Don't ignore Renewable Heat Incentives

There's no doubt that the Feed-in Tariffs for renewable electricity have been a huge financial inducement to homeowners installing solar panels on their roofs.

So far, over the first 3 months of 2011, over 11,000 homeowners have had photovoltaic systems installed on their properties.

Soon, homeowners will be able to claim a similar Government tariff for renewable hot water and heating installations like Solar Hot Water Panels.

It's already been announced that when tariff payments begin next year (October 2012), installations that were carried out after the July of 2009 will also qualify. Solar hot water systems will enjoy a tariff of 8.5pence per kWh. Other water/heating renewables like heat pumps and biomass will attract different rates, many lower than the Solar tariff.

The tariff's will have a duration period of 20 years and already, it's been decided, the RHI (Renewable Heat Incentives) tariffs will be linked to rise with inflation.

If you're exploring renewable energy as a way of cutting your homes energy bills, whilst also making some contribution to CO2 emission reductions, then don't think your payback options limit you to purely electricity generation.

Renewable heat technologies included in the RHI tariffs are:

Solar Thermal (solar hot water panels)
Solid Biomass installations
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Water Source Heat Pumps
Deep Geothermal
Biomethane injection and biogas combustion (except from landfill gas).

Whilst some experts are predicting feed-in tariff rates will eventually reduce for new applicants of the time, it's also believed that manufacture and installation costs will reduce so overall installation costs will fall, making the tariffs of the day still favourable enough to tempt homeowners with a realistic return on their investments.

Solar panel quoter is able to give you an instant online quote for both electrical (photovoltaic) solar systems and hot water generating systems.

photo credit: william warby

This article first appeared in our weekly homeowner newsletter dated 10th May 2011 - click here to read the full newsletter.