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Included in this section:
ENERGY ASSISTANCE PACKAGE
Introduction
The Energy Assistance Package (EAP) is a package of measures aimed at maximising incomes, reducing fuel bills and improving the energy efficiency of homes. The EAP was introduced by the Scottish Government on 6 April 2009, and replaces the previous Central Heating Programme and Warm Deal schemes.
The new package was announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health & Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon, following the recommendations of the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum. The Forum will be monitoring the implementation of the EAP and advising Ministers on any further actions required. They will also be liaising with the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group for England to ensure Scottish interests are fed into reserved policy areas.
Scheme Updates
In November 2009 the Scottish Government announced rule changes to the EAP following advice from the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum, to enable the scheme to target more of the least energy efficient houses in Scotland. Households with a band E energy performance rating will now benefit as well as those in band F and G. Councils and housing associations across Scotland will also receive an extra £2.5 million in this financial year to insulate cavity walls and lofts for tenants in social housing. Proposals for new regulations to bring in the new eligibility criteria will be laid before Parliament shortly.
Also in November 2009, the Scottish Government announced a further extension to the EAP meaning that grants of up to £6,500 are now available under the scheme to install low-carbon air source heat pumps for households in rural parts of Scotland who normally have to rely on oil or solid fuels.
In January 2010 the Scottish Government announced changes to the eligibility criteria for Stage 4 of the scheme, to enable an estimated further 10,000 households to benefit. Stage 4 offers a package of enhanced energy efficiency measures to those who are most vulnerable to fuel poverty. Previously entitlement at Stage 4 was to 'Low-income families in energy-inefficient homes with a child under 5 or a disabled child under 16'. The change means entitlement is now extended to low income families in energy inefficient homes with a child under 16. The definition of low income has also been broadened to 'in receipt of Child Tax Credit more than the family element'.
Statistics on the Energy Assistance Package are available to view on the Scottish Government website (these are updated on a regular basis).
Delivery of the package
The EAP builds on the existing energy efficiency advice network and will be delivered in partnership with advice providers, energy companies and the Scottish Government. The Energy Saving Trust has overall management responsibility for the delivery of the package. Access to the EAP is gained by calling the Energy Saving Scotland advice centre (ESSac) network on freephone 0800 512 012.
Stages
There are four stages to the scheme:
- Stage 1 offers free expert energy advice to everyone.
- Stage 2 provides benefits and tax credit checks and advice on low cost energy tariffs to those at risk of fuel poverty.
- Stage 3 provides a package of standard insulation measures (cavity wall and loft insulation) to older households and those in receipt of one of a range of benefits [click on weblink for more information on the qualifying criteria for Stage 3).
- Stage 4 offers a package of enhanced energy efficiency measures to those who are most vulnerable to fuel poverty [click on weblink above for more information on the qualifying criteria for Stage 4].
Measures
Depending on individual circumstances, the package may consist of but is not limited to:
- Installation of a new central heating system including where appropriate air source heat pumps;
- A new boiler;
- Draughtproofing;
- Internal or external wall insulation;
- Cavity wall insulation;
- Loft insulation;
- Room thermostats and heating controls;
- Insulation of tanks and pipes
Who benefits
Stage 1: Everyone who phones the Energy Efficiency Advice network will receive free expert energy advice.
Stage 2: Those at risk of fuel poverty may be offered benefit and tax credit checks and advice on low cost energy tariffs
Stage 3: Private Sector: a person may qualify for a package of standard insulation measures (cavity wall and loft insulation) if they are a home owner or the tenant of a private landlord and they or their partner
- is aged 70 or over and has no central heating
or
or
Stage 3: Social Sector: if the person is a social sector tenant renting from either a local authority or Registered Social landlord, similar insulation measures may be available to them funded through a partnership between their landlord, the Scottish Government and energy companies. For information about this they should contact their landlord.
Stage 4: The person may qualify for enhanced measures if they are a home owner or the tenant of a private sector landlord and they or their partner
- is aged 60 or over and you have never had central heating installed in your home
or
- is a home owner or the tenant of a private sector landlord and they live in an energy inefficient home and they or their partner
- is aged 75 or over
- is aged 60 or over and receives a qualifying benefit
- has a child under 5 and receives a qualifying benefit
- has a disabled child under 16 and receives a qualifying benefit
- is pregnant and receives a qualifying benefit
For the first time help may also be available for those in mobile homes.
