Solar Panels Devon

Latest solar news

Government loses case to appeal and higher feed-in-tariff stays

Supreme Court rules against DECC to finally bring clarity on feed-in-tariff (FIT) rates.

The government has been denied the right to appeal against the High Court ruling that its action to drop the FIT by more than 50% was unlawful. The Supreme Court‘s decision to disallow an appeal means that the FIT decrease is inapplicable due to the government’s attempt to implement it prior to the end of the public consultation in December last year.

As a result, all installations completed between 12 December 2011 and 3 March 2012 qualify for the higher FIT rate of 45.4p per kWh (this represents the 43.3p rate increased by the annual inflation increase). If your system was installed before 12 December 2011 your new tariff is also 45.4p.

The uncertainty regarding the feed-in-tariff available to our solar PV customers has made it difficult to advise on potential energy savings and financial earnings from their new systems, but we welcome the Court’s decision and are delighted for those customers who will now receive the higher rate over the next 25 years.

Next steps – 21p FIT rate and EPCs

We are also pleased to be able to move cleanly into the next stage of solar installations. From 4 March until 30 June 2012 the FIT rate is set at 21p per kWh. With this and the substantial drop in price of solar panels since last month, solar installations remain a very good investment with attractive rates of return.

For example, as a result of the reduction of costs, a Sharp 4kWp system now costs £8,661 installed – inclusive of scaffolding and VAT. This represents an 11.5% return on investment with the new 21p FIT rate.

See more on our solar panel prices here.

New energy efficiency rules also mean that new solar systems must be installed on buildings that meet the criteria of EPC Level D after the installation of solar electricity in order to receive the 21p feed-in-tariff. An EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) provides an energy efficiency rating for a building, estimated costs of energy use plus recommendations for improvements. The rating runs from A-G, with A being the best.

The cost of a domestic energy assessment, so that we can issue an EPC, is included in the price of a solar system.

Get in touch with us to arrange a free solar survey for your home or building: 01803 868750

What’s the current deal with FITs?

The government feed-in-tariff (FIT) incentive is available now at 21p per kWh (unit). This rate is expected to be available on new solar PV installations until the end of June 2012 but could be cut earlier depending on the rate of uptake.

This 21p rate is the current set generation tariff and will be paid to you by your electricity supplier for every unit of electricity generated by your solar PV system – whether you use that electricity in your home or export it to the grid for redistribution.

If you are generating more energy than you actually need, you will receive an additional 3.1p for each unit exported to the grid.

If you are using the electricity that you produce as it is generated, you will also be making savings on your electricity bill because you will not need the electricity provided by your supplier. Typically, this means a saving of about 13p per unit.

Click here for a full explanation of how the FIT works.

What's my next step to get the FIT?

Act now to receive the 21p rate by calling to arrange a free solar PV survey with one of our experienced installers.

The FIT stays at the fixed rate for 25 years from installation and is linked to inflation. Don’t miss out!

Warning of energy price hike puts PV in new light

The parent company of British Gas, Centrica, has warned it expects energy bills to go up by an average £50 this coming winter.

British Gas has almost 16 million residential customers and reduced its standard electricity price by 5% in January, but only after a prior hike of 16% in August last year. This fresh announcement of bill rises has met with a strong response from stakeholders and industry commentators alike, with bonuses of up to £4 million for Centrica top brass coming under fire.

‘Any further increases will see even more people seriously struggling to afford their bills,’ commented Tom Lyon of price comparison website, Uswitch.

A brighter future for solar than expected

In the meantime, analysis has shown that rapidly falling costs over the last 12 months combined with the current FIT rate of 21p makes solar PV a more attractive investment than other options currently available to consumers. Rates of return of up to 11.5% in fact make a solar PV investment today as financially sound as when the FIT incentive first came on line.

‘With gas and electricity prices on the rise yet again, returns for today's investors in solar power are likely to be better than expected,’ says Gaynor Hartnell, chief executive of the Renewable Energy Association.

For instance, a 4kWp domestic system can be purchased today with Totnes Solar for under £9,000, whereas only one year ago it would have cost upwards of £13,000. In addition, we are currently offering £500 off our list prices.

Click here to find out how much a solar energy installation could cost.

The time is ripe

Half of the UK housing stock already meets the energy efficiency requirement for a solar PV installation at today's higher FIT rate, so if your home has decent insulation, it’s highly likely to be eligible.

For those homes that don’t yet meet the EPC Level D as required by the government, the obligation is now on your energy provider to subsidise your energy efficiency measures. This can be up to 100% of the cost in the case of low income households.

Get in touch with us to arrange a no obligation, free solar survey on 01803 868750

DECC announces new FIT rates for August 2012

The effects to the feed-in-tariff for solar PV include:

New rate for solar PV installations up to 4kW of 16p per kWh
Export tariff increase from 3.2p to 4.5p per kWh
Rates remain indexed linked
DECC aims for rates of return between 4.5% and 8%
Rates set now for 20 years
All changes come into force from 1 August

To find out how much a system could cost you, your estimated income from the current FIT rate and your expected ROI, see here.

Or contact us for details.

More details can be found on the DECC (Department for Energy and Climate Change) website here.

FIT rate stays high

15.44p feed-in tariff secure until May

DECC's latest review of the solar PV FIT rate has pushed back the scheduled drop in feed-in tariff for a further three months. This means the FIT rate will remain at 15.44p for installations up to 4kW until the next cut-off date of 30 April 2013.

This comes as further good news for customers and welcome boost to the PV market enjoying the lowest PV system costs ever. Rates of return on investment are up to 11.1%, similar to ROIs gained when the FIT rate first came online in 2010.

The UK solar market is showing encouraging signs of recovery following the restructuring of the FIT scheme one year ago. As the market stabilises only those companies with financial security and customer approval are surviving the hiccup, while larger outfits initially setting-up to profit from the FIT rate are being pushed themselves to restructure operations.

At Totnes Solar we provide bespoke systems to meet your situation. We offer tried and tested Panasonic and Sharp PV panels along with newer, cost-sensitive Chinese options, plus established brands of inverter. And we provide advice and service direct; we don't outsource our sales, instead our experienced team covers all aspects of your installation from survey, quotation and EPC certificate (free of charge) to installation, commissioning and help getting your feed-in tariff payments set up.

Find out how much a system could cost you, your estimated income from the current FIT rate and your expected ROI here.