renewable heating systems are now eligible for up to £1,250 from the government.
People who opt for greener methods such as biomass boilers and solar panels
can apply to the £15m Premium Payment fund set up to support 25,000
installations.
The scheme is mainly aimed at the 4m UK homes not heated by mains gas that
rely on higher carbon heating methods.
But Friends of the Earth said “disappointing” caveats short-changed a
potentially ground-changing scheme.
The scheme to help pay for the installation costs of systems such as air and
ground source heat pumps is open for applications from 1 August until March
2012.
Run by the Energy Saving Trust, it will focus
mainly on those heating their homes with high carbon and typically more
expensive methods such as electric fires and heating oil.
‘Investor uncertainty’
Climate change minister Greg Barker said: “Today starts a new era in home
heating because we’re making it more economical for people to go green by
providing discounts off the cost of eco heaters.
“This should be great news for people who are reliant on expensive oil or
electric heating as the premium payment scheme is really aimed at them.
“Getting money off an eco heater will not just cut carbon emissions, it will
also help create a market in developing, selling and installing kit like solar
thermal panels or heat pumps.”
Green heating grants available
- Ground Source Heat Pump – £1,250 (homes without mains
gas) - Biomass boiler – £950 (homes without mains gas)
- Air source heat pump – £850 (homes without mains gas)
- Solar thermal hot water panels – £300 (all homes)
The Department of Energy and Climate Change says it will
closely monitor energy data and performance through additional meters and
detailed surveys.
“When people have the kit installed in their homes they really see theclosely monitor energy data and performance through additional meters and
detailed surveys.
benefit,” said Energy Saving Trust chief executive Philip Sellwood.
“Of course there is still more to be learnt about how to get the most out of
the technologies – but the more they’re out there in people’s homes, the more
they become part of daily life.
“Without a doubt, the main barrier that prevents people from taking the
plunge is the up-front capital cost.
“This is a great start in overcoming this obstacle.”
But environmental group Friends of the Earth said the scheme, which counts
towards the government’s 2020 renewable energy targets set by the EU, did not go
far enough.
Alan Simpson, an adviser on sustainable energy, said: “Potentially this is an
internationally ground-changing initiative that could put the UK amongst world
leaders, but it is driven by a towering lack of ambition.”
He said the project “short-changed” itself and had all sorts of
“disappointing” caveats.
The system was always meant to include annual payments or subsidies as well
as a one-off installation payment, but the government had not yet worked out how
to calculate them, he said.
That created “investor uncertainty” as people were not sure how much to
budget for in the future, he said.
He also said the £300 payments for solar thermal panels were too low to
affect market demand.
And he called for all payments generally to be applied across the board not
just to those almost exclusively in homes without mains gas heating.
This is something other countries are trying, and something maybe the U. S. should enquire into as well.
what is your opinion?
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