OUTPUT - Spring/Summer 2016

www.eua.org.uk

Sustainabilitybigger

In this issue:• Sustainability perspectives: how do

different organisations approach sustainability

• Sustainable skills

• Bio-LPG: the off-grid fuel of the future

• Enabling our energy future: a tale of elephants,

inertia and innovation

• The benefits of cost efficient, collaborative and

streamlined street works

...thepicture

Sustainability is something that affects us all on a daily basis, whether it beturning down the thermostat to reduce your energy bills, sorting the recycling for

collection every other week or figuring out how big your car engine is so you know howmuch road tax you need to pay. In this issue we take a look at sustainability.

We hear from Alan Whitehead MP about his work on green gas, as well as from Calor whodiscuss Bio-LPG as the off-grid fuel of the future. As a past winner of ‘ResponsibleBusiness of the Year’ Jaguar Land Rover are perfectly placed to offer advice on howcompanies should approach sustainability; Jonathan Garrett, Director of CSR at thecompany discusses the car manufacturer’s successes to date as well as its future targets.We hear from the sustainability team at Coventry University about how they make sure theymeet their sustainability targets. Energy Innovation Centre also shed light on ProjectFuturewave, an online energy hub that aims to help people find and install the best energysolutions for their homes through communities of trusted installers.

We also focus on sustainable skills, with Yasmin Damree-Ralph, the Equality and DiversityOfficer for JTL telling us more about the JTL Ambassador Scheme and what we need to doto attract young talent as well as more women to apprenticeships. Energy and Utility Skillsalso bring us up to date on a new scheme that aims to improve gas competencemanagement across our industry.

And finally, to discover more about EUA’s newest division, the Natural Gas Vehicle Network,turn to page 8.

O U T P U TW E L C O M E

EUA President Ian Hughes (Kingspan Hot Water Storage)

Bob MurrayEUA Vice President/Treasurer

Chief ExecutiveMike Foster

HHIC DirectorStewart Clements

ICOM DirectorRoss Anderson…………………………...........

Editor/enquiriesHollie [email protected]

Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA)Camden HouseWarwick RoadKenilworthWarwickshireCV8 1THDe

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Welcometo this issue of OUTPUT

Hollie Franklin, Editor, OUTPUT

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Contents

ICOM

1

Regulars

2 UN4 HHIC6 ICOM7 HWA & MARC8 NGV Network9 President’s Column12 Leading Voice – Yasmin Damree-Ralph15 View from the House – Alan Whitehead23–24 New Members

Features10 More companies sign up to a new

scheme revolutionising gas competence management across the industry

11 Training programme to cater for utilitycustomers with varying abilities

14 The benefits of cost efficient,collaborative and streamlined street works

16 EUA’s green credentials16 A university’s approach to sustainability18 Sustainability lessons we can learn

from the car industry20 Bio-LPG: the off-grid fuel of the future22 Enabling our energy future: a tale of

elephants, inertia and innovation

Dit

ROADAHEADCLOSED

U T I L I T Y N E T W O R K S N E W S

2

O U T P U T

3

Members from across the Energy andUtilities Alliance came together on 16thMarch for the annual Street Works seminarwhich took place at the CavendishConference Centre in London.

The first session entitled ‘Policy, Regulationand Strategy’ was chaired by Nicole Metjefrom the University of Birmingham andwelcomed the Department of Transport’sAnthony Ferguson who asked ‘how candelays be reduced for road users?’Discussion centred on penalties versusincentives with the consensus of opinionsettling unsurprisingly on incentives toreduce delays. The audience believedpenalties increase bureaucracy and costsfor all involved. It was pleasing to hear thata consultation will be issued to help settleon a course of action that meets the needsof all concerned. Transport for London andKent County Council’s pioneering lanerental schemes were also highlighted todemonstrate lessons that had beenlearned and to see if this type of schemewould have traction in other areas of thecountry. Dave Stewart and AngelaDobbin from Transport forGreater Manchesterfollowed and talkedabout multi-modalresponsibilities,specifically theMetrolink,highways andcycling andhow thesework togetherwith bus, railand freight. Theyalso touched on thechallenging issues of

air quality. Subscan’s John Robinson asked‘what are the dangers from undergroundservices’ and reviewed PAS128 for utilityrecords, mapping and verification. Themorning session came to an end with finalspeaker Bob Gallienne from NJUG. Boblooked at where and how growth would bedelivered and how legislative issues wouldimpact on this.

Following a lively Q&A, Session 2 ‘Installingand Maintaining Critical Infrastructure withMinimum Impact’ chaired by Bob Galliennekicked off. Robert Huxford from UrbanDesign Group looked at the streets of the21st century; he was followed by StuartDonaldson of National Grid. His subject,medium pressure gas mains replacementand customer/stakeholder engagement,was a topic many of the delegates couldidentify with and was taken a step furtherby James Harris from Elgin who looked atminimising the impact on stakeholders.

After a hearty lunch, Session 3 ‘Technology,Innovation and Best Practice’ chaired byShane O’Neill from Elgin took delegates on

the next step of the street worksjourney. Graham Bond from

Wales and West Utilitiesdiscussed

revolutionising thecustomer experienceduring gasdistribution streetworks, followed bymains abandonmenttechnology from

Northern GasNetworks. This talk

addressed the innovativeapproaches currently being

used to reducedisruption in thestreet. DexterHunt from theUniversity ofBirminghamquestionedwhethermulti-utilitytunnels arethe sustainableand economicfuture with SteveRichmond from REHAUquestioning the impact that heatnetworks will have on street works if, asanticipated, they become morecommonplace in UK towns and cities. Theday closed with frank and livelydiscussions.

The Network Engineering and EquipmentGroup (NEEG) are part of the UtilityNetwork division of EUA. Membership ofthe group includes the Gas DistributionNetworks (GDNs) and companies fromacross the supply chain that provideengineering services and components forthe UK’s national infrastructure and utilityproviders.

The group, chairedby Andy Vine of

ALH Systems,meet quarterlyto discusssectorchallengesandunderstandtopical issues

facing theindustry. Many

meetings offer aninsight into working

with the GDNs and support businessplanning. Most recently, the groupreviewed the midpoint regulatory cycle aspart of their ongoing work on price controlsand performance of RIIO-GD1 and theforthcoming GD2.

Peter Day, EUA Manager with responsibilityfor the group, said “GDN engagement andcollaboration is critical to all NEEGmembers and we are fortunate that seniorGDN staff attend to share best practiceand provide thought leadership, which inturn enables GDN partners and the supplychain to focus their own development. Themeetings also offer an opportunity formembers to network with key stakeholdersand with one another. Understanding thecurrent market and perhaps moreimportantly having an insight into futuremarkets make NEEG meetings lively andthought provoking. We are extremely luckyto have all of the major players within thissector of the industry represented and thisis why NEEG can speak with one voice onthe many issues affecting us.”

Topics covered byNEEG include:• Business

intelligence andfinancial forecastingwith GDNs andindustry peers.

• Regulatory engagement– Ofgem, RIIO-GD1&2,OFWAT, AMP6, ED1.

• Innovation and route to market.• Industry standards.• The development and role of

unconventional oil and gas, includingshale, hydrogen and biogas.

• Cross sector learning with electricity DNOand water companies.

• Street works – Street permit scheme,street works commissioner, challenges.

• National Infrastructure projects – HS2,The Northern Powerhouse.

• Current topical areas of interest – Internetof Things, circular economy, BuildingInformation Modelling (BIM), housebuilding, smart energy includingmetering.

UtilityNetworksNews

Utility Street Works: new approaches for critical infrastructure

“

”

For me this was a unique event that brought

together many different facets of theutility and highway industries with

the common goal of providingexcellence of service and proactive

approach to innovation. John Robinson,

Subscan Technology Ltd

“”

Excellent event, presentations

exceptionally informativeand relevant.

Tom Lambert, Balfour Beatty

Sponsored by

Exhibitors:

The concept of the‘Internet ofThings’ is not anew one, weallrecognisethat weneed tounderstandthe detailand

undoubtableimpact it will

have on both ourbusinesses and

indeed our lives. Figuresfrom networking specialist, Cisco,

suggest there will be 25 million devicesconnected to the internet by 2020. We havealready seen the emergence of apps thatallow homeowners to remotely control theirheating and, as end users demand morebenefit from smart technologies, we as anindustry need to be ready.

Energy management will require us tothink beyond the energy needed to

power the interconnected devicesthat comprise the smart home

or building and think abouthow this energy will be

measured, controlledand managed.

The group’s objectives include:

• To fully explore how and where smartmeters fit into the intelligent and connectedcontrols within a home or building.

• To understand how all the various elementsof the smart and connected home orbuilding monitoring and controls fit together,and what the various communicationsprotocols are.

• To identify how EUA and its members canbest influence and improve the consumerjourney.

• To ensure clear and concise information onthe systems and possibilities is available tothe consumer, and to empower them tomake the right purchase decisions.

Over the coming 12 months the SmartConnected Homes and Buildings group aimto be recognised as the group that providesindustry and consumers alike with clearadvice and information on all things in theconnected homes and buildings market. Thenature of the online arena means that wecan’t plan for exactly what’s around thecorner, as no-one really knows. But it is alsolikely that the drive for more efficient buildingsand carbon reduction will give rise tolegislation. Energy and technology havechanged the way buildings are bothconstructed and managed and we need tobe ahead of the curve; our new group will enable this to happen.

For more information contactGary Cottrell: [email protected]

The smart meter roll-out will create anunprecedented new platform for innovation inenergy services – 53 million smart electricityand gas meters will be installed by energysuppliers in homes and small businesses bythe end of 2020, each storing a consumer’sconsumption and tariff information. It is thisplatform that provides the stimulus for thedevelopment of new technologies andservices in the Consumer Home AreaNetwork (C HAN) and empowers consumersto take energy saving measures.

The smart meter roll-out places a strongemphasis on consumer benefits and thepace of market demand for consumerengagement solutions in the UK is greaterthan anywhere else in the world. We havealready witnessed significant innovation inconsumer energy management as part ofthe C HAN, and we fully expect this tocontinue following the roll-out of smartmeters.

In order for manufacturers of ‘intelligent’products to fully explore what their respectivetechnologies could deliver in the smartconnected homes and buildings arena, EUAlaunched the Smart Connected Homes andBuildings group. The very nature of theconnected homes industry requiresbusinesses to connect in order for thepotential to be realised. This new group,made up of members from across all ofEUA’s divisions, will look at how we canimprove interfaces and interoperability to give

greater control to individuals to managetheir environment, exactly as

they require.

Smart Connected Homes andBuildings group launched

Who are NEEG?

Many thanks for the invite to the NEEG

meeting, there were some good questions from the floorand some things I need to take

away and think about. Head of Gas Distribution –

Ofgem

“

”

The NEEG meeting was an enjoyable event and I am genuinely

impressed by the attitude of theattendees to want to innovate

and keep innovating.Innovation Portfolio Manager

– National Grid

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6

“

”

O U T P U T

54

The change to building regulations in 2005remains one of the most successfulGovernment interventions in the residentialenergy market. By mandating that all newdomestic gas boiler installations should use acondensing boiler, the Government improvedthe energy efficiency of the residential heatingsector at little additional cost to consumers andto Government.

Today 99 per cent of all new boilers sold arecondensing and there are over 10 millioninstalled in UK homes. However, since 2005,Government and the heating industry havebeen searching for the next ‘condensing boiler’equivalent. To date there have not been anysuitable products that could be mandated tosave energy.

The problem is often unit cost or complexity ofinstallation. In some circumstances productdevelopment has not materialised as expected.The result is that 10 years after the mandatingof condensing boilers, Government has notbeen able to introduce further legislation toincrease the efficiency of heating installations.Industry and indeed the Government know thatfurther savings are possible, and so using thecondensing boiler policy as a precedent, HHIChave identified further improvements that canbe made to the efficiency of residential heatingsystems by mandating Boiler Plus systems.

Boiler Plus is defined as “a condensing gasboiler with an additional unit that optimisesthe performance of the heating system”.

In the last few years manufacturers havestarted to come to market with more innovativeproducts to help reduce the gas used byboilers to heat a home. These controls don’tjust turn the heat on and off; they manage heatproduction in the boiler and reduce energyconsumption. HHIC defines these systems as‘Boiler Plus’.

