Renewable Energy Installer December/January 2014 | Página 14

Opinion
2013 – What progress
have we made?
Robert Burke, HETAS, refl ects on a productive year and the improved outlook for
the biomass sector
s we near the end of the year
we start thinking about what
next year is going to bring. It’s
looking increasingly certain that
the domestic Renewable Heat
Incentive will be launched in spring 2014.
This can only be good news for the biomass
and renewable heating industry which until
recently has been slightly in limbo waiting
for a fi rm announcement on a launch date.
Despite this uncertainty, 2013 has been a good
year for the biomass industry, and we have
made great progress in strengthening HETAS
as the only dedicated competent person’s
scheme for solid fuel and biomass.
A change in attitudes has meant that
many consumers are starting to look at
hybrid systems. The steady increase in oil,
gas and electric energy prices has meant that
householders are even more aware of their
energy bills. Renewable forms of energy such
as biomass, wind and solar are becoming
even more popular as people look to minimise
costs whilst reducing their carbon footprint.
This shift in consumer behaviour has meant
increasing demand for biomass installers, and
also those who can design and install systems
using more than one technology.
We are now more certain than before
A
that the domestic RHI will be introduced next
year, and HETAS biomass training courses are
already in place for heating engineers who
may have experience of oil or gas, but are
looking to take advantage of the opportunities
which RHI will create for biomass installations
from next year. There will be no RHI payments
for oil or gas installations, so adding a
renewable technology to your existing
skills could reap dividends in terms of new
business.
Although we have been uncertain of
the RHI implementation date, at HETAS we
have been gearing up to be ready for the
new legislation when it comes. In 2013 we
introduced a new technical helpline which
has been invaluable for HETAS registered
installers. The feedback has been extremely
positive, and it’s another example of the
support service that we offer alongside other
technical information including the HETAS
annual guide, and a technical handbook which
we launched in the last 18 months.
A lot of the work we do at HETAS goes
on behind the scenes, but it’s probably the
unseen work that’s the most important!
We represent the industry at both national
and European level, and at the moment are
working with OFGEM to make sure the RHI
A lot of the work we do at HETAS goes on behind the
scenes, but it’s probably the unseen work that’s the
most important
14 | www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk
scheme works effectively for both installers
and consumers. At a European level, we have
been lobbying the European Commission
on the Ecodesign and Ecolabelling projects.
Much of the UK’s legislation is now
determined at European level, and HETAS
plays a crucial role in representing the views
of the solid fuel and biomass industry to the
European Commission.
All this progress in 2013 means that
we are starting to see increasing interest in
renewables, and biomass in particular. With
the thought that the domestic RHI may be
only three or four months away, now is the
time to make sure that we have enough
installers trained and registered with the
Microgeneration Certifi cation Scheme (MCS)
so that the industry can continue growing and
meet demand for renewable technologies.