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YouGen Blog
What the renewable energy strategy and low carbon transition plan mean for your home
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 20th July 2009 at 3:01 pm
Households are expected to make cuts in their carbon emissions of 29% by 2020 according to the Government's Low Carbon Transition Plan, announced by Ed Miliband last week (houses currently emit more than a third of the UK's carbon). This will be done through a combination of cutting the amount o…
Posted in: General, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
Renewable heat soon to join the energy revolution
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 6th November 2009 at 9:13 am
Until a few months ago, solar thermal hot water heating has been the most cost effective way for people to generate their own renewable energy - for every pound invested it has usually delivered the highest units of energy. The reason for this is that solar thermal systems have always been the most…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Three ways we could improve UK feed in tariffs
Posted by Matthew Rhodes on 22nd February 2010 at 9:17 pm
I am a stalwart supporter of feed in tariffs, and anticipate a revolution in UK microgeneration in the next few months as a result. Their introduction is long overdue. However, on Monday I sat through a lengthy discussion both of feed in tariffs (FiTs) and the proposed renewable heat incentiv…
Posted in: General, Combined heat & power, Heat pumps, Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water, Wind turbines
Rainwater harvesting: where are the incentives?
Posted by Barry Nutley on 5th March 2010 at 9:06 am
The recent announcements surrounding the feed-in tariff (FIT) and renwable heat incentive (RHI), are (generally) fantastic news for the renewable industry. But the Government seems to have forgotten about rainwater harvesting. Whilst technically not a renewable technology, water is still an impor…
Posted in: Rainwater harvesting
Is a heat pump suitable for my home? 3 key checks
Posted by John Barker-Brown on 15th March 2010 at 9:59 am
Heat pumps are one of the most talked about renewable technologies - on television, in newspapers and magazines. The way they are portrayed they seem to be the answer to all our problems and will suit all properties. But is this true? Heat pumps (ground, air or water) suit only certain applicatio…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Renewable Heat Incentive is welcomed by industry
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 17th March 2010 at 10:42 am
Ambitious and far-reaching were just some of the words delegates used to welcome the Renewable Heat Incentive proposals at yesterday's consultation event organised by RegenSW. However, they said that more education about renewable heat is needed if the Renewable Heat Incentive is going to succeed in…
Posted in: General, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Renewable Heat Incentive: A homeowners guide
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 22nd March 2010 at 2:09 pm
Heat is the biggest use of energy in the UK. Just under half of the UK's CO2 emissions and 60% of domestic energy bills are used on heating space and water. Heat in the UK is currently supplied predominantly by fossil fuels - less than 1% comes from renewable sources. The proposed renewable heat inc…
Posted in: General, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Conservative energy policy is a damp squib for renewables
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 24th March 2010 at 9:30 am
Twelve actions "to put our energy system back on its feet" are at the heart of the long awaited Conservative energy policy which was finally launched last Friday. Of them, three relate directly to domestic renewable energy and energy efficiency, but it's difficult to see that they add much new to th…
Posted in: General
Renewable Heat Incentive: join the campaign for equal treatment for existing generators
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 29th March 2010 at 10:19 am
More and more people are calling for the renewable heat incentive (also known as the Clean Energy Cashback) to treat existing microgenerators equally. At RegenSW's consultation conference in Bristol earlier this month property developers and installers were flagging it up as important for the scheme…
Posted in: General, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Renewable Heat Incentive consultation: YouGen's response
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 26th April 2010 at 10:29 am
The Renewable Heat Incentive consultation closes today. Here is YouGen's response. If you want to respond yourself, you can email DECC's renewable financial incentives team. Key Issues We strongly ask you to reconsider your policy of excluding those who had systems installed prior to July …
Posted in: General, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Uncertainty ahead as Low Carbon Building Programme is cut
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 26th May 2010 at 12:31 pm
The Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP) grants scheme closed to new applications on Monday. We're calling on the Government to act quickly to eliminate the state of uncertainty facing consumers and the renewable heat industry as a result. The cut came as part of the Department of Energ…
