More areas covered! Bigger Grants! Lower system costs!
The October Newsletter carried details of grants for renewable heat installations such as solar thermal, biomass boilers and heat pumps. Following discussions between TTT and the Department for Energy and Climate Change we are now able to extend this scheme to anybody in Totnes and the surrounding 15 parishes although successful applicants are still likely to be living in areas not served by a mains gas supply.
Furthermore, grants are likely to be slightly higher than originally stated - e.g. just over £1000 for a solar thermal system - and, because we have been able to negotiate a bulk discount with Chris Rudge Renewables, system costs are lower than expected. This is an offer unlikely to be repeated and not to be missed!
Other details remain the same with grants available for renewable heat systems installed by the end of March 2013. The size of grant varies with the technology but will be around 25 - 35% of total costs. The balance should be covered by the Renewable Heat Incentive Programme which is currently out for consultation but likely to pay a tariff designed to refund the full costs of installation over a 7 year period. To be eligible households are likely to be in areas without access to mains gas.
A solar thermal system costs approximately £3,o00 in total. Under the programme a grant of approximately £1000 would be available for owner occupiers currently using electricity to heat water. The household would need to pay the balance of approximately £2,000 which should be recouped over 7 years through payments from the Renewable Heat Incentive. Savings on bills would be approximately £80 a year and the system should last for around 25 years so savings will increase as energy bills rise.
Other technologies that qualify include heat pumps that extract heat from the ground or air and use it to heat water or underfloor heating systems and biomass boilers which could be simple wood burning stoves or sophisticated wood pellet burners providing hot water and space heating to the entire home.
Chris Bird, who installed solar thermal panels through the Transition Town Totnes Solar Challenge scheme over 3 years ago said:
“When the sun shines we have plenty of hot water for our family and the guests who stay in our B&B. Even on days without much sun the panels provide some heat so we are still saving on our energy bills. The system works alongside the hot water system so we don’t need to do anything to benefit from free hot water.”
Anyone interested should contact:
Mary Popham
Transition Streets
Mob: 07815 799996, E-mail: marypopham@btinternet.com
Transition Town Totnes 