The Boiler Plus research paperpresented to DECC in 2015begins by considering eightclasses of advanced heatingcontrols. By assessing theapplicability, costeffectiveness and impactof each of these classes itrecommends that all newboilers should be installedalongside Class VI controls,

consisting of weathercompensation and a room sensor,

which provide +5 per cent efficiencyimprovements.

Simple regulation using the Energy relatedProducts Directive (ErP) to mandate a stepchange in heating efficiency could result insignificant avoided emissions at no netadditional cost to homeowners. It would alsohelp reduce carbon in line with the UK’s 2050carbon objectives at no additional cost to theUK Government.

According to DECC figures, approximately77.6MtCO2e are emitted each year by theresidential sector. Installing Class I controlsalongside 8 million new boilers would reduceannual carbon emissions in 2020 by 183,377tCO2e (0.2 per cent of current residentialemissions). Class II controls would reduceannual carbon emissions by 362,793 tCO2e(0.5 per cent) and Class VI controls wouldresult in 710,246 tCO2e (0.9 per cent) ofavoided emissions.

Stewart Clements, Director, HHIC said;“Since presenting the concept of Boiler Plusto DECC we have been encouraged by thelevel of interest shown in our researchpaper. It has become increasingly clear thatthe Government is concentrating on fewer

areas of energy policy, given what policiesthey have scrapped or downgraded. That, initself, is not a bad thing. Much better to doseveral things right, than a dozen things half-heartedly, or even worse, wrong. So to havethe response we have had to Boiler Plusconfirms that the industry could be on to thenext ‘big thing’.

At the Inaugural meeting of the DomesticHeat Strategy Group in November 2015,Boiler Plus was high on the agenda withDECC requesting evidence to further supportthe findings identified.

We are confident that DECC understand theneed for a sensible gradual improvement insystem efficiencies. Boiler Plus is a practicalway to nudge the efficiency of a heatingsystem upwards, without majorly increasingcosts to consumers or to installers.

We are looking forward to continuing to workwith DECC to make this policy model a realityin 2017.”

Replacing an old boiler, the infamous ‘zombieboilers’ with a new, high efficiency one savesbetween 10 and 30 per cent (depending uponuse); advanced controls another 1 to 4 percent. They may only be marginal gains, but asDave Brailsford (Team GB’s cycling guru)maintains, these marginal gains add up tobigger picture success.

The other advantage of mandating heatingcontrols is that it requires little or no additionaltraining of the 122,000 heating engineerscurrently operating in the UK. It is part of anexisting boiler installation process and does notrequire consumers to make consciouschanges to how they live with their heating.

H H I C N E W S

Roger Webb,Director

BorisJohnson

New policy putforward by HHIC hasa promising start London Mayor, Boris Johnson, has the

support of the UK heating industryfollowing the announcement of a newBoiler Cashback Scheme.

The Boiler Cashback scheme will provide6,500 owner occupiers and private landlordswith £400 cashback when they replace aninefficient boiler with a new 90 per centefficient gas boiler or renewable low carbonheating system.

HHIC has long championed boiler scrappageschemes, we have been working with DECC inrecent months on their revival, so when newscame that the Boiler Cashback Scheme wasback, HHIC and its members were delighted.

There are approximately 9 millioninefficient boilers operating in UKhomes. Old inefficient boilers arenot necessarily a priority toreplace for homeowners, butthese boilers have higheroperational costs and so lead tohigher bills, and they use moreenergy, creating more carbonemissions.

The scheme will be marketed via the localboroughs’ existing referral mechanisms,ensuring that those in fuel poverty and withseasonal health needs are targeted. GasSafe Registered installers will be able toundertake the installation work without being

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6

forced to gain additional and costlyaccreditations. The Mayor and histeam have clearly done theirhomework and are pulling out all ofthe stops to deliver a first classprogramme; local authoritiesacross the country should watch

closely.

The demand and need for schemes ofthis kind is present and they could be justwhat the UK needs to get us firmly on thepath to carbon reduction. Gas boilers, of allenergy efficiency measures, have deliveredthe biggest savings in UK homes since2005 and the scope to do more isconsiderable.

HHIC andrepresentativesfrom across theindustry recentlyjoined theAssociation ofPlumbing and

Heating Contractors(APHC) at the House of

Lords to address the issue ofbuilding regulations enforcement.

The plumbing and heating industry is one of the most regulated areas of construction,and non-compliance impacts thebusinesses of those who do comply andputs lives at risk.

The meeting aimed to review the currentposition on the enforcement of buildingregulations and to establish a range of keypriorities to bring about change to benefitbona fide plumbing and heating installers.

Proceedings commenced with aconsideration of the current position on theenforcement of building regulations, with theemphasis being that the purpose of themeeting was to improve current standardsrather than to replace those already existing.Identifying the need to improve theenforcement process, delegates consideredwhether inspectors have the requiredbackground knowledge to enforce

regulations and whether systems were inplace to inform customers about a roguetrader as a route to enforcement.

Discussions then moved on to whether ornot an appetite for change to buildingregulations exists within Government. Froma political perspective it requires the industryto present a strong case for change.Industry knows that wilfully ignoringregulations in order to win workhappens. There is also theissue of the interpretation andunderstanding ofregulations, coupled withthe lack of enforcementsupporting regulations,suggesting that whilstinstallers usually have thebest of intentions, bona fideinstallers are under pressure tocompete with contractors pricingfor works that are often bending therules. Feedback on current trends indicatesthat this situation is worsening rather thanimproving.

The meeting also included a presentation byProfessor Rudi Klein, CEO of the SpecialistEngineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group.Beginning by presenting a case for therefinement of enforcement policy, ProfessorKlein posed several key questions to beconsidered in achieving this goal. Raising

the issue of the high cost of enforcementfaced by businesses as a result of the manydifferent competence schemes, ProfessorKlein asked whether one single schemecould be the key to effective enforcementand also whether responsibility forenforcement should be removed from localauthorities in favour of creating one nationalenforcement agency. He also asked whether

responsible authorities should beplaced under greater pressure to

deliver on enforcement andsuggested that there needed tobe more high profileenforcement cases. Heconcluded with the suggestionof joining forces with theelectrical industry in combatting

issues regarding enforcement.

The meeting generated some highlyconstructive discussion, which made it

clear that we are not about reducingstandards but improving on the delivery ofcurrent standards. In moving forward weneed to be solution focused in consideringkey issues of non-compliance and how toget the regulations properly enforced. Thegroup has since started work on a plan ofaction with the support of the wider industry.

If you have any feedback or ideas about thisarea of work please get in touch;[email protected]

New London Boiler Cashback Schemegets a ‘thumbs up’ from HHIC

HHIC joins the debate on buildingregulations enforcement

HHICNews

Following a brand refresh, work has started on a new member’s website for HHIC.The new site will have a password protected dedicated members area, which willallow the sharing of documents, technical bulletins, minutes of meetings,presentations etc. The new site is expected to go live in the summer.

HHIC to launch new

website

NeilMacdonald

7

O U T P U T

‘Users’ and Task 4 ‘Technical Analyses of Existing Products’. The next draft reports to be published are Task 5 ‘Base Cases (environmental andeconomic)’, Task 6 ‘Design Options’ and Task 7‘Scenarios’.

So what is defined as a smartappliance in Lot 33?

Task 1 defines a smart appliance as anappliance that supports Demand Response(DR) by automatically responding to externalstimuli, where the response is a change of theappliance’s electricity consumption pattern.This change to the consumption pattern isreferred to as the ‘flexibility’ of the smartappliance. The DR does not require devices toeither measure or communicate their changesin energy consumption pattern.

The Lot 33 study focuses on ‘end devices’,which are appliances that are directlycontrolled and can alter their own electricityconsumption, as opposed to devices thatcontrol other appliances or end devices.

This is best illustrated by an example in thefinal Task 1 report. Consider a situation where50,000 houses are served by heat pumps alllinked to a ‘home energy gateway’; if thecentral electricity generating body anticipatesa peak load at a certain time but needs toreduce generating capacity, it can send asignal to each heat pump requesting they donot switch on for an hour. If the average loadper house is reduced by 1kW during this time,there is an overall reduction of 50MW inrequired generating capacity, therebyreducing the environmental impact of startingup additional power generation units.

Task 2 focuses on the market and trends ofsmart appliances, and outlines a significantexpected growth potential, whilst highlighting

that the current population of existing smart appliances is rather limited. With regards to heating, Task 2looks at electric boilers, electric heat pumpsand circulators.

Task 3 deals with the current typical userbehaviour for several types of appliances.Heating appliances are shown to have a morecyclic operation pattern than other appliances,with an increased demand in the morning andevening. Seasonal changes in operationpatterns are also shown to play a part.

Finally, the Task 4 report focuses on thetechnical aspects of various appliance typesand discusses how existing appliances canbest be made DR-enabled, based on theircurrent operating pattern, with all smartappliances having communication capabilitiesas a must.

There are currently still a number of concernsabout these studies, one of the main onesbeing the marked lack of available market dataespecially in the HVAC sector. There is also ageneral opinion that the Commission needs toclarify whether its objective is to increaseenergy efficiency and reduce carbonemissions, or to level out peak demands in thegrid. Cost, data security and clarification ofwhether requirements will be voluntary ormandatory are also issues that need to beaddressed.

ICOM is actively monitoring progress in thisarea and will be issuing updates as and whenfurther progress is made. All these task reportscan be found on the dedicated smartappliances website: http://www.eco-smartappliances.eu

6

As well as setting performance criteria forspecific products, the EcodesignDirective also addresses issues thatcan affect the performance of a rangeof products. ICOM considers the role ofLot 33 in setting standards for ‘smartappliances’.

By now the influence of the EcodesignDirective on various aspects of productperformance will have become familiar tomost readers. What has not received as muchcoverage, however, is the Directive’s focus onwhat are described as ‘horizontal modes orfunctions’, such as exhibited by the ‘smartappliances’ in Lot 33. These are the subject ofa study that began in September 2014 andwill continue for around 2 years.

This study will follow the general frameworkrequired for ‘Energy related products’ beforecreating an implementing measure, or Lot, butwill differ in two key aspects.

The first of these is that the studies for mostLots are product specific; however, the Lot 33study employs the less common ‘horizontalmodes or functions’ as its criteria. This meansany products within the scope of theEcodesign and Energy Labelling Frameworkwhich have ‘smart’ functionality will be studied.In other words, the definitions, analyses andpolicy measures related to this study will beapplicable to all existing and futureappliances.

The second is that the study will consider anypositive environmental impacts generated bysmart appliances – not at the product level butat the overall energy level.

The study into smart appliances is still in itsearly stages and has been split into various‘Tasks’. Task 1, which defines the scope of Lot33, was published last year, as were Task 2‘Economic and Market Analysis’, Task 3

ICOMNews

I C O M N E W S

HWA & MARCNewsCan

appliances be‘smart’?

H W A & M A R C N E W SS P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6

HWA recognise that it makes sense tomaximise all of the energy produced ratherthan putting it in the grid and then paying15p per unit to take it back out. We believethat people could get more from their solarPV systems. Consequently one of HWA’spriorities for 2016 is to explore the UK’spotential to locally store the energygenerated, using hot water storage as themechanism.

Excess electricity can be used to power animmersion heater and store the energy in theform of hot water in a cylinder. By directingsurplus energy to the immersion element,homeowners can utilise up to 100 per cent ofself-generated green energy – even whenthey are not at home.

Energy storage is toppriority for HWA

There are now a few systems on the marketwhich homeowners can connect to theirimmersion heater and use to heat domesticwater when there is excess solar-generatedenergy available, which would otherwise beexported to the grid. These units monitor theamount of electricity generated as well as theamount that a home is using. When there is asurplus this energy is diverted into theimmersion heater instead of being exportedto the grid.

The message from HWA is clear; storage ofsome sort is essential to harvest renewableenergy, and hot water storage is the onlypractical solution.

Isaac Occhipinti, Head of External Affairs Last year, the UK’s solar energy generationability grew by 62 per cent. It is pretty clear,even at a casual glance that solar PVadoption has been largely driven bysubsidy and strongly affected by the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme. As of January 2016,there were 853,158 FiT commissionedinstallations. Of these 98.9 per cent weresolar installations, accounting for 83 percent of installed capacity.

