Page last updated at 17:43 GMT, Thursday, November 10 2011

Renewable Energy at Home

Some types of renewable energy in Britain

Eastleigh Borough Council is committed to promoting the use of renewable energy both by installing various technologies on Council owned facilities, and by encouraging homeowners to do the same if their property is suitable in its construction and location.  Note that the Home Trust Loan, a low interest, non profit loan offered through a scheme supported by Eastleigh Council may be used to finance the installation of home renewable energy, subject to available funding. 

You can view fact sheets about renewable energy for the home on the Energy Saving Trust website  or download their booklet , "Domestic Low and Zero Carbon Technologies".

If you want to find an Accredited Installer of renewable energy for your home, visit the Microgeneration Certification Scheme  website.  All domestic cashback schemes require that an accredited installer was used.  For extra protection choose installers that have signed on to the Renewable Energy Assurance Limited scheme

The local " Transition " group, Eastleigh Transition Network, has an Energy Sub Group that you can join to find out more and talk to others who are interested in home renewable energy.  To take part email energy@etnet.org.uk or visit their website http://etnet.org.uk  .

There are currently two "cash back" schemes for domestic renewable energy, one for renewable electricity and one for renewable heating.  They are very different with complex rules.  See below for more information. 

Important Announcement - Changes to Feed in Tariff rates for new Solar Photovoltaic Installations

The UK Government is proposing to reduce Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) for new solar photovoltaic (PV) installations as part of their comprehensive review consultation. 

If you install solar PV and your FITs application is received by your FIT supplier (also known as FIT licensee) on or after 12th December 2011, you could be affected by the proposals. 

Please note that these proposals are currently under consultation and are therefore not final. Only solar PV systems are covered by the UK Government's current FITs consultation. Other FIT-eligible technologies will be considered as part of the second phase of the comprehensive review due to be published shortly.

Please see the Energy Saving Trust website for a summary of the changes and Department for Energy & Climate Change website for more details

Feed in Tariff - Electricity Generating Technologies

Make a 7% -10% return on investing in solar electricity for your home

Under the Government's Feed In Tariffs (FITs) people who generate electricity can get up to 43p per kilowatt hour (kWh) that they generate from their own photovoltaic (solar) panels.  On top of this, they will save by using the electricity in their own home, displacing what they would have had to buy, and by selling excess electricity back to the grid.  The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have published a handy flyer that describes the main points or the Feed in Tariff and a Flowchart.  The FITs can also be applied to wind, microCHP and hydroelectricity.

NOTE:  There are now several companies that are offering FREE solar electricity panels to residents in return for the feed in tariffs.  You should look carefully into any of these offers as they may lock you into a 25 year obligation with a benefit of only about £120 per year in reduced electricity bills.  Consumer Focus have issued some Consumer Focus Guidance on free solar panels to help you avoid getting into a roof-lease situation you may regret within the 25 year period.  The Energy Saving Trust also offers Energy Saving Trust guidance on free solar panels about this.  You should ensure that the company has signed up the REAL Assurance scheme (see top of page) for added protection.

Renewable Heat Incentive - Heating and Hot Water Technologies

The scheme will not begin for domestic installations until late 2012 - read from FAQs:-

" The Government is committed to providing a long-term incentive for renewable domestic heating and intends to honour the previous commitment that anyone who has installed renewable heat since 15th July 2009 will qualify for support. This means domestic eligible installations will receive payments from 2012. These payments will not be backdated to the start of the scheme.  However support for domestic properties will be available through the Renewable Heat Premium Payment."  This scheme provides up front grants to help purchase the system or unit.

Note that under the Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme, only solar thermal systems will be eligible for those homes that are connected to the gas network.  For homes not connected to the gas network, premium payments for pellet boilers or heat pumps will be considered.  For more information about the Renewable Heat Premium Payment have a look at the RHPP Factsheet or visit the Energy Saving Trust website, who are managing the RHPP scheme.

The RHI scheme is very different from the Feed in Tariffs (see above) because heat is not on a national grid, and so has to be dealt with differently.  The tariffs are generally smaller (although you generate more heat than electricity in the year), will be guaranteed for only 20 years, and the levels are likely to be estimated rather than measured.  Read more on the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) website. 

