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YouGen Blog
Measure the wind before you install a turbine
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 5th August 2009 at 9:08 am
Product and installation standards for domestic wind turbines are needed, as are improved wind speed prediction and better site assessments. These are some of the key conclusions of the Energy Saving Trust's microwind research published in July. On measuring the wind speed, EST recommends that, …
Posted in: Wind turbines
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
MCS explained, plus quick guide for wannabe installers
Posted by John E Martin on 14th May 2010 at 9:58 am
The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) appears to be suffering in a similar way as the Gas accreditation scheme did when it was introduced. It is shrouded in mystery, with rumour-mongers spreading the word that 'none shall pass' and that 'its only for large companies'. This situatio…
Posted in: Biomass, Combined heat & power, Heat pumps, Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water
Overcoming obstacles to microgeneration part 3: planning
Posted by on 11th June 2010 at 9:32 am
Planning permission for renewable energy and microgeneration brings up such a wide range of issues that we're worried you might fall asleep at your computer if we covered them all. So, in this blog, we focus on: The process of planning application and approval Planning directives The pr…
Posted in: General
Six tips to save you from solar panel cowboys
Posted by Paul Hutchens on 28th June 2010 at 9:07 am
Solar hot water is intrinsically an ethical industry. We all want to save the planet don't we? So we need to ensure that unscrupulous companies do not thrive and give us all a bad name! When there is a chance of making a buck or two it will always attract the greedy and less scrupulous businesses…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Solar hot water delivered quicker and cheaper
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 20th July 2010 at 9:10 am
A system that delivers solar water heating at a lower cost, quicker installation and with no need to buy a new cylinder was one of the finalists in the 2010 Ashden Awards for sustainable energy. John Willis invented the Willis Solasyphon because he found that the cost and disruption of installing…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Overcoming obstacles to microgeneration part 4: consumer confidence
Posted by on 13th August 2010 at 9:26 am
Anyone investing in microgeneration will need between £4,000 and £25,000 to get set up. This is significant expenditure for any household and the homeowner wants peace of mind that they are opting for the right technology at the right scale and the right people to install it. Our survey confirm…
Posted in: General
Feed-in tariffs: make sure your installer is accredited
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 24th 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…
Posted in: General, Solar electricity
14 things to ask your biomass boiler installer
Posted by Jon Edge on 3rd November 2010 at 9:20 am
Biomass is still pretty new to a lot of people in the UK. However, it is a tried and tested technology, used successfully for many years in other countries. Biomass boilers are a modern and very low carbon alternative to fossil fuels, especially oil or LPG and will give you as much heat and hot wat…
Posted in: Biomass
MCS and the use of subcontractors: how it all works
Posted by John E Martin on 9th November 2010 at 10:46 am
Who needs to be MCS approved (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) and how do subcontractors fit in? These questions are often asked by participants on QMSA's national seminar programme. Under MCS it is the business that is approved and not the individual engineers. MCS allows a business to beco…
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
The REAL consumer code - what it means for installers
Posted by John E Martin on 2nd March 2011 at 9:15 am
As an microgeneration certification scheme (MCS) approved business you must currently also be a member of the REAL Assurance scheme and work to their consumer code. The purpose of this code is primarily to protect the consumer from unscrupulous business/sales practices and ensure a consistent app…
Posted in: General
10 tips for choosing a good solar PV installer
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 2nd June 2010 at 2:43 pm
Choosing an installer is always a tricky business, so I asked Stuart Houghton, of Abacus Renewable Energy, who installed our photovoltaic solar panels, what his top tips are. Watch the video, or read on, to find out: 1. Find out ho…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Planning permission and building regulations: the rules for solar installations explained
Posted by David Hunt on 14th June 2011 at 9:50 am
Councils asking for planning permission, or building regulations applications for solar panel installations has been much in the press of late. Indeed much of that press has been linked to the campaign by YouGen and ourselves. The campaign has been picked up and supported by shadow climate change…
Posted in: General, Solar electricity
What to expect from your biomass boiler
Posted by HETAS on 19th August 2011 at 9:27 am