That’s almost 844,000 households nowbeing paid for the electricity they generate,even when they use it themselves, and anysurplus electricity is being exported to thegrid. And of course they are also savingmoney on their electricity bills.

On average a domestic consumer paysabout 15p per unit from their energysupplier. Solar PV users of course benefitfrom free energy, and then export any theycannot use to the grid, for around 3p perunit. But they still use energy from the grid attimes when their solar system is notproducing energy, i.e., when the sun isn’tout.

Winning local authority contracts forsupply of goods or services is the holygrail for many businesses. Over the pastfew years there have been significantchanges to the public procurementprocess brought about by the EU PublicContracts Directive (2014).

The legislative package in the field ofEuropean public procurement includesthree new directives: the procurementdirective, namely Directive 2014/24/EU onpublic procurement, the utilities Directive2014/25/EU on procurement by entitiesoperating in the water, energy, transportand postal services sectors, and for thefirst time a directive on the award ofconcession contracts, Directive2014/23/EU.

The European procurement reform aims at‘simplification and flexibilisation’ of

procurement procedures. In most casesthey require competition. The EU rulesreflect and reinforce the value for moneyfocus of the Government’s procurementpolicy.

All sounds fair and simple?

As with any change there comestrepidation. But change is a business reality,so like many other manufacturers seeking toobtain public procurement contracts,members of MARC have been closelymonitoring the changes and taking thenecessary steps to ensure they improvetheir chances of getting a piece of theaction.

Isaac Occhipinti, Head of External Affairs,MARC, said;“With the pressure on local authorities andother public bodies to make savings, moreand more are using buying groups for theirprocurement processes. If manufacturerswant to secure public contracts it is vital thatthey are engaged with this process.

Tendering is not just a box-ticking exercise;it's about selling your services. One of thebiggest hurdles for a business to overcomeis how to differentiate itself in the salesprocess. But in the public sector, when somuch of the process is ‘on paper’companies need to stand out from thecompetition.

One way you can achieve this is to have allrelevant industry standards andaccreditations. It takes significant resourcesand commitment to get these badges ofexcellence, such as membership of a tradeassociation, but if you're serious aboutwinning public sector contracts it's anecessity. It proves to the outside world thatyour company is credible. The newprocurement processes recognise the valueof industry membership and accreditations.This is great news for trade associations andeven better news for their members.”

For membership information please contactIsaac Occhipinti on 01926 513742.

Trade association membership recognised byPublic Procurement process

Currently the transport sector is almost exclusivelyfuelled by oil, and natural gas is the only practicalalternative for larger vehicles. The UK currentlyimports 55 million tonnes of oil, meaning that £25 billion is being spent abroad, this could besignificantly reduced by swapping oil for gas. Shalegas is expected to be the same price as importednatural gas; however, because shale gas isproduced in the UK, around half of that cost comesback to the UK in the form of taxes, so the net costof shale gas to the UK is only a quarter of importedoil. Together with helping lower carbon emissions,these arguments make a strong case for NGVs.

An increasingly comprehensive network of gasrefuelling stations is currently being built. The UKnow has a combination of publically accessiblefilling stations and dedicated fuelling depots, someof which are being shared between operators. TheUK’s largest natural gas filling station has recentlyopened on the M6 near junction 28 in Leyland, andthe first major customer signed up to use the facilityis the John Lewis Partnership for the Waitrose

distribution fleet.The station was builtin closecollaboration withNational Grid and isconnected toNational Grid’stransmissionnetwork. It has thecapacity to fuel 500vehicles daily. Also,Europe’s largest

LNG filling station, DRIFT, has been in operation forseveral years near junction 18 on the M1 nearDaventry, and new LNG and Bio-LNG stations arealso opening in strategic locations; the most recentexample is the LNG refuelling station in Huntingdon,which opened in September 2015.

We now have a good selection of NGVs available inthe UK and across the EU there are over 1.2 milliongas vehicles in operation (both dedicated and dualfuel). This includes over 21,000 trucks and buses,of which more than 700 are operating in the UK.Drivers of NGVs have reacted positively, as theyexperience reduced noise levels, less fumes andan easy refuelling process.

Using the existing high-quality gas pipelineinfrastructure already in place coupled with thereduced operating costs and lower GHGemissions, natural gas looks ready to take its rightfulposition as the fuel of choice for industrial andcommercial vehicles and EUA will be there to steerits journey.

For more information visitwww.ngvnetwork.co.uk

Following asuccessful tender,

EUA is delighted towelcome the Natural Gas

Vehicle (NGV) Network as itssixth division. The NGV

Network represents participantsfrom across the NGV industry

supply chain that play a role in theuse of gas as a transport fuel,

including network operators,infrastructure providers, vehicle

manufacturers, fuel providers andlogistics companies.

The network aims to raise awareness of thebenefits of gas as a transport fuel for trucks

and buses, and promotes NGVs as atransport solution to help lower transport

emissions. The network also works withGovernment and other agencies to develop theframework within which the industry will operate,all work in which EUA has extensive experience.

The arguments forswitching to gas as atransport fuel arecompelling. The UK hasto meet its legalcommitment of reducinggreenhouse gas (GHG)emissions by at least 80per cent by 2050 as wellas improving air quality. Inaddition, the UK has ashorter term EU commitment to reduce GHGemissions by 10 per cent across all transportationfuels by 2020. NGVs offer considerable carbonemission reductions over diesel. Estimates suggestthat reductions could be as much as 10 to 30 percent on a well-to-wheel basis and as 20 per cent ofthe total transport sector GHG emissions comefrom the UK’s 208,000 HGVs, there is a realopportunity to tackle the transport sector’s GHGemissions.

There is a cost saving available with NGVs. Gasoffers a 40 per cent fuel cost saving comparedto diesel, and fuel duty has been fixed at24.7p/kg until 2024, which means all thesavings won’t be absorbed by increasedtaxes. Although NGVs can be moreexpensive to buy or convert, theinvestment can pay back in 2 to 5 years.

NGV engines can be up to 50 per centquieter than diesel engines, leading

to a reduction in noise pollution. Thismeans larger vehicles, such as

delivery vans and refuse trucks,could operate earlier in the

morning and later in the evening without causing

a disturbance.

NGVNetworkNews

EUA gets 6th DivisionNatural Gas VehicleNetwork

8

N G V N E T W O R K N E W S O U T P U T

Everybody knows thatwe need to bebuilding new homes.The Governmenthas madenumerous pledgesto build more inrecent times and

has set the ambitioustarget of building

1 million new homes by2020; this means a minimum

of 250,000 new homes will need tobe built per year, which is a huge challenge forthe construction industry. But what will the nextgeneration of homes look like?

While plans to build more homes are verywelcome, and indeed was one of the askswithin the EUA manifesto, the Governmentneeds to make sure that they are ‘renewableready’. Building new homes offers a uniqueopportunity to design and build sustainabledevelopments that make use of all of thedifferent technologies available to benefithomeowners. These new properties shouldinclude a hot water cylinder or at the very leastspace to install one in the future so that thesenew builds are in fact renewable ready.Currently, hot water cylinders, which heat andstore hot water, are the only practical solution forturning energy produced off-peak or byrenewable technologies into something usefuland banking it for when it is needed. This willnot only help reduce household energy bills butalso reduce carbon emissions.

A plan to build new homes is also good newsfor the heating industry, manufacturers,contractors and installers alike. However,Government need to ensure that the heatingsystems fitted in these homes are as efficient aspossible; for example, they should includeheating controls installed to help control anyheat generated. And if we’re serious abouttackling fuel poverty and cutting our carbonemissions then new homes need to be able tosupport a low-temperature heating system.

The construction of garden cities is also awelcome announcement and will provide anopportunity to build truly sustainabledevelopments that are free from the usualbarriers of connecting to existing widerstructures. They would allow a mix of low

carbon technologies to be adopted that couldinclude a heat network, heat pumps, solarthermal, hybrid heating, gas absorption heatpumps and micro-CHP.

So what can we as members do? Is retrofitting,such as installation of insulation and doubleglazing, a sensible and viable option? Themost recent DECC Public Attitudes Trackingsurvey suggests that homeowners aren’tinterested in increasing energy efficiencyaround the home. Therefore, these new homesshould also be built to the highest levels ofefficiency so as to avoid costly retrofits;especially since the Government scrappedrecent schemes such as ECO, the Green Deal

and the zero-carbon homesstandard.

Despite theapathy, is there away we couldengage homeowners tocarry out home energyefficiency improvements in ouralready established housing stock?

The much anticipated smart meter roll-outprogramme, expected to start in late 2016,plans to install a smart meter into each andevery UK home, showing consumers real timeinformation on just how much energy is beingused. This could be just the catalyst needed toreinvigorate energy efficiency amonghomeowners.

In a recently published report, the CBI calledon the energy industry to work withGovernment in establishing a policy frameworkfor energy efficiency. In the report the groupdiscusses the action needed to tackle thebarriers homeowners face in taking up energyefficiency measures. The report suggests thatthe energy industry has an important role toplay in incentivising consumers to considerenergy efficiency measures when undertakinghome improvements. It blamed the 'hasslefactor', the time and effort it takes to findaccurate information or appropriate finance, fora lack of consumer investment in energyefficiency of their homes. The report alsosuggests that the already mentioned changes

to policy over the last year have had a bigeffect and it’s now time for the Government toestablish a clear policy framework to supportbusinesses and homeowners to take action.In addition, a recent report from The NationalPolicy for the Built Environment Committeerecommended that the Government shouldreverse its decision to do away with the zero-carbon homes requirement and Code forSustainableHomes.

We knowour homesneed to be

sustainablebut what

about ourcommercial

buildings? There areoften news stories

reporting of NHS trustsinstalling a new renewable technology

leading to improved energy efficiency andsavings on energy bills, which is fantasticnews as the money can then be better spenton essential care. In addition, a recent reportfrom the World Green Building Council(WGBC) claims that retailers can boost theirprofits by providing greener healthier stores.The report suggests that evidence showsgreener healthier retail stores, typically withhigh levels of natural light, fresh air andgreenery, are becoming more appealing toconsumers and potentially more profitablefor retailers as well as increasing employeeproductivity. The WGBC World GreenBuilding Trends 2016 survey also recentlyconfirmed that green building is now amainstream concern; the number of greencertified building projects being completedis continuing to rapidly increase, with themarket doubling every 3 years. The surveyfurther revealed that the proportion ofbuilding companies planning to securegreen certification for over 60 per cent oftheir projects will increase from 18 per centto 37 per cent by 2018. So it looks likebuilding green will be the way of the future.

P R E S I D E N T ’ S C O L U M N

IanHughes,EUAPresident

Why do our homesneed to besustainable?

9

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6

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F E A T U R E : S U S T A I N A B L E S K I L L S O U T P U T

Kev Sankar, Commercial Director at Energy& Utility Skills, commented: “The pilot wentvery well so we are now focusing oncreating awareness across the industry,establishing consistent standards andproving an alternative to traditional methodsof assessment. It is important to rememberthat the scheme is available for businessesof any size, not just the biggest companiesbut medium sized businesses as well. Weare ready to provide guidance and helpbusinesses implement this alternativeapproach.”

The GCS scheme is ideal for companieslike Aaron Services, Avanti Gas andDencoHappel where there is already a highlevel of competence compliance,something that all responsible businessesmay already be doing. Gas SafeRegistered businesses large and small, allwith very different ways of managing theirbusinesses, are now seeing how GCS canwork for them; why not join them?

Find out more about GCS atwww.euskills.co.uk/group-competence-scheme-gcs or contact Lucy Ritchie on 07850 203755 [email protected]

Receiving a home visit from a utilitycompany can be intimidating for customersof varying abilities. Many may struggle tocommunicate, for others simply getting tothe door can be a challenge. In the UK, 9.4million individuals are registered as havinga disability and with the roll-out of smartmeters due later this year Actavo Networkand In Home Solutions, formerly known asSierra Support Services Group, hasinvested in the utility sector’s firstprogramme to train field-based engineeringand frontline contact centre teams inrecognising the needs of customers withvarying abilities.

