Fuelwood Open Day

Pride in Place - Tackling Incivilities

Issues such as vandalism, graffiti, litter, broken glass, cat and dog mess, dumped cars and uneven pavements can have a major impact upon well-being and quality of life. 

These incivilities can impact upon the extent to which people can appreciate and enjoy their local environment and take part in activities within this environment. They can influence how people perceive their local area and their feelings of safety within their community. They can affect people's connection and attachment to the places where they live.

Our Pride in Place - Tackling Incivilities project showcases eight local examples of where communities have taken action to address these problems within their area, and brought about positive change for citizens. 

Research by the Carnegie UK Trust highlights the tremendous success that these community-led projects have had and calls for more to be made available to enable more communities to address the environmental problems affecting their neighbourhood.  This policy report makes recommendations to local government, environmental charities and funders.

The eight case studies featured in the research include Bredhurst Woodland Action Group:

Bredhurst Woodland Action Group (Kent)

Civic Pride (Lancashire)

Clean Glasgow (Glasgow)

Llwynhendy Growing Spaces (Llanelli)

Redruth Brewery Leats (Cornwall)

Springhill Garden of Reflection (Belfast)

Tipton Litter Watch (West Midlands)

Urban Eye (London)

Healing Landscapes: trees and society twenty-five years on from the Great Storm

One day conference hosted by the Department of Geographical and Life Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University.

Saturday 20th October 2012, from 10.00 in the Powell Building.

October 2012 is the 25th anniversary of the ‘Great Storm’ that toppled some 15 million trees in southern and SE England. 

This one day conference uses the anniversary to celebrate the legacy of the storm and the importance of trees to society, especially their impact on education, community, health and well-being.

The conference also celebrates the planting of the Jubilee Orchard at the Canterbury campus as part Canterbury Christ Church University’s 50th Jubilee celebrations. 

The orchard is part of the ‘Bioversity’ initiative to foster the green spaces of St Augustine's Abbey as part of the Canterbury World Heritage Site. The orchard is registered as part of the national NHS Forest.

The conference is open to all students and staff and to members of the public and registration is FREE. 

We need to know numbers for refreshments, seating, etc., so you MUST register with the Department of Geographical and Life Sciences.

To register for the conference please ring Jaimie Morris or Maria Hamilton on 01227 782331/782337 or email maria.hamilton@canterbury.ac.uk

Programme

10.00 Welcome and introduction

Session 1: Healed landscapes? Twenty-five years since the Great Storm

10.15-10.45 Releasing history – the Great storm and the history revealed.  

Andrew Richardson, Finds Manager, Canterbury Archaeological Trust.

10.45-11.15 The Great Storm - tree and fungi responses to the hurricane 

Ted Green, Ancient Tree Forum

11.15 – 11.35 Refreshment Break

11.35 – 12.05 The Great Storm and UK woodlands

Peter Buckley, SOAS, University of London

12.05 – 12.35 Windthrow trees, Nature’s survivors: East Kent case studies 

Peter Vujakovic, Geographical and Life Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University

12.35 – 13.25 LUNCH

Session 2: Healing landscapes – trees, society and well-being

13.25 – 13.55 Forest schools – saving our children from nature-deficit disorder

Clair Hobson Earthcraftuk, Kent / Executive Board Member of the Forest School Association

13.55 – 14.25 A sense of place - community woodlands as local resources

Jenny Tippen, Chair of Ashford Community Woodland

14.25 – 14.45 Refreshment Break

14.45 – 15.15 The Woodland Trust – ‘Creating woodland together’

John Harvey, Woodland Trust, Kent

15.15 – 15.45 England’s Community Forests – involvement, inclusion, environmental regeneration and green infrastructure creation

Ann Bartleet, Chair of Thames Chase Trust, Community Forests

15.45 – 16.00 End of conference.

Domestic RHI proposals announced

In keeping with the cautious nature of UK energy policy-making DECC has launched three new RHI consultations - a domestic RHI, expansion of the non-domestic RHI and introduction of renewable heat tariffs for air-to-water and energy-from-waste.

