Posts Tagged ‘Biomass’

Treco in the News!!!

Monday, December 12th, 2011

As well as updating our website to show some of our installations and the new case studies http://www.treco.co.uk/customer-satisfaction/, Treco has been appeared in quite a few magazines lately!

We have been featured in some larger biomass heating feature articles in Heating & Plumbing Monthly, Heating Ventilation and Plumbing and in National Farmer, a digital publication.

The articles discuss how,with the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) now launched, eligible biomass boiler owners can now gain payments per kWh of “useful heat” generated from eligible renewable heat installations. They also discuss how this will create tens of thousands of new renewable heat installations over the next few years and opportunities for heating engineers due to a national shortage of qualified and experienced installers.

We’ve also just had confirmation that we are going to be featured in December’s Heating and Ventilation Review, as well as the January issue of Heating, Ventilation and Plumbing, so watch this space!!!

Take a look at just some of our press here http://www.treco.co.uk/multimedia/

http://www.treco.co.uk/newsArticle/Treco+in+the+News’21’21’21/

Energy Efficiency Financing (EEF) Scheme – a great way to fund and finance your biomass projects!

Friday, December 9th, 2011

UK businesses wishing to implement more energy-efficient, greener technology but who are experiencing difficulty securing finance, can now turn to the Energy Efficiency Financing (EEF) scheme, jointly launched by the Carbon Trust and Siemens in April this year. The initiative makes £550 million available to organisations of all sizes to finance investments in green equipment over the next three years.

By matching monthly payments to real expected monthly energy cost savings, the new equipment investment can be effectively zero cost and firms can often be cash positive from day one of the arrangement. The scheme finances investment for values as little as £1,000 through to many hundreds of thousands of pounds, over a wide spectrum of energy efficiency and renewable solutions, ranging from solar photovoltaic, lighting and heating to industrial motors and much more.

http://www.energyefficiencyfinancing.co.uk/Pages/home.aspx

http://www.treco.co.uk/newsArticle/Energy+Efficiency+Financing+’28EEF’29+Scheme+’96+a+great+way+to+fund+and+finance+your+biomass+projects’21+/

Renewable Heat Incentive; General Eligibility Requirements from Chapter 4, Volume 1 of RHI Guidance

Friday, November 18th, 2011

This post is a summary, as relating to biomass, so please be sure to read the full guidance and draft legislation before making an application.

1. The owner of the installation must be the applicant. Where located on third party premises, the participant will be required to ensure access for OFGEM inspections.

2. Installation capacity will be the peak heat output capacity of the installation, which is available from the equipment’s distributor or manufacturer.

3. An installation is “plant” which meets the eligibility criteria.

4. OFGEM’s interpretation of associated infrastructure and integral equipment

Associated infrastructure, all heating installations;

-          Heat (hot water/ liquid and steam) meters

-          Heat distribution system (e.g. pipes delivering heat to users, heating controls, pumps, valves, radiators/ heat distribution heat exchangers etc.)

-          Heat storage equipment

-          Other buildings housing the plant equipment (e.g. boiler house) & Foundations

Integral equipment – Solid biomass plants

-          Boiler (e.g. ignition equipment, heat exchanger, electrical wiring and controls, combustion chamber, grate, air control, housing/ container)

-          Pipework required for the effective start up and shut down of the plant (e.g. back end loop/ valve)

-          Fuel feed equipment (e.g. auger, moving floor etc) where these are likely to be integral to the operation of the plant

-          Flue gas treatment equipment (where it is different to the equipment required for a comparable gas installation) & Fuel storage equipment (e.g. fuel hopper)

Solid Biomass associated infrastructure

-          Ancillary fossil fuel equipment (e.g. gas start-up equipment)

-          Fuel delivery, processing (e.g. chipping/ drying) and preparation equipment

-          Fuel store housing (e.g. fuel storage sheds, bunkers) & Flue

5. Other grants; RHI support will only be available for an eligible installation if no grant from public funds has been paid or will be paid.

6. Plants are only eligible for accreditation if their installation was completed and first commissioned on or after 15 July 2009.

7. Your plant must be new, not been previously used and the relocation of existing plant will render the plant ineligible.