Posted in: General, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Tell Dave and Nick what you think of their energy plans
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 8th June 2010 at 9:22 am
The government is asking for our views on its programme for government. We've had a look at its proposed measures for energy and climate change, and our response is below. You can comment too - but get your skates on, they want to hear from us by Thursday 10 June. Our first thought is of motherho…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency
Ask your MP for clarity about the Renewable Heat Incentive
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 14th June 2010 at 9:44 am
No one can confidently say that renewable heat is a good investment right now, as we don't know whether or not the promised renewable heat incentive will be introduced in April 2011 as laid out by the former Labour government. Making a significant investment when you can't confidently calculate the …
Posted in: General, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Renewable heat incentive: important, but with dangers
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 17th June 2010 at 1:03 pm
The uptake of renewable heat technologies has really dropped off with the renewable heat incentive (RHI) still looming, but no confirmation of the final tariffs or criteria, and the recent removal of the LCBP grants. No doubt things will pick up once the RHI details have been announced there.…
Posted in: Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Renewable Heat Incentive: 'deeming' explained
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 22nd June 2010 at 10:53 am
In the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), the calculation of how much will be paid for renewable heat production depends on the installation type, as follows: Small scale installation, such as in a home: each installation's entitlement is calculated by multiplying the payment per kW…
Posted in: General, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Energy efficiency is focus of the Coalition's Green Deal
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 25th June 2010 at 9:09 am
Domestic insulation is top of Chris Huhne's plans for A Green Deal for housing he said yesterday at the Economist UK Energy Summit. He also touched on the (much awaited) renewable heat incentive as he revealed measures in the pipeline from the self-acclaimed "greenest government ever". To summarise…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Renewable Heat Incentive: yes please, but with changes
Posted by John Barker-Brown on 9th July 2010 at 11:16 am
First let's get something straight. I think the renewable heat incentive (RHI) is a good idea. Rewarding people for their contribution to reducing carbon emissions is great and will stimulate the market. However, in its current form the RHI may not reduce emissions, and due to lack of Government cla…
Posted in: Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Renewable heat incentive: deeming explained part 2
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 9th August 2010 at 2:11 pm
In the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) consultation published by the last administration, the incentive will be paid to households against a "deemed" amount of heat, rather than the heat actually used. Put simply, deeming is a method used to estimate how much heat is required to provide comfortab…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Government breaks feed-in tariff promise for early adopters
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 16th September 2010 at 5:44 pm
Tories and LibDems both promised equal feed-in tariff rates to early adopters of renewable energy in the run up to the general election. Now the coalition government has broken that promise and we're calling on early adopters, and others that care about the shift to renewable energy, to let their M…
Posted in: General
Renewable heat incentive: uncertainty lessens a bit
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 21st 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…
Posted in: General
Spending review: what it means for home owners
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 20th 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…
Posted in: General
Spending review: a solar industry view
Posted by Howard Johns on 21st October 2010 at 10:07 am
Well it is the day after the spending review and I can’t help feeling the renewables sector has been very lucky. The Feed in Tariff (FiT) will remain and we are going to have a renewable heat incentive (RHI). After months of campaigning and ups and downs the waiting game is over and the solar indu…
Posted in: General
Solar thermal and other questions: what we do and don't know about the Renewable Heat Incentive
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 4th November 2010 at 11:17 am
This is an extract from a blog by Dave Sowden, chief executive of the Micropower Council on the renewable heat incentive: We do know: DECC has secured Treasury approval for the overall spending envelope for the RHI up to and including 2014/15 – £860m in total; these funds are 20%…
Posted in: General
Renewable heat incentive: to wait, or go ahead?
