National framework should spur local planning response, says Climate Consulting
28th March 2012

In response to yesterday’s publication of the long-awaited National Planning and Policy Framework, Jonathan Galton, Head of Planning and Policy at Climate Consulting says:

“By and large we echo the general reaction that the tighter definition of sustainability is reassuring, along with the retention of key elements from earlier policy statements on flooding and renewable energy.  Most importantly, we are pleased to see the removal of the notorious “yes” default answer to development proposals.

“The release of the national framework should now act as a spur to local planners to ensure their policies on a range of issues, including climate change, are robust, practical and relevant. Through the “presumption in favour of sustainable development” planning applications can no longer be refused over specific issues if the local authority’s policies on these areas are out-of-date or simply non-existent.”

Clarity over future of RHI for domestic properties is needed sooner rather than later, says Climate Consulting
28th March 2012

Following the announcement by Climate Change Minister Greg Barker that further investment will be made in RHPP but RHI for domestic properties will be delayed until 2013, Clare Hierons, Head of Climate Consulting, says:

“The extra investment in the Renewable Heat Premium Payment Scheme (RHPP) will go a long way in enabling more households in the UK to benefit from cheaper, cleaner fuel.  We also welcome the news that the second phase of RHPP will also help community schemes and more social housing schemes to take advantage of renewable heat.

“However it is disappointing that there’s still uncertainty around the future of RHI for domestic properties. This incentive could help thousands of households in the UK take advantage of renewable heat as well as cutting carbon emissions, but we fear that many people will be put off investing in this technology while they don’t know for sure when they will receive RHI payments.  For the sake of those people still waiting for RHI payments and households that want to invest in clean energy we urge the Government to complete the consultation around the future of RHI as soon as possible.”

“We welcome the news that renewable energy is a priority for the Government.   As gas and oil prices continue to rise, making energy bills unaffordable for many elderly and vulnerable people as well as families, we need to be looking at making renewable energy a realistic option for households across the UK.

“The Government must work with the industry to ensure that the future of renewable energy isn’t just a pipe dream but is achievable for both businesses and homeowners across the UK.

“More clarity around the future of FiT, RHI and Green Deal will go a long way to helping to achieve this and will encourage further investment in renewables in the UK.”

Following the submission of information to the Green Deal consultation paper, Garry Worthington, Head of Green Deal at Climate Energy says:

“There are a number of challenges facing the Government if the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) are to deliver cost-effective emissions reductions and meet the carbon reduction targets which have been set.

“Climate Energy believes making the Green Deal as consumer-friendly as possible will be critical to its success, especially at a time when household budgets are tight.  It is also essential that all Green Deal schemes are cost-effective so that properties can really benefit from the “Golden Rule”.

“The current ECO proposals will also see subsidies for loft and cavity wall insulation come to an end for many, with the Government’s own predictions suggesting an annual drop in the number of cavity wall installations when the current subsidy regime comes to an end.  We believe that to maintain demand and support a smooth transition to the Green Deal, loft and cavity wall insulation should be included within the carbon-saving element of ECO for a limited period of time.

”As an award winning managing agent with our own network of accredited installers and surveyors we fully support the proposed rigorous accreditation system for assessors, providers and installers, but the Government must not allow the system to be cost prohibitive to companies such as ours.

”We welcome the Government’s allocation of £200m to incentivise early adoption of the Green Deal, and believe a simple offer for early adopters, similar to the successful boiler scrappage scheme, could help to kick-start it.”

Following press speculation at the weekend that there may be a potential change of ownership of Climate Change Capital Group (CCC), we have contacted Alex Betts of CCC, who commented:

“You may have read in the press over the weekend an article suggesting that Climate Change Capital is to be acquired by Bunge, the agricultural commodities group.  We are not in a position to confirm what has been reported in the press but we can confirm that Climate Change Capital Group has been seeking a long term strategic partnership to help raise new capital to further develop the business.  If/when a definitive transaction is entered into we will inform you as soon as possible.  This potential transaction is not affecting and will not affect the day to day running of the CPE Fund, which remains and will remain managed by the CPE team.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.”

CPE is a pre-eminent European cleantech private equity fund which invests in the areas of clean power, clean transport, energy efficiency, waste recovery and water. The investors in the CPE Fund are distinct from the shareholders in CCC and the Fund has been established with customary investor protections and governance procedures so that a potential change of control of CCC does not affect the management of the CPE Fund’s portfolio of investments. 

Climate Energy is one of those investments, and having just been awarded 4th fastest growing larger business in the Cleantech sector in Europe by GP Bullhound and 55th fastest growing company in the UK by the Sunday Times Fast Track 100, it is business as usual.

