The best generation rates for early adopters of solar electricity and micro electricity who installed their system before the 15 June 2009 cut offs for feed-in tariffs are available from Ecotricity. 

The green electricity provider has introduced a new Microtricity scheme that pays 16p a unit generated for early adopters. This compares with the standard pre-July 2009 feed-in rate of 9p for every unit generated, plus 3p for every unit exported. Unlike other electricity suppliers, Ecotricity is making this preferential rate available to new early adopter customers as well as existing ones. Microtricity is also open to people who installed on or after July 2009, who will get the standard feed-in tariff rates. 

Other electricity suppliers are less generous. Good Energy continues to offer its 15p generation rate to customers who were already signed up to its HomeGen tariff, but this rate is not available to early adopters wanting to change supplier. They will get the standard 9p/3p deal.

Existing nPower customers will also continue to receive its pre-feed-in tariff rate of 12p per unit generated plus the value of the ROCs (renewable obligation certificates). New customers will get standard feed-in tariff rates. A spokesman said that they are "monitoring the market, and rates are currently under investigation".

Scottish and Southern, which was previously one of the more generous companies with an export rate of 28p, is paying the government rate of of 9p generation rate, plus 3p export rate, which the press spokeswoman I spoke to said defensively "is very generous". When I pointed out that it was less than they previously paid their customers, she returned to her mantra of "what the government suggested".

Remember, when making calculations about which energy supplier to sign up with, that you must buy electricity from the same supplier that you sell to. You can compare rates for buying electricity at any number of switch sites.

Picture: Ecotricity

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