Of these the long awaited domestic RHI is of considerable interest to the biomass heating sector. It provides some clarity on the final scheme that should emerge during summer 2013 and is essential reading for consumers and installers alike.

Proposed domestic RHI timeline

This article aims to highlight the main points of the domestic RHI proposals in relation to biomass heating technologies.  It also provides links the consultation documents and summaries from other commentators which may help to provide a more rounded picture.

Lets start with the DECC introduction which provides a succinct summary of the 116 page document:

The consultation on proposals for a domestic scheme sets out  proposals for longer term support to householders who install renewable heating kit such as biomass boilers, air (to water) and ground source heat pumps and solar thermal into homes.

The RHI for householders is aimed at any householder looking to replace their current heating with renewable heating kit or householders who have installed any such technology since 15 July 2009 (n.b. whether or not these installations will be eligible for  support will be decided decided upon as a result of this consultation).

The more detailed introduction to the consultation goes a bit further:

• The scheme is aimed at helping households replace their existing fossil fuel-based heating systems with renewable-based ones (<45 kWh/thermal).
• Support is proposed for the installation of Microgeneration Certification Scheme (or equivalent) certified ground and air source heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar thermal panels.
• The subsidy would be provided through tariff based payments over a seven year period.
• Payments would be made on the basis of deemed amount of renewable heat generated with the rate paid varying according to the type of renewable technology installed.
• The tariffs take into account the additional costs of installation and running the renewable system and non-financial barriers (such as disruption in the home). They also build in compensation on the additional upfront installation costs of 7.5% to cover the cost of financing.
• The scheme will be for individual domestic properties and is open to all.
• Provided that properties meet certain energy efficiency criteria (meaning a key interaction with the Green Deal), owner-occupiers and private landlords would be eligible, together with householders who have installed renewable heating systems since 15 July 2009, including those who received the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP).
• There is consideration of bespoke tariffs for the registered social landlord and new build sectors, recognising their potential contribution to the roll-out of renewable heat, but taking into account the possible lower installation-related and other costs they might benefit from.

The devil, as they say, is in the detail and a more thorough read through is required to reveal the finer points. The main items of interest, as far as we are concerned and again relating primarily to biomass, are below. Don't forget that these are only proposals at this stage and the final result will depend on the feedback to the consultation:

• The basic idea behind for a domestic RHI is that it is a boiler replacement scheme: It is designed to encourage those who would be looking to change their current fossil fuel boiler due to age and/or loss of efficiency.
• The tariff could be paid over a timescale shorter than 20 years (e.g. 7 years) to appeal to consumers who plan and budget in a shorter time frame.
• Tariff levels are set to be more financially advantageous to those homes off the gas grid, although the scheme will be open to any home in the UK.  However, the policy could be restricted to just those off the gas grid or focused at particular geographic areas.

Proposed domestic RHI tariff

• Second homes are excluded from the scheme.
• It is proposed that installations in rented properties be eligible for the RHI with the landlord as the recipient (providing the landlord is the owner of the heating system).
• Consumers who installed renewable heat installations since 15 July 2009 will be eligible to apply for the domestic RHI provided they:

• Have installed an eligible technology.

• Meet the eligibility criteria on energy efficiency.

• Declare any government funding or support already received for the installation of renewable heat.

• Do not have a back up fossil fuel heating system, or if they do, are prepared or have installed a heat usage meter on which the RHI payments can be based.

• Meet all current MCS standards.

