A Scottish renewable energy expert urged local communities to make an investment in their future energy security this week, as he unveiled a new financing model for such schemes as hydro power and ground source heat pumps.

Doug Prentice, a lecturer in renewable energy finance at Napier University and the chief executive of renewable energy firm GeoCapita, is currently in talks with the Scottish Government over financing model.

He described the model as “public, private and community” (PPC), and says it will prove more sustainable than the much-criticised private finance initiative (PFI) schemes favoured by the past few administrations.

“The Scottish Government, which is probably ahead of anywhere else in the UK in this space, is very supportive of the PPC model,” he told The Scotsman newspaper.

“They’re putting together some very innovative finance mechanisms, one example of which is their renewable energy investment fund.”

The £103 million investment fund aims to support communities and rural businesses to develop local renewable energy projects, such as heat pumps, solar panels and hydro power.

The scheme is overseen by the Energy Saving Trust, and offers subsidies for residents or businesses seeking to increase their energy-efficiency and assist the national switch to renewable energy by installing technology such as underfloor heating, the latest in insulation, or ground source heat pumps.
The home heating methods utilised will determine which kinds of subsidy are available. For instance, a gas-heated home can receive subsidies for a solar thermal water heating system, while homes heated by oil, electricity, solid fuel or Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) can apply for subsidies for a range of biomass boilers and heat pumps.

For those householders who are having heat pumps fitted, they will also be required to fit a heat meter and provide information to the Energy Saving Trust. This is a separate government scheme involving the evaluation of different sorts of heat pumps, ahead of a wider subsidy scheme for renewable energy heating – provisionally entitled the Renewable Heat Incentive.

Hill Partnerships and Cambridge and County Developments was celebrating this week after its building at Richard Newcombe Court, in the city’s Histon Road was selected by judges at the industry’s leading eco awards as the perfect example of sustainable living.

The facility was designed to help elderly residents live as eco-friendly and independent a life as possible, and to this end is completely carbon-neutral – with biomass boilers fuelled with locally-sourced wood pellets, which operate the underfloor heating system throughout the building. It also uses photovoltaic cells as a renewable energy resource to general electricity for each flat. This energy is monitored by smart meters to make sure it is used as efficiently as possible.

Hill Partnerships managing director Andy Hill said: “Richard Newcombe Court is a pioneering scheme for older people, which successfully combines sustainable, independent living with a strong sense of community. We hope this model will be replicated across the country.”

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Organised by the publishers of Heat Pumps Today and ACR Today magazines, the awards’ finalists this year include a chapel in Merthyr Tydfil with underfloor heating powered by a heat pump, a 19th Century tall ship on the River Clyde, former Royal Navy minesweeper TS Resolute – which has been transformed into a youth training centre – and a 16th Century farm house.

What these very different projects all have in common is their dedication to renewable energy in the form of heat pumps, which extract low grade energy from air, water or the earth and upgrade so it can be used with underfloor heating to make surroundings cosy, to heat water or to power air conditioning.

Over 100 entries have been received across the awards’ 10 categories – and encompass residential, commercial and industrial applications across the UK.

Heat Pumps Today magazine editor Phil Creaney commented: “The innovation and creativity apparent in projects across the country is striking. It is clear that fundamental changes are starting to take place in the way people think about the best way of heating and cooling buildings.”

The city of Cambridge is preparing to host its third annual Open Eco-Homes event, organised by local energy-efficiency charity Cambridge Carbon Footprint.

During the event, some 25 properties in Cambridge will be opening their doors to the public and showing off the various features that make them truly green – features such as underfloor heating, solar panels and ground heat pumps.

One of the properties in question is in Auckland Road, and is home to architects Jeremy Ashworth and Emma Parkes. Their simple solution for energy-efficiency and a low carbon footprint is effective insulation and double glazing throughout, which traps and funnels the heat generated by their ground level underfloor heating. Rising heat warms the upper floors while many skylights help to capture natural light to save on artificial lighting. The final layer of insulation is an attractive wildflower roof.

Another property is the dream-child of architect Ian Steen, who lives on Mill Way in Grantchester. His eco-home is a “work in progress”, powering his underfloor heating and hot water with a ground source heat pump, while using photovoltaic cells and low-energy appliances to keep bills down.