Yes ... In My Back Garden

A new report (YIMBY Generation - yes in my back yard!) examining consumer attitudes towards microgeneration heat technologies released today by the Energy Saving Trust and Open University and funded by the University of East Anglia's Carbon Connections Fund reveals the financial, regulatory and logistical solutions that will encourage a greater uptake of microgeneration heat technologies in homes across the UK.

With 75 per cent of all household CO2 emissions coming from water and space heating, the Energy Saving Trust believes that microgeneration heat technologies could make a significant contribution in helping to meet the UK's carbon reductions. The UK Government is expected to set ambitious targets of up to 80 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050.

"Currently the microgeneration market is niche, yet our own research has identified the barriers and proposes solutions that would make far greater numbers of householders install microgeneration. Also, and based on the Growth Potential for Microgeneration report (also supported by us and released today), we would urge Government to set targets for microgeneration and put in place the right combination of policies to achieve these targets. We are now ready to work with Government and industry to put in place a raft of measures to help achieve these targets and make the purchase of microgeneration a viable and desirable option for every household in the UK."
Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive of the Energy Saving Trust

The YIMBY Generation report summarises the responses to a survey of over 900 households who were considering or buying microgeneration heat technologies. The Energy Saving Trust and Open University found that people, in the past, have been put off from purchasing microgeneration for a range of reasons: the price and pay pack period, practicalities e.g. lack of space, and perceptual e.g. lack of confidence in the technology.

The report identifies the following five key solutions, which the Energy Saving Trust and Open University believe would help to encourage and stimulate a greater uptake of microgeneration heat technologies across the UK.

1. Independent advice and support. Respondents cited difficulties finding installers and with the installation process, something that the Energy Saving Trust will address through their new advice centres being rolled out across the UK. These provide people with a 'one stop shop' (Act on C02) advice service for information on energy efficiency, low carbon, transport, water conservation and waste. However, more funding is needed to give the detailed advice many people will need on microgeneration.
   
   
2. Dealing with up front costs. 53 per cent of those surveyed identified an annual reduction in council tax after installation as a financial measure which would encourage them to purchase microgeneration heat technologies. In addition, long lasting incentive schemes, like feed-in tariffs which enable people to sell excess electricity back to the grid at a premium price or the extension of the Government's Renewables Obligation to explicitly include microgeneration and renewable heat, would help encourage people to take up microgeneration. For example, if payments for energy generated by the microgeneration system were paid up front to the consumer this would allow them to use this money towards the capital cost of their microgeneration technology and thereby making it far more affordable. In policy terms, up-front payments are also more cost-effective: they can lead to up to five times more renewable microgeneration installed.
   
   
3. Improving usability of the systems. 37 per cent of respondents who own a microgeneration system said that they were uncertain how best to operate the system and its controls to make most efficient use of the fuel or energy. The Energy Saving Trust is helping by carrying out trials of how new technologies work when they are installed in a domestic setting.
   
   
4. Developing regulations. 80 per cent of respondents supported an obligation on gas and electricity suppliers to offer subsidised low carbon energy systems, in a similar way to the current insulation schemes. In addition, 'compulsion' could be a very effective way of bringing microgeneration uptake. For example, by mandating that boilers are replaced with microgeneration heating technology at time of boiler replacement and that solar thermal, wind or PV are to be made mandatory at time of roof repair, up to 9 million microgeneration technologies could be installed in the UK by 2020, at low cost to Government.
   
   
5. Need for independent monitoring / demonstration of microgeneration technologies to boost consumer confidence.
   
   

Full Report