Non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Fuel Measurement and Sampling (FMS) Questionnaire
This document should be completed by certain RHI applicants who are using contaminated or ancillary fossil fuel, or produce biomethane, as well as those who intend to self-report for the purpose of sustainability. Please see Table 1 of the FMS Guidance for the full set of conditions as to who must complete this. It will need to be converted to PDF format and uploaded as part of the application process, in the FMS submission section of the RHI Register.
If you are an existing participant and intend to self-report on the sustainability requirements coming into force on 5 October 2015, please email the completed questionnaire to as soon as possible. If we are able to agree your FMS procedures before the requirements come into force, this will reduce any chance of your payments being affected.
All applicants uploading this questionnaire must complete Sections (A) and (B).
Depending on the fuels used at the installation, the applicant should only complete other sections of the FMS questionnaire:
- If you are, or will be, using solid biomass contained in waste or contaminated solid biomass please also complete section (C) of this document.
- If you are, or will be, using ancillary fossil fuels please also complete section (D) of this document.
- If you are self-reporting for the purpose of demonstrating compliance with the sustainability requirements please also complete section (E) of this document.
Overview / Before completing this document, ensure you have read the sections of the following guidance which are relevant to your fuel and technology:
- Fuel Measurement and Sampling (FMS) Guidance
- Sustainability Guidance
The FMS process seeks to agree suitable procedures to determine the renewable proportion of fuels eligible for RHI payments, as well as to fulfil the sustainability reporting requirements.
Sustainability Reporting Requirements / Participants are required to report the sustainability information of fuels on a consignment basis which are used from 5 October 2015 onwards. To meet this requirement, you will need to:
- Classify your fuels into ‘consignments’; and
- Implement a method to track the sustainability information of each consignment where consignments are mixed.
Questionnaire Completion / Please note all applicants that are required to complete the FMS questionnaire must complete sections (A) and (B).
When completing this questionnaire, clearly outline how you will undertake your procedures. The size of the response text box indicates the length of answer expected. There is extra space for your answers in section I if you need it.
Compulsory questions are marked with a * symbol. Other questions are only relevant to some installations. If a question is not relevant, please put N/A in the answer field.
When referencing any industry standards include the name, issuing body and reference number of the standard.
QuestionnaireSubmission / Your questionnaire will need to be submitted alongside your application in the FMS Submission section of the RHI Register as a PDF document.
You may also submit a new or amended questionnaire during your participation on the scheme by going to the FMS Submission section in the RHI Register. If you have already uploaded an FMS questionnaire there, you can simply upload your new one over the existing one.
Section (A): Installation information
General information regarding your installation and fuels used to which these procedures relate to.
(A)1Name of installation* [answer to question HA100 of the RHI application]
(A)2Capacity of installation (kWth)*
(A)3Fuels to which the procedures below relate (include renewable and non-renewable fuels/feedstock)*
[Add one fuel per line, giving a type (e.g. …), source (e.g. …), and an estimated % by volume]
Section (B): Fuel classification
This section gathers information on whether you are applying a fuel classification with associated exemptions, this is to identify whether the fuel/process is already accounted for in the Sustainability Criteria guidance. To answer this section, you should refer to Chapter 6 of the Sustainability Guidance.
(B)1Do you consider that any of the fuels stated in section (A)3are wastes or residues? (See Chapter 6 of the Sustainability Guidance for further information on these definitions)*
Yes/No (Delete as appropriate)
If you have answered ‘Yes’ to (B)1, please answer (B)2.
(B)2Are the fuels that you consider to be wastes or residues already identified in Appendix 2 of the Sustainability Criteria guidance?
Yes/No (Delete as appropriate)
If you have answered ‘No’ to (B)1and (B)2, please provide further details of the fuel and the reasoning behind your classification of ‘residue’ or ‘waste’.
Section (C): Waste and contaminated solid biomass
If you have a waste installation or a solid biomass installation using contaminated solid biomass please provide information about your fuels. If you have a biogas installation (using gasification or pyrolysis) please provide information about your feedstocks.
(C)1State the type of waste used at the installation or the type of contamination of your solid biomass – whichever is relevant.*
(C)2How will the quantity of waste or contaminated solid biomass used in each quarter be known or measured? Include in your answer details of the location at which quantity is measured, any equipment used and measures taken to ensure the result is accurate.*
(C)3If any waste or contaminated solid biomassis carried over from one month to the next, how will this quantity be accounted for?*
(C)4How accurate is the equipment used for measuring quantity (as a percentage or using units e.g. ± X% or Xkg)? Also outline steps taken to ensure accuracy is maintained, such as calibration undertaken on a periodic basis (including relevant standards this would be conducted to).*
(C)5How will you extract a representative sample of the waste or contaminated solid biomass used for gross calorific value (GCV) analysis? State;
- the location from which the sample is taken and make reference to any apparatus used
- the size of the sample extracted (eg. in kg)
- if sample extraction is in line with any recognised standards*
(C)6How frequently will samples be taken (e.g. from every delivery, once a day, continuously)?*
(C)7If composites are formed from the original samples, explain how they are formed. Outline the number of composites produced per month and the size of any composites samples produced (e.g. in kg). In addition, state if the production of composites is in line with any recognised standards. *
(C)8Will you re-sample any stock carried over from one month to the next? If so, how will you do this? This is only relevant if not sampling immediately before combustion. *
(C)9Where will the samples be analysed for GCV (e.g. sent to a laboratory or analysed in house)? If sent to a laboratory, state any accreditations it holds and what test will be conducted on the sample to give a GCV, mentioning any relevant standards.*
(C)10Where more than one sample/composite of the same fuel type is analysed per quarter, how will the final figure be calculated from multiple sample results (e.g. average taken)?*
(C)11How will the proportion of solid biomass or fossil-derived energy content used in each quarter be known or measured? Include in your answer;
- how you will produce a sample,
- any laboratory based testing undertaken
- make reference to relevant standards and/or state if the fossil fuel component analysis will be undertaken on the sample produced for GCV analysis described in the previous answers.*
(C)12What quarterly evidence will you send Ofgem to substantiate the quantity and GCV for each fuel submitted to Ofgem?*
Section (D): Ancillary Fossil Fuels
(D)1What type of fossil fuel is used at the installation for any permitted ancillary purpose?
