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.

Renewable Heat Incentives announced

Last week, the Government announced it's long awaited RHI scheme - a 'feed-in tariff' for renewable heat sources.

Like the existing feed-in tariff for renewable electricity generation (most notably photovoltaic solar panels), homeowners will soon be able to claim money from the Government for hot water/heat they produce renewably.

The most popular method, and one already installed by many, is hot water solar panel systems.

These solar panels comprise of tubes which pass liquid through the panel, being warmed by the sun and fed through a coil within your immersion tank, warming the water within.

Whilst such systems may not get the water 'boiling hot', even in Winter, its reckoned that they'll raise the tanks water temperature by a few degrees, which lessens the work needed by your boiler etc. so you'll still be saving energy and money off your energy bills.

Now that the Government has announced a generation tariff, homeowners and businesses alike will be able to earn money which will make a significant contribution to the initial installation costs and go on paying you back long after the investment has paid for itself.

But it's not just Solar thermal (solar hot water panels) that will earn you money, the RHI also covers the following:

Ground source heat pumps
Water source heat pumps
Deep geothermal
Solid biomass
Biomethane injection and biogass combustion (excluding landfill gas).
Tariff rates will vary depending on the size and type of installation - solid biomass will earn from 1.9 pence per kWh whilst solar thermal (solar hot water) will earn 8.5 pence per kWh etc.

Homeowners thinking of an RHI qualifying installation will also be pleased to hear that the Government has also made the same provision for inflation rises in the tariff similar to the recently announced tariff increase for the feed-in tariffs, which comes into force from this April.

The RHI will start from October 2012 but more good news - it will be eligible for installations carried out after July 2009.

If you're interested in getting a quote for installing your own solar panel system, give Solar Panel Quoter a try - instant online solar panel quotes without the need for a salesman to call you.

This story first appeared in our homeowner newsletter - 21 march 2011 edition - read the full newsletter here.