8. Installations heating one single domestic premises are ineligible. District and community heating will be eligible for the RHI.

9. Heat delivery medium. The installation must use liquid or steam as a medium to deliver heat to the eligible use.

10. Microgeneration requirements; Biomass installations of 45kWth or less will be required to be backed up with certification under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).

www.ofgem.gov.uk/e-serve/RHI/Documents1/RHI_Guidance_Document_Vol_One.pdf

Next post; Technology specific criteria (biomass)

RHI Update – Draft Legislation to go in front of the House of Lords 2.30pm Tuesday 22nd November

Friday, November 18th, 2011

Attended a great meeting at Renewable Energy Association yesterday! and looks like the amended RHI Draft Legislation is to expected be debated in The House of Lords on Tuesday 22 November at 2.30pm;

It is listed on Parliament’s Website as;

“Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme Regulations 2011 Consideration in Grand Committee [Baroness Stowell of Beeston] 31st Report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments.”

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldordpap.htm/

We are expecting RHI to then be launched as planned at the end of November.

We’ll update you as soon as we know more!

Watch this space!!!!

General Eligibility Checklist; Renewable Heat Incentive RHI Guidance Documents

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

Please note, chapters refer to chapters of Volume 1 RHI Guidance Document

A. General Eligibility Checklist

1) The applicant is the owner of the eligible installation (see Chapter Four), the owner‟s identity has been verified by us and their bank details have been validated

Where there are multiple owners, the applicant must have permission to act for the others

2) The plant is an eligible renewable heat technology type and size (please see below)

3) The installation was completed and the plant was first commissioned on or after 15 July 2009 (see Chapter Four)

(or is a CHP installation which was generating electricity only prior to 15 July 2009, using biomass or biogas and converted to become an eligible CHP system on or after 15 July 2009)

4) No grants from public funding have been or will be received for purchasing or installing the eligible installation (see Chapter Four)

(or for installations commissioned between 15th July 2009 and the start date for the RHI those grants have been repaid)

5) The plant was new at the time of installation (see Chapter Four)

6) For applicable technologies: The plant has MCS or equivalent certification, and the installer of the plant had MCS or equivalent certification at time of installation (see Chapter Four)

7) The plant uses either liquid or steam as the heat delivery medium (see Chapter Four)

8) The plant is providing heat for at least one eligible heat use: heating a space, heating water or carrying out a process, where the heat is used within a building (see Chapter Five)

9) The installation is not solely heating a single domestic premises (see Chapter Four)

10) The metering arrangements are correct – right types of meters, calibrated, and placed in correct locations according to whether the installation is classed as “simple” or “complex” (see Chapter Seven)

11) The specific criteria, relevant to the technology applied for are met (see table 2 and Chapter Five)

 

B. Sizes and technology specific criteria for Solid Biomass

Solid biomass

- All scales eligible

- MCS certification requirements apply for installations less than or equal to 45kWth

- Must be specifically designed and installed to use solid biomass as its only primary fuel source

- Fuel eligibility requirements (see Volume Two)

 Next post; General Eligibility Requirements

Making a Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Application, 10 Things You Need To Know

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

1. All information that directly relates to your installation should be submitted via the RHI IT system; www.ofgem.gov.uk/RHI.

Your bank account information form is an exception to this as it must be printed, completed and posted to OFGEM.

2. Accreditation will only be received once an eligible installation under 1mW has been first commissioned. Other rules apply for over 1mW and there are different rules relating to applications for multiple plants in the guidance.

3. All questions relevant to your installation will need to be answered before you can submit your application. These will depend on the technology type, size of installation and complexity of your proposed heat use. Information required includes company details, date of installation, serial number for your installation, receipts and/or invoices, commissioning certificate/report and photo clearly showing the equipment’s serial number.

4. You must declare at this stage that you will continue to meet the ongoing obligations required by the scheme to receive RHI accreditation. The information you submit must be accurate, as receiving a financial gain through knowingly submitting false information could constitute fraud and may lead to prosecution.