Ann-Marie O’Donnell, customer strategydirector at Actavo Network and In HomeSolutions, explains, “We recognised theneed to develop specialist trainingschemes and the power of partnering withspecialist organisations representing thosewith vulnerabilities. They advised Actavo onhow the training facility could be used in away which accurately portrays theeveryday difficulties a customer may face.

Actavo’s state-of-the-art training facilitiesinclude a house complete with all workingutilities replicating obstacles and structural

constraints of a typical customer’s home,thereby enabling interactive training whichsurpasses role-play.

The programme centres on our ability torecognise individual customer needs andsubsequently do whatever we can to makecustomers feel at ease. Knowledge andtraining are the key to success here. Giveyour frontline team the skills they need tohelp make a home visit go well and you’llbe amazed with the ingenious ways theyfind to overcome formidable challenges forcustomers. The programme gives our fieldengineers new life skills and, in turn, acertainty that they have delivered serviceexcellence for customers facing chal-lenges on a daily basis.”

The programme helps engineers to betterconsider customers with a variety of needs

Ann-MarieO’Donnell

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6

Ensuring that employees are competent andwork safely is the number one priority for allgas companies. Making sure staff operate tothe highest standards and how they maintaintheir gas safety competencies is an essentialpart of this.

The Group Competence Scheme (GCS) hasbeen developed in collaboration with gascompanies and Energy & Utility Skills to offeran alternative solution for maintaining thecompetence standards of employees.

To comply with their responsibilities under theHealth & Safety at Work Act many gascompanies already had existing processesdesigned to keep their engineers up to dateand working to current standards. The GCSwas developed in response to a number ofthose employers who wanted a robustscheme that enabled them to use thesesystems and processes to demonstrate theircommitment to maintaining a competentworkforce. The change from CORGI to GasSafe Register provided a real boost toachieving this, with the Health and SafetyExecutive (HSE) welcoming the introductionof an alternative approach for the renewal ofGas Safe competencies.

The Gas Safe Register holds a record of allengineers deemed competent to work onspecific gas appliances and installations.Before the GCS was introduced, the only waythat competencies could be renewed every 5 years was via the Accredited CertificationScheme (ACS) route.

Fully endorsed by the Industry StandardsSetting Body, supported by the UKAccreditation Service (UKAS) and the HSE,the GCS is an innovative alternative to ACS. Itis available to businesses with typically morethan 25 engineers.

The scheme utilises existing systems andprocesses to confirm the competence of GasSafe Registered staff. Evidence is collectedfrom the workplace and other sources to

gain a detailed insight into the environmentsurrounding employees and forms the basisfor continual assessment, removing the needfor additional assessments. It is also asustainable way of managing skillscompetence, as engineers are assessed onthe job, reducing down time and the costs ofadditional assessments.

British Gas successfully completed a pilot forthe scheme and was the first organisation tohave their GCS certificated in 2015, leadingthe way for other organisations to follow suit.

Bob Kerr, Head of HS&E and Compliance,from British Gas commented: "We aredelighted with the results of the GCS pilotscheme and are pleased to have a viablealternative to ACS for registering ourengineers. As we bed the process in, GCS willbecome business as usual for British Gas andwe are already experiencing the benefitsamongst our engineer workforce. We haveworked hard to develop our own systems andprocesses to ensure our engineers arecompetent in all matters of gas safety and theGCS gives these further recognition. Wewould encourage the industry to seriouslyconsider implementing their own GCS and areproud to have been involved in leading such aground-breaking pilot with Energy & UtilitySkills."

The scheme is proving popular and a numberof businesses across the UK are transferringto GCS. Following in the footsteps of BritishGas, Aaron Services, part of the LakehouseGroup, Avanti Gas and DencoHappel areworking towards operating their GCS and areexpecting to be certificated in May 2016.

With just over 250 Gas Safe registeredengineers, Aaron Services are well preparedfor the switch as they operate an internalcomprehensive competence managementapproach at present. GCS is a way of formallycapturing the work that is being done andusing it to achieve GCS Certification.

such as the blindand deaf, elderly,parents withyoung children,wheelchairusers or thosewith othermobility issues.Tailored exercisesand training nowenables engineers tolearn how to sympatheticallyand effectively meet the requirements of allindividuals, giving field service teamsconfidence to develop and maintainsuperior customer–engineer trust.

Engineers can practice different methodsuntil they are confident in using themduring real home visits and use a blend oftheory, practice and interactive exercises.The aim is that en gineers are confident intransferring theory-based learning intoreal-time practice before applying what’slearned for actual home visits.

The methods covered in the programmeinclude reading basic sign and bodylanguage signals which are key forinteracting with hard-of-hearing customers.

Engineers also appreciatethe need to agree wherenew equipment should belocated before installationand know the importance ofnot moving existing furnitureduring a visit for the visually-impaired whilst stillcommunicating in a clear,concise yet friendly mannerat all times.

Understanding what constitutes superiorservice to meet the needs of the customeris what differentiates service deliverypartners. Simply meeting customerexpectations doesn’t ‘cut it’ with measuresof satisfaction and experience such as NetPromoter Score (NPS).

Actavo’s intention to continue to invest inthe programme is supported by itsevaluation using NPS, which measureslikely recommendation from customersbased on actual service experience.

Ann-Marie O’Donnell concluded, “We wantto surpass our customer’s needs andwants and this starts with understandingwhat constitutes superior service and endswith customers trusting your businessmore than your competitors.”

More companies sign up to a newscheme revolutionising gascompetence management acrossthe industry

Training programme tocater for utility customerswith varying abilities

John Posey, Commercial Director, commented:“The switch is really gathering momentum.Assessing competence is so important to ourengineers and to us as an organisation. Weneed to get it right and with GCS we areconfident we have the best system to do that.”

Avanti Gas, one of the leading national LPGsupply companies in the UK are alsocommitted to continuous improvement anddevelopment of competence for theirengineers and are preparing to make theswitch to GCS.

Ian McCluskey, HSSE and EngineeringManager said: “GCS allows our engineers todemonstrate competence in their normalworking environment which is far more realisticthan an assessment centre and allows them tobe assessed against our existing operatingprocedures with which they are familiar. GCSconfirms the continued competence of ourengineers rather than relying on a snapshotonce every 5 years. I am confident this willdeliver long term business benefits for AvantiGas.”

Energy & Utility Skills launched GCS in June2014 as an innovative alternative for gasemployers to renew the Gas Safe Registercompetencies of their employees.

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O U T P U TF E A T U R E : S U S T A I N A B L E S K I L L S S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6

Yasmin has over 15 years’experience in equality anddiversity. She has worked inthe public, private andvoluntary/third sectors, developingpolicies and strategies for implementingequality and diversity into the core business.

She has delivered equality, diversity andinclusion training to various organisationsacross England, ranging from localauthorities to small charities, and deliveredbespoke training in consultation with clients’needs. She has produced a short training filmfor learners on unacceptable behaviour andhas designed equality and diversity trainingfor apprentices.

Yasmin is currently the Equality and DiversityOfficer for JTL, working in the BuildingServices Engineering Sector, here she hasembedded equality and diversity practicesthroughout the organisation, developingprocesses, procedures and practices toensure that staff and learners have a robustmechanism for accessing support,information and guidance. She hasintroduced JTL’s Single Equality Scheme,managing and overseeing projects toencourage under-represented groups intoapprenticeships and gaining trade skills. Sheis currently managing the ApprenticeAmbassador Initiative which was launched inJuly 2013 and is also part of the Quality

Improvement Team, which overseesthe business processes and needs.

What does your career history allowyou to bring to your current role?I was an Equality and Diversity Consultant prior to joining JTL in 2007, working with manypublic sector organisations on addressingissues affecting minority groups. All goodexperience for this more dedicated role at JTL.

How do you ensure that you staycurrent?Regular training courses, conferences and thelike, and constant updates and discussionsthrough our professional body the IEDP --Institute of Equality and DiversityProfessionals, in which I take a leading role.

What do you do differently and bringto the organisation?It’s actually quite rare for the role I have to be adedicated one – it’s often tacked on to anotherjob just as a range of additionalresponsibilities, so I am fortunate to be able todedicate my whole working life time to equalityand diversity. I’m lucky that JTL see the role asimportant enough to have a dedicated officermanaging it within the business.

It allows me to understand the law and how itrelates to the issues, to be proactive in the rolerather than reactive which would be the case ifit was one of several areas of work for which Iwas responsible, and it allows me to bringthese issues as mainstream ones to the management of the JTL business.

What was the last thing you changedyour mind about?I don’t tend to change my mind about things.If you research issues properly you tend tofind a stance that you feel comfortable with

and stay there.

If you woke up and had 2,000unread emails and could onlyanswer 300 of them how would youchoose which ones to answer?I’d read the first line or two in the subject lineand if it didn’t have anything of value I’d popit in my delete box or flag them as deal withlater, and work through the priority emails.

What should we be doing to helpavoid future skills shortages?We should be training more and morepeople, engaging with more and more youngpeople and teaching them real skills that arevaluable in today’s world. We need toeducate young people and parents that wedesperately need quality young people to betaught practical skills – going to universityand more academic skills may be right formany young people but for many more it’snot. They need to be allowed to follow theright path for them which may well be to takean apprenticeship that prepares them for atrade and a fulfilling career in something likeelectrical or plumbing, the areas that JTLspecialises in delivering into the workforce.There is little point in delivering hugenumbers of young people with, for example,media degrees when there are no jobs forthem to do!

What can the engineering sector doto attract young talent (andspecifically more women) to it?More of what we do as a business at JTL!Provide quality training opportunities that areattractive to young people who do not wantto continue in academic pursuits and who

prefer the lure of practical training that willopen doors for worthwhile lifelong careers,without the burden of huge student debt topay off in the future.

University or an apprenticeship?What advice would you give to ayoung person facing this choice?University is the right path for a lot of youngpeople. But equally for many more it isn’t. Wehave to continue to develop the awarenessthat university isn’t for bright kids andapprenticeships are for less able youngpeople. We attract a large proportion ofextremely able young people who simplycan’t face university. Parents, teachers andeven careers advisers need to become moreaware and more open minded to the practicalopportunities that may be right for their youngpeople. Simply driving young people touniversity as the ‘obvious’ choice is doingmany of them and the universities no favoursat all.

Tell us a little about the JTLAmbassador Scheme?We who work in the Building ServicesEngineering sector know that whilst it isoverwhelmingly male dominated, it doesn’tneed to be. We have a large number of veryable young women who have qualified or whoare currently taking their apprenticeships witha view to becoming an electrician, a plumber,a heating and air conditioning installer or who work in engineering

maintenance. And the women are every bit asgood at these jobs as their male counterparts!They do have to overcome the initial concernsabout working in what many see as a ‘man’sworld’ but once they have addressed this, mostwomen report back that far from being anegative, their gender is seen as a positive, byemployers and fellow workers. The importantthing for women who consider takingapprenticeships in these sectors is to havegood role models, women who have done itbefore and who are willing to help them to seebeyond the initial issues. I devised theAmbassador programme at JTL to encouragewomen who are already in the sectors to workwith us to encourage other young women toconsider the options available to them. And it’sworking. In the first 10 months of 2015 we had782 female applicants for apprenticeships inthe Building Services Engineering sector – farmore than we’ve ever had before!

With a new Government in place, doyou have any specific asks in terms ofsupport for apprenticeships?Resources – which are clearly in short supply –to help educate young people, their parentsand teachers about apprenticeships and theirvalue to the young people and the country. Inmany cases there is now equality betweenuniversity study and apprenticeships.

L E A D I N G V O I C E : J T L

12

They need to look at and address the barriersto access to apprenticeships for many youngpeople and make it possible, particularly forthose from challenging backgrounds, toaccess these quality work-based trainingopportunities. And we could do without worthyindividuals discrediting apprenticeships withgeneral comments about their value! Not everytraining provider is as competent as JTL Iappreciate, but to make broad brushstatements criticising quality is unfair and verynegative for those of us who strive for quality.

What do you think the future holds forapprenticeships and the JTLAmbassador Scheme?I think the Government and all other parties arevery positive about apprenticeships in generalterms. It’s just important that they all recognisethe need for quality as well as quantity. The JTLAmbassador scheme will go from strength tostrength and as well as trying to attract moreyoung women to these sectors we will in futurebe addressing the same scheme to attractmore applicants from the black and ethnicminority groups and then other groups as well.It will simply grow and become more important year on year.

