Introduction

The Sustainable Energy Association (SEA), with support from TrustMark, BSI and the BRE, have written this helpful tips paper to support manufacturers and innovators of energy efficiency and low-carbon heating products. The purpose of this work is to highlight challenges in getting innovative products installed under government schemes, and to help provide options for engagement with the key stakeholders involved. There is a particular focus on providing helpful tips regarding engagement with the PAS 2035/2030 standard and the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), which are now fundamental requirements of entry into most government-funded schemes.

At present, the market for energy efficiency and low-carbon heating products is supported by the availability of grant funding. Many large-scale retrofit projects are driven by government policy. This means that suppliers of new products and solutions are in an emerging market and are, therefore, reliant on such schemes to demonstrate the benefits of their products at scale and subsequently gain acceptance to the wider market. The schemes offering this funding (including, but not limited to, the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), Home Upgrade Grant (HUG), and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF)) have regulations or rules and standards in place, to ensure that measures and products are installed correctly and do not cause unintended consequences when interacting with other measures. While such controls and protections are obviously necessary, these requirements may pose challenges to innovators, and present barriers to market for the solutions that we will need if we are going to meet our ambitious carbon reduction targets.  

We hope to work with the relevant organisations to make improvements to the processes over time, but in the meantime, here is a collection of useful information that may help overcome these barriers.

This document outlines the challenges faced by industry to get innovative products into government schemes; the major stakeholders, systems and standards that play a part in the innovation process; who/what they are; and why they are important. The document ends with several tips and best practice suggestions to help you get started on your journey.   Be prepared though, there is not a streamlined and well signposted methodology for businesses to utilise to get their products certified and ready for government schemes; industry support is lacking, and the process requires time, cost and effort. More information on this can be found in the SEA’s report, ‘What Next for Heat and Buildings?’.

Read the paper: Helpful Information and Tips for Manufacturers and Innovators on Gaining Access to Government Energy Efficiency Schemes