Feed-in tariff to face rethink ....

With a lot information in the news at the moment about changes being made to the solar Feed-in tariff the expected rate of return from having solar fitted to your home is relatively uncertain. Even more so since the High Court decided that the planned changes to the scheme were ‘unlawful’. However the Government says that the current funding won’t suffice if the current level of uptake continues.

But how does this affect someone looking to install a solar PV system on their home.

Well so long as the system has a capacity no greater than 4kW and you have it installed between now and the 31^st of March you are guaranteed at least 21p for every kilo-watt-hour you generate via the feed-in tariff. Now comes the interesting bit, depending on the how the Governments appeal against the High Court goes you could actually be entitled to receive up to 43p per kWh, but the decision really is in the balance just now so it’s not worth banking on that figure.

The other benefits to the scheme are:

-          A rate of 3.1p per kWh that is exported ( as a guideline in this size of install about half your electricity with be exported).

-          A reduction in your electricity bills, this is because you will be using your own power first. In order to get the most from this you must try and use the appliances that consume the most energy whilst the panels are generating the most energy.

Now if you don’t manage to get your panels installed before the 31^st of March then I’m afraid your expected feed-in rate is still an unknown and it is almost guaranteed it will not be more than 21p in fact it could be less.

So if you think 21p is a fair deal then really you should get your order in now and try and get an install date for before the 31^st of March. Otherwise it might be worth your while holding out to see what happens in the courts.

What do you think of the feed-in tariff rates? Is 21p a good deal?

Top Energy Saving Tips

I cam across this video last week from East Lothian Council, I think it's great to see a local council getting involved in energy saving and especially going to the trouble to create a video guide. Granted it's not the flashiest affair but it's well worth a watch.

Especially if your looking to save a few £s over the winter period.

Saving on energy bills this winter

In recent years it seems that every winter has just got colder than the last, and unfortunately heating bills are not dropping with the temperatures - so now is the time to think about what needs to be done to reduce them.

Here are five things to consider to get the bills down this winter:

Switch

Hopping ship might be a good way to save money on bills -  and there are many, many websites out there to help you do that. Just make sure you read the Ts&Cs. Your chosen energy company should be affordable even in a worst case scenario - fuel prices rising in the middle of a freezing cold winter - so don't buy the cheapest package unless your sure it gives you all the cover you need, and you wont be getting unexpected bills.

Ration

Heat one room instead of the whole house - lets face it, most winter evenings are spent in front of the TV or computer in the living room for many of us. Do you really need the heating turned up in the bedroom when you'll only need it warm for an hour as you get ready for bed in the evening? Can you handle making dinner in a chilly kitchen, when the cooker will probably warm you up in no time?

Insulate

Insulation keeps the heat inside your house, meaning heat won't escape and you can save some cash on bills. You might also find you'll need your heating on for less time, as a blast for an hour could heat up the house for the whole night when it's not escaping out the walls and roof. The goverment are offering grants on insulation for many properties.

Get old fashioned

When you really need to reduce the bills, it's worth thinking about how your grandparents stayed warm in the cold winters, long before central heating was a basic requirement. Hot water bottles on the beds, extra quilts and thick blackout curtains can all help you stay warm without heating - and you wont be issued a monthly bill for the pleasure.

You can find more energy bill tips on CityWire Money.

How Wind Turbines work

Like many people, I've always been into the idea of wind turbines - but how they actually manage to turn wind into electricity I wasn't sure. In fact, before finding out how they work, I'd have probably been quite embarrassed about posting this fact on Energy News UK. But since it could help benefit others like me, I thought I'd pass on this video which helps outline the basics. There's been some debate on Youtube about the ins and outs, but as long as you take this as a rough guide and not a detailed manual on how one might be expected to create their own energy source with no prior knowledge, it's pretty informative. Enjoy!

Solar Energy - Make money while the sun shines....

I read a rather concerning article this week regarding the future of our new friend the feed-in tariff.

Apparently the government made us too good a deal and take-up of the solar photo voltaic panels has been far beyond what was anticipated. Thus the pot of money that was put aside to subsidise our investment is beginning to run out quite a bit faster than was planned.

So in line with the current climate, industry experts believe that as of next year the government will be making some rather severe cuts to the subsidies available from the feed-in tariff which will of course make it alot less attractive.

To that end it is throughly recommended that if you're planning jump on solar's cheap electricity bandwagon now is the time - or at least before April 2012. As after that point many believe the subsidy will be dramatically reduced.

You can read the full article from the Guardian here...

SSE have the happiest customers in the UK...

Scottish and Southern Energy are the leaders of the pack when it comes to customer happiness, according to Consumer Focus’ latest quarterly energy complaints table. 5 of the UK’s big six energy suppliers saw a decrease in complaints over this period. Only EDF saw a rise (19%) in the number of complaints they were receiving. However EDF are sure this is mainly due to their implementation of a new billing system.

These results will almost certainly be viewed as a much needed win for SSE given the tough year they’ve had, and there’s no getting away from the fact it is a big win, after all SSE essentially have the happiest customers in the energy industry.

Do I Need Fixed Gas and Electricity Prices?

Given the recent price increases, I think it’s safe to say we are all more than a little concerned about how much it’s going to affect our household bills. One of the options available at the moment is to fix your gas and electric prices for a period of time, usually called a fixed price tariff.

The big bonus of having fixed gas and electricity prices is that it can offer you peace of mind that the cost of your energy bills will not go up, regardless of what is happening in the market. Now depending on the tariff, you could be paying a fixed rate for anything between a year and 3 years.

However, even though fixed price energy could be extremely beneficial in the current climate, in exchange for the security of having a set price you can often end up paying a bit more than some of the standard/online tariffs. The fixed rate options can also come with rather high early termination clauses so be careful when selecting the length of your tariff as it may be expensive to try and move before the contract is up.

For these reasons it can be a bit of a gamble switching over to fixed price because if like just now prices are on the rise then you could make some serious savings, however if they drop before your minimum term is up chances are you’ll end up paying a bit more than necessary.

Assuming you have taken out a fixed price energy deal, inevitably the question of what do to do when it ends pops up. Now the most important thing you can do is find out which plan you will roll onto. It might just be a standard plan, you may be re-contracted or they could give you the chance to fix your prices again. Bear in mind that you may end up paying over-the-odds for the fixed price security.

Hopefully this has given some insight into fixed gas and electric tariffs, and will help your decision making that little bit easier. Please feel free to let us know about any experiences you’ve had with a fixed tariff, we’d love to hear it.