Changes to the Non-Domestic RHI regulations (February 2015)
Guidance
Publication date
Scheme name
Non-Domestic RHI
On 12 February 2015, the government introduced a number of changes to the RHI Regulations.
We have provided further detail on our operational approach to these changes in our Guidance, including Guidance Volumes 1 and 2 and other relevant publications including Easy Guides. These updated Guidance documents are now live on our website.
The changes are summarised below:
Overground piping:
- For overground piping, the reference to the standard BS EN ISO 12241:2008 has been removed. The Ofgem Heat Loss Assessment tool has been updated accordingly and there has been a minor impact on the ‘properly insulated’ requirements.
Underground piping:
- It is now possible to demonstrate that underground piping is properly insulated by providing evidence that it is insulated in accordance with either BS EN 253(2009), BS EN 15632:2 and 3 (2010) and 15632:4 (2009), or BS EN 15698:1 (2009). The Ofgem Heat Loss Assessment tool has been updated accordingly.
Amendments to eligibility criteria:
- The requirement to demonstrate that a biomass boiler has been designed and installed to use solid biomass as its primary fuel source has been removed. However, air quality requirements are still in place, so there is still an obligation to use only the fuels listed on the emissions certificate or to have an environmental permit for the plant.
Changes to the biomethane tariff:
- A new tiered tariff is now applicable to producers of biomethane and affects only those whose date of registration is on or after 12 February 2015.
Biogas and CHP changes:
- For biogas plants of 200kWth and above that have converted from electricity-only to CHP, the conversion date must be on or after 4 December 2013. This has corrected the previous drafting error that allowed conversion to take place from 15 July 2009.
- For biogas installations, instead of deducting all heat delivered to the biogas production plant for the purpose of payments, there is a provision to allow an appropriate proportion to be calculated.
- For CHP installations, where a new biogas ‘combustion unit’ is commissioned as part of a CHP system on or after 4 December 2013, the regulations clarify there must also be a new biogas production plant commissioned on or after this date.
Changes to enforcement powers:
- Increased clarity with regards to key enforcement powers, such as temporarily and permanently withholding payments
- Expansion of existing powers, including introduction of the ability to:
- Use enforcement powers where information supplied at accreditation stage is materially incorrect
- Recover overpaid payments from former participants and the ability to offset part of an overpayment.