SMART Property Assessment iPad App is live

Currently available for use by independent Green Deal Assessors who are accredited with NHER or Elmhurst. Integration with other accreditation schemes such as Stroma and BRE will be available in the coming weeks.

Running on the iPad and iPad mini, eTech’s SMART Property Assessment iPad App supports all the in-property assessment functions required for the Green Deal. SMART Property Assessment iPad App is fully integrated with eTech’s SMART Property Hub to enable efficient dataflow between the two platforms.

eTech’s SMART Property Assessment iPad App enables Green Deal Assessors to:

• Explain and demonstrate the key concepts of the Green Deal to the consumer.
• Fully assess the property to generate the EPC, Green Deal Occupancy Assessment, Green Deal Advice Report, Green Deal Plan and Site Note.
• Lodge the surveys with NHER or Elmhurst directly from the App.
• Prepare quotations for measures and financing in line with the ‘Golden Rule’.
• Complete the contractual components of the sales process.

Key Features Include:

• Green Deal Introduction screens presentation material to explain key Green Deal concepts to the consumer.
• Full RdSAP EPC inspection and data collection functionality.
• Built-in camera integration & prompts for mandatory site photographs with traffic light menu system to ensure all required data is collected.
• Supplementary data capture fields for preparing quotations on all available measures, together with their associated technical surveys.
• Generation of recommended EPC measures from the off-line RdSAP engine installed on the iPad.
• Presentation of recommended measures to the consumer overlaid with Green Deal eligibility, driven by the ‘Golden Rule’ calculation.
• Presentation of chosen measures using the Green Deal Provider’s specific pricing options.
• On-screen workflow to capture the consumer’s consent & acceptance on the iPad to a Green Deal Plan.

SMART Property Assessment iPad App also supports the surveying and provision of measures under the three specific components of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO).

• Carbon Emissions Reduction Obligation – focused on solid wall and hard to treat cavities.
• Carbon Saving Community Obligation – focused on insulation in areas of low socio-economic output.
• Home Heating Cost Reduction obligation or ‘Affordable Warmth’ – focused on heating and insulation for low income households.

Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation (HHCRO) – provides funding for the installation of measures that will result in a heating saving, including the replacement or repair of a qualifying boilers to low income and vulnerable households.

Carbon Saving Community Obligation (CSCO) – provides funding for insulation measures and connections to district heating systems for consumers that live within an area of low income, including a subset of low income and vulnerable households living in rural areas.

Carbon Emissions Reduction Obligation – provides funding on hard to treat homes (primarily solid wall insulation and hard-to-treat cavity wall insulation) irrespective of the location of the property or the means of the consumer.

One of the challenges in supplying measures to a householder under ECO, is determining which category of ECO fits best for each measure being installed. Some consumers will, by virtue of their means and their address, be eligible for funding under all three streams of ECO. To complicate matters, if certain ‘primary’ measures are being installed such as solid wall insulation other ‘secondary’ measures such as loft insulation and glazing are then eligible for funding. Because Energy Suppliers need to deliver set targets under each ECO stream, the price they are willing to pay in exchange for a ton of carbon or £1 saved is likely to vary depending on the category of ECO each measure can be attributed to.

To support our clients who are delivering ECO work, the latest version our SMART Green Deal & ECO iPad App includes the following features:

• On-device calculation of the funding for each measure that is available under each category of ECO. This enables installers and supplier to optimise the funds available to install each measure.
• On-device Boiler Repair / Replacement Survey to ensure that boilers being repaired or replaced under ECO qualify by conforming to Ofgem’s recent guidance.
• On-device benefits assessment for HHCRO eligibility and a full CSCO and Neighbouring CSCO postcode area crosscheck of the property address to establish if it qualifies under CSCO.
• Data you record for the EPC now helps qualify the property as CERO. The App also provides an additional Hard To Treat cavity wall technical survey.

As always, we welcome any comments, suggestions or feedback on the services we deliver, please get in contact via support@etech.net or call 0333 1234 288.