• Where these legacy applicants meet the eligibility criteria, any government funding already received will be subtracted from the amount of RHI payable to the householder and will be reflected in the payments received. A phased application process for legacy installations may be used to help manage applications.
• Biomass-only boilers and biomass pellet stoves with back boilers will be eligible for the RHI provided they meet 99% of the peak space heating load of the property using the calculation methodologies in MCS.
• Fuel sustainability criteria used for the non-domestic RHI will also apply to the domestic scheme.  This would entail consumers purchasing fuel from an approved supplier list.
• As with biomass sustainability, the domestic RHI scheme takes the same approach regarding emissions limits and the tests to assess compliance as that set out in the recent consultation on the non-domestic scheme.
• It is proposed that only biomass appliances that are on the HETAS approved list will be eligible for the RHI.
• Stoves with back boilers (log or chip), room heater stoves and condensing biomass boilers and stoves are excluded from the scheme.
• Individual homes would be eligible to apply only once during the lifetime of the scheme. In line with this, domestic RHI payments would be calculated on the assumption of one eligible technology meeting the deemed total space heating (not hot water) demand of the property.
• The installation of multiple eligible renewable technologies under the domestic RHI be restricted to solar thermal in combination only (e.g. solar thermal and biomass).
• In order to receive the domestic RHI, consumers would be required to have completed all 'green ticks' on their Green Deal assessment that relate to the thermal efficiency of the house.

Example of Green Deal 'green ticks'

• The domestic RHI will be paid on the basis of ‘deemed’ heat with metering being only required for certain situations.  Deemed heat is the estimated annual heat load which would be obtained via an existing accepted measurement process (most likely SAP).
• In the majority of cases consumers would be required to remove their existing fossil fuel heating systems in order to be eligible for the RHI.
• For biomass boilers bivalent systems (i.e. biomass plus fossil fuel system) would not be allowed, except for electric immersion heaters for hot water and solar thermal, due to the risks involved around the consumer switching back after 7 years.
• For legacy applicants we are proposing to allow bivalent systems if they have been installed and the heat load will be calculated based on metered readings.

• Where pre-existing fossil fuel Rayburn range cookers are in place, we propose that these need not be removed but that the range cooker should be disconnected from the heating pipes and boiler, allowing the householder to continue to use the cooking facilities. These systems would not be taken into account in ensuring that the renewable system covers 100% of the heat load.

• Where pre-existing Aga range cookers are in place, for safety reasons we propose that these could remain connected to the boiler but they should be disconnected from the radiators.

The consultation document can be found on the DECC website.  The deadline for responses is December 12th.

Links

Here is a selection of early commentary on the consultation that may be of use in forming an overall opinion of what is being proposed:

Business Green
Greenwise Business
Guardian

AECB Event: Insulating Old Buildings

Survey of woodland owners – your views please!

The BritishWoodlands2012 survey is run by the Sylva Foundation and supported by Natural England. We'd also like to hear from farmers and other land managers who are considering creating woodland on their land.

The survey asks about motivations for woodland management, planting and support.

The survey builds on work that has been carried out by Cambridge University‟s Department of Land Economy on five occasions over the last 50 years. Their most recent survey report from 2005 provides some context for a current project entitled "Private Woods in Crisis?"

We hope the survey will help us to:

• gauge the current level of sustainable forest management in British privately-owned woodlands
• assess the potential for woodland creation
• assemble evidence of the level of public benefits that are delivered from private woodlands
• find out why some woods remain unmanaged
• provide ideas to contribute to improvements in grants and to grow the domestic timber markets

The survey should take about 20-30 minutes to complete. All data will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. Results will be presented in an amalgamated version only and will be used to help inform us about how we can best support the woodland and forestry community.

People who take the survey will be invited to a woodland conference at Oxford University to be held in December 2012 at which the results of the survey will be discussed. 

The survey is supported by Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, Forestry Commission, Woodland Trust, Natural England and the Institute for Chartered Foresters.

For further information contact Chris.Reid@naturalengland.org.uk

We are encouraging woodland owners, managers and agents to complete the new online questionnaire survey by 30 September 2012.

Job vacancy - community woodfuel

Community Wood Fuel Programme Manager for Oxfordshire


ORCC and TOE2 are looking to recruit a well-motivated and inspirational self-starter as a programme manager to develop and deliver a community woodfuel programme for Oxfordshire.

It contract is for one year for 3 days (21 hours) per week at a salary of £27,897 pro rota.

