General Trustees of the Church of Scotland HELPING CONGREGATIONS : The Better Heating Scheme Under the Better Heating Scheme, which is administered by the Church of Scotland General Trustees, congregations can obtain, for a modest fee, skilled advice in the matters of saving money on heating bills and improving the standard of comfort in buildings. Andrew W. MacOwan is the energy consultant prepared to undertake energy surveys of churches, halls and manses on behalf of all Church of Scotland congregations. He can also carry out a limited number of surveys each year for non-Church of Scotland congregations. Mr MacOwan can be contacted at: Andrew MacOwan Associates, 76 Cumming Drive, Mount Florida, Glasgow G42 9BN Tel: 0141 632 6300 Fax: 0141 632 6903 Email: amacowan@tinyworld.co.uk Consultant's fees The fees payable to the consultant are based on the total expenditure on energy from all sources during the most recent period of 12 months available - not necessarily a calendar year. This total expenditure must include all energy costs - including oil, gas (piped and bottled), coal and electricity - for heating and lighting. No deduction should be made for donations. The fees are inclusive of VAT and, unless a special arrangement is made for Mr MacOwan to carry out a survey on short notice, there is no addition for expenses. Subsidies Both initial and repeat surveys attract subsidies from the General Trustees, and subsidy payments will be sent automatically to the relevant congregational treasurer after the consultant's fee has been paid. The General Trustees regret that subsidies cannot be made available to non-Church of Scotland congregations. Please note: It should be noted that although church and halls may be on completely separate sites with independent measured supplies of energy they will be surveyed for a single fee. It should also be noted that no additional travel expenses are normally chargeable and, because of this, for locations outside a range of about 50 miles from Glasgow, it may be necessary to wait until there are sufficient applications to make the journey economic. (Special arrangements for urgent surveys outside this radius can be made on the basis of agreed contribution towards expenses.) Fees payable The fees payable are categorised according to the most recent available twelve months total cost of energy use. Category 1, £1,000 or under Category 2, £1,001 - £2,500 Category 3, £2,501 - £4,500 Category 4, £4,501 and above FEES (1) Initial Surveys Fee Grant Net Cost Category 1 £176.25 £70.50 £105.75 Category 2 £235.00 £94.00 £141.00 Category 3 £293.75 £117.50 £176.25 Category 4 £352.50 £141.00 £211.50 (2) Repeat Surveys Category 1 £146.88 £60.00 £86.88 Category 2 £205.63 £80.00 £125.63 Category 3 £264.38 £105.00 £159.38 Category 4 £323.13 £130.00 £193.13 Consultancy service Where a survey has been carried out, additional consultancy services may be provided by direct arrangement with Mr MacOwan. These range from an additional post survey meeting with representatives of the congregation to the preparation of outline specification for major works. In each case, the fees should be agreed between the congregation and the consultant at the outset. Fabric fund The cost of a survey is a fair charge on monies held for a congregation in the Consolidated Fabric Fund held by the General Trustees and applicable to the buildings in question. "Heat and Light" A manual on the heating and lighting of churches prepared by the trustees' former heating and lighting consultants. Copies are still available and can be obtained from the trustees' secretary's department at the discounted price of £1. Other points to note: Implementation of recommendations It is not a condition of the Better Heating Scheme that congregations act upon the advice given by the consultant, but they are strongly urged to do so. Experience to date has shown that on average the carrying out of recommendations made should result in a saving of some 20 per cent of fuel costs, but savings recommended may be anywhere between the insignificant and, in certain cases, 50 per cent, at the two extremes. In the majority of cases, the cost of the survey and any expenditure on equipment which may be involved can be recovered out of savings within a single heating season. Manse surveys The consultant is also able to offer energy/heating surveys of manses. If such a survey is carried out on the same visit as is being made to the church buildings, the fee is £30. If carried out independently of other buildings, the cost is £40. There are no grants or subsidies available in respect of manse surveys, but the cost is very modest, and congregations are encouraged to utilise them. The Eco-Congregation Programme This environmental programme offers free resources and support to congregations wishing to incorporate environmental care more widely into their church life and mission. The resources support existing activities such as worship, teaching, children's and youth work, maintaining buildings and grounds and engaging with the wider community. For more information, contact: Victoria Beale The Society, Religion and Technology Project John Knox House 45 High Street Edinburgh, EH1 1SR Telephone: 0131 556 2953. Email: srtp@srtp.org.uk Web: www.ecocongregation.org.uk/scotland Please note this link will take you out of the Church of Scotland website and open a new browser window. Additional information For additional information please contact: General Trustees Secretary's Department Tel: 0131 225 5722 Fax: 0131 240 2246 Email: gentrustees@sofscotland.org.uk The department can also provide enquirers with a Better Heating Information Pack