Feed in Tariffs

Phew, a busy few weeks, but am glad to be back in blogland again.

Feed in Tariffs (or FITS) what are they and what have they to do with energy efficiency ?

In simple terms, they are incentive payments from the government for people who generate their own electricity, so if you have photovoltaics or solar panels installed you should be eligible for these payments. The change since April this year, is that you now get these payments even if you use the electiricity yourself.

So, you save money by not using power supplied by the National Grid, you can even make money if you have surplus power, by selling back to the National Grid. You make money because you receive the FITS payment for being a micro power generator, which is index linked for the next 20+ years.

What's the downside? The capital outlay for whatever form of micro generation you are installing, as well as the aesthetic impact on your property of these installations.

Want to find out more? I could say look at the national press for adverts from green energy providers, undoubtedly they will be delighted to give you lots of information, but ultimately they are trying to sell you their solution so may not be the best place to start. The Energy Saving trust website is usually packed with all sorts of information that will help your research - so why not start there.

If you get to the point where you are serious, don't forget your local planning office. Regulations are much more straightforward now, so they should be pleased to help.

So what's the final word? If you are interested in green energy, the incentives have never been better, but you still need to assess that it is an investment you want to make because the initial outlay can be expensive. even if you typically could save/earn £700+ per annum from your installation that is probably at least a 10 year payback on your investment.