Calculate the investment returns for yourself using our on-line calculator:
http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/help-desk/
Urban Energy
We are an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economical and environmentally sound green energy solutions for homes and businesses in the South West.
We only install products that lead the way within the renewable energy industry and that are renowned for their high quality and ecologically sound production. This reflects our own high standards and quality assurance.
We understand that introducing a renewable energy system i.e solar panels, to either your home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our in-house installation team and electrical division, it is our promise to you the customer, that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period is our number one priority.
The Granary, Phillips Lane, Stratford-sub-Castle, Salisbury SP1 3YR
Tel: 0800 2321624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Showing posts with label solar thermal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label solar thermal. Show all posts
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Monday, 28 November 2011
Renewable energy industry welcomes UK heat scheme
The renewable energy industry has welcomed the government’s scheme to subsidise renewable heat production, which opens today.
The world’s first Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) provides payments for heat generated from renewable technologies, including biomass boilers, solar thermal equipment and heat pumps installed since 15 July 2009.
Recipients will be paid up to 7.9p per kWh for biomass boilers, 8.5p per kWh for solar thermal and up to 4.5p per kWh for heat pumps.
The government estimates the RHI will cut UK carbon emissions by 43 million tonnes by 2020 — equivalent to the annual carbon emitted by 19 typical new gas power stations.
Up to 112,000 installations of renewable heat technology in the commercial and public sectors are expected by 2020, as well as 14,000 industrial installations.
The world’s first Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) provides payments for heat generated from renewable technologies, including biomass boilers, solar thermal equipment and heat pumps installed since 15 July 2009.
Recipients will be paid up to 7.9p per kWh for biomass boilers, 8.5p per kWh for solar thermal and up to 4.5p per kWh for heat pumps.
The government estimates the RHI will cut UK carbon emissions by 43 million tonnes by 2020 — equivalent to the annual carbon emitted by 19 typical new gas power stations.
Up to 112,000 installations of renewable heat technology in the commercial and public sectors are expected by 2020, as well as 14,000 industrial installations.
Organisations will be able to apply to Ofgem for support under the scheme from Monday 28 November and will receive payments on a quarterly basis for heat generated over 20 years.
Urban Energy
Urban Energy are delighted that nearly half the population would like to install renewable energy technologies; what worries us is the lack of awareness surrounding it. To bridge the Green Gap it’s essential we continue to educate consumers and break down some of the myths surrounding the Green Deal, energy efficiency and microgeneration.
Urban Energy has earned a reputation as the south’s leading renewable energy specialist. This has been achieved by ensuring that from the initial point of client contact we offer 1st class customer service and care.
We only install products that lead the way within the renewable energy industry and that are renowned for their high quality and ecologically sound production. This reflects our own high standards and quality assurance.
We understand that introducing a renewable energy system to either your home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our in-house electrical and plumbing division it is our promise to you the customer that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period is our number one priority.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Urban Energy
Urban Energy are delighted that nearly half the population would like to install renewable energy technologies; what worries us is the lack of awareness surrounding it. To bridge the Green Gap it’s essential we continue to educate consumers and break down some of the myths surrounding the Green Deal, energy efficiency and microgeneration.
Urban Energy has earned a reputation as the south’s leading renewable energy specialist. This has been achieved by ensuring that from the initial point of client contact we offer 1st class customer service and care.
We only install products that lead the way within the renewable energy industry and that are renowned for their high quality and ecologically sound production. This reflects our own high standards and quality assurance.
We understand that introducing a renewable energy system to either your home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our in-house electrical and plumbing division it is our promise to you the customer that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period is our number one priority.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Solar heating 'can provide over half of households' hot water'
Solar thermal systems can provide over half of households' hot
water needs, according to the largest ever field trial of the green energy devices.
Residential payment levels under the government's £860m renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme, announced in March, are not due to be announced until 2012
Between 1 August and 9 October this year, 707 people took out new £300 grants for solar thermal systems.
The government has put aside £15m for the renewable heat premium payment (RHPP) scheme, which runs until March 2012 offering grants for a range of green heating technologies including groundsource heat pumps and biomass boilers. The separate RHI payments, similar to those made to owners of solar panels and wind turbines under the feed in tariffs for green electricity generation, will launch after the RHPP.
Solar water heating systems work by using the sun's energy to heat water or anti-freeze in collectors on the roof of a building. The heated water or anti-freeze is then usually pumped to a hot-water cylinder to be stored until the hot water is needed.
Overall, the trust said it was impressed by how well solar thermal systems were working in the UK. The field study found the systems provided a median of 39% of households' hot water needs, rising to 60% for the best and plummeting to 9% for the worst-installed one. The trust had previously believed around 35-40% would be a typical figure, based on laboratory tests.
Jaryn Bradford, senior technical manager for the Energy Saving Trust, and author of the report, said: "This is a technology that works, and works well in the UK." He said the main impact on a system's performance was how well insulated the home's hot water tank and pipes were.
The market for solar water heating in the UK has continued to grow despite the economic climate – up 18.1% in 2010, compared with 13.1% for Europe overall, though the trust said that was largely because the UK was starting from such a low baseline. There are an estimated 140,000 homes with solar water heating in the UK.
This pioneering research demonstrates that households with solar hot water generators really can benefit, provided their generator has been correctly installed and they understand how to make the most of it. Solar thermal panels are a fantastic, cost effective way for the UK to reduce the demand on imported energy whilst cutting bills and carbon emissions.
Friends of the Earth's energy campaigner, Tony Bosworth, said: "Unless we end the nation's dependency on increasingly expensive fossil fuels, homes and businesses will continue to pay the price through soaring power bills. The government's renewable heat incentive can't be delayed any longer – ministers must provide households with real cash incentives to help families switch to clean energy to heat their homes."
Urban Energy
Urban Energy are delighted that nearly half the population would like to install renewable energy technologies; what worries us is the lack of awareness surrounding it. To bridge the Green Gap it’s essential we continue to educate consumers and break down some of the myths surrounding the Green Deal, energy efficiency and microgeneration.
Urban Energy has earned a reputation as the south’s leading renewable energy specialist. This has been achieved by ensuring that from the initial point of client contact we offer 1st class customer service and care.
We understand that introducing a renewable energy system to either your home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our in-house electrical and plumbing division it is our promise to you the customer that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period is our number one priority.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Residential payment levels under the government's £860m renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme, announced in March, are not due to be announced until 2012
Between 1 August and 9 October this year, 707 people took out new £300 grants for solar thermal systems.
The government has put aside £15m for the renewable heat premium payment (RHPP) scheme, which runs until March 2012 offering grants for a range of green heating technologies including groundsource heat pumps and biomass boilers. The separate RHI payments, similar to those made to owners of solar panels and wind turbines under the feed in tariffs for green electricity generation, will launch after the RHPP.
Solar water heating systems work by using the sun's energy to heat water or anti-freeze in collectors on the roof of a building. The heated water or anti-freeze is then usually pumped to a hot-water cylinder to be stored until the hot water is needed.
Overall, the trust said it was impressed by how well solar thermal systems were working in the UK. The field study found the systems provided a median of 39% of households' hot water needs, rising to 60% for the best and plummeting to 9% for the worst-installed one. The trust had previously believed around 35-40% would be a typical figure, based on laboratory tests.
Jaryn Bradford, senior technical manager for the Energy Saving Trust, and author of the report, said: "This is a technology that works, and works well in the UK." He said the main impact on a system's performance was how well insulated the home's hot water tank and pipes were.
The market for solar water heating in the UK has continued to grow despite the economic climate – up 18.1% in 2010, compared with 13.1% for Europe overall, though the trust said that was largely because the UK was starting from such a low baseline. There are an estimated 140,000 homes with solar water heating in the UK.
This pioneering research demonstrates that households with solar hot water generators really can benefit, provided their generator has been correctly installed and they understand how to make the most of it. Solar thermal panels are a fantastic, cost effective way for the UK to reduce the demand on imported energy whilst cutting bills and carbon emissions.
Friends of the Earth's energy campaigner, Tony Bosworth, said: "Unless we end the nation's dependency on increasingly expensive fossil fuels, homes and businesses will continue to pay the price through soaring power bills. The government's renewable heat incentive can't be delayed any longer – ministers must provide households with real cash incentives to help families switch to clean energy to heat their homes."
Urban Energy
Urban Energy are delighted that nearly half the population would like to install renewable energy technologies; what worries us is the lack of awareness surrounding it. To bridge the Green Gap it’s essential we continue to educate consumers and break down some of the myths surrounding the Green Deal, energy efficiency and microgeneration.
Urban Energy has earned a reputation as the south’s leading renewable energy specialist. This has been achieved by ensuring that from the initial point of client contact we offer 1st class customer service and care.
We only
install products that lead the way within the renewable energy industry
and that are renowned for their high quality and ecologically sound
production. This reflects our own high standards and quality assurance.
We understand that introducing a renewable energy system to either your home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our in-house electrical and plumbing division it is our promise to you the customer that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period is our number one priority.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Renewable Heat Incentive - Local Authority Funding
Details of the new Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme have been published.
The incentive, which is the first of its kind in the world, will
encourage the installation of renewable heat equipment such as solar
thermal technologies, biomass boilers and heat pumps. It will be funded
from general Government funding, not through the previously proposed RHI
levy.
Phase 1
From July 2011, the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) tariffs for non-domestic installations in the industrial, business and public sector were introduced. There will also be support of around £15 million for households through the RHI Premium Payment from July 2011. In return for the payments, participants will have to provide feedback on how the equipment performs in practice.Phase 2
From October 2012, RHI tariffs for domestic properties will become available at the same time as the introduction of the Green Deal. Anyone in receipt of Renewable Heat Premium Payments will be eligible for the RHI, as will anybody who has installed an eligible technology since 15 July 2009.The RHI Premium Payment
Up to 25,000 installations from July will be supported by a 'RHI Premium Payment' to help cover the purchase price. Eligibility criteria for the payments will include:- A fair spread of technologies across all regions of Great Britain.
- A well insulated home based on its Energy Performance Certificate.
- A focus on properties off the gas grid, where heating fuels such as heating oil are more expensive and have a higher carbon content.
- Agreement from the householder to monitor the performance of installations.
| Technology | Likely level of support (per unit) |
| Solar thermal | £300 |
| Air source heat pumps | £850 |
| Biomass boilers | £950 |
| Ground source heat pumps | £1250 |
Full details of the RHI Premium Payment were published in May 2011. Due to State Aid rules there may be limits to how the Premium Payment is applied to social landlords.
