CA23140 - PMA: FYA: Expenditure on energy- saving plant or machinery

CAA01/S45A - S45C

Businesses of any size can claim 100% FYAs on capital expenditure on new energy-saving plant or machinery. The normal exclusions CA23110 apply, except that from 17 April 2002, expenditure on energy-saving plant or machinery for leasing can also qualify for FYAs. Energy- saving plant or machinery is plant or machinery that is included as a qualifying technology or product specified in a Technology List or a Product List. The Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs issues these. Detailed guidance on this scheme can be found at http://www.eca.gov.uk.

The original Energy Technology List was issued for the launch of the scheme on 1 April 2001. It was superseded by a list, issued on 15 July 2002, which came into effect on 5 August 2002. The current list was issued on 19 July 2007 and came into effect on 16 August 2007. Details of the lists and the dates they took effect are set out below:

The Technology List contains the energy efficiency criteria that must be satisfied. The designated technologies are:

• Combined heat and power (CHP)
• Boilers and boiler add ons (including oil-fired boilers added from 5 August 2002)
• Lighting
• Pipe insulation
• Motors
• Variable speed drives (VSD)
• Thermal screens
• Refrigeration equipment (including display cabinets and compressors added from 5 August 2002)
• Heat pumps for space heating (from 5 August 2002)
• Radiant and warm air heaters (from 5 August 2002)
• Solar thermal systems (from 5 August 2002)
• Compressed air equipment (from 5 August 2002)
• Automatic monitoring and targeting equipment (from 5 August 2003)
• Air-to-air energy recovery equipment (from August 2004)
• Compact heat exchangers (from August 2004)
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning zone controls (from August 2004)

The Technology List sometimes requires that:

• design and/or installation of the plant or machinery has been certified as meeting the relevant technology standards by the Secretary of State or the relevant department of the devolved administrations, or
• the plant or machinery is a product specified on the Product List.

Expenditure incurred on a technology that is subject to the issue of a certificate can qualify for 100% FYAs even if it was incurred before the certificate was issued but the claim cannot be made until certification is given. For example, expenditure incurred on 24 May 2001 on a technology whose certificate was not issued until 4 July 2001 qualifies for 100% FYAs but those FYAs may not be claimed until 4 July 2001, the certification date.

Sometimes a manufacturer has to certify that its product satisfies the relevant criteria. These products will be listed in the Product List . A product only gets onto the product list if satisfies the relevant criteria in the Technology List. At present this applies to all of the technology groups, with the exception of CHP, lighting and pipework insulation.

Products on the Product List may be incorporated into other items of plant or machinery. In such a case you have to identify the proportion of the expenditure incurred by the purchaser which can qualify for 100% FYA. You do that using tables included as part of the Product List. These specify the deemed expenditure that will qualify for 100% FYA to be attributed to a particular product when it is incorporated into other equipment.

This is the basic rule for allocating the expenditure incurred on the equipment containing the qualifying product (or products). The proportion of the expenditure incurred on the provision of the plant and machinery that qualifies for 100% FYA will be the amount specified in the Product List for the particular product included in that plant or machinery. The balance of the expenditure incurred does not qualify for 100% FYA under these rules but it can still qualify for capital allowances at the normal rate.

If the total expenditure incurred on the equipment containing the qualifying product is less than the amount specified in the Product List for the qualifying product incorporated in that equipment, the total expenditure qualifies for 100% FYA.

Where the expenditure on the equipment is incurred in stages, allocate the expenditure qualifying for 100% FYA evenly between each stage. Do this by comparing the total expenditure to be incurred with the expenditure that will qualify for 100% FYAs. Apply this fraction to each payment to get the part of each payment that qualifies for 100% FYAs.

Example Bob buys a piece of equipment costing £90,000 that incorporates an item on the product list. The amount on the product list for the part incorporated in the equipment is £18,000. He pays for the equipment in three instalments - one of £40,000 and two of £25,000. The parts of the payments that qualify for 100% FYA are £8,000 = £40,000 x £18,000 / £90,000 and £5,000 = £25,000 x £18,000 / £90,000.

If a certificate is revoked the taxpayer should amend the relevant return to withdraw any 100% FYA claimed.