The qualifying benefits for stage 4
- Attendance Allowance
- Child Tax Credit - where income less than £17,474
- Council tax benefit
- Housing benefit
- Income support
- Income-based jobseekers allowance
- Disability living allowance
- Disablement pension which includes a constant attendance allowance
- State Pension Credit - with Guarantee element
- War disablement pension which includes a mobility supplement or a constant attendance allowance
- Working Tax Credit - where income less than £17,474
- Employment and Support Allowance
Applicants to the Energy Assistance Package should telephone their local Energy Saving Scotland Advice Centre on 0800 512 012. Details are also available on the Energy Saving Trust website here .
Information about the scheme is also available on the Scottish Government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/access/FP/eap .
View the latest Programme Statistics on the Energy Saving Trust website at: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/Scotland-Welcome-page/At-Home/Energy-Assistance-Package/Programme-Statistics
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Carbon Emission Reduction Target
CERT 2008-2011
The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) 2008 – 2011 is the third three-year phase of a domestic energy supplier obligation and requires all domestic energy suppliers with a customer base in excess of 50,000 customers to make savings in the amount of CO2 emitted by householders. CERT doubled the level of activity seen under the previous Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) 2005 - 2008.
About CERT
CERT sets targets on gas and electricity suppliers to achieve improvements in energy efficiency by providing energy efficiency measures - such as cavity wall and loft insulation and energy efficient boilers, appliances and light bulbs - to households across Great Britain. CERT is a target set by the UK Government, while the regulator Ofgem is in charge of monitoring the scheme's delivery. In the same way as the former EEC scheme, CERT is primarily a carbon saving programme and, as such, is part of the UK Government’s Climate Change Programme.
At least 40% of the energy savings achieved by energy suppliers must be targeted at a ‘Priority Group’ of low-income and elderly households in receipt of benefits or tax credits.
Suppliers have flexibility in the types of energy efficiency measures they provide to customers. These measures can also be promoted and delivered with a range of project partners including social housing providers, charities, retailers and manufacturers.
CERT allows suppliers to meet up to 5% of their obligation through a ‘flexibility mechanism’, which aims to target hard to treat homes i.e. those off grid or solid walled homes, in the Priority Group.
The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 enables CERT to include microgeneration and behavioral measures within the scheme. Under the scheme, suppliers are able to promote microgeneration measures, biomass community heating and Combined Heat and Power, and other measures for reducing supplied energy consumption.
Consultation on extending CERT obligations
As part of the UK Government’s Home Energy Saving Programme, the consultation on proposed amendments to the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target 2008-2011 was launched in the early part of 2009. As a result of the consultation, the CERT target was further raised by an additional 20%, increasing the scheme’s lifetime carbon savings to 185MtCO2 (some 31 MtCO2 more than under the original CERT target) thereby making a significant contribution to the Government's environmental and social ambitions.
In addition suppliers must now focus 40% of their activity on a ‘Priority Group’ of vulnerable and low-income households, including those in receipt of eligible benefits and pensioners over the age of 70. In this way CERT also contributes to the Government’s Fuel Poverty Strategy.
Download the statutory instrument The Electricity and Gas (Carbon Emissions Reduction) (Amendment) Order 2009 here.
Extending CERT to 2012
In the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan published in July 2009, the Government committed to increasing the focus of the CERT to ensure that it especially targeted the most vulnerable and increase the quantity and speed of insulation installation.
To support this, the UK Government has proposed to extend the current CERT period to December 2012 and will be consulting publicly on this by the end of 2009.
In October 2009 the Government also announced proposals to set up a "Super" Priority Group obligation for the most vulnerable - such as poorer, older pensioners - as part of the extension to 2012 of CERT.
Suppliers' Progress
Ofgem reports supplier progress towards their CERT target on a quarterly basis. See the Ofgem: CERT update web page for full details.
CERT Strategy for Scotland
The Scottish CERT Strategy Steering Group - which includes representatives from Government, energy companies and consumer and environmental interests - has developed a strategy to encourage energy companies and the UK Government to boost energy efficiency investment in Scotland.
The focus of the strategy is working with delivery partners in Scotland to introduce many more potential CERT customers to the energy supply companies, securing a greater share for Scottish households from CERT.
View the Scottish Government news release here
Download the report 'Securing our share: A CERT Strategy for Scotland' [12 June 2009]
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Community Energy Saving Programme
In September 2008 the Prime Minister announced the Home Energy Saving Programme, a package of initiatives designed to help people to reduce their fuel bills; one element of this package was the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP).
CESP, which commenced operation in September 2009, requires gas and electricity suppliers and electricity generators to deliver energy saving measures to domestic consumers in specific low income areas of Great Britain. The scheme has been designed to promote a 'whole house' approach and to treat as many properties as possible in defined areas.