RHI tariffs - domestic
RHI payments will start for homes alongside the Green Deal in 2012 to allow for a more whole-house approach to heat production and energy saving. The Department for Energy and Climate Change will consult on the RHI tariffs later in the year.Those who have taken up the RHI Premium Payment will be eligible for RHI tariffs, as will anyone else who has had eligible equipment installed since July 2009 (exceptions apply if a grant has been received which contributed to the direct costs of an installation).
In order to receive support, local authorities and housing associations will need to be the owner of the installation and retain the rights and liabilities of the equipment.
RHI tariffs - non-domestic
Biomass, ground source, water source, solar thermal and biomethane projects in the non-domestic sector that have been installed since July 2009 in Great Britain will be eligible for RHI payments from July 2011. The payments will be made quarterly over a 20 year period to the owner of the heat installation.A non-domestic installation is a renewable heat unit in a building which is not used as a domestic premises. This includes office buildings, schools and district heating schemes (e.g. one boiler serving multiple homes).
The support that an installation receives will be fixed and adjusted annually with inflation. For more details, see the RHI tariffs for non-domestic installations.
Applying for support
Applications for support will need to be made to Ofgem once the scheme is launched and open for business.Further information
For further information, see the Department for Energy and Climate Change websiteUrban Energy
Urban Energy has earned a reputation as the south’s leading renewable energy specialist. This has been achieved by ensuring that from the initial point of client contact we offer 1st class customer service and care.
We
only install products that lead the way within the renewable energy
industry and that are renowned for their high quality and ecologically
sound production. This reflects our own high standards and quality
assurance.
We
understand that introducing a renewable energy system to either your
home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our
in-house electrical and plumbing division it is our promise to you the
customer that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period
is our number one priority.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Renewable Heat
Detailed proposals for the governments Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) have emerged, after a long delay.
Heating accounts for 47% of total UK final energy consumption and 46% of carbon emissions, so it’s not a marginal issue. The RHI cover biomass, ground source and water source heat pumps, solar thermal and bio-methane, and participants will receive quarterly payments for 20 years from the date they enter the scheme.
It will be introduced in two phases. The first phase is expected to start after the regulations have been processed by Parliament in July. It will offer long-term tariff support for non-domestic projects, i.e. for the big heat users - the industrial, business and public sector - which contribute 38% of the UK’s carbon emissions. But under this phase there will also be grant support of around £15m for households through an interim ‘Renewable Heat Premium Payment,’ for ‘well-developed’ projects, essentially as a ‘test drive’ for the more diffuse domestic sector.
The second phase of the scheme will see households also able to apply for long-term tariff support, this transition being timed to align with the ‘Green Deal’ loan system, which is intended to be introduced in October 2012.
Unlike the feed-in tariffs for renewable forms of electricity, which are paid for through higher energy bills, the renewable heat incentive will be paid for from taxes - in all, £860m government funding has been allocated.
The proposed tariffs (still subject to consultation) range from 1.9 pence / kWh for small biomass projects, to 8.5p/kWh for solar thermal, but these prices will be degressed’ (i.e. reduced) in stages over time to match the development of the market and avoid a boom-and-bust situation. Details of that are promised soon.
The RHI only meets the extra costs above that for installing conventional systems, not the total costs. Even so, it should yield a rate of return on outlay of about 12%. So it could be quite popular- if participants have the upfront capital available. However, DECC says that ‘We do not intend to allow agents, such as installers, suppliers or other third parties, to apply for support from the scheme on an applicant’s behalf.’ So you are on your own!
And there are some other limits. DECC says ‘by domestic installations, we mean installations where a renewable heating installation serves a single private residential dwelling only. This does not include multiple residential dwellings served by one renewable heating installation (e.g. district heating) nor residential dwellings which have been significantly adapted for non-residential use’.
Rural areas won’t get special treatment, despite DECC accepting that ‘a higher proportion of rural than urban areas tend to lack access to the gas grid and organisations not connected to the gas grid, for example small rural businesses, tend to have higher heating costs due the use of more expensive fuels’. It simply says that ‘those off the gas grid will have the potential to benefit most from the RHI’ and ‘those in rural off-gas grid areas may have better access to biomass in particular and not face the same installation and biomass fuel supply barriers as those in urban areas.’
The RHI will operate via Ofgem, who will provide accreditation and will carry out equipment inspections. In that context there some interesting technical conditions/requirements e.g. heat pumps must have a COP of 2.9 or above (but air sourced units will not be supported initially) and biomass sources must meet eco-eligibility criteria. As a condition of receiving support, participants will also be required to maintain their equipment to ensure it is working effectively: Ofgem may check this periodically.
All biomass, ground and water source heat pumps and solar thermal plants of 45kWth capacity or less will need to be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or equivalent schemes. The MSC will be upgraded.
The RHI will only support ‘useful heat’, with Ofgem determining eligibility according to RHI regulations. In outline, acceptable heat uses are said to be ‘space, water and process heating where the heat is used in fully enclosed structures’. The heat must be supplied to meet an ‘economically justifiable heating requirement i.e. a heat load that would otherwise be met by an alternative form of heating e.g. a gas boiler’. This should be an ‘existing or new heating requirement i.e. not created artificially, purely to claim the RHI’. The only exception is for bio-methane injection into the gas grid, with no specifications on how it is then used.
Heat used for cooling counts towards the renewables targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and therefore, provided it meets all other eligibility criteria, it will be eligible for RHI support, but not passive solar or exhaust air heat pumps.
Renewable heating systems that replace an existing renewable heating system will be eligible for the RHI support, despite the risk that some people may therefore scrap old but viable systems to get the RHI. More commonly, renewable heating capacity is likely to be expanded, and the extensions are eligible for the RHI up to the (joint old/new) total capacity threshold.
And finally, the RHI is not intended as a mechanism to support ‘innovative technologies in development or early deployment’- but happily, deep geothermal is allowed.
It could involve some quite big schemes. Public sector and not-for-profit organisations, such as schools, hospitals and charities, can use the RHI, and DECC says ‘the support provided by the RHI will also enable communities to come together to find local solutions tailored to local energy needs. The opportunities are many, from setting up anaerobic digestion plants using local waste to establishing community- owned biomass co-operatives sourcing fuel from sustainable local woodlands’
It adds ‘In some situations, district and community renewable heating, whether as a central boiler for an apartment building, or as a network of pipes delivering heat from a central installation to a number of local households or businesses, can be a cost-effective alternative to installing individual heating systems in properties. By supporting this sort of application, the RHI will encourage investment and give developers confidence to install centralised plant’.
So we could be seeing some local district heating networks like those elsewhere in Europe, powered using renewable sources.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care.
"Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government incentive schemes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Heating accounts for 47% of total UK final energy consumption and 46% of carbon emissions, so it’s not a marginal issue. The RHI cover biomass, ground source and water source heat pumps, solar thermal and bio-methane, and participants will receive quarterly payments for 20 years from the date they enter the scheme.
It will be introduced in two phases. The first phase is expected to start after the regulations have been processed by Parliament in July. It will offer long-term tariff support for non-domestic projects, i.e. for the big heat users - the industrial, business and public sector - which contribute 38% of the UK’s carbon emissions. But under this phase there will also be grant support of around £15m for households through an interim ‘Renewable Heat Premium Payment,’ for ‘well-developed’ projects, essentially as a ‘test drive’ for the more diffuse domestic sector.
The second phase of the scheme will see households also able to apply for long-term tariff support, this transition being timed to align with the ‘Green Deal’ loan system, which is intended to be introduced in October 2012.
Unlike the feed-in tariffs for renewable forms of electricity, which are paid for through higher energy bills, the renewable heat incentive will be paid for from taxes - in all, £860m government funding has been allocated.
The proposed tariffs (still subject to consultation) range from 1.9 pence / kWh for small biomass projects, to 8.5p/kWh for solar thermal, but these prices will be degressed’ (i.e. reduced) in stages over time to match the development of the market and avoid a boom-and-bust situation. Details of that are promised soon.
The RHI only meets the extra costs above that for installing conventional systems, not the total costs. Even so, it should yield a rate of return on outlay of about 12%. So it could be quite popular- if participants have the upfront capital available. However, DECC says that ‘We do not intend to allow agents, such as installers, suppliers or other third parties, to apply for support from the scheme on an applicant’s behalf.’ So you are on your own!
And there are some other limits. DECC says ‘by domestic installations, we mean installations where a renewable heating installation serves a single private residential dwelling only. This does not include multiple residential dwellings served by one renewable heating installation (e.g. district heating) nor residential dwellings which have been significantly adapted for non-residential use’.
Rural areas won’t get special treatment, despite DECC accepting that ‘a higher proportion of rural than urban areas tend to lack access to the gas grid and organisations not connected to the gas grid, for example small rural businesses, tend to have higher heating costs due the use of more expensive fuels’. It simply says that ‘those off the gas grid will have the potential to benefit most from the RHI’ and ‘those in rural off-gas grid areas may have better access to biomass in particular and not face the same installation and biomass fuel supply barriers as those in urban areas.’
The RHI will operate via Ofgem, who will provide accreditation and will carry out equipment inspections. In that context there some interesting technical conditions/requirements e.g. heat pumps must have a COP of 2.9 or above (but air sourced units will not be supported initially) and biomass sources must meet eco-eligibility criteria. As a condition of receiving support, participants will also be required to maintain their equipment to ensure it is working effectively: Ofgem may check this periodically.
All biomass, ground and water source heat pumps and solar thermal plants of 45kWth capacity or less will need to be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or equivalent schemes. The MSC will be upgraded.
The RHI will only support ‘useful heat’, with Ofgem determining eligibility according to RHI regulations. In outline, acceptable heat uses are said to be ‘space, water and process heating where the heat is used in fully enclosed structures’. The heat must be supplied to meet an ‘economically justifiable heating requirement i.e. a heat load that would otherwise be met by an alternative form of heating e.g. a gas boiler’. This should be an ‘existing or new heating requirement i.e. not created artificially, purely to claim the RHI’. The only exception is for bio-methane injection into the gas grid, with no specifications on how it is then used.
Heat used for cooling counts towards the renewables targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and therefore, provided it meets all other eligibility criteria, it will be eligible for RHI support, but not passive solar or exhaust air heat pumps.
