From a meeting on the 14th June and via subsequent dialogue with CLG [the Gov’t Dept leading on qualification requirements], ABBE and others had been strongly encouraged to develop a qualification that would be required by the Green Deal. There was to be no APEL scheme and only a qualification based on the full NOS would be acceptable.
Acting on this understanding, ABBE was set to submit the qualification to Ofqual on the 9th July and was confident of a 1st August approval. Indeed CLG had supplied ABBE with a statement asking Ofqual if it could prioritise the application as a matter of urgency.
As you may know on the 8th July senior officials at the Department of Energy and Climate Change [DECC], signalled that contrary to the expectations of CLG, ABBE and others that the arrangements over the Green Deal were not settled as ABBE had been led to believe. CLG relayed this news to ABBE on the morning of the 9th July. It was clear that even CLG officials had been caught by surprise. The news threw the plans of ABBE and its assessment centre community in to disarray.
Since then we hear that the Green Deal legislation is now some way off even though plans still exist to introduce the Bill to Parliament in September 2010. ABBE had been led to believe that the legislation would be given priority by Ministers indicating that the bill would become an act in the early part of 2011. If this had been the case then the plans for the qualification would come to fruition.
The tone of the communications emanating from CLG, the Gov’t dept leading on the qualification appeared in recent times to be different to that from DECC which is leading on the Green Deal. The letter to the MP of one of our consultants on the HEA situation from the CLG Minister Andrew Stunnell (enc), is dated after the 8th July meeting at DECC and is proof of the type of encouraging noises ABBE has received from CLG and DECC until the 8th July where the DECC then declared that the situation was not as settled as thought. ABBE had acted on this encouragement to finalise the qualification in good faith.
Legislation
DECC official gave ABBE the following information on the 20th July:
Whilst CLG ultimately have the lead in relation to the HEA qualification, DECC is able to set out the policy timing on the Green Deal for which DECC have lead responsibility. Delivery of the full Green Deal will require primary legislation in the form of the Energy Bill, announced as part of the Queen’s speech. Essentially, the Bill will need to be laid in the house in the autumn and DECC would be looking at an autumn 2012 launch for the full Green Deal (an expanded timetable is set out below). Green Deal advice will be needed in time to support this launch although there is potential for a pre-legislative Green Deal market to develop sooner than this. Ministers have already announced the extension to CERT, ahead of the full legislation, that will help to pave the way for the Green Deal as part of a market-led approach.
Indicative first session Bill timetable
· Autumn 2010 –Bill introduced into Parliament
· Autumn 2011- Bill receives Royal Assent (depending on length of 1st Session)
· Ahead of autumn 2011, officials will be developing thinking on secondary legislation with a view to drafting secondary legislation and formally consulting.
· Early 2012 – secondary legislation laid in Parliament
· Spring 2012 – detailed guidance prepared
DECC would like to reiterate that there is no agreed Green Deal policy as yet as nothing has been cleared through Cabinet. The Green Deal advice service will need to be developed alongside other elements of the Green Deal to ensure they work together. While DECC have a broad understanding of what we would like to see from the Green Deal advice, we need to ensure that this works in the context of the other elements and it is simply not possible to set out the detailed requirements of the policy in isolation and at this stage. DECC are also not in a position to provide numbers of advisers required under the Green Deal, nor, given previous experience would I be inclined to do so at such an early juncture either.
DECC hopes that it is clear that there is broad agreement to the type of advice that will be needed as part of the Green Deal. The next step is to work through the detailed policy alongside the rest of the elements that make up the Green Deal and DECC looks forward to working with ABBE to develop this further.
Answers to questions ABBE has asked the CLG and DECC
The news that all the Green Deal arrangements were now less certain and full implementation only due in early 2012 gave rise to a number of questions from ABBE and its assessment centre community. These questions focus on the market for the ABBE qualification now [pre Green Deal] now that the arrangements for putting the Green Deal are now not as certain as expected. Also questions around the nature of the employment HEAs can have….again pre Green Deal and once it is in place. In addition questions around the market that will now exist now that CERT has been extended to 2012 and the permitted qualifications named in the Statutory Instrument that would have been ruled out in favour of only full qualifications such as the ABBE one.
Other issues about helping the hard hit DEA community and the deep scepticism and lack of trust now in place amongst these practitioners have also been raised.
ABBE had kept its community informed of its qualification developments in good faith only to be let down by Gov’t. This has significant implications for ABBE, its assessment centres and candidates in terms of reputation and business planning.
To date apart from the legislative information above neither CLG or DECC have responded with any real answers.
However, despite the reality of the situation and the indicative legislative timetable and the responses to the questions ABBE has posed to the CLG/DECC there does still appear to be a market of a reasonable nature for the new ABBE qualification. This is set out below:
The need for CLG and DECC to jointly issue clarification on the situation, answer the questions put to them and give the assurances that are needed to reverse this lack of trust have delayed the qualification submission further. However, it is now felt that there is still a market for the qualification prior to the full Green Deal coming in and our understanding of the current market opportunities is set out below. ABBE will pass on any further information it gets on this as its focus is on ensuring that centres and learners are all clear about what the qualification will do for them.
