What is a Renewable Heat Incentive?

The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is a World leading scheme to encourage the promotion of renewable heating systems in the UK. The scheme expected to launch in June 2011 will provide financial support for homes and businesses across the community to switch from using fossil fuel for heating to renewables such as heat pumps, wood fuel boilers, and solar thermal.

The proposed scheme will see householders paid on an annual basis according to the size of the installation in relation to the amount of hot water required to heat your home. Any projects installed after 15th July 2009 will be eligible for the subsidy from the Government.

How much could I earn from the Renewable Heat Incentive?

The key proposals from the Government include; inflation rising payments, a limit in size of 45KW installation (an average size housed would require 5-8kw), 12% return on the capital costs of renewables, with a lower rate of 6% return on solar thermal. Current estimates predict 7.5p kWh for an air source heat pump, 18p kWh for solar thermal, 7p kWh for ground source heat pump. An installation of £10,000 would yield a return of £1,200 a year for up to 20-25years. This doesn’t include the savings from cheaper fuel bills.

Solar Panel Feed-In Tariff

• Earn £1200* a year with the new Feed-In-Tariff
• Get paid for generating your own electricity through the Government backed Feed-In Tariff when you install a solar electric system with The Green Home.
• Tax free, inflation beating and Government backed - there is no safer and lucrative investment. 

What is the Feed-In Tariff?

The Feed-In Tariff is an incentive for households and businesses to install renewable technology which generating green electric.  This scheme began on the 1^st of April 2010, modelled on the very successful programs in Germany and Spain; it pays the household a fixed amount for every KWh generated from low carbon sources such as solar electricity panels (PV) or wind turbines. This scheme is funded by the UK’s energy suppliers (compulsory for nPower, EDF, E.ON, British Gas, Scottish Power and Southern Electric) who make the regular payments. It guarantees a minimum payment for installing the system as well as a separate payment for any electric exported to the grid. These costs are then passed onto consumers. So right now you are paying for someone else to benefit from Solar Panels.

How much could I earn from the Feed-In Tariff?

Through the Feed-In Tariff you could earn 43.1p* (April 2011) for every KWh generated over a period of 25 years, whether you use the energy yourself or export it to the national grid for an additional 3p. A 3kW PV system with half the of the electric going to the grid, generating 2,000 KWh a year will earn you £850 a year with the Feed-In Tariff, this doesn’t even include how much you save by not paying for electric.

Why is renewable technology such a great investment?

The typical cost of a 4 KWpPV system varies between £13,000 to £15,000 (Product quality and installation dependent). Within one year of installation, the income from the Feed-In Tariff and exported energy to the grid is £1,707. This is a return of 12%* on your investment. The average return on the FTSE 100 in the past 10 years has been 10%, the best savings rate currently available on the high street is 2.9%. In addition the money received through the Feed-In Tariff is inflation beating throughout the 25 years, the tariff increases each year according to the retail price index, so you will never lose out to inflation. What’s more, your investment is secured by the Government, resulting in the lowest risk possible to you. Estate agents recognise the benefits of renewable installation, resulting in a higher value to your property, consequently many mortgage lenders are happy for their customers to remortgage (currently at a rate of 2-4%) to take advantage of a 12%* return on their investment.

The current rate from the Feed-In Tariff expires on 31/03/12, with a new tariff 10% less than the original taking over. Waiting could see you lose £4,000 over the lifetime of the tariff. Apply now to maximise you return. For more information on how much you could make with Feed-In Tariffs please visit Energy Saving Trust and call The Green Home to discuss your requirements.

*Are based on calculations from Energy Savings Trust website, using the current Feed-in Tariffs, 4KW producing 3,000 kWh a year

Renewable Energy Systems in the UK

When it comes to renewables there is often plenty of choice on the marketplace for consumers. At Greener Heat we offer a full range of products and services to help homes and businesses reduce costs and carbon emissions whilst embracing a greener lifestyle. All of our products are custom designed around you. They are high quality, superbly designed and installed with market leading guarantees. This ensures that your system has low running costs, and a long life expectancy; offering true value for money. As a minimum requirement all of our products are MCS accredited so you can benefit from the latest grants and funding such as the Feed-in Tariff (FITs) and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)

Solar Thermal Panels

Also known as Solar Hot Water Panels, this renewable technology can provide up to 60% of your hot water requirements.They can be freely mounted on an aluminium mounting rack; on the ground, on the side of a building  or on a flat roof. To optimise the efficiency, the panels should be situated in a South facing location, however South East or South West direction will only lose 15% of the panels efficiency. Our panels can be integrated into a conventional roof with a seamless join between roofing materials. We also have modules that can be integrated into the facade of your building, to create an architectural feature that can be custom designed to your specification from the size, right down to the colour of the panel

Solar PV Panels

Photovoltaic panels are a quick and easy way to make your lifestyle an instant shade greener. Installation is quick and can be relatively straightforward without the need to replace your existing electrical system. They can cut 50% off your electricity bill, while providing you with an income from any additional electricity you do not use and the Feed-in Tariff. Our robust and industry leading panels can be easily mounted on a frame system on the ground, or can be placed on any southern orientated roof. We use panels that offer market leading efficiency so you can make the most electricity out of your roof space. Alongside our panels, we use a market leading inverter to ensure maximum efficiency, and a long lifespan - offering true value for money!

