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5 tips on choosing a home energy advisor
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 8th March 2010 at 9:35 am
Every home is different so a visit from a Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) or Home Energy Advisor is the best way to get energy efficiency advice. However, choosing the right advisor can be a challenge. A DEA can provide the same energy audit that is legally required if you are selling or l…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Goodby HIPs, Hello EPCs: a homeowners guide
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 21st May 2010 at 10:15 am
Until yesterday, home sellers had to have a Home Information Pack (HIP) in place before they could put their home on the market. HIPs have now been suspended, pending primary legislation for a permanent abolition. Before the election, the Conservative Party promised a consultation on their complete…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Renewable heat incentive: deeming explained part 2
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 9th August 2010 at 2:11 pm
In the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) consultation published by the last administration, the incentive will be paid to households against a "deemed" amount of heat, rather than the heat actually used. Put simply, deeming is a method used to estimate how much heat is required to provide comfortab…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Green Deal - will the advice be good enough?
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 3rd December 2010 at 9:15 am
You're probably painfully aware that there's a lot still to be decided about how the Green Deal will work. According to DECC the Green Deal process starts with the provision of advice: "All households and businesses will be entitled to an energy efficiency assessment as part of Green …
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Look at a property's energy efficiency before you rent
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 20th April 2011 at 1:05 am
While the snow was on the ground at the start of the year, I carried out an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) on a house in a pleasant street in a rural Buckinghamshire village, prior to its owner marketing it for let. Specifically, this house is in the most northerly village in the county, ri…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
EPCs should make financial benefits clearer says Consumer Focus
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 30th June 2011 at 12:08 pm
Clarity, credibility and comparability are key if EPCs are to be meaningful for consumers, and lead to them increasing the energy efficiency of their home, according to a new report from Consumer Focus. Published today, Easy as EPC looks at the content and format of the Energy Performance Certificat…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Ashden Awards winner lists ways to increase uptake of retrofit
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 18th July 2011 at 10:20 am
Hampshire-based Radian housing association won the Gold at this year's Ashden Awards, for an ambitious and innovative programme of retrofitting hard-to-treat homes and building eco-homes that far exceed the current minimum standards for energy efficiency. Paul Ciniglio, Radian's sustainability a…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
House buyer's & renter's guide to reading an Energy Performance Certificate (part 1)
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 26th August 2011 at 9:30 am
This is a detailed house-buyers / renters guide to reading an energy performance certificate (EPC). It covers what you should look for and what it all means. This first part, of two, looks at some first impressions, and how to read page one. Why is it important to me? People are sometimes…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Home seller's guide to buying an EPC: what to consider
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 28th September 2011 at 9:30 am
Just as all buyers should receive an EPC (energy performance certificate), all sellers have to show one to people thinking of buying their home, and this usually means having to pay for it yourself. If your home already has an EPC, there is no legal requirement to replace it, so long as it is …
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Homebuyer & sellers' guide to reading an EPC: part 2
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 25th November 2011 at 10:30 am
Energy performance certificate (EPC) gives information that can be very helpful to both homebuyers and homesellers, but only if you know what to do with it. This article should be read in conjunction with previous guides to reading page one of the EPC for the buyers and renters, and for sellers. I w…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Solar PV does count towards new energy efficiency criteria
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 21st February 2012 at 10:58 am
Buildings must meet strict energy efficiency criteria from 1 April to qualify for the full level of feed-in tariff. When the government announced the change earlier this month it was not clear whether or not the solar PV installation would count towards the Energy Performance Certificate level D or …
Posted in: Energy efficiency, Solar electricity
Energy efficiency criteria for solar PV feed-in tariff lacks clarity
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 9th February 2012 at 12:42 pm
NB: The position is now clear. Solar PV will count towards EPC level D. Click here to read more. It's not clear whether or not newly installed solar PV panels are included in the new energy efficiency requirement of the feed-in tariff. The government has confirmed that a level D energy perfo…
Posted in: Energy efficiency, Solar electricity
Just two weeks for owners of energy-guzzling buildings to claim the top rate of feed-in tariff
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 16th March 2012 at 3:28 pm
Solar PV installations will only be eligible for the full feed-in tariff from 1 April if the building they are mounted on, or wired to, have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of at least band D. This leaves a brief window of opportunity for the owners of old, drafty buildings to get in before …
Posted in: Solar electricity
When is an EPC not required for solar PV feed-in tariffs
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 27th March 2012 at 2:38 pm
The new energy efficiency requirement for the feed-in tariff (FiTs) for solar PV kicks in on 1 April 2012. This means that the full FITs rate is only available for buildings which have an Energy Performance Certificate of band D or above. This is currently a bit less than half the UK housing stock. …
Posted in: Solar electricity
Rumours of solar PVs death have been greatly exaggerated
Posted by Paul Hutchens on 2nd May 2012 at 9:26 am
Like many people, I have noticed the drop in installations of solar PV since the introduction of energy efficiency (EPC) requirements on April 1 this year. With DECC publishing weekly data on the feed-in tariff scheme’s capacity, I am not alone. It has been suggested in the press and by some in…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Solar PV Installers can benefit twice if they invest in training to be a Domestic Energy Assessor.
Posted by Pete Roberts on 14th May 2012 at 9:40 am
With the Green Deal starting in October this year and the new EPC requirements for the feed-in tariffs, there is now more reason than ever to diversify and train to become a Domestic Energy Assessor. The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) requirement for feed-in tariffs came into force on 1 Apr…
Posted in: General
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