Heating contractor, BSW Building Services, is working with boiler suppliers and local authorities to support the Government's Affordable Warmth initiative.
Affordable Warmth is funded by the big six UK energy providers to meet their carbon reduction targets as part of the wider-scale Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which entitles low income and vulnerable households to upgrade and install energy-efficient boilers and insulation measures for free. Affordable Warmth receives an approximate total investment of £350 million a year, providing a much needed boost to fuel saving measures and energy conservation to combat fuel poverty.
Operations director at BSW Building Services, Troy Bellière, said: 'The Eco Affordable Warmth Obligation is also excellent news for the heating industry. It provides the opportunity for contractors to increase their productivity by generating additional business from householders who are perhaps unable to meet the cost of upgrading their systems. This is highly positive for everyone and the extra revenue will give heating installers a healthy boost in the current economic climate.'
Green Deal approved installers can make the most of the initiative by working with registered fund providers in their local areas. These providers manage the funds and delegate the installation work to approved installers. The scheme is the successor to Warmfront and the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) as well as the Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP), which have all now ended.
At present, the programme covers the installation of new boilers and, where required, heating system upgrades, as well as loft, cavity wall and external wall insulation. Boilers must be SEDBUK A rated with a minimum two years' warranty and replace an aged, inefficient or broken down appliance.
Investments are generated in a system that sees the energy suppliers bid in an anonymous brokerage model for the trading of carbon under ECO. Operating rather like ebay, a Green Deal Provider will submit a Lot for sale, representing a future delivery of carbon savings, specifying where, when, how much carbon, and a reserve price. Auctions are then held at a specified frequency and date, whereby the big six can bid for the lots. This represents a binding contract between the seller to deliver the carbon in the time-frame specified, and the energy company to buy it at the price agreed.