The Government is proposing a programme of low interest 'green loans' ("Green Deal") which are intended to be paid over a long period of time, and which will be attached to the property rather than the person.  More information is available under the Department for Energy and Climate Change's 'Warm Homes Green Homes" Household Energy Management Strategy.

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Technologies

Solar Energy

There are two types of solar panel:

Solar thermal panel  - these panels heat your hot water supply. In the summer virtually all your hot water needs can be met, while in the winter the panels pre-heat the water, and your boiler will then heat it up to the required temperature. Systems cost from £2,000 - £4,500.

Photovoltaic ('PV') panels - these panels generate electricity. A system costs from £8,000 and could be considerably more.  However,  with the introduction of feed in tariffs you may recoup your investment within 10 years. 

The Centre for Alternative Technology has written a fact sheet for photovoltaic panels [pdf], which includes answers to questions such as 'how much electricity will a PV panel generate', 'how much is it likely to cost', and 'how do I find an installer'"

When considering either type of panel please obtain at least two quotations from installers before committing to any work. We also recommend using an installer who is a member of the Solar Trade Association.

Ground or Air Source Source Heat Pumps

If your home is not on the gas mains, you may wish to consider heat pumps as an alternative to supply your heating and hot water requirements.  These heat pumps use solar power stored in the ground or air, which is collected in an appropriate fluid in flexible hoses, then compressed using electricity to heat the fluid - similar to a refrigerator that works backward!.  For air source heat pumps you could spend £4000 to £8000, and for ground source, which requires you embed coils in the ground around your home, or in a deep borehole if there is insufficient area for the coils, this could cost up to about £20,000. Read the Centre for Alternative Factsheet about heat pumps for more information. 

Wind turbines

The Council's Windy Homes project undertook a study to investigate whether the home building-mounted wind turbine generated sufficient electricity to merit its installation.  Click on the link above for the Report. Generally, the study found that homes in Eastleigh did not experience sufficient good quality, non-turbulent wind to justify the installation of the small building-mounted wind turbine.  It is possible that specific sites may benefit from particularly good conditions, but the turbine is best mounted on a pole.  Planning permission may need to be sought for this.

A local Scout group has also installed a small Windsave 1.75m diameter wind turbine on their hut.  Eastleigh Council has funded the display, which shows both immediate electricity generation, and the cumulative figure.  This will be a good opportunity for the Scouts to get directly involved with renewable energy.

Biomass Heating

Heating and hot water could be responsible for over 80% of your home's energy use, so using wood, wood chips or pellets could be one of the most effective ways to reduce your home's carbon 'footprint', but this depends on where it is sourced and how it is delivered.  There are some very modern, convenient and efficient systems available now, where you do not have to manually feed fuel to the fire.  You can also choose from systems that provide just heating, or heating with boiler for hot water as well.  Some important things to consider are: 

• ensure you have sufficient ventilation if the boiler uses air from inside the house
• if you are using your existing chimney it should be cleaned, and preferably lined
• you will need a large area to store your biofuel
• you may find a local supplier using the website Logile
• There are no smoke controlled zones in Eastleigh borough, but if you live outside Eastleigh Borough, the DEFRA website Smoke Control Areas can tell you if you are and give you other guidance about residential biomass heating.

Renewable Energy in the Borough

Eastleigh Borough Council has installed various renewable energy technologies around the Borough. You can visit these at Itchen Valley and Lakeside Country Parks.  Also, we are currently involved in attempting to revive the hydro plant at Shers Mill, in Bishopstoke. 

Green electricity

You may also like to support renewable energy by choosing a 'green' electricity tariff. Generally you pay a small extra premium and there are two types of tariff available:

Renewable Tariff - "Green Electricity"

If you were to switch to a renewable energy tariff, the electricity you receive will arrive through the same cables and wires, but for every unit of electricity you use your supplier will buy a unit of electricity generated from a renewable energy source such as wind power, hydroelectricity or biomass

Eco-Funds Tariff
This is where the additional premium is invested in new renewable energy projects. This is in the form of a fund, usually developing community based renewable energy projects

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) has just published a new labelling scheme for 'green' electricity tariffs, called the "Green Energy Scheme"   If you would like to know more about how you can purchase your electricity from renewable sources you may wish to use this guide to switch.

To switch to a green electricity supplier you could visit the following websites to compare tariffs-

• www.greenelectricity.org
• www.theenergyshop.com  - select "green tariff"