Energy Saving Week Leads Renewables Drive

Renewable energy technologies such as Solar Photovoltaic (PV)

The benefits of renewable energy technologies will be highlighted as part of Energy Saving Week (October 24-28).

The focus for this year’s awareness campaign, organised by the Energy Saving Trust, is helping consumers take back control of spiralling energy bills at home.

And a key part of the week will focus on showing homeowners how renewable energy technologies such as Solar Photovoltaic (PV), small-scale wind turbines and air-source heat pumps can dramatically cut the typical household energy bill.

David Hunt, a director of leading renewable energy company Eco Environments, is a strong supporter of Energy Saving Week.

David said: “It makes complete sense for the week to focus on helping consumers reduce their energy bills. We know from our discussions with customers that the spiralling cost of their bills is one of their biggest financial concerns.

“With leading analysts such as Deutsche Bank predicting that gas and electricity bills could rise by as much as 50% over the next four years, more and more people are keen to explore new options to help them combat this seemingly irreversible upwards trend.”

It costs between £6,000 and £12,000 for a typical solar PV installation and an average domestic installation will produce an income/saving of between £900 and £1,600 a year, index-linked and tax free and guaranteed for 25 years.

Financial experts predict a return on investment of as much as 12 per cent. This is because the Government’s Feed in Tariffs (FITs), introduced in April 2010, pay you for all the energy you generate regardless of whether you use it or not. Consumers also save money by not having to buy the electricity they have produced, while they get a further payment for the electricity they export as a surplus to the National Grid.

This means that anyone installing a small-scale electricity generation in their homes, schools, hospitals or businesses can claim a substantial tariff – up to 41.3p a unit – for what they produce. In addition, there is a further 3p a unit for any surplus electricity exported to the grid as well as saving the cost of buying the electricity in.

Eco Environments designs, installs and commissions a comprehensive range of renewable energy and energy conservation solutions, specialising in Solar Photovoltaic (PV), wind turbines, solar thermal water heating systems and heat pumps.

The award-winning company, which has its head office in Liverpool, holds Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditations for all of these technologies.

www.energysavingtrust.org.uk