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ITEC GUIDE TO DATACOMMS

Part 55Guide to grants available for installing Green Smart Home

Technology

This leaflet is produced by EUR ING David Stefanowicz and illustrated by Kaylee Clarke

Introduction

This guide has been produced in order to give householders, contractors and others in the ‘Green Smart Home’ industry an indication of the types of technologies that will attract grants and some of the terms and conditions which are attached to them. The document is not kept up-to-date and any reader interested in finding out more on the subject should contact their local authority or look at the latest information on the site www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/home/

Diagram 1These figures were published in a national newspaper article

Rooftop or garden

wind turbine

Solar powerCan produce electricity or

hot water from solar panels on the roof or solar tiles

Combined heat and power unit

Ground heat pump

Information on Grants Popular Questions & Answers:-

1) Who can apply for a grant?Individual property owners including private householders can apply for grants from the programme

2) How will the application process work?Applications are accepted on a rolling first-come-first-served basis

An outline of the process is as follows:

2.1 Complete the energy efficiency measures required by the programme and obtain a quote from an accredited installer

2.2 Fully complete an application form and return it to the Energy Saving Trust complete with the quote from an accredited installer

2.3 After receiving a grant offer letter, order the equipment and begin installing the technology. The grant is valid for 6 months

2.4 After you have completed the installation and you have paid the installer, you can submit the claim documents to the Energy Saving Trust of 21 Dartmouth Street, London SW1H 9BP

2.5 The grant claim is checked and, if in order, the grant will be issued within 15 working days of receipt of all the documentation

Applications can be received from properties located within England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland (excluding the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands)

IMPORTANT - Please note: you should wait until you have received a grant offer letter before commencing the installation

3) What are the criteria for receiving a grant?The main criteria for householders are:

3.1 Applicants must be the householder / owners of the property for which the grant is applied (applicants who have leasehold ownership must have permission of the property freeholder)

3.2 Applicants must be resident of, and the installation address be situated in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland

3.3 Systems must supply a permanent building (mobile homes, caravans, house boats etc. are not eligible)

3.4 You have installed the basic level of energy efficiency measures as outlined in about the grant programme section of this website. You may be able to access grants for energy efficiency measures. Have a look at the Energy Saving Trust's Grant Information Database on www.est.org.uk/myhome/gid/ or call your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512 012 for information on energy efficiency grants

4) Can I apply more than once for the same project for different technologies?Yes you can. You can apply for funding for up to 3 different technologies on one building, with a maximum of 3 different buildings funded (NB these have to be on separate applications)

5) What if the grant applications are for different addresses?Different addresses are still eligible as the programme is all about maximising the number of low carbon buildings

6) I have an offer of grant under the existing schemes (Clear Skies & PV schemes), can I have a grant from the low carbon buildings too? Yes, provided it is for another technology. You cannot have more than one grant from this or the previous programmes for the same technology

7) I live in Scotland / North Ireland, can I also get a grant from the schemes operating here?You will not be allowed to receive a grant from the Low Carbon Buildings programme along with a grant from the Scottish Community and Household Renewables Initiative (SCHRI) or the new Northern Ireland scheme being developed for the same project or installation; i.e. double funding for projects will not be allowed

8) Which technology is right for me?

It depends on the location of your house and the type of microgeneration system that you are considering on installing. You could take a look at the section on this website on microgeneration technologies to consider the technology that might be most suitable for you.

If you would like to read about other case studies of previously funded microgeneration installations take a look at the following internet websites:

8.1 Clear Skies website ( www.clear-skies.org/Introduction.aspx )

8.2 Energy Saving Trust’s Website (www.est.org.uk/myhome/casestudies/ )

Images provided by Energy Saving Trust

9) What can be funded?Grants are available for more than one microgeneration technology at the same address. All new systems supported with Low Carbon Buildings Grants must deliver an output of greater than 0.5kWp for electrical installations. There is no minimum for thermal installations.

