Renewable energy: a quick guide to getting started
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Introduction
Contents Biomass
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Heat pumps
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Solar PV (electricity)
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Solar Thermal (for hot water)
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Wind power
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How to choose an installer
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There are lots of reasons why people are interested in renewable energy right now: it may be a concern about energy security, fear of ever rising oil and gas prices, the threat of climate change, a love of new gadgets or a simple desire to pay lower energy bills. Whatever your motivation, it’s a good time to invest in renewable energy. The government has strict European targets to meet on renewable energy generation, and is introducing a range of financial incentives to help it achieve them. The feed-in tariff has already sparked a boom in solar electricity generation. The incentive for microgeneration (solar PV, wind and micro-hydro) pays you an income for all the electricity you generate for 20 years (25 for solar). In addition you save on your electricity bills as you use the electricity you generate. A similar incentive for renewable heat technologies such as biomass boilers, heat pumps and solar hot water is due to launch in 2013. In the interim, grants to help with the upfront cost of renewable heat are available. The Green Deal, a pay as you save loan scheme for energy efficiency measures, is due to start in October 2012. However, these are unfamiliar technologies, and they are not all suitable for every property. This ebook contains a series of guides, so you can see at a glance which technologies are appropriate for your house or business. We’ve also included tips on how to choose an installer. For more detailed information, or to ask an expert a question, please visit our website: www.yougen.co.uk
© YouGen Ltd, April 2012
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Biomass boilers
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Heat pumps
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Solar PV panels (for electricity)
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Solar thermal panels (for hot water)
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Wind power
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5. Get at least three written quotations, and make sure they have itemised all the equipment.
How to choose an installer While some criteria will be specific to a particular technology, others apply across the board. In an ideal world, a personal recommendation is best, but as these technologies are not mass market yet, it’s not always possible to ask family and friends for a name. We ask people to recommend good installers on YouGen, so you can search our directory for a local, recommended installer. 1. If you want to benefit from the feed-in tariff or the renewable heat incentive (the government’s financial incentives for renewable energy), you must ensure that both the installer you use, and the product they are installing are accredited under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). No MCS means no subsidy, so check their credentials on the MCS website. 2. Find out how long they have been in the business, what experience they have, and whether they will do the work themselves or subcontract it out. If they do subcontract, check who will take overall responsibility for the job. 3. Ask whether the system they recommend is sized specifically for your site, based on occupancy and current energy usage, or whether it is a standard size. When you are considering the heat technologies ask how they have calculated the heat demand of your house (it’s worth looking out old energy bills, so you know what you’ve used in the past). 4. Ask for an estimate of how much the system will generate at your site.
6. Never sign up on the day. Be wary of any salespeople who ask you to, especially if they offer discounts that depend on it. 7. If you are installing more than one technology, check that each installer understands the other technology and how they work together. Check whether they have done a similar installation before, and ask for references. 8. Once your system is installed ask your installer to show you how to use it, how the controls work, how it works with your existing plumbing or heating and how to get the best out of the system. You will also need to think about: Biomass • which fuel works best for you: logs, woodchip or wood pellet • how automated you want the boiler to be • whether you need a buffer tank or thermal store Solar • whether your roof is strong enough to hold the panels Wind • you may need to do a risk assessment if you are near public land; a ground/soil analysis; or an ecological survey for birds and bats • does your quote include groundworks • larger wind (and solar) installations will probably need to upgrade their electricity supply to a larger (3-phase) supply.
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