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Spending review: what it means for home owners
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 20 October 2010 at 4:27 pm
Given the dread with which most of the renewables world has anticipated the comprehensive spending review, it has been quite a good day. The Chancellor confirmed that there will be a renewable heat incentive and that he (probably) won't be tinkering with the feed-in tariff before the first scheduled…
Solar PV: check whether it's suitable for your house
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 18 October 2010 at 2:10 pm
With the feed-in tariff, solar PV panels are more accessible than they have ever been, but you still need to make sure you've got a suitable site before you install them. In this video, Stuart Houghton of Abacus Renewable Energy talks through the key things to check: …
Uncertainty over renewable heat is delaying installations
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 14 October 2010 at 12:37 pm
People are delaying installing renewable heat technologies such as solar hot water panels, biomass boilers and heat pumps until they know whether or not the renewable heat incentive is going ahead according to our new poll. 85% of respondents to a YouGen poll said they are waiting until they know wh…
Common problems with Ground Source Heat Pumps
Posted by on 14 October 2010 at 10:14 am
A poorly designed and installed ground source heat pump system will, effectively, be heating a property on electricity alone, which is by far the most expensive solution on a unit-by-unit basis. So what are the common problems that befall GSHPs? 1. Slinkies. A slinky, in heat pump…
MPs come out in favour of renewable heat
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 13 October 2010 at 12:57 pm
MPs from all parties demonstrated their support for renewable heat yesterday, at an event organised by Friends of the Earth and the Renewable Energy Association. Zac Goldsmith, Caroline Lucas and Alan Whitehead were some of the 47 MPs photographed in front of the Houses of Parliament and unde…
Radical ideas to change the energy sector wanted
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 13 October 2010 at 12:22 pm
Have you ever had an idea about how we could do things better? Well now's your chance to feed-in to what the future of energy generation, distribution, storage and use might look like. Ideas tend to come when your mind's not on them. When you're out for a walk, having a shower, cooking the tea. N…
Is there a limit on solar PV generation? Q&A
Posted by Paul Hutchens on 11 October 2010 at 9:27 am
Q: I am about to install a solar PV panel system on my roof and have come across a problem with my Distribution Network Operator (DNO). I want to take full advantage of the feed-in tariff and was planning a 3.995Kwh system on my roof. Unfortunately the DNO insist on increasing the cost to incl…
Solar thermal panels: flat plate or evacuated tube?
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 8 October 2010 at 9:08 am
Which type of solar water heating system works best. Watch this video to weigh up the pros and cons of flat panel versus evacuated tubes. The main difference comes down to the efficiency. With evacuated tubes, the vacuum provides almost perfect insulation. A fl…
Common problems with Air Source Heat Pumps
Posted by Duncan McIntosh on 6 October 2010 at 9:35 am
An Air Source Heat Pump is generally a simpler, more straightforward system, than its ground source cousin. An air source heat pump is best suited to houses that do not have sufficient room for ground collectors, have an outdoor pool or generally have a smaller heating requirement. Well i…
'Free' solar panels are not a great deal, says Which?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 5 October 2010 at 2:10 pm
Installations companies stand to benefit more than consumers from 'free' solar pv panels according to new research from Which?. They found that householders could save as much as £10,500 over the next 25 years by buying their own solar pv panels (to generate electricity) instead of signing up to…
How to insulate your loft conversion - Q&A
Posted by Tim Pullen on 4 October 2010 at 9:35 am
Q: The house I bought recently has the loft converted into extra rooms. Should I pay a company to take down the plasterboards on the wall and ceilings and install insulation such as Kingspan boards, as there is only 10cm of insulation according to the blueprints? A: To answer this question di…
Solar hot water panels: 7 things to check before you install
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 1 October 2010 at 9:18 am
This video blog highlights 7 things to check before you install a solar hot water system. 1. The most important thing is to have a suitable roof for the collectors (panels). South-facing is idea, but anywhere between south east and south west is ok.&n…
Do solar panels affect house sales?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 29 September 2010 at 3:35 pm
A solar panel installation should make a house more desirable, shouldn't it? There's the saving on energy bills from using home-generated electricity, and even at the lower early adopters feed-in rate the combination of generation rate and export rate begin to add up to a nice bit of extra income. …
Wind and solar electricity: a practical DIY guide
Posted by Max Sillars on 27 September 2010 at 9:34 am
So many guides to wind and solar electricity repeat the same high level principles that by now we all know, and then fizzle out into lists of pricey sounding specialist consultancies. Not Andy Reynolds! This is definitely the best guide I've read over the last decade. The layout of the informati…
Feed-in tariffs: make sure your installer is accredited
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 24 September 2010 at 8:53 am
Feed-in tariffs are only available if you are installing an MCS accredited product and using an MCS accredited installer. There's no margin for error on this, so it's worth checking that this is the case before going ahead with an installation. Without the feed-in tariff the return on your investmen…
7 days left to register for feed-in tariff (from ROCs)
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 22 September 2010 at 2:22 pm
Around 1,500 early adopters of microgeneration haven't yet transferred from the renewable obligation (RO) scheme to feed-in tariffs. All microgenerators with a solar PV, wind or micro-hydro system of less than 50 kW) that was registered under the renewable obligation MUST fill out a form and return …
Heat pumps: 7 top tips for installers
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 22 September 2010 at 9:08 am
"Many heat pumps appeared to be installed incorrectly." reports the Energy Saving Trust in its recent report on field trials into 83 installations of air source and ground source heat pumps. This is disheartening news, and we thoroughly endorse its recommendation that guidance to, and training of, i…
Renewable heat incentive: uncertainty lessens a bit
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 21 September 2010 at 4:12 pm
Chris Huhne admitted that he and Oliver Letwin had forgotten about the renewable heat incentive when they were drafting the coalition agreement - and so take some responsibility for the uncertainty around it. He also said "we see heat as being an absolutely essential part of meeting our renew…
Heat pump field trial: good or bad?
Posted by John Barker-Brown on 21 September 2010 at 12:02 pm
Heat pumps don't work, so scrap the RHI, or Heat pump technology works well and we must pursue it. These are the two completely opposite views generated by the Energy Savings Trust's (EST) Heat Pump field trial. The report, Getting Warmer; a field trail of heat pumps has finally been relea…
Chris Huhne breaks promise to microgeneration pioneers
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 21 September 2010 at 10:06 am
Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) (Green): Will the Government backdate the clean energy cashback scheme and any future renewable heat incentive to ensure that those who pioneer the technology are properly rewarded and supported? Chris Huhne: The hon. Lady makes a point that is dear to m…
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