What is the Low Carbon Buildings programme (LCBP)?

The low carbon buildings programme will provide grants for microgeneration technologies for householders, community organisations, schools, the public sector and businesses.

What are the aims the programme?

There are 4 mains aims for the programme:

1. To support a more holistic approach to reducing carbon emissions from buildings by demonstrating combinations of both energy efficiency measures and microgeneration products in a single development.

2. To see demonstrated on a wider scale emerging microgeneration technologies (with a focus on building integrated technologies).

3. To measure trends in costs of microgeneration technologies. It is expected that these costs should reduce over the lifetime of the programme against a 2005 baseline.

4. To raise awareness by linking demonstration projects to a wider programme of activities including developing skills and communicating the potential of microgeneration to change the attitudes and behaviour of consumers. Larger scale projects will seek to engage the construction industry in project replication by demonstrating the business case for developing low carbon buildings.

How does this differ from PV and Clear Skies?

This programme differs in that it is aiming to promote a more holistic approach to reducing carbon from buildings by encouraging applicants to consider energy efficiency alongside microgeneration.

How much funding is available and over what period?

In November 2005, the Energy Minister, Malcolm Wicks announced a new £30 million budget over 3 years for the low carbon buildings programme. In March 2006's budget statement, it was announced that there would be a further £50 million for the programme.

Of the £30 million budget, £1.5 million was carried forward to ease the transition between the PV and Clear Skies programmes.