Renewable heating systems that replace an existing renewable heating system will be eligible for the RHI support, despite the risk that some people may therefore scrap old but viable systems to get the RHI. More commonly, renewable heating capacity is likely to be expanded, and the extensions are eligible for the RHI up to the (joint old/new) total capacity threshold.
And finally, the RHI is not intended as a mechanism to support ‘innovative technologies in development or early deployment’- but happily, deep geothermal is allowed.
It could involve some quite big schemes. Public sector and not-for-profit organisations, such as schools, hospitals and charities, can use the RHI, and DECC says ‘the support provided by the RHI will also enable communities to come together to find local solutions tailored to local energy needs. The opportunities are many, from setting up anaerobic digestion plants using local waste to establishing community- owned biomass co-operatives sourcing fuel from sustainable local woodlands’
It adds ‘In some situations, district and community renewable heating, whether as a central boiler for an apartment building, or as a network of pipes delivering heat from a central installation to a number of local households or businesses, can be a cost-effective alternative to installing individual heating systems in properties. By supporting this sort of application, the RHI will encourage investment and give developers confidence to install centralised plant’.
So we could be seeing some local district heating networks like those elsewhere in Europe, powered using renewable sources.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care.
"Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government incentive schemes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Renewable Heat Incentive to be revealed this week
The Renewable Energy Association (REA) expects to receive proposals for the UK’s renewable heat incentive (RHI) later this week. The long-awaited enticement for UK residents to switch from fossil fuel heating to renewable sources will work in a similar way to the solar PV feed-in tariff, increasing the UK’s potential in the green sector.
Working to encourage the uptake of renewable heat sources, the RHI will support several technologies including biomass, heat pumps, deep geothermal, woodfuel burners, heat components of biomass CHP, biofuel heating, anaerobic digestion,(Biomethane) Green Gas injection to Gas Grid and of course solar thermal. The REA hopes the scheme will go live in June.
The Renewable Heat Incentive will offer premium payments to encourage the uptake of this wide range of technology, enabling the heating of homes, schools, public buildings and large offices/factories. The RHI will also help the UK to work towards the legally binding renewable energy target as well as carbon reduction targets as well as reducing the country’s dependence on imported natural gas.
Paid out of general taxation, anyone or any organisation who invests in eligible renewable heat technologies and who applies for support under the scheme will be eligible to benefit from the RHI.
The RHI will work by adopting ‘tariff’ principles, offering a fixed payment for every kilowatt hour (kWh) of renewable heat generated over the lifetime of the tariff. It currently applies to heat installations of all sizes - there is no upper limit - although the REA is concerned that solar thermal may be constrained. Renewable heat can be measured using a heat meter, just like electricity; however metering may not be appropriate in smaller domestic installations – where deemingis likely to be used instead (i.e. a standard payment, based on an estimate of the heat generated). Safeguards will also be needed to ensure people do not waste metered heat.
Heat is by definition locally generated as it is expensive to transport heat long distances. The RHI will therefore strongly compliment the development of local renewable power under the solar PV feed-in tariff.
At present, the UK’s heat is predominately supplied by fossil gas, accounting for 47% of the country’s CO2 emissions. The UK’s renewable heat industry currently makes up just 1% of the UK’s heat market. The RHI is aimed at boosting this percentage.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care.
"Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government incentive schemes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Working to encourage the uptake of renewable heat sources, the RHI will support several technologies including biomass, heat pumps, deep geothermal, woodfuel burners, heat components of biomass CHP, biofuel heating, anaerobic digestion,(Biomethane) Green Gas injection to Gas Grid and of course solar thermal. The REA hopes the scheme will go live in June.
The Renewable Heat Incentive will offer premium payments to encourage the uptake of this wide range of technology, enabling the heating of homes, schools, public buildings and large offices/factories. The RHI will also help the UK to work towards the legally binding renewable energy target as well as carbon reduction targets as well as reducing the country’s dependence on imported natural gas.
Paid out of general taxation, anyone or any organisation who invests in eligible renewable heat technologies and who applies for support under the scheme will be eligible to benefit from the RHI.
The RHI will work by adopting ‘tariff’ principles, offering a fixed payment for every kilowatt hour (kWh) of renewable heat generated over the lifetime of the tariff. It currently applies to heat installations of all sizes - there is no upper limit - although the REA is concerned that solar thermal may be constrained. Renewable heat can be measured using a heat meter, just like electricity; however metering may not be appropriate in smaller domestic installations – where deemingis likely to be used instead (i.e. a standard payment, based on an estimate of the heat generated). Safeguards will also be needed to ensure people do not waste metered heat.
Heat is by definition locally generated as it is expensive to transport heat long distances. The RHI will therefore strongly compliment the development of local renewable power under the solar PV feed-in tariff.
At present, the UK’s heat is predominately supplied by fossil gas, accounting for 47% of the country’s CO2 emissions. The UK’s renewable heat industry currently makes up just 1% of the UK’s heat market. The RHI is aimed at boosting this percentage.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care.
"Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government incentive schemes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Monday, 14 March 2011
Cash for Climate: Homes & Businesses to be encouraged to install 'green heating' - Renewable Heat Incentive
British homeowners will receive grants to install environmentally friendly heating technology as part of a new Government scheme.
A Department of Energy and Climate Change plan called the renewable heat initiative will see homes fitted with meters to measure the amount of heating they have produced from sustainable fuel sources.
The ‘green heating’ scheme will offer cash incentives to households and businesses to use responsible heating as part of more than £4billion of government investment.
'Green heating': The Government hopes to encourage Britons to use 'sustainable' heating sources like solar thermal panels.
It is hoped the plans could halve the heating bills of householders and large firms as well as reducing the amount of carbon emissions from heating.
Greg Barker, the energy and climate change minister, said the grants offered to individual homeowners would be calculated on a case-by-case basis and that the new scheme will inspire Britons to seek alternative energy sources.
More meters will be introduced as sustainable heating technology – such as solar thermal panels and heat pumps which can draw warmth from the ground or exterior air – becomes more widely available.
"People are becoming much more focused on the need to be more energy independent," Mr Barker added.
It was reported earlier this week that the Government is considering offering homeowners stamp duty incentives to retrofit their homes as part of the Coalition’s Green Deal energy platform.
Building Today magazine claimed that the forthcoming Budget will propose tax breaks for buildings fitted with environmentally friendly features like double glazing and insulation.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care.
"Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government incentive schemes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
A Department of Energy and Climate Change plan called the renewable heat initiative will see homes fitted with meters to measure the amount of heating they have produced from sustainable fuel sources.
The ‘green heating’ scheme will offer cash incentives to households and businesses to use responsible heating as part of more than £4billion of government investment.
'Green heating': The Government hopes to encourage Britons to use 'sustainable' heating sources like solar thermal panels.
It is hoped the plans could halve the heating bills of householders and large firms as well as reducing the amount of carbon emissions from heating.
Greg Barker, the energy and climate change minister, said the grants offered to individual homeowners would be calculated on a case-by-case basis and that the new scheme will inspire Britons to seek alternative energy sources.
More meters will be introduced as sustainable heating technology – such as solar thermal panels and heat pumps which can draw warmth from the ground or exterior air – becomes more widely available.
"People are becoming much more focused on the need to be more energy independent," Mr Barker added.
It was reported earlier this week that the Government is considering offering homeowners stamp duty incentives to retrofit their homes as part of the Coalition’s Green Deal energy platform.
Building Today magazine claimed that the forthcoming Budget will propose tax breaks for buildings fitted with environmentally friendly features like double glazing and insulation.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care.
"Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government incentive schemes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Further energy bill hikes expected
Households are braced for a fresh round of energy bill hikes after Scottish & Southern Energy raised its gas prices by 9.4%.
SSE, which owns Southern Electric, Scottish Hydro and Swalec, blamed the price hike, which will come into effect on December 1, on a 25% increase in the wholesale price of gas this year.
It means the average annual household gas bill for an SSE customer will increase by £5.60 a month to £782. A dual fuel customer's annual bill will rise to £1,226 from £1,159 a year ago.
The timing of the hike could hardly be worse for consumers as it will come at the start of winter when gas consumption soars, and just weeks before Christmas and a planned hike in VAT to 20%.
Mark Todd, director of Energy Helpline, said SSE is the first major supplier to hike gas prices for two years but others are likely to follow suit.
"This is a grim Christmas present for millions of customers before what's predicted to be a very harsh winter," he said.
"We expect there to be a response from the other suppliers, and it's likely there will be at least a few that move before Christmas. UK consumers are in the last chance saloon for cheap energy deals and must act now if they want to keep their costs down."
He also warned the price hikes may not be restricted to gas after EDF became the first major player to put electricity prices up, when it implemented a 2.6% rise on October 1.
Watchdog Consumer Focus said wholesale gas prices are still 40% below their peak in 2008, whereas SSE's prices are just 2% below their 2008 peak.
Audrey Gallacher, head of energy at Consumer Focus, said: "We are worried this could be the start of some serious bad news for all consumers."
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care.
"Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government incentive schemes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
SSE, which owns Southern Electric, Scottish Hydro and Swalec, blamed the price hike, which will come into effect on December 1, on a 25% increase in the wholesale price of gas this year.
It means the average annual household gas bill for an SSE customer will increase by £5.60 a month to £782. A dual fuel customer's annual bill will rise to £1,226 from £1,159 a year ago.
The timing of the hike could hardly be worse for consumers as it will come at the start of winter when gas consumption soars, and just weeks before Christmas and a planned hike in VAT to 20%.
Mark Todd, director of Energy Helpline, said SSE is the first major supplier to hike gas prices for two years but others are likely to follow suit.
"This is a grim Christmas present for millions of customers before what's predicted to be a very harsh winter," he said.
"We expect there to be a response from the other suppliers, and it's likely there will be at least a few that move before Christmas. UK consumers are in the last chance saloon for cheap energy deals and must act now if they want to keep their costs down."
He also warned the price hikes may not be restricted to gas after EDF became the first major player to put electricity prices up, when it implemented a 2.6% rise on October 1.
Watchdog Consumer Focus said wholesale gas prices are still 40% below their peak in 2008, whereas SSE's prices are just 2% below their 2008 peak.
Audrey Gallacher, head of energy at Consumer Focus, said: "We are worried this could be the start of some serious bad news for all consumers."
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care.
"Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government incentive schemes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Comprehensive Spending Review Summary
Chancellor George Osborne stood up in the House of Commons at 12.30pm today to detail the coalition Government's Comprehensive Spending Review. Some key points:
The efficiency of feed-in tariffs will be improved at the next formal review, rebalancing them in favour of more cost effective carbon abatement technologies. This will save £40 million in 2014-15. Support for lower value innovation and technology projects will also be reduced, saving £70 million a year on average over the Spending Review period.
Therefore feed-in tariffs will be refocused on the most cost-effective technologies in 2014-15. The changes will be implemented at the first scheduled review of tariffs unless higher than expected deployment requires an early review.
The Renewable Energy Association’s (REA) PV Specialist Consultant, Ray Noble said of the review, “This is excellent news for the UK solar industry. It’s exactly what the market needs in order to fulfill its fantastic potential. The outcome of today’s review could not have been better.”
The review also outlined that over one billion pounds will be set aside for the Green Investment Bank, however the Chancellor said that he hopes much more will be invested from private sector and future government asset sales. By injecting such an amount into this bank, the coalition hopes to create jobs and reduce carbon emissions in order to meet the country’s 2050 emissions targets.
The government will also go ahead with the planned Green Deal, which has no upfront cost to homeowners, thus scrapping Warm Front, which spent £280m a year on improving energy efficiency for poorer households.
The Renewable Heat Incentive, funded from AME, will be introduced as planned from 2011-12. This will ensure the UK meets its 2020 renewable energy targets while making efficiency savings of 20%, or £105 million a year, by 2014-15 compared with the previous Government’s plans.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) settlement includes:
- Up to £1 billion of investment to create one of the world’s first commercial scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration plants;
- Over £200 million for the development of low carbon technologies including offshore wind technology and manufacturing at port sites;
- Increased incentives for low carbon energy generation through the Renewable Heat Incentive;
- Enabling households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes at no upfront cost through a Green Deal; and
- Overall savings within DECC’s core resource budget of 30% in real terms by 2014-15, including through cutting lower value projects and focusing on key priorities.
The Spending Review settlement enables DECC to prioritise spending in areas where it can have most impact. For example, new low carbon technologies have the potential to contribute to growth as well as to emissions reductions. The Chancellor also announced that next month, the DECC will outline its reform plan for the next four years.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care.
"Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government incentive schemes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
The efficiency of feed-in tariffs will be improved at the next formal review, rebalancing them in favour of more cost effective carbon abatement technologies. This will save £40 million in 2014-15. Support for lower value innovation and technology projects will also be reduced, saving £70 million a year on average over the Spending Review period.
Therefore feed-in tariffs will be refocused on the most cost-effective technologies in 2014-15. The changes will be implemented at the first scheduled review of tariffs unless higher than expected deployment requires an early review.
The Renewable Energy Association’s (REA) PV Specialist Consultant, Ray Noble said of the review, “This is excellent news for the UK solar industry. It’s exactly what the market needs in order to fulfill its fantastic potential. The outcome of today’s review could not have been better.”
The review also outlined that over one billion pounds will be set aside for the Green Investment Bank, however the Chancellor said that he hopes much more will be invested from private sector and future government asset sales. By injecting such an amount into this bank, the coalition hopes to create jobs and reduce carbon emissions in order to meet the country’s 2050 emissions targets.
The government will also go ahead with the planned Green Deal, which has no upfront cost to homeowners, thus scrapping Warm Front, which spent £280m a year on improving energy efficiency for poorer households.
The Renewable Heat Incentive, funded from AME, will be introduced as planned from 2011-12. This will ensure the UK meets its 2020 renewable energy targets while making efficiency savings of 20%, or £105 million a year, by 2014-15 compared with the previous Government’s plans.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) settlement includes:
- Up to £1 billion of investment to create one of the world’s first commercial scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration plants;
- Over £200 million for the development of low carbon technologies including offshore wind technology and manufacturing at port sites;
- Increased incentives for low carbon energy generation through the Renewable Heat Incentive;
- Enabling households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes at no upfront cost through a Green Deal; and
- Overall savings within DECC’s core resource budget of 30% in real terms by 2014-15, including through cutting lower value projects and focusing on key priorities.
The Spending Review settlement enables DECC to prioritise spending in areas where it can have most impact. For example, new low carbon technologies have the potential to contribute to growth as well as to emissions reductions. The Chancellor also announced that next month, the DECC will outline its reform plan for the next four years.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care.
"Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government incentive schemes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Don’t Buy Solar From Cold Callers!
Solar power is getting increasingly affordable. Switching to solar power can certainly save you a lot of money on your home energy bills. However, you have to be careful about where you purchase your solar power from. Many consumers are getting lured in by cold callers who contact them with “great deals” on solar and end up spending far more than they should.
Urban Energy offers the following warnings about sellers who call you out of the blue offering solar power deals:
- Claiming that their rates are heavily discounted. Many of these cold callers will state that they’re offering you the best rate available when this simply isn’t true. A lot of people haven’t done enough research into solar power to know whether or not the claim is correct. As with any other big purchase, it’s very important to shop around to learn about pricing before you buy.
- Neglecting to mention the feed-in tariff. In the UK there’s a feed-in tariff, also called the Clean Energy Cash Back Scheme, that allows you to get money back when you use solar power. It provides a fixed income for the energy that you generate and use in your home. If you produce excess energy then you can sell it back to the grid. It’s designed to offer a nice tidy profit to energy-conscience consumers after a twenty-five year period has passed. If cold callers don’t mention it then it may be because they are pocketing this money for themselves.
- The catch. In some cases, the offer for solar power may sound like it’s a good one but then it involves a catch. For example, the price may be low (and even free) but then there’s a monthly or annual required maintenance charge that is very pricey. Carefully ask about the terms when someone calls you to talk about solar power. Don’t agree to anything that’s not in writing.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Urban Energy offers the following warnings about sellers who call you out of the blue offering solar power deals:
- Claiming that their rates are heavily discounted. Many of these cold callers will state that they’re offering you the best rate available when this simply isn’t true. A lot of people haven’t done enough research into solar power to know whether or not the claim is correct. As with any other big purchase, it’s very important to shop around to learn about pricing before you buy.
- Neglecting to mention the feed-in tariff. In the UK there’s a feed-in tariff, also called the Clean Energy Cash Back Scheme, that allows you to get money back when you use solar power. It provides a fixed income for the energy that you generate and use in your home. If you produce excess energy then you can sell it back to the grid. It’s designed to offer a nice tidy profit to energy-conscience consumers after a twenty-five year period has passed. If cold callers don’t mention it then it may be because they are pocketing this money for themselves.
- The catch. In some cases, the offer for solar power may sound like it’s a good one but then it involves a catch. For example, the price may be low (and even free) but then there’s a monthly or annual required maintenance charge that is very pricey. Carefully ask about the terms when someone calls you to talk about solar power. Don’t agree to anything that’s not in writing.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Guest article from Barbara Young @ www.12voltsolarpanels.net
What exactly is solar energy ?
Solar energy is radiant energy which is produced by the sun. Each day the sun radiates, or sends out, a huge quantity of energy. The sun radiates more energy in a second than people have used since the beginning of time!
The energy of the Sun comes from within the sun itself. Like other stars, the sun is known as a big ball of gases––mostly hydrogen and helium atoms.
The hydrogen atoms in the sun’s core combine to create helium and generate energy in a process called nuclear fusion.
During nuclear fusion, the sun’s extremely high pressure and temperature cause hydrogen atoms to come apart and their nuclei (the central cores of the atoms) to fuse or combine. Four hydrogen nuclei fuse to become one helium atom. However the helium atom contains less mass compared to four hydrogen atoms that fused. Some matter is lost during nuclear fusion. The lost matter is emitted into space as radiant energy.
It takes countless years for the energy in the sun’s core to make its way to the solar surface, and then just a little over eight minutes to travel the 93 million miles to earth. The solar energy travels to the earth at a speed of 186,000 miles per second, the speed of sunshine.
Only a small percentage of the energy radiated by the sun into space strikes the earth, one part in two billion. Yet this amount of energy is enormous.
Where does all this energy go ?
About 15 percent of the sun’s energy that hits our planet is reflected back to space. Another 30 percent is used to evaporate water, which, lifted in to the atmosphere, produces rainfall. Solar power is also absorbed by plants, the land, and the oceans. The remaining could be used to supply our energy needs.
Who invented solar technology ?
Folks have harnessed solar power for hundreds of years. Since the 7th century B.C., people used simple magnifying glasses to concentrate the light of the sun into beams so hot they'd cause wood to catch fire. Over 100 years ago in France, a scientist used heat from a solar collector to produce steam to drive a steam engine. In the beginning of this century, scientists and engineers began researching ways to use solar energy in earnest. One important development was a remarkably efficient solar boiler invented by Charles Greeley Abbott, an American astrophysicist, in 1936.
People and world governments remained largely indifferent to the possibilities of solar energy prior to the oil shortages of the1970s. Today, people use solar technology to heat buildings and water and to generate electricity.
How we use solar energy today ?
Solar power is used in a number of different ways, of course. There are two standard forms of solar energy:
* Solar thermal energy collects the sun's warmth through one of two means: in water or in an anti-freeze (glycol) mixture.
* Solar photovoltaic energy converts the sun's radiation to usable electricity.
Let us discuss the five most practical and popular methods solar energy is employed:
1. Small portable solar photovoltaic systems. We see these used everywhere, from calculators to solar garden products. Portable units can be utilised for everything from RV appliances while single panel systems can be used traffic signs and remote monitoring stations.
2. Solar pool heating. Running water in direct circulation systems via a solar collector is an extremely practical way to heat water for your pool or hot tub.
3. Thermal glycol energy to heat water. In this method (indirect circulation), glycol is heated by sunshine and the heat is then transferred to water in a hot water tank. This method of collecting the sun's energy is much more practical now than in the past.
4. Integrating solar photovoltaic energy into your home or business power. In numerous parts of the world, solar photovoltaics is an economically feasible method to supplement the power of your home. An increasingly popular and practical way of integrating solar energy into the power of your home or business is through the use of building integrated solar photovoltaics.
5. Large independent photovoltaic systems. For those who have enough sun power at your site, you could possibly go off grid. It's also possible to integrate or hybridize your solar energy system with wind power or other forms of sustainable energy to stay 'off the grid.'
How do Photovoltaic panels work ?
Silicon is mounted beneath non-reflective glass to produce photovoltaic panels. These panels collect photons from the sun, converting them into DC electrical energy. The energy created then flows into an inverter. The inverter transforms the power into basic voltage and AC electric power.
