Pictured above: Matthew Rhodes
Householders who have photovoltaic panels on their roofs are set
to see the sums they receive for feeding back their surplus
electricity rise by almost five per cent.
The hike in the feed-in-tariff (FIT) rate, announced by the
energy regulator Ofgem, has been welcomed by Encraft, one of the
UK's leading independent engineering consultancies focused on
microgeneration and energy efficiency in buildings.
Under the scheme, any building occupier who has installed panels
with a capacity of 4kW or less will now receive 43.3 pence per
kilowatt hour of electricity produced. Most householders with such
arrangements typically produce more electricity than they need so
the payments allow them to sell back any excess energy to the
national grid.
The same rate will apply to anyone who installs panels before 31
March 2012.
Encraft MD Matthew Rhodes said: "The announcement of the rate
rise of 4.8 per cent in line with inflation is great news for
anyone considering looking at installing their own PV systems. It
is a very welcome boost for this sector.
"It has huge implications not just for private householders but
also larger home owners, such as housing associations, and
businesses. There has never been a better time to invest in this
technology."
Mr Rhodes added that it was vital to undertake a proper survey
of the site under consideration before embarking on a scheme
because not all were suitable and some might benefit from other
measures such as better insulation in conjunction with PV
electricity generation.