Look good: lobby group
continued with Ofgem and the Department for the Economy.
“It’s our understanding that if you have three minor infractions you are suspended from the scheme. During inspections, people are being asked things like the concentration of the anti-corrosive additive in their boiler.
“I asked the chief auditor what that was about, and he said that if people didn’t know the answer they would be scored as non-compliant.
“People are being asked how often they recalibrate their heat meter. These are sealed units which are guaranteed for 10 years, but if you say you don’t know, the auditor records that you are unaware of all your obligations regarding the maintenance of the equipment.
“I and other stakeholders met with Dr Andrew McCormick in September 2017 and said he had to get to grips with the audit process, because people are hurting.
“I believe that boiler owners are being sacrificed to make the Department look better.”
Mr Trimble also claimed that boiler owners were suffering “hardship” due to the length of suspensions from the scheme before their cases were resolved, and that some firms had “gone into insolvency as a consequence of the tardiness”.
A spokesperson for the DfE said: “The Department for the Economy is committed to addressing the issue of public confidence and protecting the public purse in relation to the Northern Ireland Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme.
“The previous Economy Minister requested that a programme of thorough inspections be put in place to ensure compliance with the spirit and letter of the scheme.
“A dedicated task force to focus on scheme arrangements going forward was established and the inspection programme forms part of their work.
“The inspection process which includes all biomass installations accredited on a site is designed to assess each installation for compliance with the scheme regulations.
“All 2,128 installations on the RHI scheme will be inspected at some point during the lifetime of the scheme, some more than once, as other information emerges.
“Compliance actions can range from allowing the scheme participant time to take action to bring the installation into line with the scheme regulations, through to revocation and recovery of public money in cases of serious breach.”
A PwC spokespersons said that the firm does not comment on client affairs.
No response had been received from Ofgem at the time of going to press.