Climate Energy Limited (CEL) is not affected in terms of the business we transact, as CPE is solely an investor in our company.

Witham based carbon reduction group, Climate Energy, has been placed 55th in a nationwide league of fastest growing companies.

The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 league table ranks Britain's 100 fastest-growing private companies based on sales from the past three years.  Climate Energy has seen sales rise by 67% a year over the past three years.

Other companies in the Fast Track 100 league include First Utility, Notonthehighstreet, Jack Wills and Ella’s Kitchen. 

This success follows a number of high profile achievements for the Climate Energy Group over the past three weeks.  In November the Group was recognised as the UK’s Fastest Growing Large Cleantech company at the GP Bullhound Cleantech Connect Awards 2011 and was awarded a bronze Green Apple award for Environmental Best Practice at an event at the Houses of Parliament.  Last week Climate Energy Solutions topped the category for Health and Safety Awareness and was runner-up in the category of Best Marketing Campaign at the National Insulation Association Awards.

Based in Witham, and with offices in, Braintree, Thurrock and Croydon, Climate Energy employs 180 people.  It provides local authorities, housing providers and homeowners with energy efficiency funding solutions and advice, as well as installing energy efficiency measures such as insulation, heating and renewables.

Over the past three years, Climate Energy has significantly expanded and now offers a number of new services, including the ecoTECH build system, an energy efficient building solution which allows the construction of energy efficient properties at the same cost as a tradition build but in a fraction of the time.

Andrew Holmes, Managing Director of Climate Energy, says:

“Being ranked in the Sunday Times Fast Track100 alongside such well known brands is a great achievement, and one we are incredibly proud of.

“This past three weeks have seen a number of great successes for the Climate Energy Group and our success as a company and our dedication to carbon reduction has been recognised by some of the UK’s top names in the businesses and environment sectors. 

“As we count down to the launch of Green Deal, we will continue to grow our business, and will be working hard to match the successes of 2011 – if not better them.”

Double success for Climate Energy Solutions at the National Insulation Association Awards
2nd December 2011

Braintree based Climate Energy Solutions (CES) is celebrating after scooping a top prize at last  night’s National Insulation Association Awards.

The company, part of the Climate Energy Group, topped the category for Health and Safety Awareness, and was also awarded the second place spot in the category of Marketing Campaign of the Year.

Climate Energy Solutions achieved first place for Health and Safety Awareness after demonstrating a high level of staff training in health and safety, monitoring of health and safety procedures and implementing incentives to staff to take health and safety seriously. 

It was awarded the runner-up spot in the category of Marketing Campaign of the Year thanks to the work it has done to promote the benefits of solid wall insulation to homeowners through various marketing promotions including television programmes, leaflets and magazine articles.

These awards come on the same month that the Climate Energy Group was presented with a bronze Green Apple award for Environmental Best Practice, and was ranked as the UK’s Fastest Growing Larger Cleantech Company by GP Bullhound.

Phil McGrory, Managing Director of Climate Energy Solutions says:

‘We have always prided ourselves on having extremely high standards in everything we do, it’s great 

to see all that hard work recognised by the National Insulation Association. 

“Our solid wall insulation campaign has been a great success, demonstrating the benefits of solid 

wall insulation and how quick and easy it is to install. The campaign is on-going, and we continue to 

produce updated material to support it.’

Residents in East Sussex will collectively save £3million* on their fuel bills over the next five years thanks to an award** winning project from the East Sussex Energy Partnership and Climate Energy Ltd.

As well as saving residents £600,000 a year on their energy bills, this project also means that 5182 tonnes of carbon will be saved over a lifetime – enough to fill the Albert Hall 29 times, or over 29,000 double decker buses***

The project, which ends this month, has been running for three years, and has seen Climate Energy install loft and cavity wall insulation into 7,200 homes, while a number of homes have also been fitted with solar thermal hot water systems. This work has been carried out on homes for free or at a substantial discount after the East Sussex Energy Partnership secured funding from the Regional Housing Board.

It’s estimated that you could save £300**** a year by installing loft and cavity wall insulation, while many people with a solar thermal hot water system report not needing to use their boiler to heat hot water during the summer months.

The East Sussex Energy Partnership works on behalf of Eastbourne Borough Council, Hastings Borough Council, Rother District Council and Wealden District Council to providing local residents with grants for free or discounted insulation and renewable technologies.

Tony Beer, project manager at Climate Energy says: “With fuel bills continuing to rise, we all need to be finding ways to reduce the amount of energy we are using at home.