Heat Pumps

Heat Pumps are an excellent source for green heating. Heat pumps absorb energy from their surroundings and place this concentrated energy into your home. They can provide 100% of your space heating requirements along with all your hot water requirements. All of our systems are designed around you, our heat pumps can vary in size to fulfill the heating requirements of a small cottage right through to our industrial size units that can meet the needs of the largest of Hotels. In addition, there is a heat pump to suit every site. The energy can be gathered from bore holes, trench systems, the surrounding air or a nearby water source. Our heat pumps do not have immersion heaters or "booster probes", as they are designed to work without them, this results in a system with the lowest running costs on the market.

Under Floor Heating

Under floor heating has been in existence for thousands of years since the Romans heated their villas, however in the past few decades it has now become the heating distribution system of choice for new builds. Under floor heating is the most effective way of heating a building offering a saving on running costs of at least 25% compared to outdated radiators. It can be placed on the ground floor and on any additional floor levels. It also compliments heat pump technology, improving the efficiency of a Heat Pump system. However, underfloor heating can be difficult to retro fit into an existing building, that is why we offer a wall mounted system that improves the thermal efficiency of the building while providing low running costs.

Thermal Storage

Thermal stores are an integral part of any renewable heating system. Old fashioned oil and gas boilers have stored energy that has been in waiting for millions of years and can be quickly turned into heat at a flick or a switch. As we know this cheap source of energy is running out, so we must store the energy from the sun and our surroundings ready for when we need it. Our thermal stores are an important part of our solar and heat pumps systems. Each store is specifically designed to help the system to heat up quickly (Solar), or to reduce running costs and remove the risk of legionnaire's disease (Heat Pumps). All of our storage tanks are highly insulated to prevent heat loss and to increase performance.

Water Source Heat Pumps in The UK

Water source heat pumps take the residual heat stored in water systems and turn it into higher usable heat. The water source can include a fast running stream, a river, a lake, the ocean or a well (bore hole). It is the most efficient form of heat pump since the flow of water prevents the cooler returning flow from the heat pump reducing the temperature of the source. In a closed loop pipe circuit filled with a brine solution, by passing this relatively cold brine mixture through a heat exchanger (the evaporator) the temperature is transferred over to a HFC refrigerant which at this point is much colder than the brine, this refrigerant is then passed into the compressor, as with any gas compressed it generates heat this high temperature gas is then fed into another heat exchanger (the condenser)where the temperature is passed over to water pumped around our heating system. The refrigerant cycles back through the evaporator to start the process again.

The Heat Pumps main consumption of energy is electricity used to drive the compressor, the effectiveness of the electric used in the installation to obtain heat is measured by the Coefficient of Performance (CoP). A CoP of 3 indicates 1kWh of electric is used to obtain 3kWh of heating. The higher the CoP the more efficient the pump is running. A poorly designed and poorly installed system will reduce the CoP, leading to higher energy bills. Beware of undersized collectors, and “energy boosters” or immersion heaters built into the heat pump, they use a CoP of 1. You may be getting a bargain at the time, but you’ll pay for it for many years to come.

Great Investment

Get a good return on your investment, with the Renewable Heating Incentive due to begin in June 2011, it is expected to yield an inflation beating return of up to 12%, resulting in  most systems paying for themselves within 5 to 10 years. Current estimates of the RHI, predict a price of 7p for 1kWh of heat produced from a ground sources heat pump. Current electric prices of 12p and a heat pump with a CoP of 4 will cost 3p to produce 1kWh, earning you 4p profit for every kWh needed.  This will cut your fuel bills, and reduce your dependence on the ever increasing cost of oil and gas, future-proofing your energy bills to rising costs. Heat pumps also work well with under floor or wall heating, taking advantage of the lower running costs, increasing the efficiency of the heat pump, saving you more money.

I haven't got a water source

Water source heat pumps do require a water source, usually a fast flowing stream or a large volume of water such as a lake to work effectively. However, you may be accessible to the water table underground, by using bore holes to source your heat from the ground, where heat is sourced from one bore hole acting as a well, and another where water is returned. Although more efficient bore holes can be expensive, a more affordable option is an air source heat pump.

Designing Heat Pump systems for the UK's climate

All of our systems are custom designed to fit your needs and budget. Each installation is meticulously designed looking at your home to optimise the most out of your heating system and space, offering you value for money. Prices for installing heating systems vary according to system requirements and differ from house to house. For an accurate estimate on a custom design please contact us. To see examples of our work please see the case studies.