Solar cells are prepared with particular materials called semiconductors like silicon, which is presently the most generally used. When light hits the Photovoltaic cell, a specific share of it is absorbed inside the semiconductor material. This means that the energy of the absorbed light is given to the semiconductor.
The power unfastens the electrons, permitting them to run freely. Solar cells also have more than one electric fields that act to compel electrons unfastened by light absorption to flow in a specific direction. This flow of electrons is a current, and by introducing metal links on the top and bottom of the -Photovoltaic cell, the current can be drawn to use it externally.
Do you know the benefits and drawbacks of solar energy ?
Solar Pro:
- Heating our homes with oil or propane or using electricity from power plants running with oil and coal is a cause of global warming and climate disruption. Solar energy is clean and environmentally-friendly.
- Solar hot-water heaters require little maintenance, and their initial investment may be recovered in just a relatively small amount of time.
- Solar hot-water heaters can work in almost any climate, even just in very cold ones. Simply choose the best system for your climate: drainback, thermosyphon, batch-ICS, etc.
- Maintenance costs of solar powered systems are minimal and also the warranties large.
- Financial incentives can reduce the cost of the first investment in solar technologies.
Solar Cons:
- The initial investment in solar hot-water heaters or in PV electric systems is higher than that required by conventional electric and gas heating systems.
- The payback period of solar PV electric systems can be high (dependent on size of system), as well as those of solar space heating or solar cooling (solar domestic hot-water heating payback is short or relatively short).
- Solar hot-water heaters do not heat water in the central heating system (domestic radiators).
- Some hvac (solar space heating and the solar cooling systems) are very expensive, and rather untested technologies.
- The efficiency of solar powered systems is rather determined by sunlight resources. The distance from the equator has significant impact on the amount of solar energy reaching your solar panel. The closer you are to the equator, the more electricity your solar panels generate.
Who am I ? - Barbara Young writes on http://www.12voltsolarpanels.net/ her personal hobby site. Her work is devoted to helping people save energy using solar powered energy to eliminate CO2 emissions and energy dependency.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Solar energy is radiant energy which is produced by the sun. Each day the sun radiates, or sends out, a huge quantity of energy. The sun radiates more energy in a second than people have used since the beginning of time!
The energy of the Sun comes from within the sun itself. Like other stars, the sun is known as a big ball of gases––mostly hydrogen and helium atoms.
The hydrogen atoms in the sun’s core combine to create helium and generate energy in a process called nuclear fusion.
During nuclear fusion, the sun’s extremely high pressure and temperature cause hydrogen atoms to come apart and their nuclei (the central cores of the atoms) to fuse or combine. Four hydrogen nuclei fuse to become one helium atom. However the helium atom contains less mass compared to four hydrogen atoms that fused. Some matter is lost during nuclear fusion. The lost matter is emitted into space as radiant energy.
It takes countless years for the energy in the sun’s core to make its way to the solar surface, and then just a little over eight minutes to travel the 93 million miles to earth. The solar energy travels to the earth at a speed of 186,000 miles per second, the speed of sunshine.
Only a small percentage of the energy radiated by the sun into space strikes the earth, one part in two billion. Yet this amount of energy is enormous.
Where does all this energy go ?
About 15 percent of the sun’s energy that hits our planet is reflected back to space. Another 30 percent is used to evaporate water, which, lifted in to the atmosphere, produces rainfall. Solar power is also absorbed by plants, the land, and the oceans. The remaining could be used to supply our energy needs.
Who invented solar technology ?
Folks have harnessed solar power for hundreds of years. Since the 7th century B.C., people used simple magnifying glasses to concentrate the light of the sun into beams so hot they'd cause wood to catch fire. Over 100 years ago in France, a scientist used heat from a solar collector to produce steam to drive a steam engine. In the beginning of this century, scientists and engineers began researching ways to use solar energy in earnest. One important development was a remarkably efficient solar boiler invented by Charles Greeley Abbott, an American astrophysicist, in 1936.
People and world governments remained largely indifferent to the possibilities of solar energy prior to the oil shortages of the1970s. Today, people use solar technology to heat buildings and water and to generate electricity.
How we use solar energy today ?
Solar power is used in a number of different ways, of course. There are two standard forms of solar energy:
* Solar thermal energy collects the sun's warmth through one of two means: in water or in an anti-freeze (glycol) mixture.
* Solar photovoltaic energy converts the sun's radiation to usable electricity.
Let us discuss the five most practical and popular methods solar energy is employed:
1. Small portable solar photovoltaic systems. We see these used everywhere, from calculators to solar garden products. Portable units can be utilised for everything from RV appliances while single panel systems can be used traffic signs and remote monitoring stations.
2. Solar pool heating. Running water in direct circulation systems via a solar collector is an extremely practical way to heat water for your pool or hot tub.
3. Thermal glycol energy to heat water. In this method (indirect circulation), glycol is heated by sunshine and the heat is then transferred to water in a hot water tank. This method of collecting the sun's energy is much more practical now than in the past.
4. Integrating solar photovoltaic energy into your home or business power. In numerous parts of the world, solar photovoltaics is an economically feasible method to supplement the power of your home. An increasingly popular and practical way of integrating solar energy into the power of your home or business is through the use of building integrated solar photovoltaics.
5. Large independent photovoltaic systems. For those who have enough sun power at your site, you could possibly go off grid. It's also possible to integrate or hybridize your solar energy system with wind power or other forms of sustainable energy to stay 'off the grid.'
How do Photovoltaic panels work ?
Silicon is mounted beneath non-reflective glass to produce photovoltaic panels. These panels collect photons from the sun, converting them into DC electrical energy. The energy created then flows into an inverter. The inverter transforms the power into basic voltage and AC electric power.
Solar cells are prepared with particular materials called semiconductors like silicon, which is presently the most generally used. When light hits the Photovoltaic cell, a specific share of it is absorbed inside the semiconductor material. This means that the energy of the absorbed light is given to the semiconductor.
The power unfastens the electrons, permitting them to run freely. Solar cells also have more than one electric fields that act to compel electrons unfastened by light absorption to flow in a specific direction. This flow of electrons is a current, and by introducing metal links on the top and bottom of the -Photovoltaic cell, the current can be drawn to use it externally.
Do you know the benefits and drawbacks of solar energy ?
Solar Pro:
- Heating our homes with oil or propane or using electricity from power plants running with oil and coal is a cause of global warming and climate disruption. Solar energy is clean and environmentally-friendly.
- Solar hot-water heaters require little maintenance, and their initial investment may be recovered in just a relatively small amount of time.
- Solar hot-water heaters can work in almost any climate, even just in very cold ones. Simply choose the best system for your climate: drainback, thermosyphon, batch-ICS, etc.
- Maintenance costs of solar powered systems are minimal and also the warranties large.
- Financial incentives can reduce the cost of the first investment in solar technologies.
Solar Cons:
- The initial investment in solar hot-water heaters or in PV electric systems is higher than that required by conventional electric and gas heating systems.
- The payback period of solar PV electric systems can be high (dependent on size of system), as well as those of solar space heating or solar cooling (solar domestic hot-water heating payback is short or relatively short).
- Solar hot-water heaters do not heat water in the central heating system (domestic radiators).
- Some hvac (solar space heating and the solar cooling systems) are very expensive, and rather untested technologies.
- The efficiency of solar powered systems is rather determined by sunlight resources. The distance from the equator has significant impact on the amount of solar energy reaching your solar panel. The closer you are to the equator, the more electricity your solar panels generate.
Who am I ? - Barbara Young writes on http://www.12voltsolarpanels.net/ her personal hobby site. Her work is devoted to helping people save energy using solar powered energy to eliminate CO2 emissions and energy dependency.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Renewable Heat Incentive will go ahead
After a period of uncertainty caused by the change in government, it seems that the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is still very much in the pipeline. Speaking today at Portcullis House, Charles Hendry, Minister of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, confirmed that the Government is looking seriously at the RHI and understands the benefits it can bring but that there are challenges in how to pay for it. These will be welcome words for the industry and all those who have or are considering investing in renewable heating systems, especially after the abrupt closure of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme.
The Renewable Heat Incentive will be a payment for generating heat from renewable sources. Like the Feed-In Tariffs, it is set centrally, however where it differs slightly is that it is administered by the official regulator Ofgem. However, the Renewable Heat Incentive is still for everyone – homeowners, tenants, businesses, schools, hospitals, farmers or landlords.
Householders will save money by not having to use any gas or oil, the prices of which have risen steadily in recent years. Additionally, they will be paid up to 18p/kWh for the hot water and heat they generate and use. It depends on exactly what systems are employed and how large they are as to what the exact tariff level is.
Tariffs will last between 10 and 23 years depending on the type of system. Solar thermal payments will run for 20 years. Which should be more than enough time to pay off their installation costs. Most will be paid for in about seven to nine years. According to the government, which has set the tariff levels, the average user will earn a return of around 8 to 12% per annum.
Tariffs will be paid starting in April 2011. However, any suitable system installed from now July 15th 2009 will be eligible for the tariffs when they begin. There are technical and accreditation requirements (MCS) but recommended suppliers will be able to cope with this.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
The Renewable Heat Incentive will be a payment for generating heat from renewable sources. Like the Feed-In Tariffs, it is set centrally, however where it differs slightly is that it is administered by the official regulator Ofgem. However, the Renewable Heat Incentive is still for everyone – homeowners, tenants, businesses, schools, hospitals, farmers or landlords.
Householders will save money by not having to use any gas or oil, the prices of which have risen steadily in recent years. Additionally, they will be paid up to 18p/kWh for the hot water and heat they generate and use. It depends on exactly what systems are employed and how large they are as to what the exact tariff level is.
Tariffs will last between 10 and 23 years depending on the type of system. Solar thermal payments will run for 20 years. Which should be more than enough time to pay off their installation costs. Most will be paid for in about seven to nine years. According to the government, which has set the tariff levels, the average user will earn a return of around 8 to 12% per annum.
Tariffs will be paid starting in April 2011. However, any suitable system installed from now July 15th 2009 will be eligible for the tariffs when they begin. There are technical and accreditation requirements (MCS) but recommended suppliers will be able to cope with this.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
The Renewable Heat Incentive is to go live from 1st April 2011, but what will this mean for us?