ABBE has now submitted its Level 3 Certificate in Energy Advice (Home) and is looking for a 1st Sept approval date for the qualification and its use in centres.
Why continuing to take the ABBE Energy Adviser (Home) Qualification is still the best option:
1. ABBEs full competence based qualification is a much more rigorous qualification and will help the holder to survive in the market much better than any current alternative.
2. Currently identified as one of the minimum qualifications stipulated for advice provided by Energy Suppliers under CERT and CESP. Again this will assist the holder to beat their lesser qualified competitors and survive.
3. The ABBE qualification is future proofed. It is based on the NOS and QCF Units for HEAs written specifically for this role and will be placed on the QCF; other currently available energy advice awards do not.
4. Has been designed to satisfy the future Green Deal requirements which requires an independent assessment of the energy efficiency of the property, as described in the Minister’s recent speech to Parliament and set out by CLG/DECC. It also ensures that the holder is able to give good advice based on a full property inspection. The letter from Andrew Stunnell MP (CLG Minister for Big Society, Housing and Regeneration and Building Regulations etc) also indicates the Government requirement for properly trained Home Energy Advisers.
5. The market is expected to roll out Green Deal voluntarily from autumn 2010 despite the formal Green Deal only being fully in place in the early part of 2012.
6. The ABBE qualification takes full account of the current DEA and HI skills and abilities and thus greatly reduces their training time which is needed which could result in cost savings.
7. The ABBE qualification uses EPC data which enables calculation of savings anticipated from installed measures, required to support PAYS finance calculations in the future in the Green Deal
8. The ABBE qualification provides the holder with all the client facing skills they and their employers will need thus ensuring that they are fully effective from day one
The current potential market.
Despite the fluidity of the situation there are many organisations that could be looking to employ a fully fledged Home Energy Adviser for one or more of the reasons set out above. The information given below lists many of these along with a realistic estimation of the viability of that potential market.
|
Energy adviser employers
|
|
Employer
|
Estimated viability
|
|
National providers
|
|
Energy Suppliers under CERT and CESP
|
Minimum qualifications are stipulated for advice; however, Energy Suppliers have been slow to adopt this option within CERT/CESP.
Expected to grow, so Medium
|
|
Energy Suppliers under their supplier obligation
|
All suppliers required to deliver advice but largely via telephone helpdesk.
Low
|
|
Energy Suppliers under their social obligations
|
Advice is part of Suppliers’ broader social programmes and partnerships providing energy efficiency advice to fuel poor and vulnerable social groups.
Generally small volume hence Low
|
|
Green Deal voluntary market
|
Volume providers eg B&Q, M&S, Virgin etc expected to enter the market place by the end of 2010. Retailers also partner with the Energy Suppliers to deliver CERT/CESP measures.
Medium.
|
|
Energy Saving Trust
|
The EST has established a network of advice centres (ESTACs) - currently 21 centres are supported. The EST contracts organisations, typically non-profit organisations based within the territories served by the ESTAC, to run the advice centres. A Service Level Agreement currently states that advisers must hold a minimum of C&G6176 qualification, & the value of the ABBE award needs to be promoted to them.
Medium: High if the SLA is amended to require ABBE certificate
|
|
Indirect providers eg Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), Primary Care Trusts, Age UK
|
National organisations, but level of provision is defined locally. CAB has just appointed a national co-ordinator to review their energy advice provision. Becoming more prevalent in primary health care with recognition of its role in preventing cold related illness.
Generally Low depending on area
|
|
EAGA
|
Current provider for the Warm Front scheme, provides energy advice as defined by the Warm Front Service Level Agreement.
Generally Low depending on area
|
|
Providers with regional/local coverage
|
|
Local Authorities
|
All LA s provide a level of energy advice service to their area, to varying degrees, often via external agencies. Clusters of high activity include Kirklees & Stroud, but enormous variation between Authorities.
Generally Low depending on area
|
|
Social housing providers eg LA, HA
|
Larger HA s in particular deliver energy advice to tenants sometimes alongside EPC production
Medium
|
|
Regional not-for-profit organisations
|
For example, Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), Save Cash and Reduce Fuel (SCARF), and Severn Wye Energy Agency (SWEA) – cover a wider area than small scale local initiatives.
Often provide higher levels of home visits, but not common throughout UK
Generally Low depending on area
|
|
Small-scale local initiatives
|
Often set up using local funding or awards such as the Ashden Awards or NESTA’s Big Green Challenge.
A growing number of these providers, but again, not common throughout the UK. Where there are gaps, opportunity exists for independent HEAs to find local funding to set one up.
Generally Low depending on area
|
|
Installers
|
Some national insulation and renewables installers, eg Mark Group, provide energy advice alongside installation work. Not core business and very uncommon.
Low
|
More information on current providers is contained in the following attached report,
Review and Strategy Formulation for Provision of Energy Saving Advice to Householders and Communities: A report prepared for the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes, January, 2010