Biomass has an important role to play in the generation of heat for domestic users, according to the Microgeneration Strategy published by the department for energy and climate change (DECC) in June. It also highlighted the universal requirement for a greater understanding of the ‘durability of m…
Posted in: Biomass
Does MCS certification deliver the protection consumers expect?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 22nd August 2011 at 9:54 am
What do you think of when you hear that a company has received its sector's accreditation? Call me naive, but I'd assumed that it meant that there was a thorough check on its ability to do the job it is there to do. That it means I'll get a high quality service. That the staff are trained to a certa…
Posted in: General
Feed-in tariff accreditation for micro-hydro to be reviewed
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 9th September 2011 at 9:05 am
Micro hydro and the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) have had a rocky start. The MCS is designed to protect domestic consumers and covers small scale installations. Access to government incentives such as the feed-in tariff and the renewable heat incentive (RHI) are subject to both the ins…
Posted in: Hydro electricity
How the REAL code aims to protect consumers from pressure sales
Posted by John E Martin on 12th September 2011 at 9:03 am
As previously explained the REAL consumer code requires clear information to be provided in a consistent manner, it also places other constraints and conditions on businesses regarding their conduct such as: The member (company) is responsible for the conduct and behaviour of its representatives…
Posted in: General
REAL's top tips to avoid being ripped off by solar cowboys
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 5th October 2011 at 8:36 am
The REAL Assurance Scheme* has received a surge of complaints about solar PV installers, leading it to assert that rogue traders are taking advantage of the expanding solar panel market to make a killing before the Government adjusts the Feed-In Tariff in the spring. While they haven't yet specifi…
Posted in: Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water
Government bottles permitted development rights for small wind
Posted by David Hunt on 7th October 2011 at 3:38 am
Once again the government has shown its weakness when it comes to decisions on planning permission and the green agenda and particularly when it comes to small wind turbines. To give credit where it is due, the recent addition of permitted development (PD) rights for the installation of d…
Posted in: Wind turbines
MCS suspends Proven P35 and P35-2 wind turbines due to faults (revised)
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 27th September 2011 at 9:55 am
Proven Energy has gone into liquidation following discovery of an acute technical defect in its 15kW wind turbines (known as P35 and P35-2). Owners of the turbines are advised to temporarily brake them, and sales of these models has been suspended. MCS has suspended them from its accredited product…
Posted in: Wind turbines
Five key ways to get the best from your solar hot water system
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 19th October 2011 at 1:17 am
Solar hot water systems work best when the user takes control of them, yet only 36 per cent of the householders taking part in the Energy Saving Trust's solar hot water field trial said that their installer gave them information on how they might make best use of their system. When they di…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
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
Fiddling the feed-in tariff: prosecutions will follow...
Posted by John E Martin on 8th February 2012 at 9:34 am
It has become apparent that a number of companies have committed fraud by submitting feed-in tariff (FIT) applications (or getting the consumer to do so) without actually having installed the equipment. This has clearly been driven by the change of FIT rates announced and the eligibility date…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Feed-in tariff: your questions answered
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 8th February 2010 at 12:02 pm
Read the updated version of this article here. The introduction of the feed-in tariff (known as Clean Energy Cashback scheme) opens a new and exciting era for microgeneration. Here we answer some of the most common questions on the new scheme. If you've got any more, please add a comment bel…
Posted in: General, Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
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
Feed-in tariff eligibility dates: make sure you get your application in on time
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 5th April 2012 at 9:01 am
Q: The Guardian recently reported that 30,735 homeowners and businesses who installed solar panels after a 12 December cut-off date and before 3 March will now be eligible for the previous, higher feed-in tariff (Fit) of 43p per kWh of energy generated. I hoped and expected that the Government w…
Posted in: Solar electricity
New MCS heat pump standard should improve performance
Posted by ChrisDavis on 30th April 2012 at 11:11 am
Are you thinking of installing a heat pump? Well there’s good news for householders and businesses in the shape of new standards to improve the performance of heat pump installations. Snappily titled “MIS3005 v3.1a”, the new standard affects all new heat pump systems since 1 March 2012 and …
Posted in: Heat pumps
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