The post holder will support and guide local communities wishing to improve the biodiversity of Oxfordshire’s woodlands by encouraging better woodland management through increasing the use of wood fuel.

The project manager will identify and work with communities and develop a scalable model for community involvement in sustainable wood fuel production.

An ability to work independently and also in partnership with a range of other organisations and local communities in Oxfordshire is essential.

The post holder will be expected to work from home  and will report to the Oxfordshire Community Woodfuel Programme Steering Group.

Further details and an application form are available from toe@oxonrcc.org.uk or 01865 883488; electronic applications are preferred but hard copies are also available.

The job advert can be found on the ORCC website.

Closing date for applications: Monday 24 September 2012 at 5 p.m.

Deer management - FREE workshop

RHPP Community Scheme: Open now for applications

If you are a community organisation looking for an opportunity to use bulk buying to bring down the cost of installing renewable heat in domestic properties in your area you may be eligible for the Communities Scheme

The Department of Energy and Climate Change Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) Community Scheme will support communities to deliver clusters of domestic renewable heating systems.

The RHPP Community Scheme aims to provide communities with the opportunity to cost-effectively organise local buying groups for renewable heating systems, potentially accessing bulk discounts and facilitating easier deployment for installers.

The Scheme will support installation of renewable heating systems in homes by providing vouchers to householders. It is targeted at making renewable heating affordable for middle to low income households and aims to maximise carbon reduction by reaching homes with high carbon heating systems that are expensive to run (especially those off the gas network) and ensuring that heating systems are installed after or alongside energy efficiency measures. Development support will also be provided to successful groups.

• Technologies that are supported under the scheme include:
• Solar thermal panels
• Heat pumps (air to water, ground source or water source, excluding air to air and exhaust air heat pumps)
• Biomass Boilers

When is the deadline?

Applications opened July 24th and will run until September 7th

Want to know more?

More detailed information, supporting documentation and an opportunity to apply can be found by accessing the Energy Saving Trust website.

Please read documentation before applying, should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact the communities team on 02920 467 015 or by emailing communities@est.org.uk.

Surrey Hills Wood Fuel Conference - Fri Oct 5th 2012

Job Vacancy - South Downs National Park

The South Downs National Park Authority is recruiting a Forestry and Woodland Officer:

• Main aim will be to bring more woodlands into active management to improve their biodiversity and secure their future within the National Park landscape.
• Particular emphasis will be placed on the sustainable management of native and ancient woodland and restoring the ecological value of PAWS in the South Downs.
• The project will bring together landowners, land managers and contractors to develop and respond to the evolving markets and business opportunities including wood fuel and sustainable construction.
• The successful candidate must have knowledge and experience of the forestry and woodland management sector, together with knowledge of woodland ecology, recreational and resource management and cultural heritage.
• They will be highly organised and be able to produce site management plans.
• Using their knowledge of contracts and contract management, facilitate implementation of projects through contractors. Knowledge of health and safety legislation as it relates to the post is essential.  

Full details can be found on the South Downs National Park website.  The closing date for applications is 23 August 2012, 11:30am.

RHI: 100th accredited application

The 100th installation was accredited to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme on 19th June 2012.

The Meikleour Trust, a Scottish estate, installed a 500kWth biomass boiler to supply heat via a district heating system to a range of buildings including the main house, a greenhouse, holiday lets and other outbuildings. 

The owner also intends to expand the system to a planned housing development in the future. The fuel is local wood chip that is sourced from sustainable local forestry.

The most recent RHI quarterly report from Ofgem shows a high uptake of solid biomass installations which make up 99% of capacity and 90% of total accreditations under the scheme.

Chart 1 shows the total installed capacity accredited by the scheme since November 2011. As of 30 June 2012, a total of 49.41 MW of installed capacity had been accredited to the scheme.

Heat pumps (ground and water combined) make up 8% of accredited installations and 0.75% of capacity. 

Biogas and solar thermal technologies each account for 1% of the total number of accredited installations as well as 0.24% and 0.01% of accredited capacity respectively.