5.  OFGEM then reviews all the information before making a decision as to whether the installation can be accredited. If your application is not successful, you will be notified in writing of the reason(s) why. You are entitled to ask for a review of the decision.

6. OFGEM may contact you for further information to verify eligibility, so do check for follow-up communication.

7. Once OFGEM are satisfied with your application, they will notify you in writing, then accredit the installation and make you a participant in the scheme.

8.  Prior to accreditation, OFGEM may arrange for a site inspection to verify certain information. Where the installation is located on third party premises not owned or controlled by the participant, the participant will be required to ensure access for OFGEM inspections.

9. OFGEM requires accredited participants to retain evidence relating to the installation‘s design and installation, such as technical calculations, drawings, commissioning data or other operating and maintenance documentation. They may ask to see this during the accreditation process or as part of an audit.

10. Once you are a participant in the scheme, you are able to receive support for your accredited installation. OFGEM will send you a statement of eligibility which will include or refer you to the following:

-          the date of accreditation

-          the applicable tariff rate for your installation

-          the process and timing for providing meter readings

-          details of the frequency and timetable for payments

-          the tariff lifetime and the tariff end date for the installation

-          the terms and conditions for your ongoing participation in the scheme.

It will be then a condition of accreditation that you must notify OFGEM within 28 days of any changes to your accredited installation. For more information; www.ofgem.gov.uk/e-serve/RHI/Documents1/RHI_Guidance_Document_Vol_One.pdf

The next post will look into preliminary accreditation and metering requirements


What is the difference between “installation‟ and “commissioning‟

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

What is the difference between “installation‟ and “commissioning‟

We’ve been asked this by a few visitors to the website, so to clarify;

To install an eligible installation means to build and/or put in place the relevant plant.

To ”commission” a plant means to carry out all necessary tests and procedures required by industry standards to show that the plant is able to deliver heat for the purpose for which it was installed.

For smaller scale installations, installation and commissioning may happen on the same day. At the larger scale there is usually a significant testing period, so the date of installation and date of commissioning may be different.

 

How to Apply for Inclusion in the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

The Renewable Heat Incentive is due to launch at the end of this year. Here is the second extract from the new RHI Guidance Documents, summarised for your convenience. Do ensure you read the full guidance documents and the draft legislation before making an application.

An Overview of How to Apply

In order to receive support under the RHI, an ”eligible installation” has to be accredited by Ofgem.

Applicants must demonstrate that an installation meets the RHI Eligibility Requirements and Ongoing Obligations, as per earlier our news item http://www.treco.co.uk/newsArticle/Updates+to+Renewable+Heat+Incentive+%2728RHI%2729+Scheme+Eligibility+/

Applications can only be made by an Authorised Signatory – who is authorised to open and use an account on the Ofgem RHI website (or provide information by post), submit reporting information and complete the RHI annual declaration.

OFGEM must successfully verify the identity of the Authorised Signatory using personal information and the bank details provided. This information will be treated in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

Before you apply

Read the Guidance in full as provides information on what OFGEM will need applicants to provide. A “Summary of Supporting Information for RHI Applicants” list will be published on OFGEM’s website by the launch of the scheme.

Prepare your accreditation application well and gather relevant information (eg technical specifications of meters and boilers, schematics, planning consents, invoices and commissioning documents) that you will need to provide. Your application will be helped with clear, concise and complete information and high quality electronic documents (eg easy to navigate, any scans are legible).

For more information; www.ofgem.gov.uk/e-serve/RHI/Documents1/RHI_Guidance_Document_Vol_One.pdf

The next post will be Making a Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Application, 10 Things You Need To Know

Biomass… A 21st Century Fuel?

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

With rising energy costs and an increasing eco conscience, it’s no wonder so many of us are going back to basics and heating our homes with the earth’s naturally regrowing – biomass – fuels. Tim Pullen investigates the modern uptake of biomass boilers on Homebuilding & Renovating

 http://www.homebuilding.co.uk/feature/biomass-21st-century-fuel

How to achieve an energy bill of £100 a year

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

We love how this lady has managed to cut her  energy bills to just £100 a year

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/blog/2011/nov/03/how-cut-energy-bills-to-100-a-year?CMP=twt_fd