(D)2What is the purpose of fossil fuel use? (delete as appropriate)
- The heating of the accredited RHI installation'scombustion system to its normal operating temperature or the maintenance of that temperature
- Cleansing other fuels from the accredited RHI installation's combustion system prior to using fossil fuel to heat the combustion systemto its normal temperature
- The ignition of fuels of low or variable calorific value
- Emission control
- In relation to accredited RHI installations which are CHPsystems, standby generation or the testingof standby generation capacity
(D)3If fossil fuel is being use for permitted ancillary purposes, state the specific purposes.
If fossil fuel will result in heat generation, questions (D)4-(D)6 should be answered.
(D)4How will the quantity of any fossil fuel used in a quarter be known or measured?
(D)5If any fuel is carried over from one quarter to the next, how will this quantity be accounted for?
(D)6How accurate is the equipment used for measuring quantity (as a percentage or using units e.g. ± X% or X kg)? Also outline steps taken to ensure accuracy is maintained, such as calibration undertaken on a periodic basis (including relevant standards this would be conducted to).*
(D)7How will you measure the quantity of any biomass or biogas combustedthat does not result in the generation of heat, if any, (e.g. that is used for start-up), so that you are able to deduct this from the figure submitted to Ofgem? If this is not applicable, state why this is the case. *
(D)8What quarterly evidence will you send Ofgem to substantiate the figure for each fuel submitted to Ofgem? *
(D)9How will the gross calorific value (GCV) of any fossil fuel used in a quarter be known or measured? Include in your answer how you will demonstrate this figure to us each quarter.
Section (E): Consignment assessment and tracking sustainability information
Questions (E)1 – (E)8 help determine whether the fuels specified in (A)3 are single consignments or a mixture of consignments.
(E)1With reference to the sustainability characteristics listed in Chapter 9 of the Sustainability Reporting Guidance, do you consider each fuel named in (A)3 to be a single consignment?
Yes/No (Delete as appropriate)
(E)2If you have answered ‘No’ to (E)1, list the consignments that make up the fuels given in (A)3.
(E)3Do any of the consignments listed in (E)2 consist of fuels with notable differences? If so, how have you decided that these different fuels form a single consignment? Please make reference to the sustainability characteristics.
(E)4If wood pellets are used as a fuel at the installation, do they contain binders?
Yes/No (Delete as appropriate)
If you have answered ‘No’ or ‘N/A’ to(E)4, go to (E)6.
(E)5Is the binder ≤2% by weight of any wood pellet consignment used at theinstallation?
Yes/No (Delete as appropriate)
We require evidence to demonstrate that the binder is ≤2% by weight of any wood pellet consignment. If applicable, tick the box to confirm that you have provided this evidence.
N.B. If binders contribute >2% of a wood pellet consignment’s weight then the sustainability criteria of the binder will need to be reported on a consignment basis.
(E)6Are consignments mixed in the supply chain/before arriving at the installation?This includes mixing with fossil fuel.
Yes/No (Delete as appropriate)
(E)7If you answered ‘Yes’ to (E)6, which of the consignments are mixed in the supply chain/before arriving at the generating station? (This includes mixing with fossil fuel.)
(E)8Are consignments mixed at the installation?
Yes/No (Delete as appropriate)
(E)9If you answered ‘Yes’ to(E)8, which of the consignments are mixed at the installation? (This includes mixing with fossil fuel).
Tracking Sustainability Information
Questions (E)10 – (E)13 gather information on how you will determine the proportion of each consignment used at the installation where consignments are mixed.
If what you have classified as your ‘fuels’ is different to what you have classified as your ‘consignments’, (for example, fuel = wood pellets but consignments = pellet virgin wood and pellet residue) please answer (E)10– (E)13
(E)10How will the quantity of any fossil fuel used in a quarter be known or measured?
For mixed consignments, we recommend using a mass balance system to determine the proportion of consignments used at the installation.
(E)11Do you use a mass balance system to trace the sustainability information of consignments, through the supply chain and at the installation?
Yes/No (Delete as appropriate)
If you answered ‘Yes’ to (E)11, go to (E)13.
(E)12Why do you not use a mass balance system, and what alternative will you use to determine the proportion of consignments used at the installation? State how you will account for consignments mixed with fossil fuel and/or consignments contaminated with fossil fuel in your quarterly periodic data submissions. You may be required to provide supplementary evidence to support your answer.
(E)13State whether you have used a proportionate or non-proportionate mass balance system and to which consignments this applies. If both proportionate and non-proportionate methods are used, outline:
- how this practice is being employed,
- where in the supply chain the methods are being used, and;
- to which fuels they apply.
Section (F): Confirmation
I can confirm that all the information provided is correct, to the best of my knowledge and belief.
I am aware that I need to notify Ofgem where any of the procedures detailed in this document and/or the fuels change.
Full name of authorised signatory of the installation.
Thank you for completing the RHI FMS questionnaire. Please review your answers and ensure you have answered all compulsory questions (marked with * symbol), related questions, and a suitable level of detail has been provided.