Low Carbon Building Programme
Encyclopedia
The Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP) was a Government programme in the United Kingdom
administered by BERR
(formerly the DTI
) which ran from 1 April 2006 until its closure to new applications on 24 May 2010. The scheme is planned to be replaced by the Renewable Heat Incentive
in June 2011.
technologies and larger scale distributed generation
installations for public buildings and businesses, subject to energy conservation
standards being met. The programme was split into two phases - phase one, managed by the Energy Saving Trust
, divided into two streams, provided grants for householders under stream 1, and grants for businesses under stream 2. Phase two, launched in 2007 and managed by the Building Research Establishment
, provided grants for public sector, charitable and third sector organisations.
Grants were only offered to installations using products and installers either on "Clear Skies" lists or products and installers assessed and certificated to robust standards under the new Microgeneration Certification Scheme mark (or its equivalent, for products).
Although funding in the 2007 financial year was increased, as detailed below, there were no domestic grant allocations in April 2007 as the scheme was suspended while it was restructured. The suspension lead to a sudden drop in demand and job losses in the industry.
The revised domestic scheme, launched on 29 May 2007, cut the maximum grant by 50% to £2,500, and requires the householder to complete the works within strict time limits.
A further £50 million was announced in the April 2006 budget, which was used to establish phase two of the programme. Phase two uses a framework of suppliers and products which must be used by applicants when applying for a grant. The framework was established through an OJEU tender process, with the intention of providing certainty to the industry and further reducing technology costs through economies of scale.
The schemes replace by the Low Carbon Building Programme were also seen as being under funded, with only £45m having been invested in them. The Solar PV programme was originally intended to ‘establish the UK as a credible player.... alongside Germany and Japan’, however in 2004 the UK installed 2.5MW of photovoltaic electricity capacity, compared to over 300MW in Germany
.
On 21 March 2007, it was announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget Statement that the funding of grants for homes would be increased again to £18 million pounds in the new financial year for a new, restructured, scheme.
spending cuts.
The Government were criticised by the photovoltaic industry for ending the PV programme 6 years early. and also for allowing a funding gap to develop between the old and new programmes, which caused significant disruption to the renewables industry.
Low Carbon Scheme Closure
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
administered by BERR
Berr
Berr is a surname, and may refer to:* Hélène Berr , Jewish French woman* Henri Berr , French philosopher-See also:* Ber * BERR, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in United Kingdom...
(formerly the DTI
DTI
DTI may refer to:*Debt-to-income ratio*Deep trench isolation*Defense Technology Institute, the Thai defense technology public organisation*Department of Trade and Industry, a government department in several countries*Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad...
) which ran from 1 April 2006 until its closure to new applications on 24 May 2010. The scheme is planned to be replaced by the Renewable Heat Incentive
Renewable Heat Incentive
The Renewable Heat Incentive is a payment system for the generation of heat from renewable energy sources introduced in the United Kingdom on 28 November 2011...
in June 2011.
Operation
The LCBP offered grants towards the cost of installing domestic microgenerationMicrogeneration
Microgeneration is the small-scale generation of heat and power by individuals, small businesses and communities to meet their own needs, as alternatives or supplements to traditional centralized grid-connected power...
technologies and larger scale distributed generation
Distributed generation
Distributed generation, also called on-site generation, dispersed generation, embedded generation, decentralized generation, decentralized energy or distributed energy, generates electricity from many small energy sources....
installations for public buildings and businesses, subject to energy conservation
Energy conservation
Energy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
standards being met. The programme was split into two phases - phase one, managed by the Energy Saving Trust
Energy Saving Trust
Energy Saving Trust is a non-profit organisation jointly funded by the British Government and the private sector in order to help fight climate change by promoting the sustainable use of energy, energy conservation and to cut carbon dioxide emissions in the United Kingdom.-Background:The Energy...
, divided into two streams, provided grants for householders under stream 1, and grants for businesses under stream 2. Phase two, launched in 2007 and managed by the Building Research Establishment
Building Research Establishment
The Building Research Establishment is a former UK government establishment that carries out research, consultancy and testing for the construction and built environment sectors in the United Kingdom...
, provided grants for public sector, charitable and third sector organisations.
Grants were only offered to installations using products and installers either on "Clear Skies" lists or products and installers assessed and certificated to robust standards under the new Microgeneration Certification Scheme mark (or its equivalent, for products).