The Government proposes the following key aspects of the RHI:
The scheme should support a range of technologies, including air and ground-source heat pumps (and other geothermal energy), solar thermal, biomass boilers, renewable combined heat and power, use of biogas and bioliquids and the injection of biomethane into the natural gas grid.
Support heating at all scales, including households, businesses, offices, public sector buildings and industrial processes in large factories.
Tariff levels have been calculated to bridge the financial gap between the cost of conventional and renewable heat systems at all scales, with additional compensation for certain technologies for an element of the non-financial cost and a rate of return of 12% on the additional cost of renewables, with 6% for solar thermal.
The Energy Act 2008 provides the statutory powers for a renewable heat incentive scheme to be introduced across England, Wales and Scotland. The detailed legal framework will be set out in secondary legislation.
The government are working to have the RHI in place for April 2011.
URBAN ENERGY:
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
The Government proposes the following key aspects of the RHI:
The scheme should support a range of technologies, including air and ground-source heat pumps (and other geothermal energy), solar thermal, biomass boilers, renewable combined heat and power, use of biogas and bioliquids and the injection of biomethane into the natural gas grid.
Support heating at all scales, including households, businesses, offices, public sector buildings and industrial processes in large factories.
Tariff levels have been calculated to bridge the financial gap between the cost of conventional and renewable heat systems at all scales, with additional compensation for certain technologies for an element of the non-financial cost and a rate of return of 12% on the additional cost of renewables, with 6% for solar thermal.
The Energy Act 2008 provides the statutory powers for a renewable heat incentive scheme to be introduced across England, Wales and Scotland. The detailed legal framework will be set out in secondary legislation.
The government are working to have the RHI in place for April 2011.
URBAN ENERGY:
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Peace of mind warranty/service/maintenance with Urban Energy
Urban Energy are responsible for repairs and maintenance for the lifetime of the installation. The IWA insurance scheme, renewable every 5 years, covers your installation in the event Urban Energy cease trading.
The cost of the IWA warranty for first 5 years is included in your initial quotation, after 5 years we will offer an extension of five years to your IWA warranty which includes a service for £150.00 + VAT. This can be done every 5 years for the lifetime of your installation.
The equipment is covered by a manufacturers 10 year performance guarantee with a 20/25 year lifespan guarantee.
Urban Energy are a lifetime member of the IWA scheme our membership number is UAN.02.10:
http://www.iwa.biz/
URBAN ENERGY:
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
The cost of the IWA warranty for first 5 years is included in your initial quotation, after 5 years we will offer an extension of five years to your IWA warranty which includes a service for £150.00 + VAT. This can be done every 5 years for the lifetime of your installation.
The equipment is covered by a manufacturers 10 year performance guarantee with a 20/25 year lifespan guarantee.
Urban Energy are a lifetime member of the IWA scheme our membership number is UAN.02.10:
http://www.iwa.biz/
URBAN ENERGY:
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Emergency Budget: Coalition Government sets June 22nd date.
The coalition government will hold its emergency Budget on 22 June.
The Tories pledged before the election to hold a Budget within 50 days of coming to power to show their intention to get to grips with the deficit.
Mr Osborne confirmed the date at a briefing with Lib Dem David Laws, who is the Treasury Chief Secretary.
As part of their coalition deal, the two parties agreed to make £6 billion in spending cuts in the current year.
Labour's last Budget was held at the end of March, weeks before the start of the general election. When they came to office in 1997, Labour also held a Budget within three months of being elected.
Mr Osborne refused to be drawn on the details of next month's statement - which is expected to start at the later time of 1530 BST - but said the "bulk" of his deficit-reduction measures would take the form of spending cuts rather than tax rises.
"A new, strong coalition government is going to do what the Labour government failed to do and let Britain live within its means," he said.
New Coalition British Govt. agrees on More Feed-in Tariffs:
Less than two months after Britain's Labour Party launched its highly regarded feed-in tariff (FiT) program, the newly elected conservative/lib-dem government has announced the program will be expanded. The announcement is included in the coalition government's agreement published as the new government took office.
The coalition government of the Conservative Party, and the Liberal Democrats have issued statements in the past supporting the principle of feed-in tariffs for developing Britain's renewable energy potential.
In his first press conference since becoming chancellor, Mr Osborne announced an audit of all government spending over the past year - to be carried out by the new Office for Budget Responsibility.
He said the government will announce next week how it plans to make £6 billion in spending cuts this year, focusing on reducing the size of quangos and cutting IT, consultancy and advertising expenditure.
New Coalition British Govt. pledges to increase targets for renewables:
A document outlining the basis of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat administration states: “We are agreed that we would seek to increase the target for energy from renewable sources, subject to the advice of the climate change committee."
Both the Tory Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy, Lib Dem Nick Clegg, expressed support for a low carbon economy in their first press conference.
Cameron promised the new government would be "passionate about building a green economy", with Clegg outlining plans to ensure "fine words on the environment are finally translated into action".
There has been considerable unease in the wind sector about Conservative plans to abolish the Renewable Obligations (RO) scheme and replace it with a feed in tariff (FiT) for large scale renewables.
The Lib Dem position has been to maintain RO, although a party environment adviser says that "positions will be worked out jointly from now on" adding that "nothing has been decided yet".
In a pledge yet to be clarified by the new government, the document promises "the full establishment of feed-in tariff systems in electricity – as well as the maintenance of banded ROCs".
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) coming April 2011:
Next April, the new Renewable Heat Incentive begins. As currently proposed, it will expand twelvefold during the decade the amount of heat generated from renewable sources.
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme will guarantee payments for up to 23 years for those who install technologies such as solar thermal, ground or air source heat pumps, biomass boilers or bio-methane or bio-diesel projects.
It is envisaged that you will earn a fixed income for every kilowatt hour (kWh) of heat you produce. Solar thermal is expected to receive the following tariff:
Up to a 45 kW system will attract an RHI of 18 pence per kWh for 20 years*
45 kW to 500 kW will attract an RHI of 17 pence per kWh for 20 years*
The sums involved are huge. According to the published cost benefit analysis, the cumulative gross resource costs of all these payments may reach £26.7 billion. Officials are quoting publicly an even higher figure of £36 billion.
It is hoped that the scheme will help deliver 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide savings by 2020, though two million of these are already accounted for by the European Emissions Trading Scheme. Around 85 per cent of the 73 terawatt hours of savings anticipated will be from non-residential buildings. Conversely, of the 1.87 million installations, some 1.72 million – or one in 14 – households will participate; just 144,000 installations will be made in the commercial and public sectors.
So, one in 14 households – predominantly those with spare cash to invest – will get a 12 per cent tax free return on investment. While the remaining 13 out of 14 will just see their fuel bills rise that much more.
*TBC out for consultation
URBAN ENERGY:
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
The Tories pledged before the election to hold a Budget within 50 days of coming to power to show their intention to get to grips with the deficit.
Mr Osborne confirmed the date at a briefing with Lib Dem David Laws, who is the Treasury Chief Secretary.
As part of their coalition deal, the two parties agreed to make £6 billion in spending cuts in the current year.
Labour's last Budget was held at the end of March, weeks before the start of the general election. When they came to office in 1997, Labour also held a Budget within three months of being elected.
Mr Osborne refused to be drawn on the details of next month's statement - which is expected to start at the later time of 1530 BST - but said the "bulk" of his deficit-reduction measures would take the form of spending cuts rather than tax rises.
"A new, strong coalition government is going to do what the Labour government failed to do and let Britain live within its means," he said.
New Coalition British Govt. agrees on More Feed-in Tariffs:
Less than two months after Britain's Labour Party launched its highly regarded feed-in tariff (FiT) program, the newly elected conservative/lib-dem government has announced the program will be expanded. The announcement is included in the coalition government's agreement published as the new government took office.
The coalition government of the Conservative Party, and the Liberal Democrats have issued statements in the past supporting the principle of feed-in tariffs for developing Britain's renewable energy potential.
In his first press conference since becoming chancellor, Mr Osborne announced an audit of all government spending over the past year - to be carried out by the new Office for Budget Responsibility.
He said the government will announce next week how it plans to make £6 billion in spending cuts this year, focusing on reducing the size of quangos and cutting IT, consultancy and advertising expenditure.
New Coalition British Govt. pledges to increase targets for renewables:
A document outlining the basis of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat administration states: “We are agreed that we would seek to increase the target for energy from renewable sources, subject to the advice of the climate change committee."
Both the Tory Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy, Lib Dem Nick Clegg, expressed support for a low carbon economy in their first press conference.
Cameron promised the new government would be "passionate about building a green economy", with Clegg outlining plans to ensure "fine words on the environment are finally translated into action".
There has been considerable unease in the wind sector about Conservative plans to abolish the Renewable Obligations (RO) scheme and replace it with a feed in tariff (FiT) for large scale renewables.
The Lib Dem position has been to maintain RO, although a party environment adviser says that "positions will be worked out jointly from now on" adding that "nothing has been decided yet".
In a pledge yet to be clarified by the new government, the document promises "the full establishment of feed-in tariff systems in electricity – as well as the maintenance of banded ROCs".
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) coming April 2011:
Next April, the new Renewable Heat Incentive begins. As currently proposed, it will expand twelvefold during the decade the amount of heat generated from renewable sources.
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme will guarantee payments for up to 23 years for those who install technologies such as solar thermal, ground or air source heat pumps, biomass boilers or bio-methane or bio-diesel projects.
It is envisaged that you will earn a fixed income for every kilowatt hour (kWh) of heat you produce. Solar thermal is expected to receive the following tariff:
Up to a 45 kW system will attract an RHI of 18 pence per kWh for 20 years*
45 kW to 500 kW will attract an RHI of 17 pence per kWh for 20 years*
The sums involved are huge. According to the published cost benefit analysis, the cumulative gross resource costs of all these payments may reach £26.7 billion. Officials are quoting publicly an even higher figure of £36 billion.
It is hoped that the scheme will help deliver 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide savings by 2020, though two million of these are already accounted for by the European Emissions Trading Scheme. Around 85 per cent of the 73 terawatt hours of savings anticipated will be from non-residential buildings. Conversely, of the 1.87 million installations, some 1.72 million – or one in 14 – households will participate; just 144,000 installations will be made in the commercial and public sectors.
So, one in 14 households – predominantly those with spare cash to invest – will get a 12 per cent tax free return on investment. While the remaining 13 out of 14 will just see their fuel bills rise that much more.