1 3

Gina Mann, a plumber, is one of JTL’snewest Ambassadors, joining the now 22-strong group of young women in 2016.She works alongside her fellowAmbassadors to spread the word aboutthe opportunities that exist for youngwomen in the Building ServicesEngineering sector.

Gina is 29 years old and lives inFaversham in Kent with her 6 year olddaughter, Loki.

When she left school, Gina wasunsure what career she wished topursue and worked in various roles,including waitressing and runninga lively rugby club. Becoming a

single parent at 23 gaveGina the impetus she neededto make some changes and ledto her enrolling on a plumbingapprenticeship in 2014 in a bidto build a better standard of livingfor herself and her daughter.

She is now in the second year of hercourse, studying for an NVQ Level 2Diploma, working 4 days a week on the jobwith Swale Heating and spending theremaining day at Canterbury College. Anaverage working day sees Gina preparingsites, installing pipework, radiators andvalves and carrying out general repairs andmaintenance.

Gina says: “If you had asked me 13 yearsago what I would be doing as a profession Iwould never in a million years have thought Iwould be working within the plumbingindustry. However, my perceptions havebeen proved wrong and the opportunity totake on an apprenticeship has been apositive one for me – it’s a great route to apractical qualification and it also allows youto gain experience at the same time.

“There are other benefits too. I’ve maturedand become more reflective since I startedas an apprentice. I’ve become reallymotivated and, above all, the socialexperience of dealing with variousprofessionals and clients has improved my

confidence– so much so that I’m now

a JTL Ambassador, with a skill that Ipreviously thought was far beyond

my reach and of which I’m reallyproud.”

Gina’s apprenticeship isongoing and she hopes tocontinue to NVQ Level 3 and

beyond. She’s interested ingaining experience in gas work,

as well as tutoring and potentiallyrunning her own business.

There have been some challenges alongthe way for Gina too. Sometimes she’sstruggled with long hours and she’s had tobuild up her physical strength – as shesays, “carrying water tanks takes beef!”She is still enjoying the reactions shereceives from some clients when shearrives at their homes – they’re not alwaysexpecting to see a female plumber butshe reports that the feedback andreactions have been really positive.

In Gina’s own words: “An apprenticeshipis hard but it’s rewarding and it gives youdirection and focus – one thing I wish Ihad back when I was younger.Apprenticeships in the constructionindustry in particular are mentally andphysically challenging but they are wellsuited to anyone who wants a flavour ofwhat it means to be a professional in yourchosen industry. You can tap into avaluable source of support too on the wayto gaining professional qualifications of your own”.

“I neverimagined

being aplumber”,

says Gina...

In this issue OUTPUT hears from

the Equality and Diversity officer for JTL to learn moreabout the JTL Ambassador scheme

1 4

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6O U T P U T

As the population of cities and placescontinues to grow, so too do the demandsplaced on local infrastructure. In a time ofausterity, local authorities and their serviceproviders are facing the growing challengeof maintaining the quality and lifespan ofthe highway, as well as accommodatingthe increasing volume of telecoms andutility company works required to satisfycitizen needs. According toroadworks.org, during 2015 details on2,336,569 roadworks were completed withutilities accounting for 67 per cent of these.

Amey, who have a 10-year strategicpartnership with Staffordshire CountyCouncil, have moved one step closer tosolving these challenges by introducing asmart city platform that will cleverlycoordinate infrastructure projects toreduce disruption, mitigate adverseenvironmental impacts and improve thesustainability and quality of works.

The new 18-month collaborative projectknown as the ‘Staffordshire HeinekenProject’ (named after the iconic advert forHeineken beer where we see utilitycompanies collaborating to share the

same site) will see seven partners Amey,Staffordshire County Council, CSC,Staffordshire University, Elgin, Future CitiesCatapult and Tenshi design, prototype,develop and trial a new spatial planningservice with support from non-funded utilitycompanies.

The smart city platform from leadtechnology partner CSC allows for theanalysis of a diverse set of data sourcesincluding future plans and maintenanceinformation and presents the results on amap to allow the planners to see thecontext in which the works will be carriedout. The platform will highlight where itthinks opportunities for joint works couldbe, allowing the planners to scale thenumber of delivered joint works beyondwhat can be achieved manually.

Once the platform is in place, Amey willwork with Staffordshire County Council toexplore how the social, environmental,economic and infrastructure data itcontains can be used to better inform theCouncil’s own decision-making andplanning; and Tenshi will run an SMEengagement programme helping localsmall businesses and innovators takeadvantage of this new resource to supportStaffordshire’s information economy. In thisway it is hoped that the platform willsupport ‘smart communities’ inStaffordshire, not just smart infrastructure.

Richard Nickson from Elgin, the producersof ‘roadworks.org’, the national roadworksdatabase, will be supporting the projectwith their web service driven applications.He said:

“Providing clear, authoritative data on ourintuitive and portable platform deliversinformation seamlessly either directly tocustomers through the roadworks.org

portal, or, via our API service, and in doingso holds the potential to catapult the streetworks sector towards real-timemanagement and communication ofpotential disruptions, whilst powering arevolution in longer-term planning throughcollaboration and joint working. We arereally excited by the opportunity tocontribute to this ‘smart city’ project.”

As part of the project, the Future CitiesCatapult will be leading a research streamwhich will deliver an economics whitepaper and further research to inform how tomake this collaborate environment thenorm, rather than the exception.

Rick Robinson IT Director, Smart Data andTechnology from Amey said:

“By combining cross-industry collaborativeworking with smart technology we can trulyrevolutionise the way works areprogrammed across the infrastructurenetwork. Maintaining the physical highwaysnetwork hasn’t changed much over the lastdecade, however, our ability to accessanalytics and data is allowing us toprofoundly change the services we deliver,providing economic, environmental andsocial benefits to our clients and end users.”

Works on the highway are undertaken toallow the general public to receive essentialservices such as electricity, gas water andcommunications as well as ensuring thenetwork remains fit for purpose. TheStaffordshire Heineken project hasidentified a clear opportunity to deliverrepairs and improvements in a more costefficient, collaborative and streamlined way,which positively impacts the economy,environment and improves citizenexperience for the residents ofStaffordshire.

The benefits ofcost efficient,collaborativeand streamlinedstreet works

F E A T U R E : S T R E E T W O R K S V I E W F R O M T H E H O U S E

Viewfromthe

HouseBy Alan Whitehead MP

Here’s a conundrum.In the Fifth Carbon

Budget (for2028–2032), theCommittee onClimateChange saysthat we’re

going to have tobe using far less

gas in our energysystems if we hope to

achieve our climate changetargets. The Committee envisages thepower sector producing less than 100gCO2 emissions per kilowatt hour: presentgas-fired power stations come in at about350–400g. But that prospect is notlooking good currently, with theGovernment apparently determined tobuild many new gas-fired power stationsto fill the gap left by coal coming off thesystem in 2025. A danger could be thatsuch stations, in order to make their owninvestment back, will have to continue toproduce gas-fired power for 40 years –way past the point at which theCommittee suggests that we should beon a downward curve on gas, let alonecontinuing with unabated coal.

But then there’s the other part of theconundrum: gas in our domestic andcommercial heating systems, whichconstitutes 50 per cent of our overall use.How can we feasibly decarbonise theboilers, domestic and commercial, thatprovide most of our heat? Some groundcan be made up by district heatingschemes, though this route has importantbut limited application, certainly in termsof where suitable heat loads are to makeCHP and district heating viable. Besides,you often have to start from scratch onnew heat networks; good for new-build

but more difficult forthe retrofitting ofexisting stock. The

CCC itself haspreviously suggested that

the answer might be to goall-electric – to replace our

boilers and gas networks withdomestic electrical heating, and with

ground and air source heat pumps.However, their ability to take on themassive load is coming into question andthe load range on a daily and seasonalbasis for domestic and commercialheating would mean that an enormousinvestment in additional low carbonelectricity generation would be required toprovide the necessary capacity and back-up. And what about the position of our gasnetworks and boiler installations: would wereally junk all of them within a couple ofdecades to go all-electric? It certainlysounds an improbable task.

Perhaps with a more careful analysis of thecomponents we’ll need for powergeneration we can avoid locking ourselvesinto a high carbon, gas-fuelled future, butthe decarbonisation conundrum seems toremain firmly seated on heat. However, Ithink that quietly, and with far less attentionand resource than it merits, at least apartial answer (and we know by now thatthere are no ‘silver bullet’ solutions for lowcarbon energy) is shaping up in the form ofgreen gas. That is, instead of ripping out allour networks and boilers, we start lookingat how to refuel them more sustainably.‘Green gas,’ after all, has, in one form oranother, been with us for some time.Hydrogen was a substantial component(up to about 30 per cent) of ‘town gas’supplied to every household pre-naturalgas. And natural gas is essentially justmethane, substitutable at least in part bybiomethane produced from anaerobicdigestion of waste material and fromenergy crops. Biomethane, with a littlecleaning-up, can essentially be injectedinto the gas mains as they stand, or bottledand used off-grid where necessary.Indeed, with little fanfare, some 50anaerobic digestion plants are nowactually, or in the process of, injectingbiogas into the grid, accounting for closeto 5 per cent of gas supplies for heat.

All of this is certainly not a magic bullet.Biomethane is presently substantiallyconstricted by the amount of feedstockthat could be put to work producing it,although some newer techniques such asEcotricity’s proposed ‘grass mills’ mayextend the feedstock range further, but let’ssay, a ceiling of about 15 per cent of gasfor heat might be reasonably easilyachieved. Hydrogen, on the other hand,probably has less constraint on what canbe produced. In the longer term,substantial production could be achievedthrough using surplus electricity producedby generators that would otherwise have toswitch off due to system constraints – forelectrolysis of water for hydrogenmanufacture or more long term, as a by-product of carbon capture and storage.But hydrogen can only be injected directlyinto existing mains systems (to about 5 percent of supply) without necessitating a refitof existing boilers and mains. But then,what about running local mains systems onhydrogen? Experiments into how localsystems might be run on far higher mixesof hydrogen and methane are currentlyunder way: running local ring networkslargely on hydrogen is certainly a feasibleproposition.

So no one size fits all solution, but perhapswith a combination of the contribution thatCHP and district heating can make,alongside direct injection and adaptioninvolving biomethane and hydrogen, arealistic alternative route to the substantialdecarbonisation of heat can be charted.This will take time, because whilst we knowthe destination, the route remains cloudedin uncertainty and in possible solutionsthat, on analysis, pose more problems thanthey solve. Nevertheless, biogas as analternative decarbonising agent for heat,has, in my view a bright future ahead of it.

One final thought: gas in boilers is alreadyfar more carbon-efficient than itscounterpart in electricity production:estimates put it at half the intensity, partlybecause of the advances made in boilerefficiency. Put the various ’10 per cent’solutions that I have outlined together withthat thought; and maybe we’re not too faraway…

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The University currently has one operational300KW biomass boiler located in theBREEAM excellent rated Engineering andComputing building which is used to heat thebuilding and helps to save 40,000kgCO2/year.

Tell us a little about ‘The CarbonChallenge’; how does this help toengage staff and students?The Carbon Challenge is an award winningcompletely self-funding competition whichencourages a healthy rivalry to be the‘greenest’ between the University’s variouscampus faculties. It has resulted in hugesavings in carbon, increased recycling ratesand better space utilisation. There has alsobeen a large increase in the transparency ofsustainable initiatives and projects across theUniversity being reported, resulting instrengthened links between faculties and theEnvironment Team. The scheme relies on anetwork of submeters which monitors eachcampus building for changes in electricalconsumption. Over the 7 year period from thebeginning of the Carbon Challenge, thescheme has saved in excess of 1,940 tonnesof CO2 and financial savings in excess of

£300,000. The size of the savings made is still significant year on year without any capitalexpenditure needed on new buildings ortechnology. A network of energy championsin each building administers the managementand promotion of the scheme, empoweringstudents and staff to take responsibility fortheir own actions on the environment.

