Why install solar panels?
Get paid for generating renewable electricity
- Generate a tax free income for 20 years
- You can earn up to £16,500^ over 20 years
- It takes only 7-12 years to pay back what you invested
- Reduce your energy bills
- Generate electricity even on a cloudy day
- Average installation cost £5,000
You can now get paid a substantial amount of money by generating renewable electricity (through solar PV panels or wind turbines on-site).
Contact Action Surrey for more information and a list of installers.
The Feed-in-Tariff pays homeowners with solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels 14.38p* per kWh of electricity produced, regardless of whether is it consumed or not (known as 'generation tariff').
A good sized Photovoltaic system could generate over £800 a year in revenue (including the money saved on electricity bills and export tariff** (now set at 4.77p* per kWh), bringing the payback of the investment down to about 7-12 years.
This revenue generated by the homeowner is tax free and index linked (RPI) to account for inflation and the tariff is guaranteed for 20 years.
You will also be making savings on your electricity bills because generating electricity to power your appliances means you don’t have to buy as much electricity from your energy supplier. The amount you save will vary depending how much of the electricity you use on site.
Evidence of the property’s EPC rating will be required when applying for FITs. If no evidence showing the EPC has a band D or higher then the lower rate will apply. The EPC must be completed before the commissioning date as otherwise higher rate Feed in Tariff will not apply.
PLEASE NOTE: A tariff review will occur every three months and may be reduced for new installations depending on deployment rates - please contact us to check the latest rates as these are subject to change.
If you are planning to install solar PV with Total Installed Capacity > 4kW and/or you would like to view the lower rate please see the Ofgem Feed-in-Tariff table, for PV only.
Dec 2015 Note that the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has released a response to their recent consultation on a review of the Feed-in Tariff scheme. A number of changes to the scheme have been announced including changes to generation tariffs.
Changes to the Feed-In Tariffs Scheme
The UK Government's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) recently held a consultation on a review of the Feed-In Tariffs scheme (FITs). On 17 December 2015 they published their response which included new, reduced tariffs for domestic-scale solar PV systems which will come into force from 15 January 2016 for new installations. Those already receiving FITs are unaffected by the changes.
FITs tariffs already published by Ofgem under the existing FITs scheme rules will apply from 1 January 2016 to 14 January 2016.
From 15 January 2016 the new, reduced tariffs will apply.
A number of changes are being made to the FITs scheme and further information will shortly be made available here.
Until then you can refer to the full details of the proposed changes and consultation documents on DECC’s website which are also summarised in the changes to renewables subsidies press release
Draft guidance from Ofgem has also been published
You should bear these changes in mind if you are considering investing in a renewable electricity system or are making other decisions based on the Feed-In Tariffs scheme.
Get paid for generating renewable heat
- You qualify if you installed an eligible technology since 15thJuly 2009 (you must also meet the scheme criteria)
- Generate a tax free income for 7 years
- Reduce your heating bills
- You can earn up to £500^^ per annum if you installed solar thermal
- Installation cost starts from £4,000 depending on the type of technology
You can now get paid a substantial amount of money by generating renewable heat (through solar hot water, heat pumps or biomass boilers).
Please see our Renewable Heat Incentive page for Domestic RHI tariff rates and more details about this scheme.
Action Surrey manages a network of trusted installers who can provide no-obligation, free quotes for homeowners interested in energy efficiency or renewable technology. For more information or to speak with an energy advisor please contact us.
* Solar PV with Total Installed Capacity of 4kW or less, where attached to or wired to provide electricity to a building which is already occupied/or to a new building before first occupation. FIT year 2014/15. For eligible installations with an eligibility date on or after 1 April 2014 and before 1 October 2014.
** Export tariff is paid by the energy supplier for each kWh you export back to the electricity grid for energy you generate but don't use yourself. Payments are estimated (50% of the electricity your PV panels generate).
^ Potential income based on 2014 FIT of 14.38p/kWh using a 4kWp system, including income from export tariff (4.77p/kWh) as well as energy bills savings.
^^ Potential income based on 2014 RHI of 19.2p/kWh using a large SHW system, including energy bills savings.
Contact Action Surrey for more information and a list of installers.
Updated May 2014
