better generation

The Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) was launched in April 2006 to provide grants to homeowners, businesses and communities but was closed to new applications on 5 February 2010.. The programme was designed to show how a combination of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy installations could produce model low carbon buildings.

There are 2 phases of the LCBP:

• Phase I is split into 2 streams: stream 1 for householders and stream 2 for businesses, charities and the public sector. Phase 1 is managed by the Energy Saving Trust (EST).

• Phase II offers grants of up to £1 million to charitable bodies and public sector buildings (such as schools, hospitals, housing associations and local authorities). Phase 2 is managed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE).

Budget 2009 - An extra £45m for the Low Carbon Buildings Programme

The Department of Energy and Climate Change who fund the Low Carbon Buildings Programme have announced an additional £45m for the programme. The department is currently considering options for the best use of this additional funding across both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the programme.

Phase I - stream 1 - homeowners

First step - energy efficiency

Before you do anything you’ll need to make sure you'’ve taken some energy efficiency measures around your home first. The scheme requires that you have already:

• •installed loft insulation to meet current building regulations - e.g. 270mm of mineral wool.
• installed cavity wall insulation (if cavity walls exist).
• fitted low energy light bulbs throughout your home
• ensured you have basic central heating controls that include a room thermostat and a programmer or timer.

Don’t let having to do this put you off –the rewards you’ll reap in your annual heating bills, as well as having a comfortable home, will be worth the initial cost, not to mention the obvious benefits to the environment. It makes sense that if you opt for generating your own energy, you’ll want to waste as little of it as possible.

Many local authorities offer energy efficiency grants so it’s worth investigating to see if you qualify. You can also do an online home energy check from the Energy Saving Trust, which may give you some extra energy saving measures and an estimate of your annual savings.

How do I know if I’'m eligible for a grant?

The grants are open to everyone, but in order to qualify there are some conditions:

1. The application can only be made by the householder or the owner of the property. If you have leasehold ownership you’ll need permission of the property freeholder.
2. Grants are only available for residents of England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland (excluding the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands).
3. Your home has to be a permanent building (so no mobile homes, caravans, house boats etc).
4. You’ll need to have planning permission in place from your local authority before you apply for your grant, or confirmation from them that you don’t need it.
5. The energy efficiency measures specified above will need to be carried out before you apply.

Regulations to put in place the new rules to allow homeowners to install microgeneration technologies, providing it has no impact on others, were announced by Planning Minister Caroline Flint on 13th March. The rules cover solar PV, solar thermal, ground and water source heat pumps, biomass heating and combined heat and power systems. They will come in to force on April 6th. Micro wind and air source heat pumps will be also be included in these new arrangements once clearance with the EU Commission is completed.

The grants cover the following technologies although different amounts will be available for each:

• Solar photovoltaics
• Wind turbines
• Small scale hydro
• Solar thermal hot water
• Ground source heat pumps
• Bio-energy
• Renewable CHP (Combined Heat & Power)
• Micro CHP
• Fuel cells

From 6th April, many homeowners will be able to install microgeneration equipment, like solar panels, without needing to get planning permission; as long as there is clearly no impact on others.

How much will I get?
There is a maximum of £2,500 available per property towards the cost of installing a certified product by a certified installer. Householders can apply for more than one technology but the funding will be limited up to a maximum £2,500 per household depending on technologies involved.

From April 1st new applications are being invited until June 2010 or until there are no more funds available (currently £10 million), whichever is the sooner, with the scheme to close in March 2011. Information on the household phase of the LCBP is available from the website at www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk, or from the helpline on 0800 9150990.

Can I save some money and install it myself?
However handy you are around the home, you won’t be able to install the technology yourself. BERR have a list of accredited installers and accredited products that you will need to use to be eligible for the grants.


So how do I go about applying?
The first thing is to decide which technology is right for you. Think about what you want the energy for – whether it’s for hot water, heating or electricity. The size of your home and how much you can afford to spend will also be things to consider. If you’'re having problems deciding the LCBP website go through each option in more depth.

Once you know what technology you’re going for you’ll need to choose the specific product from the accredited products available, and get a quote from an accredited installer. With all this in hand, you have everything you need to fill in and submit your grant request. This can be done online (at www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk), or you can print off the form, fill it in by hand and post it off. It may take a little longer to process though.

If you’'re successful you'’ll receive a grant offer letter from the EST, after which you can get going with your installation.

Am I likely to be awarded a grant?
Grants are allocated on a first come, first served basis. As long as you satisfy all the pre-requisites mentioned previously (planning permission, energy efficiency etc), and you have an accredited product, installer and quote, you should stand a good chance of being awarded a grant.

