CLIENT REPORT AUTUMN ISSUE 2012
Foreword
“ Nothing will work unless you do.� Maya Angelou
Welcome to the autumn issue of the Client Report. This report informs you, our members on all the work HHIC has achieved quarterly. The autumn report covers the period from July 2012 to September 2012. It has been a very busy period with some significant achievements from members of the team. From influencing government, Benchmark online, planning a national energy efficiency campaign, annual conference to all our technical work, we aim to deliver you results. If you would like to chat to any member of the team regarding any topic in the Client Report, then please contact us at HHIC. Roger Webb, HHC Director
CLIENT REPORT AUTUMN ISSUE 2012
Image: Chris Yates
Public Affairs
“ Politics isn’t about big money or power games; it’s about the improvement of people’s lives” Paul Wellstone
• Green Deal: Green Deal will go live in January 2012. The framework has been in place from October 2012. Green Deal Providers and assessors will be able to get on board and installers can become accredited. Customers will be able to plan projects but will not be able to sign up to Green Deal finance until the end of January 2013. • HHIC has continued to work closely with DECC over the summer period. Our main focus has been on securing an appropriate cashback scheme for heating as part of the £200m of funding for Green Deal and to enable heating installers to participate in the scheme. • Renewable Heating: DECC published its consultation on the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive at the end of September 2012 and this was largely in line with expectations following the discussions during the summer. A first meeting of a new industry and government working group on renewable heating has taken place. This group which was proposed by HHIC provides an ongoing means of consultation on both the RHI and the interim Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme.
• Eco-design and Energy Labelling: The Energy Commissioner arranged a stakeholder meeting in Brussels in September 2012 in an attempt to resolve differences about the proposed energy labelling regulations for space and water heaters. These continuing disagreements about labelling resulted in postponement of the Regulatory Committee meeting in September at which Member States were expected to approve the new Eco-design regulations which will set new minimum efficient standards for heating products from 2015. The UK and other Member States have written to the Commission expressing disapproval at the delays which they claim are holding back energy saving opportunities. HHIC has continued to work closely with DEFRA on the details of both Directives. One significant development has been DEFRA’s willingness to now accept the proposal for third party verification of energy efficiency performance. • Longer term strategy: Continuing from our response to the DECC heat strategy we have started to develop a position paper on the Government’s proposals. This will form the basis of future dialogue with DECC on future options and policies for heating.
02 + 03
Public Relations
“ The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” Ellen Parr
• HHIC Journal magazine: The Green Deal issue attracted top contributors such as Caroline Flint MP, Elizabeth Leighton from WWF, Professor Doug King, independent specialist, Professor Christopher Tweed, BRE Chair in Sustainable Design of the Built Environment and Professor of Energy, Paul Ekins from UCL Energy Institute. The magazine continues to be an important PR vehicle to raise our profile to a much wider pool of leading thought leaders and experts. • Social Media: Due to the quality of followers, our Twitter Reach has increased considerably, from MPs, high profile journalists, to Tony Juniper and Daybreak presenters, our messages are being widely distributed and retweeted. • Campaign: Preparation for our national energy campaign, ‘Hole in the Roof’ got underway in this period and the results of the campaign will be in the Client Report winter issue 2012. • Press Releases: Coverage was strong on the following subjects: CO alarms, call for government action as boiler sales decline, and greater support for the construction sector as boiler sales hit ten year low.
CLIENT REPORT AUTUMN ISSUE 2012
• Trade Press: We have established strong links with the trade press and our regular HHIC columns in HVP and HPM magazines are reaching high circulations. Our relationship with the highly regarded BusinessGreen is becoming stronger and they often cover our news stories. Articles published: Taking steps to make things better – the importance of lobbying government for a more energy efficient UK, Gas Fire Survey: new revelations and Lobbying sees final results and government support for microCHP. • National press: Through Twitter our relationship with key journalists is improving and regular dialogue is occurring resulting in more news story interest.