*TBC out for consultation
URBAN ENERGY:
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
DECC - Renewable Heat Incentive Consultation on the proposed RHI financial support scheme
Renewable energy, as part of our wider switch to a low carbon economy, plays a vital part in our work to tackle climate change and maintain secure energy supplies.
The Renewable Energy Strategy (RES), published on 15 July 2009, sets out the path towards achieving our target of 15% of our overall energy consumption to come from renewable sources by 2020.
In order to enable individuals, communities and others who are not professionals in the energy business to play their part in bringing forward renewable energy, the Government committed to introducing clean energy cash-back for renewable electricity and heat. We will deliver clean energy cash-back for renewable heat through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).
The consultation document sets out the Government’s proposals on the design and operation of the Renewable Heat Incentive, with the aim of providing financial support that encourages individuals, communities and businesses to switch from using fossil fuel for heating, to renewable technologies and sources.
Key aspects of the RHI:
The scheme should support a range of technologies, including air, water and ground-source heat pumps (and other geothermal energy), solar thermal, biomass boilers, renewable combined heat and power, use of biogas and bioliquids and the injection of biomethane into the natural gas grid.
RHI payments to be claimed by, and paid to, the owner of the equipment.
In small and medium-sized installations, both installers and equipment to be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or equivalent standard, helping to ensure quality assurance and consumer protection.
Payments will be paid over a number of years; annually for installations below 45 kW and quarterly for those above this level; and always subject to conditions such as continuing to operate and maintain the equipment.
Tariff levels have been calculated to bridge the financial gap between the cost of conventional and renewable heat systems at all scales, with additional compensation for certain technologies for an element of the non-financial cost (e.g. the inconvenience of digging up a garden to install a ground-source heat pump). Tariff levels are proposed to provide a rate of return of 12% on the additional capital cost of renewables, with a lower rate of return of 6% given to solar thermal.
Payments to be calculated on the annual amount of heat output, expressed in kilowatt hours (kWh). At the small and medium scale, the amount of heat generated by the equipment is proposed to be estimated (or “deemed”) when installed in most cases. This will allow the beneficiary of the incentive to receive a set amount based on the deemed output, to encourage low energy consumption and discourage wasting heat.
For large installations and process-heating, heat output to be metered, and the total annual support calculated from the actual energy generated, multiplied by the tariff level.
The RHI will remain open to new projects until at least 2020. Its design and tariff levels will be reviewed from time to time for new projects, so as to adapt to changes in technology costs and other circumstances.
As announced in the RES, installations complete after 15 July 2009 are eligible.
Ofgem will administer the RHI, making incentive payments to recipients and taking responsibility for auditing and enforcing the scheme. Ofgem are to devise a simple process for accrediting smaller installations. This is to ensure that standards are met and payments can be made.
The Energy Act 2008 provides the statutory powers for a renewable heat incentive scheme to be introduced across England, Wales and Scotland.
The detailed legal framework will be set out in secondary legislation.
Reference: DECC Consultation on Renewable Heat Incentive and the proposed RHI financial support scheme. February 2010.
Many UK benefits of a strong RHI
Renewable heat means greater energy security for the UK at a time when a business-as-usual scenario will leave the UK dependent on imports for 80% of its natural gas requirement by 2020. The UK’s entire Renewable Energy Strategy, covering heat, electricity and transport is estimated to reduce fossil gas imports by 20-30% by 2020. Renewable heat will play a major role in this reduction. The technologies involved are proven and available, and in most cases have been used for many years. The great diversity of renewable heat technologies means that renewable heat can work in almost any situation, making it an attractive option for the 2 million homes off the gas grid, where heating options are more limited and more expensive.
Renewable heat avoids emissions associated with the generation of heat energy from fossil fuels. Organic waste streams offer the greatest environmental benefit of all renewables by transforming problematic wastes that can give off methane if left untreated, into energy1 , including heat.
The increasing demand for sustainable wood fuel will also provide an incentive for active investment and management of UK woodlands, allowing for greater biodiversity.
Ambient technologies like solar thermal are already popular and make up the great majority of micro renewable installations in the UK today. The RHI will make these technologies more affordable, bringing down costs over time.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
The Renewable Energy Strategy (RES), published on 15 July 2009, sets out the path towards achieving our target of 15% of our overall energy consumption to come from renewable sources by 2020.
In order to enable individuals, communities and others who are not professionals in the energy business to play their part in bringing forward renewable energy, the Government committed to introducing clean energy cash-back for renewable electricity and heat. We will deliver clean energy cash-back for renewable heat through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).
The consultation document sets out the Government’s proposals on the design and operation of the Renewable Heat Incentive, with the aim of providing financial support that encourages individuals, communities and businesses to switch from using fossil fuel for heating, to renewable technologies and sources.
Key aspects of the RHI:
The scheme should support a range of technologies, including air, water and ground-source heat pumps (and other geothermal energy), solar thermal, biomass boilers, renewable combined heat and power, use of biogas and bioliquids and the injection of biomethane into the natural gas grid.
RHI payments to be claimed by, and paid to, the owner of the equipment.
In small and medium-sized installations, both installers and equipment to be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or equivalent standard, helping to ensure quality assurance and consumer protection.
Payments will be paid over a number of years; annually for installations below 45 kW and quarterly for those above this level; and always subject to conditions such as continuing to operate and maintain the equipment.
Tariff levels have been calculated to bridge the financial gap between the cost of conventional and renewable heat systems at all scales, with additional compensation for certain technologies for an element of the non-financial cost (e.g. the inconvenience of digging up a garden to install a ground-source heat pump). Tariff levels are proposed to provide a rate of return of 12% on the additional capital cost of renewables, with a lower rate of return of 6% given to solar thermal.
Payments to be calculated on the annual amount of heat output, expressed in kilowatt hours (kWh). At the small and medium scale, the amount of heat generated by the equipment is proposed to be estimated (or “deemed”) when installed in most cases. This will allow the beneficiary of the incentive to receive a set amount based on the deemed output, to encourage low energy consumption and discourage wasting heat.
For large installations and process-heating, heat output to be metered, and the total annual support calculated from the actual energy generated, multiplied by the tariff level.
The RHI will remain open to new projects until at least 2020. Its design and tariff levels will be reviewed from time to time for new projects, so as to adapt to changes in technology costs and other circumstances.
As announced in the RES, installations complete after 15 July 2009 are eligible.
Ofgem will administer the RHI, making incentive payments to recipients and taking responsibility for auditing and enforcing the scheme. Ofgem are to devise a simple process for accrediting smaller installations. This is to ensure that standards are met and payments can be made.
The Energy Act 2008 provides the statutory powers for a renewable heat incentive scheme to be introduced across England, Wales and Scotland.
The detailed legal framework will be set out in secondary legislation.
Reference: DECC Consultation on Renewable Heat Incentive and the proposed RHI financial support scheme. February 2010.
Many UK benefits of a strong RHI
Renewable heat means greater energy security for the UK at a time when a business-as-usual scenario will leave the UK dependent on imports for 80% of its natural gas requirement by 2020. The UK’s entire Renewable Energy Strategy, covering heat, electricity and transport is estimated to reduce fossil gas imports by 20-30% by 2020. Renewable heat will play a major role in this reduction. The technologies involved are proven and available, and in most cases have been used for many years. The great diversity of renewable heat technologies means that renewable heat can work in almost any situation, making it an attractive option for the 2 million homes off the gas grid, where heating options are more limited and more expensive.
Renewable heat avoids emissions associated with the generation of heat energy from fossil fuels. Organic waste streams offer the greatest environmental benefit of all renewables by transforming problematic wastes that can give off methane if left untreated, into energy1 , including heat.
The increasing demand for sustainable wood fuel will also provide an incentive for active investment and management of UK woodlands, allowing for greater biodiversity.
Ambient technologies like solar thermal are already popular and make up the great majority of micro renewable installations in the UK today. The RHI will make these technologies more affordable, bringing down costs over time.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
'Climate dice' now dangerously loaded: leading scientist
Evidence for global warming has mounted but public awareness of the threat has shrunk, due to a cold northern winter and finger-pointing at the UN's climate experts, a top scientist warned Wednesday.
James Hansen, a leading NASA scientist whose testimony to the US Congress in 1988 was a landmark in the history of climate change, said he was worried by "the large gap" in knowledge between specialists and the public, including politicians.
"That gap has increased substantially in the last year," Hansen told a press conference during a visit to Paris.
"While the science was becoming clearer, the public's perception became less clear, in part because of the unusually cold winter in both North America and Europe, and in part because of the inappropriate over-emphasis on small minor errors in IPCC documents and because of the so-called Climategate."
The IPCC -- the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- is under fire for several errors that appeared in a key 2007 report.
Its authors have acknowledged the mistakes, but say the overall conclusions of the report, that man-made greenhouse gases are changing the climate, remain solid.
The "Climategate" affair relates to stolen emails exchanged among British scientists that, sceptics said, showed they had ignored evidence that natural, rather than man-made, causes were to blame for climate change. The scientists have been cleared by a British parliamentary panel.
"The winter was not cold if you look over the whole world: December, January, February was the second warmest in 130 years," Hansen noted.
"It was cool at mid-latitudes in the northern hemisphere but unusually warm in the Arctic and that has a simple explanation: there is a chaotic variation in the pressure in the Arctic region. But it's just chaotic variation, there is no reason that it will be repeated."
He added: "We have to look at the frequency of events. Seven out of the last 10 winters in Europe have been warmer than the long-term average, and eight out of 10 in the United States.
"So the climate dice are being loaded at a rate which is in very close agreement with what was predicted ago a few decades ago based on the expected global warming."
Hansen is director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, but stressed he was speaking in a private capacity.
He blasted governments for "ignoring... basic scientific facts" by continuing to depend on fossil fuels, build more coal-fired plants and drill for oil in the deep ocean and the Arctic.
And he said that the poor outcome of December's climate summit in Copenhagen was predictable.
"Frankly, there was a realisation that you can't have 180 countries making the initial agreement, it has to be the major players. So, Europe, the US and China, and probably India, need to agree that there needs to be a carbon price and then it's very easy to make that global."
Reference: James Hansen, NASA
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
James Hansen, a leading NASA scientist whose testimony to the US Congress in 1988 was a landmark in the history of climate change, said he was worried by "the large gap" in knowledge between specialists and the public, including politicians.
"That gap has increased substantially in the last year," Hansen told a press conference during a visit to Paris.