If you could ask students to dothree things to help achieve yoursustainability goals what wouldthey be?• Recycle absolutely everything they can and

help us maintain and improve upon our 80per cent target.

• Consider how sustainable their method oftransport is to the University and takeadvantage of all the different sustainabletravel options which we offer.

• Get involved in the sustainability agendaand think about your carbon footprint.

staff and students across campus. We workclosely with different groups from across theUniversity and we also hold regularengagement events such as our annualGreen Week to encourage people to getinvolved.

How will you measure success?We track progress against KPIs on a monthlyor quarterly basis to ensure we are on track toachieve our targets. Other monitoringmethods include attaining accreditations forrelevant standards.

What do you think theGovernment needs to do to helpuniversities meet sustainabilitytargets?Universities are currently in the uniqueposition of being at the forefront of driving thesustainability agenda; through the beneficialresearch and partnerships we create andtheir great international reach. Students areour future leaders and the values and ideasthey develop whilst studying at university willbe taken with them into the future world. Welook to the Government to support theUniversity in ensuring sustainability remainshigh on the agenda.

How does acentre of learningapproach itssustainability? Is itdifferent to bigbusiness? To findout OUTPUT hearsfrom Selina Fletcher,SustainabilityManager, and JennyForsyth, Carbon andEnvironmentCoordinator, from theSustainability Team atCoventry University

Tell us about yoursustainability targets for2016?

With a large staff and studentpopulation and owning significant real

estate, Coventry University has animportant responsibility to minimise the

environmental impacts of its activities. Inorder to meet this, we have the following

sustainability targets for 2016: 1 7

Tell us a little about your CHP andbiomass infrastructure? Howdoes this help the universityreduce carbon emissionsThe University’s existing network of CombinedHeat and Power infrastructure consists ofdecentralised CHP engines. These generateand supply heat and power throughcogeneration, and along with a campus heatdistribution network, make a significantpositive contribution to reducing theUniversity’s carbon emissions. To achieve ourcarbon reduction targets we are currentlylooking at the implementation of a long termdecentralised energy strategy to includerefurbishment of the University’s existing CHPsand potential for its expansion andinterconnectivity. The refurbishment of theCharles Ward energy centre for instance hasled to a 15 per cent improvement in systemefficiency reducing carbon emissions. Asfurther systems are upgraded additionalenergy and carbon savings are anticipated.

• Achieve a 20 per cent reduction in carbonemissions per student from the 2005/06baseline.

• Maintain an 80 per cent recycling rate.• Maintain the ISO 14001 accreditation and

commence implementation of ISO 50001.• Achieve Fairtrade accreditation.• Deliver and grow community engagement

through encouragement of recycling anddonation of goods to local charities.

• Increase uptake of cycling and car sharingfor staff and students commuting to theUniversity.

• Build inclusivity in the Responsible Futuresprogramme aimed at embeddingsustainability in the curriculum and maintainthe NUS Responsible Futures kitemark.

• Achieve BREEAM excellent rating for thenew Science and Health building.

What measures do you intend totake to meet these targets?Many of the targets will involve ensuring wehave buy-in from the relevant departments,

A university’sapproach tosustainability

In a previous role, I saw first hand the impact melting glacial lakesin the Himalayas have downstream on some of the poorestpeople in the world; the plight of families in Bangladesh tryingto make a living on flood-prone low lying land and I’veworked for the charity WaterAid providing clean water tomillions. So I take climate change and sustainabilityseriously. And as CEO of EUA, I’m determined to do my bit

with our organisation – walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

One of the first things I did as CEO was to change our tea, coffeeand biscuits to Fairtrade products only. The rationale of Fairtrade issimple, and it isn’t simply charity. If farmers growing coffee, tea andcocoa beans cannot get a fair price for their work then they willsimply give up and like so many thousands move to urban centresto earn a living. Then who will grow the crops? And with lowersupply, any economist will vouch that prices go up. So Fairtrade ispartly self-interest, partly an ethical choice or what I call“enlightened self-interest”.

This is the logic I applied when EUA became one of the firstorganisations in the energy industry to become a Living Wageemployer. Little did I know then, that the Government wouldtake steps to encourage what they now call a National LivingWage. I also wanted to send a signal on behalf of the smallermembers of EUA, by signing up to the BIS recognisedPrompt Payment Code. This is designed to protect thecash flows of small businesses and I’m more than happyto ensure our suppliers are paid on time.

As we are in the energy business, it is right we do our bitin this field. At the start of the year, we had solar PVpanels installed on the roof at Camden House. We aredoing our bit to reduce carbon emissions, but we arealso achieving a return many times greater than thecost of capital. So good for the bottom line too. In ourreception you will also see our Display EnergyCertificate. Government has been slow in forcingpublic bodies to display theirs, but what better wayof raising awareness of energy use for both usersand managers of buildings? If this means ourmembers get more business, as awarenessgrows and greater levels of energy efficiencyare demanded, then who is going to complain?1 6

EUA’s green credentials

F E A T U R E : S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y P R E S P E C T I V E S

SustainabilityperspectivesSustainability is something that makes up part of our daily lives, but howdo various organisations make sure they meet their sustainability targets?Here OUTPUT gathers together different perspectives on sustainability.First, Mike Foster talks us through EUA’s take on how a smallorganisation can make a contribution. Opposite, we hear from thesustainability team from Coventry University to learn about how acentre of learning tackles sustainability. Finally, Jonathan Garrett,Director, CSR at Jaguar Land Rover, tells us how a global brandapproaches sustainability.

Thesustainabilityteam fromCoventryUniversity

MikeFoster

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the regulatory landscape, as long as this is notat the expense of increased costs andreduced industry competitiveness.

We would also like to see a greater focus onrewarding innovative new energy efficiencyprojects and there should be greater flexibilityaround the definition of qualifying assets inorder to further boost business investment.

Providing R&D support for closed-looprecycling processes would similarly help toaccelerate advances towards a moresustainable, circular economy.

What role does innovation play insustainability?Innovation is a critical element in sustainability.So important in fact that EnvironmentalInnovation is one of three passions in ourbusiness strategy.

In order to remain commercially successfulover the long term, we need to push theboundaries on Environmental Innovation, interms of our products, our operations andhow we engage with the communities ofwhich we are part, around the world.

Over the past 5 years, Jaguar Land Rover hasinvested £11 billion to transform its business,delivering new lower CO2 emitting vehiclesand more efficient manufacturing facilities inthe UK.

How do you make sure you remain asustainable and industry leadingmanufacturer?We take a long-term view to identify mega-trends affecting the automotive sector and theworld we are part of which helps us to identifythe critical areas to focus on in oursustainability roadmap.

We’ve invested £11 billion in R&D over thepast 5 years which has helped us reduceaverage CO2 emissions from our EU fleet by25 per cent since 2007. For example, thelightweight Jaguar XE body is over 75 per centaluminium content and delivers best in class

CO2 emissions of just 99g/km. Land Rover’sworld’s first luxury diesel SUV Range Rover andRange Rover Sport hybrids are 400kg lighterand achieve 26 per cent lower CO2 emissionsthan the outgoing models.

We have developed a closed-loop recyclingprocess for aluminium and created a specialalloy through the REALCAR innovation project(RC 5754) that is capable of taking highrecycled content. In 2015, we captured over40,000 tonnes of press shop aluminium scrapand returned it to our supplier Novelis forreuse. Recycling aluminium requires 95 percent less energy in production relative toprimary aluminium therefore we saved 400,000 tonnes of manufacturing CO2emissions compared to using primary/virginaluminium (roughly the equivalent of theoperational carbon footprint of our UKmanufacturing operations). During 2016, wewill continue our research to increase the

recycled aluminium content in our cars from 50to 75 per cent through the use of post-consumer waste such as drinks cans.

What can the energy industry learn fromcar manufacturers regardingsustainability?Partnering with suppliers, academia andresearch bodies is critical in deliveringbreakthrough sustainability strategies such asREALCAR. High levels of teamwork, leadershipand expertise are needed across the valuechain to re-engineer how things are done toreduce costs and environmental impact.

Engage all parts of business in this innovationchallenge – not just the designers andengineers but the marketeers, HR, finance,procurement, communications andmanufacturing teams as well. This requirescontinual effort through training, e-learning,experiential learning, awards/recognition andcommunications campaigns.

Our detailed understanding of CO2 impacts ofthe product life cycle, from cradle-to-grave, hasenabled us to deliver significant reductions inCO2 over the lifecycle, not just shift emissions

from one part of the life cycle to another. Thismeans addressing supply chain impacts, ourown operations and the use of the product by thecustomer.

If you could ask employees to do threethings to help achieve your sustainabilitygoals what would they be?• To deliver breakthrough thinking in sustainability,

we have to step outside of our comfort zonesand work more collaboratively. This meansfinding new ways of working, identifyingcolleagues in other departments who can addvalue and thinking widely to engage the rightperson at the beginning of a project or task.

• Reduce your own footprint. If we all make smallchanges, they soon add up to a big differenceso play your part to save energy and resources.For example, some of our employees recentlyparticipated in a ‘Better Miles’ pilot and werechallenged to change their driving style toachieve the lowest emissions possible.

• Challenge thinking and innovate. Dare to tryand actively challenge current thinking andpractices to find a more sustainable solution.

Jaguar Land Rover believe that deliveringnine billion sustainable lifestyles by 2050 isthe greatest challenge facing society. Wedon’t have all the answers but urge allbusinesses, Governments and academia tocome on the journey with us and otherliked minded organisations to find thoseinnovations and breakthroughs. We callthis the Big Boardroom Agenda. To find outmore go to:

sustainablebusiness.bitc.org.uk/big-boardroom-agenda

See Jaguar Land Rover’s latestSustainability Report:www.jaguarlandrover.com/gl/en/responsible-business/performance-and-reporting

In the energy industrywe’re often told we

can learn manylessons from carmanufacturers,so OUTPUThears fromJonathan

Garrett,Director, CSR at

Jaguar LandRover, to see how

the leadingmanufacturer and world

renowned brand approachessustainability

About Jaguar Land Rover• Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s largest

automotive manufacturing business, builtaround two iconic British car brands – LandRover, the world’s leading manufacturer ofpremium all-terrain vehicles and Jaguar, oneof the world’s premier luxury sports saloonand sports car marques.

• The company achieved global sales of487,065 vehicles in 2015, nearly a third of allcars produced in this country. Sales havemore than doubled since 2009.

• The company has undergone a remarkabletransformation over the past 5 years, treblingrevenues, doubling profits and doubling itsworkforce, taking on 20,000 new hires.

• In the Financial Year to March 2017 alone,the company will invest over £3 billion in newproduct creation and capital expenditure,making it the UK’s number one R&D investorin the advanced manufacturing sector.

View on sustainability• Jaguar Land Rover took a long hard look at

its business and the world around it, andcreated its Blueprint for Lasting Success, ineffect our strategy for a truly sustainablebusiness. Our purpose is focused on

positive impact on society through‘Environmental Innovation’.By 2020, we will achieve the following‘Environmental Innovation’ key objectives:

• Reduce water use by 30 per cent per vehicleproduced.

• Achieve carbon neutral operations throughenergy saving projects and carbon offsetting.

• Send zero waste to landfill across our sites bytreating waste as a resource.

• Maintain operational CO2 emissions at 30 percent lower than 2007 baseline and emissionsfrom in-bound and out-bound logistics at 0.39 tonnes per vehicle despite significantglobal growth in vehicle volumes.

• Be amongst industry leaders for tailpipe CO2

emissions, fuel economy and cost ofownership by 2020.

• Create opportunities for 12 million peoplethrough our Global CSR programme

Jaguar Land Rover will invest more than £3 billion on new product creation and capitalexpenditure in the year to March 2017,including the development of new technologiesand innovations which will reduce theenvironmental impacts of our products andmanufacturing operations. We’re driving energy efficiency improvements,investing in recycling and the generation anduse of renewable energy at our UK facilities.

How will you measure success?We measure success through KPIs on ourbalanced scorecard at a corporate andfunctional level. In addition, we use ourannual employee engagement survey(PULSE) to listen to our staff and what theythink of our progress in delivering our visionfor environmental innovation.

