The 24th – 28th October sees the return of Energy Saving Week, and this year’s focus is on the different technologies and techniques that Brits can employ to help reduce their energy bills.

With each day of the week playing host to a different theme, Tuesday 26th October will be dedicated to Microgeneration, or renewable energy technologies; a topic that npower, the UK’s leading utility provider of solar technology, knows a lot about.

With speculation rife that the Feed-in-Tariffs (FITS) associated with solar power may be reduced as of April 2012, npower is urging any homeowners thinking about going green to act quickly in order to take advantage of the best possible rates.

Environmentally friendly and cost efficient solar PV (photovoltaic) panels are available from £7,350. What’s more, customers who sign up for the system are eligible to reap the rewards of FITs, which essentially pay homeowners for the energy they produce.

Launched in the UK on 1 April 2010, FITs offer homeowners who have had solar PV panels installed, using products and installers accredited under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), 25 years payment for all the clean electricity they produce. This is regardless of whether they use it or export it back to the grid.

Homeowners are paid 43.3p for every unit of electricity they generate, but can also be paid 3.1p for any electricity they don’t use if they choose to sell it back to the grid. Combine this with the savings made on electricity bills, and the average annual FITs income, and savings could be around £1,100 a year for an average 2.7kWp system.*

Helen Booker, solar expert for npower, commented: “Solar PV uses energy from the sun to create electricity to run appliances and lighting in the home. This form of solar technology requires only daylight to operate, so it will still work even on a typically cloudy day in the UK.

“This increasingly popular option uses renewable energy, resulting in zero carbon emissions or other greenhouse gases. Solar PV users could find themselves dramatically reducing their carbon footprint and saving up to almost 22 tonnes of carbon dioxide over a 30 year period.

“If the government goes ahead with the reduction of the FITs rates as planned, it would mean that those taking up the scheme in April 2012 will not receive as much money for their energy as those who signed up prior to the changes, so it really is important to start thinking about installing solar technology sooner rather than later.

“To mark Energy Saving Week, we are encouraging the nation to think about the amount of energy that they use, and urge them to consider greener alternatives such as solar PV.”

npower has a dedicated team working with homeowners to plan, fund and install solar panels and then buy back the energy they generate.

Solar PV can be installed on any home with a roof, wall or free ground area that faces within 90 degrees south, providing that it is not overshadowed by trees or surrounding buildings as shade will decrease how effective the panels are and therefore the energy generated.

Via EPR Network
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