A total of 121 renewable heat installations have

been accredited under the scheme, seven of which

are preliminary accreditations.

• Only four applications have been rejected, all because applicants had received public funds or grants.
• 49.41 MW of total capacity has been accredited, 11.36 MW of which is preliminary.
• A total of £350,594 in RHI periodic payments has been made to participants.

The number of accredited installations for the second quarter increased from 20 at the end of March to 121 installations accredited by the end of June.

Solid biomass installations continues to make up the majority of accredited installations and accredited capacity.

Installed capacity has increased to 49.41 MW from 5.25 MW. The amount of periodic payments made to participants has increased from £9,707 to £350,594.

Renewable Heat Premium Payment for Communities

Our friends at Oxford Renewables have kindly summarised the key points of the RHPP2 scheme (Renewable Heat Premium Payment) which focuses on community-scale projects.

Scheme Aims:

'The RHPP Community Scheme aims to provide communities with the opportunity to cost-effectively organise local buying groups for renewable heating systems, potentially accessing bulk discounts and facilitating easier deployment for installers... 

The scheme is targeted at making renewable heating affordable for middle to low income households... RHPP2 Communities Scheme also aims to maximise carbon reduction by reaching homes with high carbon, expensive heating system (especially for those off the gas network) and ensuring that heating system are installed after or alongside energy efficiency measure.'

Eligibility:

'...legally constituted community benefit organisations or community groups. all lead organisations must have a community benefit structure... aims to support low to middle income homes... communities connected to the mains gas network are... less likely to be funded'

Stage 1 application: 

'...will be open from 24th July to 7th September...communities should be able to explain what they would like to achieve, identify who they think they will need to work with, what they think they will be able to deliver successfully.'

Project Co-development stage:

'...Proposals will include details of the number of installations to be funded, level of funding required and details of the group will work with households and the private sector... there will be two sets of workshops to help groups through the process'

Stage 2 application:

Applicants wil be able to set their own value for household capital grants up to maximum levels across different technologies (equivalent between 10% and 40% of capital cost depending on how well your project meets the scheme criteria)... applications will be scored against the following criteria:

• value for money
• innovation and replicability
• legacy and learning
• deliverability

Implementation stage:

'...grants will be paid on completion of installations and themajority of the work will ned to be complete by 31st March. However, groups will be allowed to complete the last 35% of their installations by the end of June 2013 as long as 65% of their installations are complete and grant claimed by 31st March. 

Funding for renewable heat installations will be paid direct to householders on completion of their installation.

The scheme is being administered by the Energy Saving Trust - click here for full details.

Eligible technologies:

• Solar thermal panels
• Heat pumps (air to water, ground source or water source, excluding air to air and exhaust air heat pumps)
• Biomass Boilers

Weblinks: 

1. Areas that are most likely to attract funding.

2. These are groups that have already received grants to determine available energy efficiency measures and that may be interested in this programme too.

3. Using this tool will help identify the area within which the community has to be located to attract the funding.

4. FAQs

5. Energy Saving Trust RHPP2 pages.

6. DECC policy web pages.

Renewable Heat Incentive: Providing certainty, improving performance

Here at Woodfuel Pathfinder Towers we have been trying to decipher the recent slew of information on the Renewable Heat Incentive and related matters.  


Just as we got our collective heads around the review of the Clean Air Act, new Ofgem guidance on heat metering and scheme administration and announcement of DECC’s budget management mechanism yet another consultation on the RHI has been issued.

The “Renewable Heat Incentive: Providing certainty,improving performance” sets out a series of proposals for the non-domestic RHI (Phase I) relating to longer-term budget management and scheme improvements, including biomass sustainability, air quality and changes to the metering requirements.

Needless to say the document is long and technical so we have attempted to extract the salient points from the executive summary.  


The proposals are important and anyone considering investing should set aside a some to read the document and familiarise themselves with the proposed changes, particularly as we may have missed something.