What do you think Government need todo to help businesses meet sustainabilitytargets?Retaining the current approach to ClimateChange Agreement delivers the right incentivesfor businesses to make clean energyinvestments. We welcome the Treasury’senergy efficiency review and desire to simplify

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6

delivering “Experiences our customers love,for life”. Our customers have highexpectations so we simply have to lead inour field, through our great products, in theexperiences customers have around them,and in playing a positive role in strengtheningthe societies and environment around us.

• For Jaguar Land Rover to succeed overgenerations, not just years, we need tounderstand and plan for a world that isdifferent.

• Our view is that the world around us ischanging and this will have profoundimplications for all types and sizes oforganisations. Significant changes willoccur over the next 30 years. The world’spopulation will grow to 9 billion by 2050, 75 per cent of whom will live in cities. This will have profound impacts oninfrastructure, congestion, pollution andcontrol on cars.

Consumers are also changing, looking torent and pay as you go rather than carownership. This all means there will betransport innovation. Jaguar Land Rover isconducting autonomous driving trialsaround its base in the West Midlands.

• To remain successful in the long term, ourbusiness needs to evolve. Not only are wedeveloping the next generation of ultra-lowCO2 vehicles, we are examining whatpremium mobility services our customerswill need in this changing world. Asdemonstrated in Paris at COP21, efforts totackle our changing climate will onlyintensify. New business models builtaround the circular economy will helpinnovative companies survive and thrive.

Tell us about your sustainabilitytargets for 2016? What measures doyou intend to take to meet thesetargets?Jaguar Land Rover’s ambition is to achievelong-term responsible business growth byplacing sustainability at the heart of ourbusiness strategy. We will do this byreducing the environmental impact of ourproducts and operations and making a1 8

F E A T U R E : S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y P E R S P E C T I V E S

Sustainability lessons we can learn from the car industry

The UK’s Largest Rooftop Solar

Panel Array At Its EngineManufacturing

CentreRange Rover

Hybrid Models Take On Epic

'Silk Trail' To India

Pioneering Low And Zero

Emissions Powertrain

Research

The new Jaguar XE: Aluminium-intensivemonocoque -- the first

in the class

JonathanGarrett

The conversation around energy policy is anongoing hot topic for businesses in the UK,particularly on the issue of sustainability. Fordecision makers concerned about carbondioxide and other harmful emissions, LPG(liquefied petroleum gas) has long been themost logical energy choice for organisationsoperating off-grid. Now, bio-LPG – alsoknown as biopropane – offers an evencleaner solution. Mark Cleaver, Bio-LPGManager at Calor, explains why it looks set tobe the undisputed fuel of choice for thoselooking to reduce carbon emissions andmeet sustainability targets.

Building on a proven solutionA recent report from National Grid revealedthat half of the UK’s current energyconsumption is used to provide heat relatedservices in building and industry, and of thistwo-thirds is provided by natural gas. For off-grid applications, natural gas is not an option,and so the need for efficient and cleanenergy has never been greater.

LPG is currently the lowest carbon emittingfossil fuel available on the market, emitting11.7 per cent less CO2 per kWh than oil. It isextensively used in domestic applicationssuch as cooking and heating, as anautogas/dual-fuel and in commercial

applications, such as space heating andprocess heating. A gas at roomtemperature that can be converted

into a liquid through pressurisation, LPG iseasy to transport and store, making it anincreasingly popular choice for off-gridcommercial sites with heating, cooking orspace heating requirements.

Propane, the main component of LPG, has upuntil recently only ever been produced fromfossil fuels. Consequently, the development ofbio-LPG – a renewable fuel – presents anexciting opportunity for operators. While LPGoffers a cleaner alternative to many of the high-carbon options, such as oil and electricity, thatoff-grid customers have previously had to relyon, bio-LPG takes these incentives andimproves upon them further still.

Bio-LPG – the factsBio-LPG is a renewable gas, created fromrenewable feedstocks such as organic plantmaterials, vegetable oil and animal fats. Thefact that it is chemically indistinct from propanemeans it can be blended with LPG, and cantherefore be combined and used with allexisting LPG systems. This represents a hugeadvantage to customers, as there is no needto change or upgrade the current heatingsystem, eliminating any upfront costs thatorganisations would have to cover if theyopted for other renewable energyapplications.

While the combustion of bio-LPG does resultin a small amount of carbon being emitted, it is

offset by the carbon removed from theatmosphere through the re-use of wastematerials. Fossil fuels are a finite resourceand any steps we can take to limiting theirusage should be welcomed. As the UK’senergy demands continue to grow, arenewable fuel such as bio-LPG represents alow-cost and economically sustainablesolution.

A green partnerFor environmentally conscious operators, arange of other renewable technologies existfor off-grid commercial businesses, such asheat pumps, solar panels, wind turbines andbiomass. However, not only are thesedependent on weather conditions but theymay be too expensive or simply not viable asa standalone energy solution. Relying solelyon these renewable energy technologies isnot advisable, especially if having a securesource of heat is vital to the operation of abusiness.

Businesses are already successfully usingLPG with other renewable technologies, andbio-LPG looks set to take this a step further. Itcan be easily integrated with other renewableenergy systems to compensate for theirsometimes intermittent ability to deliver theheat load required – especially during periodsof peak demand. As a result, combining Bio-LPG with other low carbon technologies isan excellent business model to adopt.

A financially smart moveFollowing a report from EUA that annualcarbon emissions from the residential LPGsector could be slashed by 83 per cent by2025 if heating was switched to bio-LPG, it isclear that commercial businesses couldsimilarly benefit from this ‘drop-in’ fuel. Toincentivise uptake across all sectors, manyare arguing that there is a strong case for bio-LPG to be included in the RenewableHeat Incentive, a Government environmentalprogramme that provides financialincentives to increase the uptake ofrenewable heat.

Bio-LPG can offer a green and sustainablefuture for the British off-grid energy market.With approximately one million businessesoperating off the mains grid in the UK, thepotential for bio-LPG is enormous and onethat will help realise significant environmentaland efficiency gains for commercialorganisations. LPG already offers a low-carbon solution to operators but bio-LPG willmake a significant contribution to deliveringa more sustainable energy solution for thefuture.

For more information pleasevisit www.calor.co.uk or call 0800 121 4568

Bio-LPG: the off-grid fuel of the future

Mark Cleaver, Bio-LPG Manager,Calor

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O U T P U TF E A T U R E : S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y U T I L I T Y M E T E R I N G 2 0 1 6

U T I L I T Y M E T E R I N G 2 0 1 6

T H E L E A D I N G M E T E R I N G S U P P LY C H A I N C O N F E R E N C E O F T H E Y E A R

29th September 2016The Vox Conference Centre, Resorts World, Birmingham

Come and learn…How CMA outcomes may impact

smart meter deployment

What the outstanding technical issues for meters and comms are, and

how they are being addressed

What the true scale of the skills and resources challenge to deliver the smart programme commitment is

About the status of customer engagement strategies and actions

Contact [email protected] for sponsorship and speaker opportunities

www.eua.org.uk/utility-metering-2016

Follow us on Twitter: @euaun #utilitymetering

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F E A T U R E : S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y

Four years on from the publication of the UK’sfirst Heat Strategy and progress towards our80 per cent carbon reduction target by 2050is under ongoing scrutiny. According to theCommittee on Climate Change, meeting thetarget will require ‘reducing domesticemissions by at least 3 per cent a year’ andthis will involve supplementing current activitywith more ‘challenging measures’.

While we know that the technology todecarbonise domestic heat is out there – andimproving fast – if the UK wants to make thebig impact it needs, we need to expand ourfocus beyond technology and incentiveschemes, and look at what I like to call ‘thecustomer shaped elephant in the room’. Bearwith me while I try to explain...

Customer engagementWith some of the oldest housing stock inEurope, the decarbonisation of domestic heatin the UK relies, ultimately, on millions ofconsumers making their own changes andtaking their own decisions. It follows then thata key part of the conversation around carbonreduction has to focus on how we canengage customers about how they heat theirhomes and power their communities. To date,this is an area where progress has beenlimited and this creates an excitingopportunity for the whole industry to joinforces and take action that will drasticallyeffect positive change here.

If you look at the current market, energycustomers who want to make their homesmore energy efficient can turn to a number ofdifferent sources for advice, installations and

funding information. There is no single,central point that makes it easy for acustomer to take action and people

are increasingly cautious due to a history ofbad experiences, shifting Government policyand high prices. This lack of trust, combinedwith a difficult-to-navigate category, createshigh barriers to action.

The situation is compounded by the fact thatthe onus is always on the individual toresearch, understand, select and act. Thisresults in inertia: for example, The Green Deal,has been cut having only achieved 15,231Green Deal Plans in progress by the end ofSeptember 2015 (source: gov.uk).

Industry collaborationIn the face of such challenges, the only way tostop the gap widening between the industryand the customer is by coming together tocollaborate and to give consumers theconfidence that the industry is motivated to dothe right thing.

Over the last 18 months, this is something thatwe have been working hard on at the EnergyInnovation Centre in conjunction with our gasand electricity network partners. The result isProject Futurewave – an online energy hubthat aims to help people find and install thebest energy solutions for their homes throughcommunities of trusted installers.

Inspired by the example of customer-centricbusinesses, including eBay, Amazon andAirbnb, which have developed collaborativeplatforms that have the ability to servicedifferent customers based on their individualneeds, wants and behaviours, Futurewavetakes homeowners on the whole journey fromeducation to action – whether they arerealising solutions for their home or their wholecommunity.

Connecting customersFuturewave hopes to break through theinertia in the market. Its three services willconnect the dots between customers whowant energy solutions, installers who wantto deliver them, and the right sources offunding to activate them. There are threecomponents to the tool:

Find it will provide customers with clearinformation on their energy options, andconnect them with trusted installers andfunding sources to help them realise those options.

Build it will connect energy developers andthe industry with each other and relevantprojects that have been triggered bycustomers. It will also enable them toidentify areas of demand and to ‘seed’projects where appropriate.

Fund it will connect individuals andcommunities with sources of investmentthat can fund their energy projects.

Future visionThe project is supported by Northern GasNetworks, Wales & West Utilities, National Grid,Scottish and Southern Energy PowerDistribution and SP Energy Networks. Over thenext 12 months we will be continuing to workclosely with these project partners to deliver anumber of pilots with the aim of validating boththe business model and the product itself.

In the next few weeks, we will be launching ourgo-to-market brand via the Project Futurewaveblog site – and begin to really focus in oncreating a product that will fulfil an unmet needin the marketplace.

We are only at the beginning of the journey andwe realise that it is going to take an almightycollaborative push to really get customersengaged in their energy choices. If we can getthis right, it could open up an excitingopportunity for the industry to learn what makesenergy efficiency schemes work, providevisibility of where demand is being met – or not– and provide real time data so that policymakers can see the impact of their policies.

In the longer term, the vision is that once weengage customers, the platform will allow us to begin to really close in on that ‘customershaped elephant in the room’.

For more information go towww.projectfuturewave.com

Enabling our energy future:

a tale of elephants, inertia and innovation

ENERGY INNOVATION CENTRE

B Y F R E D D I E T I L B R O O K , F U T U R E WAV E L E A D

Dashboard: This is a picture of a userprofile where users can compare energysolutions, funding and trusted installersavailable to them. The idea is that theinterface is very simple and helps usersmake the decision to contact installers andupgrade their energy mix.

Profile: This is one of the questions theuser has to answer to see the optionsavailable to them. One of the coreplatform principles is simplicity – we onlyask questions that users can actuallyanswer. Four simple inputs go into a‘black box’ which calculates the optionsavailable to the user, how much fundingthey could be eligible for and who couldinstall the solution for them.

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Gas and asset managers in socialhousing are facing challenges frommany directions – meeting regulatoryand compliance requirements,ensuring tenants have affordableheating and maximising theopportunities offered by newinnovative technology, but within tightbudgets.

The Association of Gas SafetyManagers (AGSM) was formed 4 years ago as a professionalassociation for gas, asset and FMmanagers in social housing to givethem access to professionalqualifications and the recognition thatgoes with them, and to share bestpractice and help shape the future ofthe sector by creating one strongcollective voice. As well as havingnearly 300 individual members, theAGSM has 20 corporate members,collectively responsible for over 2 million housing stock.