Grants
Grants were normally in the 10 to 50% range, according to the applicant and the technology. Funding for domestic schemes, restricted to £500,000 per month and allocated on a first-come-first served basis, was well below demand. In January 2007 funds were exhausted within 12 days, and in March 2007 within 75 minutes.Although funding in the 2007 financial year was increased, as detailed below, there were no domestic grant allocations in April 2007 as the scheme was suspended while it was restructured. The suspension lead to a sudden drop in demand and job losses in the industry.
The revised domestic scheme, launched on 29 May 2007, cut the maximum grant by 50% to £2,500, and requires the householder to complete the works within strict time limits.
Funding
Funding for the LCBP was originally set at £30 million for the first three years. £6.5m of this is allocated for domestic installations, £4m for community installations and £18m for others, while £1.5m was reallocated to plug the financial gap that appeared between the earlier programmes ending and the start of the Low Carbon Building Programme.A further £50 million was announced in the April 2006 budget, which was used to establish phase two of the programme. Phase two uses a framework of suppliers and products which must be used by applicants when applying for a grant. The framework was established through an OJEU tender process, with the intention of providing certainty to the industry and further reducing technology costs through economies of scale.
The schemes replace by the Low Carbon Building Programme were also seen as being under funded, with only £45m having been invested in them. The Solar PV programme was originally intended to ‘establish the UK as a credible player.... alongside Germany and Japan’, however in 2004 the UK installed 2.5MW of photovoltaic electricity capacity, compared to over 300MW in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
On 21 March 2007, it was announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget Statement that the funding of grants for homes would be increased again to £18 million pounds in the new financial year for a new, restructured, scheme.
Closure
The LCBP was closed to new applications from 06.00am on 24 May 2010, as part of a plan by the Department of Energy and Climate Change to cut £85m from its budget as its contribution towards the Coalition Government'sCameron Ministry
David Cameron is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government after the resignation as Prime Minister of Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010. Leading a coalition government formed by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, the coalition...
spending cuts.
Previous schemes
The LCBP replaced two earlier schemes, the 'Major Photovoltaics Demonstration programme', which assisted with photovoltaic installations, and the 'Clear Skies' programme, which aided other microgeneration installations.The Government were criticised by the photovoltaic industry for ending the PV programme 6 years early. and also for allowing a funding gap to develop between the old and new programmes, which caused significant disruption to the renewables industry.
See also
- MicrogenerationMicrogenerationMicrogeneration is the small-scale generation of heat and power by individuals, small businesses and communities to meet their own needs, as alternatives or supplements to traditional centralized grid-connected power...
- Low-carbon buildingLow-carbon buildingLow-carbon buildings are buildings designed and constructed to release very little or no carbon at all during their lifetime.-Buildings and Climate Change:Buildings alone are responsible for 38% of all human GHG emissions...
- Energy efficiency in British housingEnergy efficiency in British housingDomestic housing in the United Kingdom presents a possible opportunity for achieving the 20% overall cut in UK carbon dioxide emissions targeted by the Government for 2010...
- Energy policy of the United KingdomEnergy policy of the United KingdomThe current energy policy of the United Kingdom is set out in the Energy White Paper of May 2007 and Low Carbon Transition Plan of July 2009, building on previous work including the 2003 Energy White Paper and the Energy Review Report in 2006...
- Energy use and conservation in the United KingdomEnergy use and conservation in the United KingdomEnergy use in the United Kingdom stood at 3,894.6 kilogrammes of oil equivalent per capita in 2005 compared to a world average of 1,778.0. In 2008, total energy consumed was 9.85 exajoules - around 2% of the estimated 474 EJ worldwide total...
- Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which aims to boost the number of heat and electricity microgeneration installations in the United Kingdom, so helping to cut carbon emissions and reduce fuel poverty.The Act was piloted through...
- Renewable energy in the European UnionRenewable energy in the European UnionThe countries of the European Union are currently the number two global leaders in the development and application of renewable energy. Promoting the use of renewable energy sources is important both to the reduction of the EU's dependence on foreign energy imports, and in meeting targets to combat...
- Code for Sustainable HomesCode for Sustainable HomesThe Code for Sustainable Homes is an environmental impact rating system for housing in England and Wales, setting new standards for energy efficiency and sustainability which are not mandatory under current building regulations but represent important developments towards limiting the...
External links
- Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase One - Official BERR site
- Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase Two - Official BERR site
- Energy Saving Trust, programme managers of phase one of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme
- BRE, the Building Research Establishment, programme managers of phase two of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme
Low Carbon Scheme Closure
News items
- 30 March 2008, Green Building Press: Now it's the SLOW carbon building programme
- 17 January 2008, Daily Telegraph: Sun setting on solar power?