How long will it take to process my application?

Online applications will be processed pretty much straight away. Paper application forms will be processed within 15 days.

When will I actually receive the grant?
The grant will be awarded once installation of the system is complete. When the work’s done, you and the accredited installer will need to fill in a completion certificate. Once received, it’ will be checked and processed, and you should get the money within 25 days.

I’'d like to install more than one technology – can I apply for more than one grant?
Yes. If you’re a householder you can apply for up to 3 different technologies on one building, however there is still a grant limit of £2,500 per property for the combined technologies. You can apply for a maximum of 3 buildings to be funded, but they will have to be on separate applications.

How long is the grant scheme open for?

Since the scheme re-opened in May 2007, household grants have been and will continue to be allocated on a first come first served basis as long as funds last.

There will be no further funds added to the scheme, and no further measures to extend the scheme life.

You can still apply but only you, as the property owner, are allowed to directly benefit from the installation. The electricity that’s generated can only be used by you through separate metering and can’t be available to the rented section of the building, so will probably work best if you’re on a separate floor or annexe.

I live in a council house – can I still get a grant?
Unfortunately, no. As the council owns the property they will need to apply for the grant under Phase II.

Quick Rundown:
All this might be a lot to take in, so here’s the application process in a nutshell:

1. Ensure you meet the necessary energy efficiency requirements.
2. Choose your accredited product, get planning permission if required (or confirmation that it’s not necessary), and obtain a quote from an accredited installer.
3. Apply online for your grant (or by post but it will take longer).
4. If you are successful a grant offer letter will be sent via email. You can now order the system and commence installation.
5. Once your system is in and you have paid the installer, you will need to fill in a completion certificate (downloadable from the EST website) and send it to the EST to claim your grant.
6. Your grant will be sent to you within 25 working days, once the claim documents have been received and checked.

Also, it’s important to make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get everything done, as you won’t easily be able to get an extension. The only way you’ll be allowed extra time is if circumstances beyond your control have hampered the installation, e.g. a problem with the supply of your chosen product. In these cases you might be allowed an extension of a maximum of 2 months.

Keeping the installation going
You won’t be allowed to de-commission or make any changes to the installation that might adversely affect its performance for 5 years. The EST can inspect the technology at any time during this period. If you move house before the 5 years is up, the LCBP will want to be informed in writing and given details of the new owners. The new owners will also need to know that they’re now responsible for the installation.

Can I apply for other grants if I receive a LCBP grant?
You will not be allowed to receive a grant from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme along with a grant from the Scottish Community and Household Renewables Initiative (SCHRI) or the Northern Ireland's Renewable Energy Fund for the same project or installation; i.e. double funding for projects will not be allowed.

Phase I - stream 2 - businesses, SME's, public sector and charities

**Is now closed to applications.**

Phase II –- public sector and charities

Phase II of LCBP provides grants for the installation of microgeneration technologies to public sector buildings (including schools, hospitals, housing associations and local authorities) and charitable bodies.

• From April 1st grant caps will be increased to 50% across all technologies, bringing them in line with the funding available for solar PV funding.
• Grants of up to £1m are available per eligible site.A site may include more than one property and a maximum of three eligible technologies may be grant-assisted at each property. Multiple applications from one organisation for different sites will be accepted.
• Unlike phase I there are no mandatory energy efficiency requirements but the property must meet building regulations, and applicants are encouraged to take the appropriate energy efficiency measures.

The scheme is now closed to new applications since 5 February 2010. The LCBP householder stream is still open until March 2010 on a first come first serve basis. This is mainly due to a rapid increase in applications over the last few months until February 2010, leading to a faster reduction in funds than previously predicted. The remaining funds will be available to heat generating technologies only. The Feed-in Tariffs under the Clean Energy Cashback scheme will take over as the government’s main incentive for renewable energy generation, as there are no plans for any more renewable energy grants.

**Solar PV** Despite increasing the Solar PV pot by £14m the full Solar PV allocation has been reached. Any applications for Solar PV made after (20th February 2009) will be kept on hold in case the situation changes. Please check the LCBP website for any updates. Please note this only applies to PV and funding is still available for the other technologies.

Further information on phase II of the LCBP is available from the website at http://www.lowcarbonbuildingsphase2.org.uk, or from the helpline on 0870 4232313.

The LCBP is part of the UK Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF); a joint BERR / Defra fund to bring forward the demonstration and deployment of carbon energy and energy efficiency technologies. Further information about the ETF is available from www.berr.gov.uk or www.defra.gov.uk.