The Construction Centre.co.uk - General Other - UK

Date: 01 Aug 2008

The Construction Centre.co.uk have signed a petition, established by Heating and Ventilation Review, which supports the adoption of a feed in tariff for CHP owners who have surplus electricity which is sent back to the national grid.

Currently, electricity which is unused by owners of mini combined heat and power units, is simply fed back to the grid without remuneration from the utility companies. There is no obligation which states it is a legal requirement for them to do so and this is why the petition has been created. In Germany there is a feed-in tariff which encourages the advancement of the CHP industry but also financially supports the businesses for generating additional sources of electricity. In the UK a company has to buy back additional electricity even if it has already previously sent surplus electricity through the utility companies back to the grid.

Heating and Ventilation Review established a petition for a feed-in tariff to be established and it is currently on the 10 Downing Street website and has around 50 signatories. The petition has already received praise in parliament and with additional publicity and at least another 150 names, a response from government on the issue is guaranteed.

The Construction Centre said that with the building industry facing the toughest economic climate for some time and with energy prices continually soaring, every potential saving for businesses should be considered. The government has stated that by 2010 they intend to double the combined heat and power capacity to 10,000 MW and Malcolm Wickes has issued a consultation on feed in tariffs. However if the government is to meet this target, The Construction Centre said that legislation to incentivise companies to adopt CHP was the only way forward.

Richard Simmons, Managing Director at The Construction Centre said "Our sister site The Renewable Energy Centre, is continually campaigning for the government to legislate on energy saving and encouraging renewables. The government has massive targets to reach and the construction industry is one of the worst culprits for carbon emissions. This is just another example where companies who are making a difference by using CHP, are effectively being penalised by the government for supporting the national grid with free spare electricity but having to buy it back if needed."

The Construction Centre said there was a lot to be learned from Germany, one of the most advanced European countries in terms of reducing carbon emissions, sustainable construction and renewable energy. In signing the petition, The Construction Centre hopes to lend its support to the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) industry and continue to highlight the need for the building industry as a whole to pull together and make a difference.

Where do I go now?: » View the latest news items » View the news archive » Subscribe to Weekly Construction Newsletter » Submit news