12 October 2009 - The rush is on with solar pv installations increasing as the LCBP grant scheme draws to a close.

"We are now doing four times the amount of installations compared to this time last year," confirms Claire Davies, marketing director, The Green Electrician.  "Home owners and community organisations only have five months left to secure government grants before the scheme moves to the new feed-in tariff.  This means residential customers will no longer get the £2,500 cash back for installing after 1 April 2010 and community organisations lose the 50% grant funding."

However, not all the rush is about securing grants, confirms Davies: "Solar energy is the technology of the future.  People are really beginning to appreciate that generating electricity from sunshine is a clean and sustainable option for meeting our energy needs."

27 September 2009 - The UK is lagging far behind Europe in generating solar electricity, where financial incentives have been in place for a number of years.  According to an article by the Sunday Telegraph (27/9) the German Government's solar programme is seeing more than 130,000 homes being fitted with solar PV technology each year.  Germany, which introduced the feed-in tariff nine years ago, installed 250 times more solar panels than the UK in 2008.

The British Government's Low Carbon Buildings Programme has helped just 1720 homeowners over the last three and half years.  "The introduction of the Feed-in Tariff is the Government's attempt to encourage uptake of renewable energy technologies, such as photovoltaics, " said The Green Electrician marketing director, Claire Davies. "The Government aims to give PV system owners an 8% return on their investment.  This rate beats most banks and will encourage anyone with spare cash to turn their roof into an income producer."

For information on the feed-in tariff click here

2 September 2009 - The Government's new Feed-in Tariff of 36.5p combined with tariffs from electricity suppliers have resulted in a return on investment of around 10% when you install a residential photovoltaic system before April 2010.

For details visit the feed-in tariff page.

16/7/09 - New green policy announcements by the Government (15/7/09) offer residential customers installing solar PV before April 2010, double the benefits by combining the current government grant system with next year's Feed-in Tariff.

Details of the announcement include a feed-in tariff of 36.5p/kWh for systems up to 4kW and 31p/kWh for systems up to 10kW to be introduced 1 April 2010, but applicable to installations from now on, replacing the current ROCS and Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) grant schemes.  The grants currently reduce the price of a domestic installation by up to £2,500.

"It really makes sense to install before April next year.  By combining grants with future feed-in tariffs, customers are reducing installation costs, reducing pay back times and increasing the return on their investment," explains marketing director, Claire Davies,  "When the money runs out the grants will be gone leaving just the new Clean Energy Cashback Scheme."

Contact The Green Electrician for details or a quotation for your project. 0845 643 2528

Feed In Tariff Details:

13/7/09 - Green mortgages are being proposed by the Government to help homeowners pay for the installation of technologies such as solar panels. In the proposal, the loans will be made available through high street banks, with repayments less than the savings made. If a house is sold the loan will be passed to the new owner.

July 2009 Households which generate electricity for the national grid are to receive payments under a new Government Scheme to be announced on Wednesday (15 July 2009).

This feed-in tariff is being used successfully elsewhere in Europe, with communities in Germany clubbing together to buy solar PV for their towns to supply their electricity and provide an income. 

This could raise electricity costs for standard households in the UK, but provide an income for those producing green energy

"The promise of genuine cash returns will encourage people and communities to install solar PV, reducing their reliance on fossil fuels and helping the environment," said Claire Davies, The Green Electrician.

1 May 2009 - Bickerton Village Hall is the first village hall in the UK to received 100% grant funding to generate free solar electricity, with The Green Electrician’s installation of a 27-panel photovoltaic array. The Green Electrician assisted by identifying and advising on grant funding opportunities and providing supporting paperwork.

1 May 2009 - A feed-in tariff will be introduced in 2010, according to the latest government reports.  This will ensure a premium price for every unit of electricity produced by photovoltaic panels.  We will alert customers as soon as the tariff has been set. To receive further details, contact us using the enquiry form or email: info@thegreenelectrician.co.uk.

30 April 2009 - Government increases grant funding for the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) to the scale of £45m in the April 2009 budget, providing additional support for the installation of small-scale renewable energy schemes.

This will effectively re-launch the popular LCBP Phase 2 scheme, offering 50% funding to not-for-profit organizations, after it ran out of funds last month. The extra funding will help 13,000 installations and prepare for the new feed-in tariffs being brought in during 2010-2011.