Housing
  View Archive

Solar firm warns '90 percent of households won't qualify' for revised FIT scheme





Posted by Editor on 18th December 2011 at 01:06 PM
Solar firm warns '90 percent of households won't qualify' for revised FIT scheme
A solar panel firm has warned the Government that plans to require homes to achieve a higher energy-efficiency rating in order to qualify for subsidies from Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) will exclude 9 out of 10 households.

The plans - which come into force from April - would mean only houses with an energy efficiency rating of ‘C’ or above will be eligible for the scheme, which can see households earn up to a 15% return on their investment.

The Government says it wants to ensure that solar PV is "considered as part of a holistic approach to carbon reductions in buildings that prioritises energy efficiency".

However, Peter Bladen, managing director of solar panel firm BSOLAR, in the North West said: “This proposal means that many homeowners in the UK won’t be eligible for green incentives. Much of our building stock is older properties, which even if they use the full range energy saving measures out there, still won’t reach the efficiency ‘C’ rating. It’s really only very new houses that can achieve this standard.

“My advice to homeowners considering installing green technology, in particular solar panels, is to get them installed before April, while they are still eligible for the green incentives the government offers.”

Feed-in tariffs were introduced to motivate people to invest in solar panels by paying people for the electricity they generate.

Also announced in October - and what the Government is still consulting on - are plans to cut the subsidy for 4kw retrofits from 43.3p per kilowatt hour of solar electricity to just 21p. This is expected to be guaranteed by the government for 25 years and goes up with inflation.

According to Bladen, this means that over 25 years, homeowners could still expect to earn £25,000 in profit from an average solar panel installation on the roof.



Source: 24dash

Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account.



Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to newsdesk@salfordonline.com or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377.