Posted by Roger Croft on 10th November 2010 at 9:57 am
Anyone considering a renewable heating technology such as: solar hot water, biomass, ground or air source heat pumps, may be best placed to wait for a detailed announcement on rates and technologies covered by the Renewable Heat Incentive. However, self builders, broken-down boilers…
Posted in: General
Renewable heat incentive - the latest news
Posted by Howard Johns on 30th November 2010 at 1:05 pm
A policy document on the renewable heat incentive should be out by the end of the year. Room for negotiation around design and tariff levels is pretty much over and DECC will be seeking technical standards approval for the renewable heat incentive in January. The good response to the cons…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Solar industry starts and ends year with uncertainty
Posted by Howard Johns on 23rd December 2010 at 8:39 am
It feels as if the solar industry has been on a real rollercoaster during 2010. This was the year where we were finally meant to have an end to the stop start funding of the various grant schemes that have supported the sector in the past and move into the 21st (solar) century with the launch of a f…
Posted in: Solar electricity
RHI announcements delayed until February
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 13th January 2011 at 10:17 am
Those anxiously waiting for news of what's going to be included in the renewable heat incentive and what the tariff levels are will have to wait a bit long according to the following announcement that the Renewable Energy Association just circulated to members: Renewable Heat Incentive …
Posted in: General
Early adopters continue to call for equal feed-in tariffs
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 28th January 2011 at 9:50 am
While the feed-in tariff is being hailed as a great success, and solar PV installations are sky rocketing, the voice of early adopters has disappeared from the media. However, a group of microgeneration pioneers who are receiving just 9p per kWh generation tariff (compared to the 43.1p received by t…
Posted in: General
How to install a heat pump into an existing property
Posted by John Barker-Brown on 21st February 2011 at 9:18 am
As the advantages of heat pumps become better known and with the expected Renewable Heat Incentive, more people are looking at whether the technology can be applied to their existing properties. The advantages of installing a heat pump in a new build property is well documented. It is als…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Renewable heat incentive - consumers beware
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 24th February 2011 at 11:54 am
We're still waiting for the detail of the renewable heat incentive, and today the Renewable Energy Association has written to Chris Huhne (again), calling on him to publish the details without delay. But until he does, if you're considering installing solar hot water, a heat pump or a biomass boiler…
Posted in: General
Would you consider renewable heat for your home?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 2nd March 2011 at 3:59 pm
If your boiler broke down tomorrow, would you just get another one? Or might you consider one of the various types of renewable heat that are now available? I ask, because the final details of the renewable heat incentive are released this month. This is the government's scheme to encourage us to…
Posted in: General
Renewable heat incentive - thoughts on deeming, SAP, equity and accuracy
Posted by Linn Rafferty on 9th March 2011 at 3:59 pm
According to the briefing prepared by the REA (the Renewable Energy Association), the long awaited proposals for the Renewable Heat Incentive are expected this week. Following slowly on from the FIT (feed-in tariff), the renewable heat incentive is expected to apply the long-term tariff approach of…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Grants will be available for renewable heat as interim measure
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 11th March 2011 at 10:57 am
Domestic installations of renewable heat will be eligible for a grant, while we wait for the full renewable heat incentive scheme to be introduced in October 2012. From July 2011 RHI Premium Payments will be available. These will be a one-off payment to help with installation costs - essent…
Posted in: General
Interest-free loans available for renewable energy in Scotland
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 16th March 2011 at 8:33 am
Scotland is leading the game when it comes to UK investment in renewable energy, and last Friday it demonstrated that again. Energy minister Jim Mather announced that people living north of the border can apply for interest-free loans of up to £2,000 each, to help install a range of renewable energ…
Posted in: General
Win a copy of Earth from the Air (worth £25)
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 21st March 2011 at 10:38 am
With the renewable heat incentive domestic installations still shrouded in mystery, we're keen to know how much ordinary householders know about renewable heat. So please do our short survey - it's just nine questions and will only take a minute or two (honestly) - and we'll enter you in a draw to w…
Posted in: General
Has the purpose of the feed-in tariff changed?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 23rd March 2011 at 12:07 pm
Do you know what the purpose of the feed-in tariff is? I thought that I did. I thought that it was about lowering the country's carbon emissions, to help us meet our EU carbon emission reduction targets. But, apparently not. According to Alasdair Grainger, the DECC official speaking at yes…
Posted in: General
Interest in renewable heat is high - but price expectations are not realistic
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 6th April 2011 at 11:25 am
If their boiler broke down tomorrow, 85 per cent of people would consider a renewable alternative, according to our new survey by YouGen. However, the amount they are prepared to pay falls short of what most renewable heat systems actually cost. We ran the survey following the recent announcement…
Posted in: General
Deeming export of electricity for feed-in tariff
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 25th October 2010 at 9:05 am
Deeming is usually associated with the proposed renewable heat incentive, but it is also used in the feed-in tariff to estimate the amount of electricity that is exported to the grid by microgeneration systems. We recently received the following question: "It would be interesting and informative …
Posted in: General, Green Electricity
Will Renewable Heat Premium Payments kick start the domestic market?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 11th July 2011 at 9:47 am