“Fitting insulation is a great way to do this, and thanks to the East Sussex Energy Partnership, thousands of homes in the area will see the benefits, not only in reduced bills but also through their homes feeling warmer.”

* Calculations based on figures from the Energy Saving Trust about savings following insulation of energy efficiency measures. http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/

** In 2009 the East Sussex Energy Partnership (ESEP) won a prestigious national award for its work to cut the heating bills of East Sussex homes and reduce CO2 emissions.

The Green Apple Awards, run by the Green Organisation, celebrate companies, councils and communities carrying out projects that enhance the environment. The 16th awards ceremony took place at the House of Commons, where Eastbourne Borough Council accepted a Silver Apple Award on behalf of the ESEP, beating off stiff competition from 500 other nominations.

*** Calculations based on figures from the Energy Saving Trust about savings following insulation of energy efficiency measures. http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/

**** These are estimates based on insulating a gas-heated, semi-detached home with three bedrooms, showing savings when you insulate an uninsulated loft and when cavity wall insulation is fitted.. (The recommended depth for mineral wool insulation is 270mm but other materials need different depths.)

Climate Energy Appoints Head of Green Deal
16th November 2011

Climate Energy, the Essex based carbon reduction group, has appointed Garry Worthington as Head of Green Deal.

With over 35 years experience in the energy sector, working closely with Whitehall, DECC and the Big six utility companies, Garry will be shaping Climate Energy’s Green Deal strategy, establishing a business model for advice, marketing, finance, funding and operational delivery.

Garry has worked for Climate Energy for two years as a Strategy and Stakeholder Manager, looking after it’s relationships with the Government, local authorities and lobby organisations. Before joining Climate Energy, Garry worked for EON as UK Corporate Environment Manager.

Climate Energy’s Head of Green Deal, Garry Worthington says: “The principles that Green Deal is built on are the same that underpin Climate Energy – the reduction of fuel bills and carbon emissions.

As well as providing real and tangible benefits for homeowners and businesses in the UK, Green Deal also presents significant and exciting opportunities for Climate Energy, from managing national and regional schemes on behalf of retailers and local authorities through to directly installing measures in homes.”

RHI is good news for both carbon reduction and renewables industry

Following the announcement that applications can now be submitted for the Renewable Heat Incentive, Andrew Holmes, Managing Director of Climate Energy, says:

“The RHI is a great way of making renewable heating commercially attractive to businesses in the UK. The guaranteed payments for 20 years means that not only can industry reduce their fuel bills by switching to renewable heat sources, they will also make money from it.

“We expect to see a significant increase in demand for technologies such as solar thermal hot water over the next 18 months. The RHI will help the UK meet its renewable energy targets and cut carbon emissions, while also potentially creating a number of new jobs in this area.”

CESP for Smaller Communities

External Wall Insulation - 10 properties for only £10,000 *

If you thought the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) was too complex for your housing stock, and that your scheme was of insufficient size to attract funding ……. Think again!

Climate Energy has teamed up with EDF Energy to bring you CESP for Smaller Communities. This innovative offer brings funding to schemes as small as TEN properties; in fact you can have external wall insulation (EWI) installed and either draught proofing or loft insulation, in CESP eligible, two storey dwellings, from as little as £1,000 per dwelling capital cost.

We can do this by maximising the CESP funding available, and reducing the cost to Housing Providers by as much as 85%.

If you can answer yes to the following questions, then your scheme should be eligible:

• Do I have a minimum of 10 (maximum of 50) houses (street properties) in a CESP area?

• Do they have an existing U Value of 2.1 W/m2K** or greater?

• Do I have £10k capital budget?

The Climate Energy CESP team can help you check if your dwellings are in a CESP area, we can also help with advice on standard U Values.** Just call us on 0800 1074 701 (ask for the CESP team) or e-mail details of the properties to cesp@climateenergy.org.uk.

If your CESP scheme does not meet the above criteria, don’t worry, we can provide a bespoke solution and provide advice and guidance on getting your scheme moving, and securing funding.

This offer is strictly limited so don’t delay, contact the Climate Energy CESP team, and make CESP work for your smaller community.

All properties must be in a CESP area as determined by the CESP order. Projects must be completed by March 2012. The EWI system must be on the OfGem approved list and be certified by the BBA. All dwellings receiving EWI must also have a second measure installed. The funding for this offer is calculated on an external wall starting U Value of 2.1 W/m2K and a finishing U Value of 0.3 W/m2K. Funding is provided by EDF Energy and you will be required to sign a declaration. Funding is limited and schemes will be accepted on a first come first served basis. Funding is for new works only. All schemes are subject to contract and maximum meter ages may apply.