"While the science was becoming clearer, the public's perception became less clear, in part because of the unusually cold winter in both North America and Europe, and in part because of the inappropriate over-emphasis on small minor errors in IPCC documents and because of the so-called Climategate."
The IPCC -- the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- is under fire for several errors that appeared in a key 2007 report.
Its authors have acknowledged the mistakes, but say the overall conclusions of the report, that man-made greenhouse gases are changing the climate, remain solid.
The "Climategate" affair relates to stolen emails exchanged among British scientists that, sceptics said, showed they had ignored evidence that natural, rather than man-made, causes were to blame for climate change. The scientists have been cleared by a British parliamentary panel.
"The winter was not cold if you look over the whole world: December, January, February was the second warmest in 130 years," Hansen noted.
"It was cool at mid-latitudes in the northern hemisphere but unusually warm in the Arctic and that has a simple explanation: there is a chaotic variation in the pressure in the Arctic region. But it's just chaotic variation, there is no reason that it will be repeated."
He added: "We have to look at the frequency of events. Seven out of the last 10 winters in Europe have been warmer than the long-term average, and eight out of 10 in the United States.
"So the climate dice are being loaded at a rate which is in very close agreement with what was predicted ago a few decades ago based on the expected global warming."
Hansen is director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, but stressed he was speaking in a private capacity.
He blasted governments for "ignoring... basic scientific facts" by continuing to depend on fossil fuels, build more coal-fired plants and drill for oil in the deep ocean and the Arctic.
And he said that the poor outcome of December's climate summit in Copenhagen was predictable.
"Frankly, there was a realisation that you can't have 180 countries making the initial agreement, it has to be the major players. So, Europe, the US and China, and probably India, need to agree that there needs to be a carbon price and then it's very easy to make that global."
Reference: James Hansen, NASA
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Monday, 10 May 2010
RHI - Coming Next April
Next April, the new Renewable Heat Incentive begins. As currently proposed, it will expand twelvefold during the decade the amount of heat generated from renewable sources.
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme will guarantee payments for up to 23 years for those who install technologies such as solar thermal, ground or air source heat pumps, biomass boilers or bio-methane or bio-diesel projects.
It is envisaged that you will earn a fixed income for every kilowatt hour (kWh) of heat you produce. Solar thermal is expected to receive the following tariff:
Up to a 45 kW system will attract an RHI of 18 pence per kWh for 20 years*
45 kW to 500 kW will attract an RHI of 17 pence per kWh for 20 years*
*TBC out for consultation
The sums involved are huge. According to the published cost benefit analysis, the cumulative gross resource costs of all these payments may reach £26.7 billion. Officials are quoting publicly an even higher figure of £36 billion.
It is hoped that the scheme will help deliver 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide savings by 2020, though two million of these are already accounted for by the European Emissions Trading Scheme. Around 85 per cent of the 73 terawatt hours of savings anticipated will be from non-residential buildings. Conversely, of the 1.87 million installations, some 1.72 million – or one in 14 – households will participate; just 144,000 installations will be made in the commercial and public sectors.
So, one in 14 households – predominantly those with spare cash to invest – will get a 12 per cent tax free return on investment. While the remaining 13 out of 14 will just see their fuel bills rise that much more.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme will guarantee payments for up to 23 years for those who install technologies such as solar thermal, ground or air source heat pumps, biomass boilers or bio-methane or bio-diesel projects.
It is envisaged that you will earn a fixed income for every kilowatt hour (kWh) of heat you produce. Solar thermal is expected to receive the following tariff:
Up to a 45 kW system will attract an RHI of 18 pence per kWh for 20 years*
45 kW to 500 kW will attract an RHI of 17 pence per kWh for 20 years*
*TBC out for consultation
The sums involved are huge. According to the published cost benefit analysis, the cumulative gross resource costs of all these payments may reach £26.7 billion. Officials are quoting publicly an even higher figure of £36 billion.
It is hoped that the scheme will help deliver 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide savings by 2020, though two million of these are already accounted for by the European Emissions Trading Scheme. Around 85 per cent of the 73 terawatt hours of savings anticipated will be from non-residential buildings. Conversely, of the 1.87 million installations, some 1.72 million – or one in 14 – households will participate; just 144,000 installations will be made in the commercial and public sectors.
So, one in 14 households – predominantly those with spare cash to invest – will get a 12 per cent tax free return on investment. While the remaining 13 out of 14 will just see their fuel bills rise that much more.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care."
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Monday, 8 March 2010
Get a loan of up to £15,000 to green your house!
If you want to install solar panels on your roof and take advantage of lucrative new feed-in tariffs but have been put off by a lack of funds, you could soon get a loan to cover the whole cost.
This week the government unveiled plans to offer homeowners 20 year loans of up to £15,000 to allow families to invest in green technologies, safe in the knowledge that their loan would be taken over by the purchaser if they move before it's paid off.
This follows an announcement by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) that it will start paying feed-in tariffs (FiT's) to households installing green technologies such as electricity generating photovoltaic (PV) systems, which will set you back around £8,000 per kWp installed.
Households with south-facing roofs able to install a 4 kWp solar PV system will receive payments and savings totalling over £1,600 a year (Import savings £218.11 + FiT income £1390.16 + Export income £50.49 = £1658.76) from 1 April 2010.
Until now households wanting to introduce these carbon-reducing measures had to pay the upfront installation costs, or borrow the money, leading to accusations that they were only affordable for the well-off. Equally, spending thousands on solar power made little sense to anyone planning to move home a few years later.
The government has tried to answer both criticisms this week by introducing a pay-as-you-save (PAYS) scheme, which follows a pilot run in a number of cities.
- Although details of how the scheme will work are yet to be finalised we now have a rough idea:
The loans, typically between £10,000 and £15,000, are expected to come from commercial organisations rather than government funds. As well as the big six energy companies, Sainsbury's, B&Q, Co-op Bank and HSBC are among those expressing an interest.
- Once taken out, the loans would effectively become a charge against the house in the same way as a mortgage. They are expected to be paid back over 20-25 years, but, unlike a mortgage, if you move house before the loan is paid off, the new buyer would take over the payments. Of course, they also take over the savings, and any feed-in tariffs payable, which DECC says would always be greater than the repayments. It should make the home more attractive to any purchaser.
- The interest is yet to be determined – 6% has been mentioned, but as the loans will be coming from the private sector rates will reflect the market at the time. It is likely the rate would be similar to a long-term fixed-rate mortgage, typically 5%-6%. If you have lots of equity in your home, and you are remortgaging, you might find it cheaper to add the cost to your mortgage.
Households would be able to spend the money on a variety of technologies. Solar PV and Solar Thermal water heaters will be favourites, but so will solid-wall insulation which is aimed at homes that were built without cavity walls. It is much more expensive than cavity wall insulation, but can bring down energy bills significantly. Ground and air source heat pumps and wind turbines will qualify.
DECC says it is aiming for 7m households – owner-occupier and rented – to benefit by 2020. It wants to make the loans available to the widest possible group rather than just the well-off. It aims to have a single point of contact for those hoping to get a loan, pushing applicants to the most appropriate commercial supplier.
One option could see the power firms, which already have responsibility for paying the feed-in tariffs, also overseeing the loans and simply paying the customer the surplus at the end of each month. This would enable those with less-than-perfect credit histories to install carbon-reducing measures.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care”.
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
0% interest instalment payment program available for domestic solar thermal and photovoltaic systems.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
This week the government unveiled plans to offer homeowners 20 year loans of up to £15,000 to allow families to invest in green technologies, safe in the knowledge that their loan would be taken over by the purchaser if they move before it's paid off.
This follows an announcement by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) that it will start paying feed-in tariffs (FiT's) to households installing green technologies such as electricity generating photovoltaic (PV) systems, which will set you back around £8,000 per kWp installed.
Households with south-facing roofs able to install a 4 kWp solar PV system will receive payments and savings totalling over £1,600 a year (Import savings £218.11 + FiT income £1390.16 + Export income £50.49 = £1658.76) from 1 April 2010.
Until now households wanting to introduce these carbon-reducing measures had to pay the upfront installation costs, or borrow the money, leading to accusations that they were only affordable for the well-off. Equally, spending thousands on solar power made little sense to anyone planning to move home a few years later.
The government has tried to answer both criticisms this week by introducing a pay-as-you-save (PAYS) scheme, which follows a pilot run in a number of cities.
- Although details of how the scheme will work are yet to be finalised we now have a rough idea:
The loans, typically between £10,000 and £15,000, are expected to come from commercial organisations rather than government funds. As well as the big six energy companies, Sainsbury's, B&Q, Co-op Bank and HSBC are among those expressing an interest.
- Once taken out, the loans would effectively become a charge against the house in the same way as a mortgage. They are expected to be paid back over 20-25 years, but, unlike a mortgage, if you move house before the loan is paid off, the new buyer would take over the payments. Of course, they also take over the savings, and any feed-in tariffs payable, which DECC says would always be greater than the repayments. It should make the home more attractive to any purchaser.
- The interest is yet to be determined – 6% has been mentioned, but as the loans will be coming from the private sector rates will reflect the market at the time. It is likely the rate would be similar to a long-term fixed-rate mortgage, typically 5%-6%. If you have lots of equity in your home, and you are remortgaging, you might find it cheaper to add the cost to your mortgage.
Households would be able to spend the money on a variety of technologies. Solar PV and Solar Thermal water heaters will be favourites, but so will solid-wall insulation which is aimed at homes that were built without cavity walls. It is much more expensive than cavity wall insulation, but can bring down energy bills significantly. Ground and air source heat pumps and wind turbines will qualify.
DECC says it is aiming for 7m households – owner-occupier and rented – to benefit by 2020. It wants to make the loans available to the widest possible group rather than just the well-off. It aims to have a single point of contact for those hoping to get a loan, pushing applicants to the most appropriate commercial supplier.
One option could see the power firms, which already have responsibility for paying the feed-in tariffs, also overseeing the loans and simply paying the customer the surplus at the end of each month. This would enable those with less-than-perfect credit histories to install carbon-reducing measures.
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care”.
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
0% interest instalment payment program available for domestic solar thermal and photovoltaic systems.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Monday, 1 March 2010
The Clean Energy Cashback, or Feed-in Tariff, explained in video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvRf1yw659w&feature=player_embedded
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care”.
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
0% interest instalment payment program available for domestic solar thermal and photovoltaic systems.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care”.
Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government sponsored funding programmes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
0% interest instalment payment program available for domestic solar thermal and photovoltaic systems.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
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