The government is putting up £15m for the renewable heat premium payments between September (probably) and October 2012 when the domestic version of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is due to start. In essence they are a grant to help with the capital cost of installation; but will they kick sta…
Posted in: General
Renewable Heat Premium Payment rates confirmed - but are they enough to kickstart renewable heat?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 21st July 2011 at 11:22 am
Capital grants to help with the cost of installing renewable heat technologies will be available from 1 August. Any householder in England, Scotland or Wales can apply for the £300 renewable heat premium payment for solar thermal panels. However, payments for biomass boilers (£950), air sou…
Posted in: Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
How to maintain and service your ground source heat pump
Posted by John Barker-Brown on 3rd August 2011 at 9:03 am
The Government's microgeneration strategy states: "More work is required on understanding the durability of microgeneration installations, including their key components. We want consumers to be aware, at least in general terms, of the minimum requirements for aftercare service and maintenance for e…
Posted in: Heat pumps
User control is vital for best performing solar water heating
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 18th October 2011 at 3:23 am
The way householders use their solar thermal system is critical to getting the best results from solar water heating systems, according to new research. The Energy Saving Trust (EST) is calling on installers to give better advice to users on how to control their solar water heating: in terms of volu…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Five top tips for choosing the right wood pellets
Posted by David Fields on 31st October 2011 at 5:30 am
Since the announcement of the Renewable Heat Incentive an increasing number of homeowners and businesses are looking to new and innovative ways to power and heat their property. Alongside solar panels and heat pumps, wood pellet boilers are emerging as one of the most efficient ways to generate …
Posted in: Biomass
10 Questions to ask when choosing your air source heat pump installer
Posted by John W Lightfoot on 28th November 2011 at 9:13 am
1. Are you MCS certified? The Government is currently offering incentives (Renewable Heat Premium Payment) to people who install renewable energy heating equipment, including air source heat pumps, if your property does not have access to mains gas. It is also considering offering further…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Renewable Heat Incentive for non-domestic generators is open for applications
Posted by Gilly Jones on 28th November 2011 at 5:51 pm
Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Phase 1 for non-domestic generator is opened for applications. Heat is the biggest use of energy in the UK. Just under half of the UK's CO2 emissions are used on heating space and water. Heat in the UK is currently supplied predominantly by fossil fuels - with les…
Posted in: General
'World's first RHI' launch over-shadowed by FITs debacle
Posted by Stewart Boyle on 7th December 2011 at 10:08 am
The long-awaited Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) officially ‘opened for business’ on 28th November. With £864 million available for the cashback scheme to support biomass boilers, solar water heating systems, heat pumps and bio-methane projects, it should have been a day of great celebration…
Posted in: General
Solar is not just about the feed-in tariffs
Posted by Paul Hutchens on 9th December 2011 at 9:57 am
There has been much talk and debate about solar panels recently; most of it about solar PV and the Feed-in Tariffs (FIT). However, there is another game in town and it is potentially far larger than solar PV. Space and water heating in buildings accounts for nearly 70% of the energy consumed by the…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
How the non-domestic RHI (renewable heat incentive) works: your questions answered
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 12th December 2011 at 3:58 pm
Can anyone in the UK benefit? No – just non-domestic installations in England, Scotland and Wales. A domestic version is expected to start in October 2012. Installations completed and commissioned on or after 15 July 2009 can apply as long as they meet the eligibility criteria. Those installed pr…
Posted in: General
Why the RHPP has had little impact on the ground source heat pump market
Posted by John Barker-Brown on 9th January 2012 at 11:02 am
The renewable heat premium payment (RHPP) scheme was introduced on 1 August 2011. This Government scheme provides a grant to householders investing in renewable heat technologies – solar thermal panels, heat pumps and biomass boilers – and was introduced as an interim measure pending the launc…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Find the best renewable energy installers: 11 points to check before you invest
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 3rd March 2012 at 1:03 am
1. If you want to benefit from the feed-in tariff or the renewable heat incentive (the Government’s financial incentives for renewable energy), you must ensure that both the installer you use, and the product they are installing are accredited under the Microgeneration Certificat…
Posted in: General
Renewable Heat Premium Payments scheme is extended; RHI delayed
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 27th March 2012 at 10:35 am
The domestic renewable heat incentive (RHI) remains elusive, as the government announced a second phase of the renewable heat premium payments (RHPP) scheme yesterday. The domestic RHI, which will reward people who switch to renewable sources of heat with regular payments for and anticipated 20 y…
Posted in: Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
RHI makes some commercial solar hot water systems very attractive
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 21st May 2012 at 9:39 am
Solar thermal was by far the most cost effective renewable energy technology on the market a few years ago. Since the government support schemes have been introduced, first for renewable electricity generating systems via the feed-in tariff and now through the renewable heat incentive (RHI) for non-…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Financial help is availabe for wood burning boilers
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 21st May 2012 at 10:19 am
Q: Could you point us in the right direction in regards to having an external wood burning boiler installed (for heat and hot water), and would it be covered under a FIT scheme like our solar PV system? A: Interest in wood burning boilers - also known as biomass boilers - is on the increase…
Posted in: Biomass
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