“ The magazine continues to be an important PR vehicle to raise our profile to a much wider pool of leading thought leaders and experts.� Editor, HHIC Journal
Image: Caroline Flint MP
04 + 05
Technical
• Carbon Monoxide: HHIC and our industry partners have finalised the guidance to support the introduction of checks for CO on all new boiler installations. This will become a recommendation from 01 April 2013 and a requirement from 01 April 2014. The guidance was presented to the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and the Health & Safety Executive along with Gas Safe Register and CoGDEM. The method and timing was agreed and HHIC are working towards the implementation deadlines. • Flues in Voids: Inspection hatches will have to be installed in properties where there are concealed flues from 01 January 2013. Currently it is acceptable to provide protection in such situations simply with the use of a CO alarm. HHIC is developing guidance to support the change and this may result in Gas Safe Register issuing a new Technical Bulletin before the end of the year. We have also taken part in Gas Industry Safety Group work on this topic.
CLIENT REPORT AUTUMN ISSUE 2012
• Microgeneration Certification Scheme: The legal body for MCS is being changed. HHIC as a member of the Steering Group attended a special meeting in September 2012 to agree the proposed way forward. HHIC has also continued its involvement with the MCS Standards Management Panel which results from our chairing of the MCS001 Committee on the installer standard. • Standards: HHIC have represented members on the development and updating of a number of British and European product and installation standards including ones on solar water heating, microCHP and boilers. We also hosted a workshop to develop a response to the HSE review of the Approved Codes of Practice.
European activities: • We attended a meeting of CEFACD in August to agree a position on Eco-design Lot 20 for local space heaters which included gas fires. The key concerns surrounded the efficiency levels and the labelling that puts all gas fires in one band. HHIC also attended the Commission’s consultation forum on Lot 20 in September 2012. • We have also continued participation in a number of EHI committees. This has included input on biomass and heat pumps where we have submitted the UK work on the Heat Emitter Guide for consideration.
Membership
“ Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” Voltaire
• Benchmark: The new Benchmark site is now operational. The aim of the site is to allow the Benchmark brand to have its own base and to be able to build greater recognition. The main aim is to allow installers to complete the Benchmark Commissioning Checklist online. Copies of the completed checklist will be sent to both the installer and the consumer with a duplicate kept on a central database. HHIC are hoping to develop this model further to reduce the amount of forms that have to be completed. You can view it by going to www.benchmark.org.uk. • Member Meetings: We organised 17 meetings during the period of July to September 2012. This included a Solar Thermal workshop that discussed the concerns of Solar Thermal manufacturers. The meeting produced a set of actions that the manufacturers wanted us to address.
We carried out our annual Member Survey. Many thanks to all those who contributed. The principal results were: (percentage of excellent or good responses) • Representation of members’ interests on technical matters – 93% up 12% • Representation of members’ interests to Government etc – 93% up 11% • Representation of members’ through PR – 74% (new question) • HHIC Journal 92% • Networking opportunities at members meetings – 81% up 11% • Provision of information at members meetings – 89% up 12% • Provision of information by email etc – 93% up 4% • Stats service – 88% up 23% • Response to requests for specific information – 85% up 6% • Overall quality of service – 89% same as last year • Overall value for money – 71% up 4%
06 + 07
Contact list
HHIC Director
HHIC Deputy Director/
Communications
Membership Services
Roger Webb
Technical Director
Manager
Manager
roger@hhic.org.uk
Chris Yates
Jodie Wiltshire
Isaac Occhipinti
chris.yates@hhic.org.uk
jodie@hhic.org.uk
isaac@hhic.org.uk
Technical Manager
Administrator/Events
Glyn Thomas
Manager
glyn@hhic.org.uk
Natalie Flay natalie@hhic.org.uk
Heating & Hotwater
Telephone number:
Industry Council
+44 (0)1926 513777
(HHIC) Camden House Warwick Rd
Fax number: +44 (0)1926 511923
Kenilworth
Twitter:
Warwickshire
@HHIC
CV8 1TH
www.centralheating.co.uk
HHIC is a division of Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA).
HHIC CR2012 ED002