out to get your business Green Deal ready for its launch in October 2012.  With a number of certifications, accreditations and qualifications, organisations are well advised to start preparing now and decide which business model fits.

Organisations will be able to decide for themselves which functions they want to provide in the Green Deal value chain.

Example models can include:

Partnering with other organisations and choosing who to partner with.

Delivering every part of the Green Deal plan in-house using own employees.

Specialist organisations in one function, partnering other specialist organisations in another function.

To help organisations to achieve the best possible opportunities for Green Deal and ECO work, our Green Deal expert Phyllis Boardman has designed a ‘Passport to Green Deal’ which is a menu of options available to all types of organisations.

To receive a copy of your ‘Passport to Green Deal’, please email your name and contact details to  info@m3publishing.co.uk