* Terms and conditions apply      ** A U Value is the measurement of the rate of heat loss through a material.

SmartHomes2020 – solar energy and smart home energy management systems for the future.

Part of a global demonstration project – SmartHomes2020 provides householders with the opportunity to reduce their whole house energy consumption. By installing a PassivEnergyTM home energy management (HEM) system, coupled with a solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity array, householders can save around 30% of the energy they use.

SmartHomes2020 is available to householders in both private and public sector housing. The householder has an option to purchase the system themselves or it can be installed entirely free of charge.

Climate Energy are offering organisations the opportunity to co-brand the scheme. This offers partners such as local authorities, registered providers and employers the ability to provide householders and employees the chance to engage in a high profile, unique carbon reduction demonstration project which benefits them, and helps protect the environment. There are two options to produce free solar electricity:

•  Free Solar PV* – Climate Energy will provide: site survey, system design, supply and installation of the Smarthomes2020 system to the householder’s property, totally free of charge. The Solar PV panels will be fully insured, maintained and remotely monitored to ensure optimum performance. Householders will be able to use all of the electricity generated free of charge, for the next 25 years.

•  Purchase option – if householders decide to invest in Solar PV; Climate Energy will provide competitive prices and registered accredited installers. Householders will collect all of the feed in tariff (FIT) payments and have use of all of the free electricity generated. The system will be owned, insured and maintained by the householder.

Not only will your householders/employees benefit from free electricity and the option of collecting FIT payments; they will also benefit from an additional reduction in their energy consumption of around 23%.

If you would like to provide your householders or employees the opportunity to benefit from free electricity and a home energy management system call 0800 10 74 101 or email save@smarthomes2020.com

Highlights of CESP Survey

More than 50 Local Authorities have provided valuable information about barriers to implementing CESP programmes and possible solutions to these.

Please see below the survey highlights:

• 60% of respondents knew where their CESP eligible areas were located however 40% of respondents were not certain about the location or numbers of their CESP eligible areas

• A lack of staff, time and finances were the biggest barriers to implementing CESP schemes, with the complexities of the procurement process being the next most significant barrier

• 25% of respondents thought that their Planning Teams attitude to solid wall insulation was a significant barrier to delivering CESP projects

• Only 15% of respondents would consider a CESP scheme with less than 50% funding, while 37% said only fully funded programmes would be considered

• 80% of respondents said they would consider offering roof space for solar PV or providing advertising space if it meant an increase in the funding rate

• Despite the tight timeframes of CESP, almost all Local Authorities thought that they were in a good position to act if the right offer came along.

For more information please click here to email the CESP team or call 01376 531531.

Climate Energy Water Services

Climate Energy is pleased to inform you that Richard has recently joined Climate Energy Water Services team as “Strategic Water Manager”.

The water division at Climate Energy is working with a number of water companies to deliver effective customer engagement and deliver services as part of their Demand Management strategies. With Ofwat’s direction now clear, backed-up by the endorsement contained in the Gray review, the need for professional customer education to help reduce general water consumption is now clear. Likely changes in the White Paper will only increase the need for customer focus.

Climate Energy Water Services provides effective customer engagement and delivery services to water companies which include:

• Strategic customer delivery consultancy
• Project telephone line provision – with calls answered by professionally trained advisors
• Web assist with 1:1 customer answering
• Comprehensive customer engagement programme management
• Customer support for metering roll-out
• Contact and fulfilment for domestic water saving devices and behavioural change programmes including area-wide household visit programmes
• Supply chain management for retro-fit and plumbing repair programmes.
• Project evaluation and reporting.

Through work linked with joint programmes undertaken with local authorities, Climate Energy engages with householders, businesses and schools to provide a full range of services to provide effective and efficient projects, leading to demonstrational savings.

Climate Energy has recently agreed to support and add value to South East Water’s metering programme roll out in Mid Sussex.

This will involve South East Water:

- Directing customers with concerns about energy bills rising to the 0800 number for more information

- Including the 0800 number on brochures which South East Water will be printing to promote the metering programme

- Including the 0800 phone number and the website address on South East Water’s “Useful Numbers” section of their website

It is hoped that if this is successful we will be able to roll out to other local authorities where customers are being put onto water meters by South East water in the immediate future. 

Furthermore, Climate Energy are working with South East water to explore the possibility of directing customers towards the 0800 number if they show interest at the water audit stage about saving energy around the home.  

If you would like more information about our water services and what we can do to help you engage with your householders, businesses and schools please do not hesitate to call Richard Lloyd on 07540 123142 or email richard.lloyd@climateenergy.org.uk