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From the Front Line

Feed in Tariffs will Revolutionise Renewables

Posted by Jason Orme on 10th February 2010

The more I read about the Government's Feed in Tariff and Renewable Heating Initiative announcements last week, the more impressive they become.

In simple terms, they pay you between two and four times the market rate for energy you generate in your home - and extra if you sell it back to the grid. So you're winning both ways - getting an income for everything you produce, and also not having to buy it in from the grid too. 

Most projections I'm seeing seem to think that the investment return on previously 'expensive' features such as PV panels or even large wind turbines is around 8-10% a year. This is also free of income tax liability.

We're covering this a lot in the magazine over the coming months but, when a cynic like me begins to seriously consider shelling out for what I've previously considered largely eco-bling, they must have done something right.

We'll keep you posted.

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Jason Orme

Jason Orme

Jason Orme has been the Editor of Homebuilding & Renovating for many years and has written on property and self-build matters for, amongst others, The Independent and The Telegraph. He self-built in 2004 and is looking for another plot.

Meet Jason Orme at the Homebuilding & Renovating Shows.

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#1

Stupid question?

Mark Veryard
Fri, 12/02/2010 - 21:33
Mark Veryard's photo

I've had a quick look on the internet to see how FITs work - although this by no means makes me an expert, it seems to me that it would be easy to fiddle the system if it wasn't policed:

Let's say you have a wind turbine and pay 10p/kWh for imported electricity, yet get a FIT rate of 30p/kWh generated.

On days when there is no wind, what's to stop you rigging an electric motor up to the wind turbine so that you generate electricity to power your home using imported elctricity rather than wind power - that way, you can solely import electricity and still get paid 20p for every kWh you use! (ok, i'm assuming 100% efficiency in the motor and generator, but hopefully you get the drift!)

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