ASHP
| Air Source Heat Pump - A machine that extracts low temperature heat from the air and converts it to higher temperatures suitable for heating and hot water use.
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AMWS
| Annual Mean Wind Speed – the average wind speed taken over the period of a year.
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Balance of System
| The other components of a renewable energy system not including the primary generator.
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Biomass
| Crops used as fuel.
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BREEAM
| BRE Energy Assessment Model – used to calculate the whole life energy usage of a building.
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BWEA
| British Wind Energy Association, now know as Renewable UK.
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Carbon Trust
| Government backed company that provides advice and support for low carbon technologies.
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CO2
| Carbon Dioxide – the most prolific of the greenhouse gases.
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Code for Sustainable Homes
| A set of building regulations that define the sustainability of domestic dwellings.
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CSR
| Corporate Social Responsibility.
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DNO
| Distribution Network Operator – the company responsible for cables supplying electricity to your property.
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FiT
| Feed in Tariff – payment for generation of electricity using small scale renewables that is fed back into the grid.
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Greenhouse Gas
| Gases such as Carbon Dioxide that when release into the atmosphere act as an insulation blanket rather like a greenhouse.
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GSHP
| Ground Source Heat Pump – A machine that extracts low temperature heat from the ground and converts it to higher temperatures suitable for heating and hot water use.
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Hydro
| Short for hydro-electric – a machine that uses the energy in flowing water to generate electricity.
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LCBP
| Low Carbon Buildings Programme – grant scheme administered by the Energy Savings Trust.
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MCS
| Microgeneration Certification Scheme – all suppliers and products must be approved by this scheme for grant purposes.
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Merton Rule
| Planning rule pioneered by the London borough of Merton in which all buildings larger than a given size must save 10% of CO2 emission by the incorporation of renewable energy technologies.
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National Grid
| The UK wide electricity supply system that interconnects power stations to consumers via their DNO.
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Photo Montage
| Computer generated composite image showing the proposed installation against the existing landscape.
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PV
| Photovoltaic – the process of converting sunlight into electricity.
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PVSYST
| Industry standard solar PV system modelling software.
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REA
| Renewable Energy Association.
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RHI
| Renewable Heat Incentive – the heat equivalent of FiT.
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ROC
| Renewable Obligation Certificate – mechanism for paying for electricity generated from renewable sources aimed at larger generators.
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WindFarm
| Industry standard wind farm modelling software from ReSoft.
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ZVI
| Zone of Visual Influence – when applied to wind farms indicates on a map the locations from which turbines can be seen.
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