Feed-in Tariff scheme
Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) became available in Great Britain on 1st April 2010.
Under this scheme energy suppliers make regular payments to householders and communities who generate their own electricity from renewable or low carbon sources such as solar electricity (PV) panels or wind turbines.
The scheme guarantees a minimum payment for all electricity generated by the system, as well as a separate payment for the electricity exported to grid. These payments are in addition to the bill savings made by using the electricity generated on-site.
Once you have a microgeneration technology installed you should experience a monthly reduction in your electricity bill and then receive an income from your Feed-in tariff provider. However, if you have taken out a loan to pay for the installation you will have to make monthly repayments to your loan company.
Feed-in tariffs are designed so that the average monthly income from your installation will be significantly greater than your monthly loan repayment (with a 25 year loan).
For further information please see the links and fact sheets at the bottom of the page.
Are there any planning regulations?
Some types of micro generation fitted to houses do not need planning permission. This advice only applies to houses and it does not apply to flats, maisonettes, listed buildings, buildings in conservation areas or any type of commercial property. It also does not necessarily apply to every house. Therefore, before you start work, you should always first check with the Council that no planning permission is required.
Solar
You will need to make a planning application to install solar panels (either photovoltaic or solar water heating) to your house if:
They are of an unusual design
They project significantly beyond the roof slope (more than 200mm)
Your house is a listed building or in a conservation area
They exceed the highest part of the roof (excluding chimneys)
Should permission be required, you should include the following information with an application:
Details of the dimensions of the panels in metric, including the projection above the roof slope.
Their colour
Plans showing their position on the building
Brief technical specification such as power output which the manufacturer normally supplies.
Wind
There are currently no ‘permitted development’ rights for micro-wind turbines; however this is likely to change in the near future. Therefore at present a planning application will be required. An application should include the following information:
Details of the dimensions of the turbine in metric, including the length of rotor blades.
Height above ground or building.
Plans showing the position on the ground or building
Brief technical specification such as power and noise output which the manufacturer normally supplies.
Remember – always check with the Council before you start work. Please use the ‘Do I need Planning Permission’ available to download from the planning advice page. Please provide as much detail as possible, including dimensions, positioning and, if possible, pictures.
What about Building Regulations Approval?
This is not the same as planning permission. Building regulations deal with technical matters such as structural stability, fire resistance, thermal insulation and electrical safety. Installation of solar or photovoltaic panels or wind turbines may require building regulations approval. Please call Building Control on 023 8083 2558 or building.control@southampton.gov.uk.#
World's First Renewable Heat Incentive Launched
The government has launched the world's first financial incentive to revolutionise the way heat is generated and used in buildings.
From July this year householders will be able to apply for payments to help cover the costs of green heating systems. From July up to 25,000 household heating installations will be supported by a Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Premium Payment. This will help people cover the purchase price of green heating systems such as solar hot water panels or large wood pellet boilers.
Those taking up the premium will then be eligible to get a RHI tariff when the Green Deal begins. The tariff will provide fixed annual payments to people who install renewable heating systems. The Green Deal is a scheme to make homes (owned or rented) and businesses more energy efficient. The cost of the work would be funded from the savings on their energy bills. The scheme is due to start in October 2012.
The RHI Premium Payment will be worth around £15 million and will be spread across a range of renewable technologies and to all regions of Great Britain.
Eligibility and priorities
Clear eligibility criteria for people wishing to qualify for a Premium Payment, will be published soon. These will include:
· The home being well insulated, based on its energy performance certificate
· The householder agreeing to give feedback on how the equipment performs
A key focus of this initial phase will be on people living off the gas grid, where fossil fuels like heating oil are both more expensive and have a higher carbon content.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will publish details of the RHI Premium Payment shortly.
Anything from a pub to a public library, a school to a power plant will be also eligible under the RHI to install renewable technologies. These might be biomass boilers, heat pumps or solar thermal. Community projects will also be eligible, provided a single installation is providing heat to more than one house.
The tariffs will be paid for twenty years to eligible technologies that have installed since July 2009 with payments being made for each kWh of renewable heat produced.
Secretary of State, Chris Huhne said: "Renewable heat is a largely untapped resource and an important new green industry of the future. This incentive is the first of its kind in the world. It'll help the UK shift away from fossil fuel, reducing carbon emissions and encouraging innovation, jobs and growth in new advanced technologies."
Southampton City Council
