Many journalists have reported an estimated loss of 25,000+ jobs resulting from the Government’s cut in the Feed in Tariff. However, there are now more serious questions being asked regarding the legality of what the Government have done. By announcing a cut which comes into effect before the end of the consultation period, the Government is breaking several commitments it has made to legislation. Further, any deviation from the UK’s carbon reduction roadmap must be discussed with the EU prior to implementation. No one from DECC has consulted with the EU on the massive reduction in the UK Feed in Tariff and it is believed that this announcement will cause a significant impact on the UK’s carbon reduction plans as few other renewable technologies have seen wide scale uptake in the way that Solar PV has.

The EU recently delayed the implementation of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) due to concerns over the tariff rate set for the Biomass technologies. This caused the commercial Renewable Heat Incentive to be delayed by 2 months. If the EU were to step in, the Feed in Tariff may be extended which would allow customers, installers and manufacturers to clear their order books and revise their strategy to compete in the market at a greatly reduced level. HiS Group are in favour of a large cut to the Feed in Tariff, however, the space of change is very difficult for any industry to cope with, let alone a fledgling industry such as the Solar PV industry.

The Renewable Heat Incentive which will work in much the same way as the Feed in Tariff scheme, paying the system owner a tariff rate for every kWh of heating energy produced. Most technologies allowable under the Renewable Heat Incentive will represent an ideal opportunity for hotels, sport centres and industrial sites with large hot water requirements to significantly reduce their heating and hot water bills in addition to, reducing their carbon footprint. Allowable technologies under the Renewable Heat Incentive include; solar thermal (pictured above), heat pumps, biomass, bioliquids and biomethane.

The decision taken by the DECC will undoubtedly lead to widespread redundancies in one of the industries the Coalition Government supposedly committed to developing. The solar PV industry will be brought to a standstill by the developments over the last few days and HiS Group do not believe that there will be any interest from customers and the free model which had the opportunity to help alleviate fuel poverty has been killed. HiS Group support a significant cut in the tariff as a result of reduced supply chain costs but, reducing the UK Feed in Tariff to a level which is lower than Germany (recognised as the most developed solar pv market) does not make sense.

The drastic and sudden change to the Feed in Tariff means that any proposed installs will need to be installed, commissioned and submitted to a Feed in Tariff licensee by 12th December to be eligible for the 43.3p for 25 years. Commissioning and registering with the Feed in Tariff Licensee can take up to a week, especially with the anarchy which will ensue in the next month. As a result, HiS Group would recommend completing any outstanding installs by 5th December.

There may yet be light at the end of the tunnel, with Green Deal and the Renewable Heat Incentive being brought in next year. Consumers will be given an opportunity under the Renewable Heat Incentive to earn a tariff for every kwh of renewable heat they produce from technologies such as solar thermal. However, it remains to be seen how many renewable energy companies will be around next year to deliver innovative products to households across the UK who will continue to see rising energy prices.

One such company, 3M, have created a solar panel window film which does not require a skilled installer such as HiS Group (an MCS certified installer) to place the film on the windows. In addition to the solar pv film generating electricity, by absorbing the sun’s energy, the film also acts as a cooling agent for the building. As a result, the film being developed by 3M can also lead to energy efficiency savings. This product is still in development, however, the money saved on heating and, in particular air conditioning units will massively reduce gas and oil bills once it comes to market. It is unclear when 3M expect to bring this product to market but, HiS Group will ensure our customers are able to benefit from this innovative solution when it becomes available.

Although the 3M solar pv window film may not be ready to allow customers to benefit from the Feed in Tariff, HiS Group has a wide range of innovative solar products to ensure that customers maximise their return on investment. Call our customer services team today on 0800 0121 804 to arrange a free survey with one of our energy consultants.

Home owners interested in installing solar pv should look to install their system before 1st April 2012 to ensure that you benefit as much as possible from this year’s Feed in Tariff rate. Call HiS Group today for a free solar pv survey on 0800 0121 804.

While British customers are benefiting from cheap panels from Asian countries such as China, many Western manufacturers are now facing serious difficulties as they cannot compete with the cheap labour rates seen in Asia. This has been highlighted by the high profile bankruptcies of US solar pv manufacturers such as Solyndra Inc. Further, there are growing fears that several German manufacturers that are struggling to match the production costs in Asia may follow a similar path to the US companies that have failed.

US Solar pv manufacturer Solyndra filed for bankruptcy

On top of this, many weather forecasts are suggesting that the UK will be hit by another extremely cold winter with heavy snowfall from as early as October. The cold winter will only had further costs to your energy bills. There are many ways that you can reduce your energy bill without paying substantial amounts of money upfront.

