What People Are Asking.

Giving consumers better protection.

Do you really think solar and renewable energies are a good investment?

Yes. Solar energy and other forms of renewable energy (such as Air Source) will become cheaper as people continue to invest in them. When people invest in them, this will drive down the cost-- as it already has over the last few decades. This has a snowball effect: the technology becomes increasingly usable, cheaper and convenient.

Look at changes in satellite dish technology, twenty years ago, they were gigantic wieldy things only people in the country bought. As more people invested in these, though, the cost went down, the technology got more compact and now they are everywhere-hardly noticeable. Recent developments indicate that this is becoming true of solar energy too.

How much do any of these renewable energy systems cost, and how much will I save on utility bills?

There is no single or simple answer, even if you are only talking about one kind of energy, such as solar. Some short answers we can give here:

• They are all definitely in the thousands.
• Solar and renewable energy rebates as well as other incentives can reduce the cost of any Renewable Energy system.
• The size of the system is of course a factor.
• The price of other sources of energy will continue to rise, so who knows how much money you will save in the future?
• It also depends on how much you pay your utility for electricity or natural gas, and how much your utility will pay you for any excess power that you generate with your solar system.
• You can ask us much your new system will produce on an annual basis and compare that number to your current annual electricity or hot water demand to get an idea of how much you will save.

What are the disadvantages to solar and renewable energy?

The biggest disadvantage and the only truly significant one remains the cost. For example, renewable energy technologies require a significant initial outlay. Still, in nearly all cases, this high initial cost is recovered through substantial fuel savings over the life of the product (25-40 years),

What is a Renewable Energy Tariff?

It is a payment made to the owner of a renewable energy system for every unit (kilowatt hour (kWh)) of energy produced by the system.   The UK scheme will also pay a bonus for every unit of power exported to the grid that is surplus to requirements in the home/office/building.  This will encourage efficient use of electricity as the more power you save, the more you will earn.

Like international schemes the UK scheme will be ‘degressed’.  This means that over time the Tariff payment offered is reduced.  This does not mean your payment will decrease.  It does mean that the year you start will determine your payment level and this will reduce with each year.  This is to ensure the renewable industry acts to reduce its costs.

In the UK Tariffs will be available for defined technologies up to 5MW in size (e.g. enough for 3 large-scale wind turbines in, say, a community energy scheme providing enough power for , say, around 3000 homes).

What are the tariff rates?

Where do I go for more Information?

For more information and advise you can go to the following organisations:-
Householders: Energy Saving Trust
Businesses: Carbon Trust
Guidance: Ofgem
Policy advice: Department for Energy and Climate Change

Or call us on 01933 663200