The CESP obligation period runs from 1 October 2009 to 31 December 2012. It requires all licensed gas and electricity suppliers that have at least 50,000 domestic customers and, for the first time, all licensed electricity generators that have generated on average 10 TWh/yr or more in a specified three year period to meet a carbon reduction obligation. The overall carbon reduction target is 19.25 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (MtCO2).
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is responsible for setting the overall CESP target and the policy framework and Ofgem is responsible for administering the programme.
CESP will also contribute to the government's Fuel Poverty Strategy by requiring actions to be delivered in geographical areas selected using the Income Domain of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) in England, Scotland and Wales. In England, the lowest 10% of areas ranked in IMD will qualify and in Scotland and Wales the lowest 15% of areas will qualify.
CESP seeks to promote the measures which give households the biggest fuel bill and carbon savings. Low cost energy efficiency measures may offer the most cost-effective carbon dioxide savings, but will not deliver the reductions CESP is trying to achieve on their own. This is where CESP’s approach differs from the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT).
Qualifying actions under CESP include:
- Home energy advice package
- External solid wall insulation
- Internal solid wall insulation
- Cavity wall insulation
- Virgin loft insulation (including anything less than 60mm existing insulation)
- Loft insulation top up
- Flat roof insulation
- Under floor insulation
- Double glazing
- Draught proofing
- Fuel switch (to gas)
- Connection to a district heating scheme
- An upgrade of a district heating system
- District heating meter for individual house billing
- Ground source / air source heat pumps
- Micro-generation (PV, Solar Thermal, micro CHP, biomass boiler, micro wind, micro hydro)
- Heating controls
- Replacing old boilers (G rated) with high efficiency models
- Installing gas central heating in homes without central heating
The CESP Consultation closed on 8 May 2009; you can view EAS's response here.
Following on from the consultation, DECC published the following reports:
- Government Response and Analysis to the Community Energy Saving Programme Consultation
- Community Energy Saving Programme Impact Assessment
- Communities: Areas of Low Income Document
These are available to download on the following page of the DECC website:
The final CESP Statutory Instrument was published in July 2009.
An Ofgem CESP Supplier and Generator Guidance consultation ran between September and August 2009. The final decision document following on from this consultation is expected to be published in November 2009.
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Home Insulation Scheme
As part of the Budget Bill passed in February 2009, the Scottish Government announced an area based Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) made up of £15 million of new Scottish Government funding and £15 million from other partners to provide up to 90,000 homes with energy efficiency advice and assistance and with insulation where suitable and appropriate. The scheme commenced operation in November 2009.
In its first phase HIS will deliver a street-by-street approach, offering energy audits and benefit advice to all households in the selected areas. Loft and cavity wall insulation will be offered where applicable. Up to 100,000 homes in 10 areas are expected to benefit in the first year of the scheme, delivering savings of up to 24,250 tCO2, and it is estimated that the average household will save in the region of £70 per annum on their fuel bills. HIS will also create and sustain around 900 jobs. The long term programme strategy will be informed by an evaluation of this first phase.
The scheme aims to overcome barriers to take-up in the following ways:
- Intensive door-to-door approach
- Advisers to liaise with landlords, owners, etc to overcome barriers
- Free insulation for priority groups
- Able-to-pay households will benefit from energy audit and potential for enhanced CERT deal
View the Scottish Government news release about the first phase of the HIS scheme here, and the latest news release about the scheme getting underway here.
A full list of areas covered is also available.
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Universal Home Insulation Scheme / Boiler Scrappage Scheme
As part of the 2010-11 Budget approved in February 2010, the Scottish Government announced that it is establishing a new area-based, universal access £10 million Home Insulation Scheme (UHIS), providing free home insulation measures to around 90,000 homes in the course of 2010-11.
The UHIS is in addition to the £15 million Home Insulation Scheme announced by the Scottish Government in November 2009 which will also continue over the next year.
The Scottish Government further announced in the budget that it is committing, in full, the £2 million Barnett consequentials received as a result of UK Government expenditure on its boiler scrappage scheme to support boiler scrappage in Scotland, as part of the Scottish Energy Efficiency Action Plan due to be published in the Spring.
For a summary of the Scottish Government budget 2010-11, and to access related documents, visit: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2010/02/03151658 .
To access a paper setting out in detail the proposal on the development of the Universal Home Insulation Scheme (UHIS), visit: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/quality/his/universal-scheme/ .
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Page updated: 23 February 2010 |
