Knowledge: RHI focus
Good things come to those who wait
With the domestic RHI now offi cially open, the renewable heating industry can
fi nally move forward with confi dence. Clare Campbell, product marketing
manager for Dimplex Renewables, considers what impact it will have and how
installers can take advantage
ou could almost sense the industry breathing a collective
sigh of relief when DECC announced that the RHI would
begin on 09 April - fi nally ending years of uncertainty over
the scheme.
Like many involved with these technologies, I am
excited by the opportunities. More than four and half years since the
domestic scheme was fi rst conceived, this is the news that everybody
in the industry has been waiting for.
It will undoubtedly stimulate the domestic market for renewable
heating solutions such as heat pumps, solar thermal and biomass,
giving consumers the confi dence to invest knowing they will be
rewarded for the renewable heat they generate. And for installers, that
can only be good news.
For many people, the RHI scheme – and the potential of renewable
heating technology - starts here. Even with the tariff announcements
last summer, Dimplex has been aware of homeowners who were
interested in the technology but after all the delays that the scheme
has faced, many were not even speaking to installers until they knew
for sure that the funding would be there. Now that a start date has
been announced, with guaranteed tariffs for eligible installations over
the next seven years, we are expecting to see a surge in the number of
installations.
The next step now is to make sure that everybody in the industry
– the government, manufacturers and installers – makes every effort
to publicise the funding and raise knowledge amongst homeowners.
There is a fantastic opportunity for householders to make signifi cant
savings to their heating bills with lower payback periods than they
might expect.
The key for installers is to be commercially aware, spot
the opportunities and take full advantage of support from your
manufacturer of choice, from dedicated product training to online or
offl ine heating design tools.
Many homeowners will not be aware that RHI funding is eligible
on all MCS-accredited installations registered since 15 July 2009. The
RHI scheme also presents a fantastic opportunity to get in touch with
previous customers, inform them of their eligibility and deliver added
value with the opportunity of further work too. Revisit old order books -
and it could pay dividends.
Y
The onus is now on the industry to build
momentum and maximise the opportunity
18 | www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk
Numbers game: Dimplex is disappointed that the domestic RHI does not
reward high effi ciency ASHPs like it’s A-Class more than lower performing
models
Whilst I do not want to dampen spirits now that RHI is fi nally
confi rmed, it will be interesting to see how the scheme evolves over
time.
The initial tariffs are good and DECC must be applauded for
listening to feedback from the industry throughout the consultation
phases, taking lessons from the non-domestic scheme into account
too. However, it is disappointing that the RHI in its current form does
not reward higher effi ciency models over run-of-the-mill systems
which only meet the minimum requirement.
With air source heat pumps, for example, a high effi ciency product
like the new Dimplex A-Class, which outperforms the Heat Emitter
Guide with SPFs of 3.9 (underfl oor heating) and 3.6 (radiators), would
not be rewarded any higher than a standard performing product, apart
from the ongoing running costs of course. It is an oversight which must
be corrected if we are to encourage homeowners to choose better
performing products.
Overall, the RHI is a fantastic initiative which will undoubtedly
encourage homeowners to choose renewable heat. The onus is now
on the industry, as a collective, to build momentum and maximise the
opportunity - working towards the EU’s legally binding 20-20-20 target
that 20 per cent of energy consumed will be produced from renewable
resources. If we get it right, the delays will all be forgotten.