Before we get going we thought we would highlight the following tables that show the latest position on RHI uptake and payments (England only, see Ofgem web site for full report).

Renewable Heat Incentive: Providing certainty, improving performance

Executive summary – key points:

• Controlling spend while providing certainty and transparency is a far greater challenge than simply keeping within a pre-determined budget.
• The consultation sets out proposals for longer-term budget management and how DECC will aim to provide market certainty alongside budgetary control.
• These proposals would only apply to new applications and only to the RHI scheme as it currently stands (i.e. non-domestic). Proposals would be extended to other technologies brought into the non-domestic scheme, which will be consulted on from September 2012.
• Budget management proposal is to use a flexible degression-based system. Under this system tariff reductions for new applications would occur if deployment was approaching pre-determined triggers, at which point a small tariff reduction would occur automatically.
• Proposed triggers for each technology and for the RHI overall will be based on the level of deployment required to keep us on a trajectory to deliver the 2020 renewables target.
• Degression announcements would be made quarterly, with one month’s notice being given for any reductions.
• Triggers for tariff reductions will be set out in advance and progress towards those triggers will be monitored and made available monthly on the DECC website.

• The size of possible reductions would also be set out in advance, with a small reduction if deployment is slightly above that needed, and a larger reduction if deployment is significantly higher than that needed for the 2020 renewables targets.
• In addition, DECC is proposing to carry out periodic reviews of the RHI, starting in 2014, to take stock of the evidence on the operation of the scheme and consider ways of improving it further. These reviews will provide an opportunity to recalibrate tariffs and if necessary, make changes to the tariff structure.
• DECC has set out a potential option, enhanced preliminary accreditation. This would allow applicants to develop and accredit an installation that, when built, would receive a tariff guaranteed at the point of application for enhanced preliminary accreditation. Applications would be subject to time and size limits according to each technology.
• It is equally important that the RHI is sustainable in the wider sense, so DECC will put forward proposals for biomass sustainability criteria.
• The proposals are that biomass used for heat will have to achieve a lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) saving of 60% against an EU fossil heat average. The lifecycle assessment would take account of emissions from cultivation, processing and transport of the biomass, and reflect the conversion efficiency of the boiler plant. This would ensure a significant GHG saving relative to the use of coal, oil or fossil gas for heating.
• Furthermore, for wood-fuel, we propose that the land criteria correspond to meeting the UK public procurement policy on wood and wood products. This approach requires that suppliers should have available documentary evidence demonstrating the wood supplied is from legal and sustainable sources or is from a licensed Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) partner.
• For installations below 1MWth capacity, DECC proposes that, from April 2014, they have to purchase their biomass from an approved supplier list. For larger installations DECC proposes that RHI participants would provide reports on the sustainability of their fuel to Ofgem.
• In the March 2011 RHI policy document DECC committed to introducing limits on the emissions of particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from biomass installations up to 20MWth capacity. This consultation proposes what the compliance regime should be for those emissions limits.
• The consultation sets out proposals for simplifying the metering arrangements. DECC proposes that, in most cases, heat transported in external pipes insulated to a specified standard will be eligible heat use and will not be deducted from RHI payments. Therefore, where all heat uses are eligible, only the metering of eligible renewable heat generation would be required.

Other improvements:

• clarifying the eligibility around ground source heat pumps
• allowing renewable heat plants to be moved under the RHI
• clarifying eligible heat use
• simplifying the rules for biogas metering
• ensuring biomass boilers are not oversized specifically to claim the tier 1 tariff
• dealing with how the Retail Price Index (RPI) applies to low tariffs, such as large biomass

With regard to boiler sizing Biomass DECC has anecdotal evidence that there may be installations of biomass boilers which are inappropriate for the heat demand they are intended to serve but have been sized in order to claim the tier 1 tariff only. DECC considers this to be poor practice and is likely to have a detrimental long-term financial impact on the owner of the installation. DECC intends to introduce an eligibility requirement to prevent such installations from benefitting from the RHI.