The AGSM is spearheading severalmajor campaigns for change and haslobbied the Government and influentialstakeholders. These include a focuson a change in legislation to givegreater powers to access properties tocarry out statutory gas safety checksand a move to an MOT style of annualservicing of gas appliances.

The 2016 annual AGSM Gas SafetyManagement Conference took placeon 11th and 12th April and attractedover 300 AGSM delegates who heardfrom top speakers, shared bestpractice, networked and learnt fromeach other. The AGSM Gas SafetyManagement Exhibition ran in parallelwith the Conference over both daysand was supported by suppliers fromacross the sector.

The AGSM runs two Awardsprogrammes – the AGSM Gas SafetyAwards for individuals andorganisations who are social housingproviders and contractors, which tookplace on 12th April following theConference and the AGSM SupplierExcellence Awards will take place on2nd November for suppliers who areworking collaboratively with landlords.

AGSM members have all completed orare undertaking a CORGI Level 4 VRQin Gas Safety Management with qualityand training playing a key role in raisingstandards in gas safety. The CORGIfamily of qualifications cover training formanagers, frontline staff in socialhousing, auditors and tenants. TheAGSM runs a CPD programme toensure members are continuouslymaintaining high levels of knowledgeand understanding.

Across the country seven regionalAGSM Gas Forums meet two to threetimes a year and twice a year there areNational AGSM Gas Forums. Withnearly 800 members in these sevengroups, their one day meetings are avaluable source of information, coveringtechnical updates on regulations andcompliance issues, introducing thelatest technology and are anopportunity for sharing best practice,case studies and discussions aroundany of the subjects being covered.Suppliers sponsor these events and inreturn talk about their products andservices to the Forums.

For more information about theAGSM please visitwww.agsm.uk.com or call 01256 548040 or [email protected]

N E W M E M B E R S

The Association of Gas Safety Managers joins HHIC

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6

S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 M E M B E R S L I S T

15

ICOM

ACV UK LtdAdvance AppliancesAltecnic LtdAriston Thermo GroupBosch Thermotechnology LtdCotherm LtdDanfoss LtdDimplex UK Limited

Gledhill Building Products LtdHeatrae SadiaHeatrod Elements LimitedHoneywell, ACS Control ProductsJoule UK LtdKingspan Hot Water StorageMannley Cylinders LtdMcDonald Engineers

Newark Copper Cylinders Co LtdOSO Hotwater (UK) LtdReliance Water Controls LtdRM CylindersTelford Copper Cylinders LtdVaillant Group UK LtdViessmann Ltd

Andrews Water HeatersBabcock Wanson UK LtdBosch Commercial and Industrial HeatingCalor Gas LtdCochran LtdCombat HVAC Ltd

Ecoflam UKELCO UKEnergy Technology & Control LtdEOGB Energy Products LtdFernoxFerroli LtdFlueboost Ltd G P Burners (CIB) LtdHamworthy Heating LtdHoval LtdIdeal Boilers Ltd

Johnson & Starley LtdLochinvar LtdMikrofill Systems LtdNortek Global HVAC (UK) Ltd Nu-way (Enertech Ltd)Potterton CommercialPowrmatic LimitedRemeha CommercialRiello LtdRinnai UK LtdSabien Technology Ltd

Schwank LtdSentinel Performance Solutions LtdSpace-Ray (UK) LtdSpirotech UK LtdStokvis Industrial Boilers (Intl) LtdStrebel LtdVaillant Group UK LtdVexo International LtdViessmann LtdWeishaupt (UK) Ltd

A.C.Wilgar LtdAdey Professional Heating Solutions Alpha Heating InnovationAltecnic LtdAnton Industrial ServicesAssociation of Gas Safety Managers (AGSM)Ariston Thermo UK LtdAtag Heating LtdAtmos Heating SystemsBaxi Be Modern Group BEAMA Heating ControlsBEAMA Water TreatmentBFM Europe Limited Biasi UK LtdBosch Thermotechnology LtdBowbros LtdBritish Gas

BSI Assurance UK LtdBuilders Merchant FederationBurley Appliances LtdCalor Gas LtdCarillion Energy ServicesCharlton & Jenrick LtdCrosslee plcCrystal Fires Limited Daikin Airconditioning UK LtdDanfoss LtdDelta Energy & Environment LtdDimplex UK LimitedDomestic & General Group plcEcuity Consulting LLP EDF EnergyEncore EnergyEnertek International LtdFabdec LtdFernoxFerroli LimitedFlowgroup plcFondital Helpline UKGas Contract Services LtdGrafton Merchanting GB

Grant Engineering (UK) LtdGround Source Heat Pump Association Grundfos Pumps A/SHarvey Water Softeners LtdHETAS LtdHoneywell, ACS Control ProductsIdeal Boilers LtdIE-CHP (UK & Eire) LtdInspirit Energy Holdings plcInstaGroup Ltd Intergas Heating LtdJohnson & Starley LimitedKamco LtdKane International LtdKD Navien LtdKiwa GastecLettergold Water Treatment Solutions LLPLogic CertificationMagic Thermodynamic boxMonarch Water Morgan Lambert LtdNAPITNIBE Energy Systems LimitedNirvana Energy Systems Inc

Nu-Flame OFTECPanasonic Manufacturing UK LtdPump House PumpsQnergy LtdRavenheat Rinnai UK LtdSentinel Performance Solutions Ltd Sime LtdSolar Trade AssociationSpirotech UK Ltd Sustainable Power LtdTeddington Appliance Controls LtdThe Electric Heating Company LtdThermoserv LtdTravis Perkins GroupUK Heating Distribution LtdUKLPGVaillant Group LtdViessmann LtdVokera LimitedWidney Leisure LtdWolseley UK Ltd

Kudox LtdMyson Radiators

QRL Radiator GroupStelrad Ltd

Zehnder Group UK Ltd

ALH Systems LtdAmec Foster WheelerAmeyAVK UK LimitedBalfour Beatty Burdens UtilitiesBureau VeritasBuss Metering Services Ltd ByBoxCalvin Capital Ltd CapitaCarillion Utility ServicesCentrica Storage LtdCerro EMS CNG Services LtdControlPointCo-operative Energy Crane Building Services & Utilities

Develop Training LtdDI UK LtdDNV GL EDF Energy (Gas Storage Hole House) LtdEDF Energy Customer Field ServicesEDMI Europe Ltd ElectraLink Ltd Elgin ElsterEnergy Assets Ltd Engage Consulting Enzen Fastflow Group LtdFerranti Computer Systems NVFiorentini UK LimitedFulcrum Fusion Group Ltd Fusion Provida LtdFuture Energy GroupG4S Utility & Outsourcing Services (UK) LtdGas Measurement Instruments LtdGateway Storage Company LtdGeneris Technology LtdGeorge Fischer Sales Limited

George Wilson Industries LimitedGPS PE Pipe SystemsGridbee CommunicationsGTCHalite Energy Group Harlaxton Engineering Services LtdHPHumbly Grove Energy Ltd Inovyn Enterprises LimitedIslandmagee Storage LtdItron Metering Solutions UK LtdKing Street Energy Landis+GyrLightsout Computer Services LtdLomax Training Services Lowri Beck Services LtdLSC Group LtdMeter Provida LtdMeteRSit SRLMetertech LtdMike Stratton & Associates LtdMorland Utilities LtdMorrison Utility Services National Grid plc

Northern Gas Networks LtdP N Daly LtdPLCS LimitedPower Plus Communications AG Providor LtdRadius Systems Ltd Sarco Stopper LtdScottishPower Secure Meters (UK) LtdSensus UKSiemensSilver Spring Networks UK & IrelandSSE Hornsea LtdStorengy UK LtdThe Clancy GroupThe Murphy GroupTuffentech Services LtdUK Smart Meter Installations LtdUniper Energy StorageUtility Innovations Solutions LtdUtility Power Systems (UPS)Wales & West Utilities LtdWolseley UK LtdWRc plc

N E W M E M B E R S

Corporate Gemserv

Founded in 2009, MeteRSit is anItalian company belonging to theSIT group that designs,manufactures and markets smartstatic gas meters with innovativemeasurement technology, basedon the Micro Thermal FlowSensing principle. MeteRSitprovides accurate billinginformation transparent to the enduser with a comprehensive rangeof smart static and integrated gasmeters, compact and easy to install,displaying readings in standard cubicmeters (m3), with no external devicesneeded both for measurement conversionand for the different communicationtechnologies available. The company’saim is to always combine innovation withreliability. MeteRSit products can improve

the way in which gas is measured, sold andused, enabling a more transparentrelationship with the end user and theirawareness of energy consumption. Thecompany has also shown that it is able tolisten to and understand the needs of

customers and, if necessary,to make changes to meettheir needs.

MeteRSit will be joining theMetering and Data groupoperated by Utility Networks(UN). With the smart metermass roll-out fastapproaching,MeteRSit is aleader in thefield that will

bring a new dynamic to theMetering and Data group atthis exciting time.

The company is committed todelivering the best productsfor its customers, havinginvested €15 million in the

MeteRSit SRL joins EUA’s Utility Networks

development of its product range andcurrently has approximately 300,000 metersinstalled in the field. MeteRSit is a marketleader in Italy and recognises that joining UNwill help its position in the UK by providingaccess to thought leaders in this field.MeteRSit has seen strong growth in the last2 years and was predicting an additional200 per cent growth rate for 2015 in units.The company has three sites across Italy, inMilan, Padua and Rovigo.

MeteRSit is aware of the importance of thesocial and environmental sustainability of itsactivities and its products, and has definedobjectives and guidelines for theimplementation of factors that areconsidered key to its business. Over the last18 months several actions were addressedin order for the company to be compliantwith ISO 14000 guidelines.

ICOM’s newest member is Cheshire-basedFlueboost Limited, owned and operated byManaging Director Alison Cartwright.

Flueboost, the first fan supplier to join ICOM,has manufactured its own range of CE-approved flue gas extraction fans for boilers,water heaters and gas-fire applications from its premises since the 1970s. Its products arefound right across the UK as the company’sbespoke offering of large applications isutilised by both commercial and residentialcustomers.

Despite the ‘small business’ label by Alison,Flueboost maintains an impressive client list,

featuring many familiar, household brandslike Waitrose, The Royal Mint, PrezzoPizza, McDonald’s and The RoyalBank of Scotland, to name a few.

Further, the supply of in-line chimney fans toheritage buildings is a company speciality.These unique, in-line chimney fans allow thefull splendour of the historical building to beviewed without interruption as the fan isenclosed within the chimney itself, rather thanmounted on top.

Alison said: “Increasingly we are asked tobecome involved in projects after boilers andductwork are installed which can make itcomplicated, or even impossible, to find asimple, cost effective solution to safelyevacuate the products of combustion.“Whilst we recognise that most new boilershave their own inbuilt fan, we are oftenapproached to supply an additional fan tomeet efflux velocity requirements or where theflue route is complicated.

“In addition, new condensing boilers aredesigned to be ErP compliant and highlysensitive burners make it imperative for us tobecome involved during the design andselection process to resolve any potentialissues prior to installation.

“We believe the opportunity to liaise with thetechnical teams will be mutually beneficial todiscuss, at an early stage, how our productscan work efficiently, safely and effectivelytogether. This can only be an advantagehelping to achieve maximum productperformance and ultimately ensuringcustomer satisfaction.

“I believe communication is the key toupholding and raising standards.

“As a company, we are confident thatmembership of ICOM will allow us access to awealth of experience and knowledge helpingus to improve our products and services tocustomers throughout the UK and Ireland.”

Alison ensures Flueboost is actively involvedin the local community as she believes it has aresponsibility to be a good corporateneighbour. The company has recentlyfundraised for Target Ovarian Cancer, theUK’s leading ovarian cancer charity andcollected winter clothing for distribution to thehomeless.

For more information visit:www.metersit.com/en

2 4 For more information visit: www.flueboost.co.uk

ICOM welcomesFlueboost Ltd into membership

TUESDAY17 MAY 2016

Hilton Park Lane, London

For further information, please visit

www.gasindustryawards.com

TICKETSare available to purchase

at a cost of £125+VAT per ticket or £1,100.00+VAT per table

(10 places).

OUTPUT - Spring/Summer 2016

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Transcript of OUTPUT - Spring/Summer 2016