Call HiS Group today on 0800 0121 804 to book a free energy survey from one of our energy experts.

HiS Group can provide cost effective insulation measures such as loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and external wall insulation. Under the CERT scheme, Government grants are available to have insulation measures installed in your home and if you claim benefits or there is someone over the age of 70 living in your home, you can have insulation installed for free.

A well insulated home can save 35% a year on energy bills.

Further, HiS offer many other energy efficient technologies such as solar PV systems, solar thermal systems, energy efficient LED lighting, double glazing windows, energy efficient boiler installs and ground source heat pumps.

Take advantage of the Feed in Tariff with a solar pv install 

By installing solar photovoltaics (solar pv) on your roof, you can benefit from the Feed in Tariff generating up to 43.3p for every kWh of electricity you generate. As a result you can not only save money on your electricity bill but, generate a profit on your investment in solar pv. Further, HiS can provide you with the option to have all the free electricity a solar pv system produces if you are willing to let someone else put a solar panel system on your roof.

Hopefully, this news will see further reductions in solar panel prices following the expectation that silicon prices are expected to fall in the next 12 months. Silicon is the key material used in the manufacture of solar photovoltaic panels and recent developments in Japan should see a double boost to UK households and businesses which are interested in having a solar pv system installed on their roof. This subsidy announcement is particularly useful to those installers who are installing Sharp solar panels as they are a Japanese company. Any subsidies should see Sharp solar pv panel prices falling while maintaining their reputation as one of the top yielding solar photovoltaics on the market. The end result should hopefully see cheaper and higher quality installs for domestic and commercial solar pv customers in the UK. This will add further value to solar pv systems as an investment for both individuals and equity investors.

HiS Group can provide up to an average annual return of 15% for individuals and private equity firms interested in Solar Panel investments.

By installing a solar panel system on your roof, you can generate a significant return on your investment through the Feed in Tariff. The UK Government has made a substantial commitment to the microgeneration of  renewable electricity through the Feed in Tariff cash incentive scheme. This scheme is primarily focussed on encouraging the uptake of solar photovoltaic installations in an effort to meet the Government’s EU target of generating 15% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

As a result of the Government’s desire to achieve their renewable electricity targets through renewable technologies such as solar pv systems, it is possible to earn up to 15% average annual return and a return on investment of 600% over the 25 year Feed in Tariff scheme. The Government has guaranteed that once you have installed your system, you have secured that tariff rate plus any RPI increases for 25 years. Effectively, the Feed in Tariff provides you with a Government backed annual return of as much as 15% for 25years. There isn’t any other investment in the World which can give you a risk free 15% return.

HiS Group offer individuals the opportunity to get a solar panel system installed on their roof and start earning money as well as making their home more energy efficient. Call us on 0800 0121 804 today to have a survey carried out for free.

As the return on solar pv is Government backed and protects against RPI increases, it is unsurprising that there has been significant interest from private equity firms in an attempt to secure this lucrative opportunity before the Government reviews the Feed in Tariff rate in March. The current potential for return is only guaranteed until March, as there is uncertainty as to how much the Government will cut the rate buy. Due to the falling price of silicon, the industry should still be able to generate significant, Government backed returns on any solar pv system installed before 31st March 2013 but, it is in your interest to get a solar photovoltaic install completed prior to 31st March 2012.

HiS Group has a significant pipeline of housing and commercial stock which is available for private equity investors to purchase, ensuring that the current UK Feed in Tariff is secured before 31st March 2012. If you wish to make an enquiry please do so through our contact page

Suntech sight falling costs of Silicon

Perhaps, more importantly for the UK solar pv market, where solar panels are almost exclusively imported from the Far East, Suntech predict that the cost of silicon will continue to decline. The majority of the cost of a typical solar panel installation is made up of the cost of the materials. As the input  material costs come down, people within the UK should be able to benefit from a reduced price for a solar photovoltaic install. A more affordable install price will hopefully further stimulate demand in the UK for solar panels as people will be able to benefit from the Feed in Tariff, earning a guaranteed RPI linked rate per kWh of electricity produced for 25 years. HiS Group, a leading, MCS accredited UK solar pv installer can provide you with the best value for

This is not the first time that experts in the UK have asked for a shift from the Government’s incentive schemes such as the Feed in Tariff, towards a punishment system where UK households and businesses are taxed for not adopting green energy measures. The UK may choose to switch to the ‘stick’ approach soon if the current ‘carrot’ approach through Government incentive schemes doesn’t lead to increased rates of renewable energy uptake. It is in the interests of all businesses and households to act now and install some renewable energy measures such as a solar pv install before potential financial penalties are brought in.