For all the proposed changes, apart from those on sustainability, within this consultation grandfathering will apply; only applications which are accredited after these changes come into force will be affected. All those installations accredited currently or before these changes, will have to meet current eligibility requirements.

Make your woodland pay its way

A step by step guide to applying for grant funding for roads projects, and to  help bring woodland back into management, has been produced by Ngage, the company responsible for managing the Woodfuel Woodland Improvement Grant (WWIG) on behalf of the Forestry Commission.

WWIG provides a valuable, government funded scheme that has been specifically designed to turn un-managed woodland into productive land.


Mike Furness, Project Manager at Ngage Solutions has written a helpful blog with a simple step-by-step guide for potential grant applicants. It is published on the Ngage website.

Mike is keen to assist woodland owners, to take advantage of this opportunity to make their woods more productive. There is money available for both road and timber projects, and Mike will be happy to talk through proposals even before an application is submitted to help candidates maximise their chances of successful application.


Ngage Solutions is administering the WWIG on behalf of the Forestry Commission in three regions: Cumbria, the South West and the South East. 


This grant is time limited, so act now to find out more about the scheme.


Contact Mike Furness, Project Manager Ngage Solutions Ltd,  on 01494 568970 or 07795 515 413, or by emailing Mike.


To find out more about Woodfuel WIG come and see the Forestry Commission at the APF show 13 1- 5 September stand G4.


For interested readers the Forestry Commission has some guidance on forest roads which can be found here. You will quickly see that it is a technical subject and in many cases it may be far simpler to just call Mike and ask for support!

£8m Community Renewable Heat Scheme Opens

The successful Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) scheme has been extended to include an £8m fund for community led projects.

Community groups up and down the nation will be able to bid for a share of the fund to install low carbon heating technologies including solar thermal panels, biomass boilers and heat pumps into homes in their local area. 


Community-based organisations including community co-operatives, voluntary groups, social enterprises and development trusts will be eligible to apply.


Community groups will need to submit a first stage application to the Energy Saving Trust by 7 September 2012. 


Applications will be judged on a range of criteria, including the project’s vision, potential benefits for the local area, potential partners and any relevant experience of delivering similar projects.


The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) expects to support between 50 and 100  projects with the £8million fund and will announce the winners in December this year.


Full details can be found on the Energy Saving Trust website.


The Kent Downs Woodfuel Pathfinder can provide free support for communities interested in biomass heating, both domestic and commercial. Please contact Matthew Morris on 01303 815 171 or matthew.morris@kentdowns.org.uk for more details.

Make your woodland pay its way

Over ambitious horse logging?

A step by step guide to applying for grant funding for roads projects or help with bringing woodland back into management.



Don’t miss out on a government funded scheme designed to turn pockets of unproductive woodland into well-managed money earners just because you are unsure of the process.


Mike Furness, Project Manager from Ngage Solutions for the Woodfuel Woodland Improvement Grant,  has written a helpful blog with a step by step guide for potential grant applicants. It is published on the Ngage website.


Mike is keen to assist woodland owners, to take advantage of this opportunity to make their woods more productive. There is money available for ‘Roads’ or ‘Timber’ projects, and Mike will be happy to talk through proposals even before an application is submitted, helping candidates maximise their  chances of success.


Ngage Solutions is administering the Woodfuel Woodland Improvement Grant (WFWIG) on behalf of the Forestry Commission in three regions: Cumbria, the South West and the South East. This grant is time limited, so act now to find out more about the scheme.


To find out more about Woodfuel WIG come and see the Forestry Commission at the APF show 13 1- 5 September stand G4.


Contact Mike Furness, Project Manager Ngage Solutions Ltd,  on 01494 568970 or 07795 515 413, or by emailing mike.furness@ngagesolutions.co.uk.

LC Energy - job vacancy

LC Energy is a leading UK renewable energy company based in the South East of England. 


The company provides premium grade biomass solutions to commercial and public sector organisations including Heathrow and Stansted Airports, Hilton Hotel Group, Universities, hospitals, schools, care homes and private client estates.