Applications must be related to installations on permanent buildings. Applications for temporary and mobile buildings or non-building related installations will not be considered for Grant support (e.g. mobile homes, houseboats, motorway sound barriers, telecommunication towers).

Grants will only be awarded in respect of equipment and work directly related to the installed system. This includes design of the system, the cost of the plant and/or materials, installation and connection. Unrelated building works are not eligible.

Grants may only be claimed for approved (accredited) products/systems. Your accredited installer will be aware of this list. Where you have applied for a grant and installed a product not listed on the approved register, your grant will NOT be paid. 

Installations should be designed and commissioned by accredited installers. If a non-accredited installer carries out the installation, then the grant will not be awarded in respect of this part of the cost. An accredited installer must confirm that the system has been satisfactorily installed by signing the programme commissioning forms

Please note the grant will not cover: Value Added Tax (VAT)

Un-associated costs (e.g. roofing works outside the direct installation of the microtechnology system, vandal covers, asbestos removal, upgrades to your household ring main, new radiators or heat distribution system, etc.)

Warranty costs – all accredited microgeneration installers are required to provide an installation warranty free of charge. Manufacturers usually provide an extensive lifetime warranty for their technology. Consult your installer for details of these warranties before committing

Expenditure on works or activities which any other person or organisation has a statutory duty to undertake

Any liability arising out of negligence on the part of the Applicant or its representatives

Expenditure of a political or religious nature

Please refer to the Terms and Conditions, for further details

10) How long must the microgeneration system operate? The system installed must operate at the Installation address for a minimum of 5 years from the date of the commissioning form. The Energy Saving Trust, or its authorised representative, may carry out a site inspection to ensure compliance of these programme conditions. Applicants must also ensure that end users of the microgeneration system co-operate with any energy monitoring exercise carried out by the Energy Saving Trust or its authorised representatives

11) I can’t find an installer for Fuel Cells, Renewable CHP or Micro CHP?The current accreditation schemes do not cover these technologies. The new scheme will do so after appropriate standards for these technologies have been developed

12) What level of grants will be availableThe grant levels will be as follows and we will regularly review them as the market for each technology develops

Technology & Percentage Grant Available

Solar photovoltaics: Maximum £3,000 per kWp installed, up to a maximum of £15,000 subject to an overall 50% limit of the installed cost (exclusive of VAT)

Wind turbines: Maximum £1,000 per kW installed, up to a maximum of £5,000 subject to an overall 30% limit of the installed cost (exclusive of VAT)

Small hydro:Maximum £1,000 per kW installed, up to a maximum of £5,000 subject to an overall 30% limit of the installed cost (exclusive of VAT)

Solar thermal hot water: Maximum £400 regardless of size subject to an overall 30% limit (exclusive of VAT)

Heat pumps- Ground /  water / air source: Maximum £1,200 regardless of size subject to an overall 30% limit (exclusive of VAT)

Bio-energy:

1. Room Heater/Stoves automated wood pellet feed: Maximum £600 regardless of size subject to an overall 20% limit (exclusive of VAT)

2. Wood fuelled boiler systems:Maximum £1,500 regardless of size subject to an overall 30% limit (exclusive of VAT)

Renewable CHP:Grant levels to be defined

Micro CHP (Combined heat and power):Grant levels to be defined

Fuel cells:Grant levels to be defined

Image provided by solarcentury.com

How to apply

Householders can apply now for a low carbon buildings grant under stream 1 of the programme-

Use the WEB link below on the internet if you wish to apply for a grant for your own property:www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/how/householders/From this link you can access & download the form, apply online or telephone 0800 915 0990 to have a form posted out to you.

Use the WEB link below on the internet if you wish to apply for a grant for your community organisation under Stream 1 (up to £30,000):www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/how/communities/From this link you can access & download the form online or telephone 0800 915 0990 to have a form posted out to you.

GRANTS INFORMATIONwww.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/home/

Householders & Community Organisationswww.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/about/hfaqs/

While every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this leaflet, neither the authors

nor the publishers can accept liability for any inaccuracies in or omissions from the information provided or any loss or

damage arising from or related to its use