Solar panel rebates cut
The UK government is going ahead with cuts to solar panel rebates and a host of other subsidies.
The most notable is for homeowners with domestic size solar panels with an eligibility date from March 3 this year.
Tariffs will be cut by half from 43.3 pence per kWh to 21 pence for energy fed into the grid.
Homeowners considering installing panels may be deterred by the reduced rate.
In a statement released yesterday, the government claimed a 45 per cent reduction in installation costs since 2009 caused a surge of installations, which in turn has placed a huge strain on the budget.
The good news for those on the old scheme is that you will continue to get the higher tariff for the duration of your 25-year agreement.
Other changes include the requirement to produce an Energy Performance Certificate rating of D or above for homeowners looking to install solar panels after April 1.
Further, those who have more than 25 installations will be on a multi-installation tariff which is set at 80 per cent of the standard tariff rate.
“Our new plans will see almost two and a half times more installations than originally projected by 2015 which is good news for the sustainable growth of the industry,” Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said.
“ We are proposing a more predictable and transparent scheme as the costs of technologies fall, ensuring a long term, predictable rate of return that will closely track changes in prices and deployment.”
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Tags:
- energy tariffs ,
- solar panels