LC Energy is looking for an experienced and self-motivated site supervisor with an HGV Class 1 driving licence for a full time position with the company.


Based around the Heathrow Airport area, the role requires site management skills, and the confidence and professionalism to communicate with the company’s clients and sub-contractors.


Experience of operating and maintaining a range of vehicles including tractor & trailers, articulated bulkers, hook lift systems, skip vehicles and telehandlers is an advantage for this role.


In return, we offer a competitive package with benefits and excellent career development potential in a fast growing business.


To be considered for the position, please send your CV together with an introductory letter to Nicola Hopkins on info@LCEnergy.co.uk.


Closing date for applications is 31st July 2012.

Woodland Jobs: 3 Day Taster Event at Flimwell

RHI Update: New guidance for Applicants

Ofgem's latest update on  the RHI reports the scheme has received over 600 applications and has resulted in  payments for over 13,000 MWh of heat.  Of interest is the extremely high application acceptance rate (95%) with only three schemes having been rejected due to the receipt of capital grants (which are not compatible with the RHI).


Based on these figures it appears that only around 57 applications have been successfully processed and are receiving payments (which hints at a huge backlog of around 543 applications, the majority of which are for biomass).


Ofgem acknowledge the popularity of the scheme and the fact that it is taking longer to process applications than anticipated.  Most importantly Ofgem have highlighted the issues they  have found with heat metering under the scheme.  In response a range of new guidance materials have been made available (see below).


Heat metering issues


Ofgem has conducted a series of early site audits of RHI installations which have revealed significant problems with most installations having errors in their metering arrangements (which need to be rectified before installations can be accredited to the scheme.  Common issues identified include:

• Meters are not installed according to manufacturers’ guidance (e.g. the meter orientation is incorrect; the meter is installed too close to a bend; or the meter is installed in the flow pipe when it should have been installed in the return pipe etc).
• More installations qualify as ‘complex’ than as ‘simple’ for the purposes of RHI (meaning often more meters are required than applicants and their advisers might have anticipated).
• Schematics provided for systems to date often lack clarity or fail to adequately reflect the situation on site. This means that it can be difficult for Ofgem to decide whether the heat metering strategy is appropriate for the installation. This results in a need for further clarifications and work for both applicants and Ofgem.
• There are errors and omissions in Independent Reports on Metering Arrangements as well as inconsistencies with other documentation.

In addition to the new guides below Ofgem offers the following key advice:

• Be clear about the triggers which make an installation ‘complex’ for the purposes of the RHI before making an application.
• Ensure that meters can be and are actually installed in accordance with their manufacturers’ instructions.
• Ensure that appropriate documentation is obtained from manufacturers or suppliers and retained by the owner of the installation.
• Provide a schematic which accurately reflects the situation on site, to allow Ofgem to rely upon the meter readings it receives.
• Ensure that Independent Reports on Metering Arrangements are proof-read and checked against other documentation by their authors before submission to Ofgem.
• Ensure that the application is well made, by providing sufficient detail against answers and including all supporting documentation at the outset.

New guidance

• The Renewable Heat Incentive Application Process – An Overview and Key Guidance: Applicant Guidance Note 3 – a 10 page document which provides an overview of the key application steps for the RHI. We strongly advise applicants to review this document, alongside Applicant Guidance Note 2, before starting your application to assist you to submit a full and properly made application.  To go direct to the document, use the following link:
• Ofgem E-Serve’s Guide to the RHI Application Form: Applicant Guidance Note 2 – a list of all the questions asked in an RHI application. This will allow applicants to assemble all the information they will need to answer the application questions, before they begin an application.
• Heat Metering Frequently Asked Questions – guidance for applicants and other stakeholders on how to avoid common errors on metering.
• Biomethane presentation to UK Biomethane Day 2012 – a short powerpoint presentation for biomethane producers detailing how they should register for the RHI.
• The heat industry is also shortly to launch a Guide to good practice on heat meters. More information can be accessed via the B & ES website.