Volume 54 | Issue 1 | January 2016
Solar industry responds to latest cuts to tariffs Despite cuts to the Feed-in Tariff not being as drastic as previous proposals, there are still fears that the diminished incentive will lead to a reduction in demand and further job losses for the solar industry. The Department of Energy and Climate Change has announced that the domestic Feed-in Tariff will be reduced by 64%, from 12p/kWh to 4.39p. The new tariffs will come into force from 8 February, and the deadline for projects to receive the current higher tariffs is 15 January. Although this represents a significant reduction in the financial incentive available to UK homeowners, it compares favourably with previous proposals that had suggested cuts of up to 87% to 1.63p/kWh. The decision comes after a prolonged campaign by the Solar Trade Association (STA) and other organisations including the Church of England to the CBI, but the STA estimates that up to 18,700 jobs in the solar industry could still be lost as a result of the reduction. “It’s not what we needed, but it’s better than the original proposals,” says Paul Barwell, CEO of the STA. “We will continue to push for a better deal for what will inevitably be a more consolidated industry with fewer companies.
“In a world that has just committed to strengthened climate action in Paris and which sees solar as the future, the UK Government needs to get behind the British solar industry. Allocating only around 1% of its clean power budget to new solar is too little, particularly when solar is now so cost-effective. Poor ambition for solar risks missing out on not only our renewable energy targets in the UK, but on the world’s greatest economic opportunity too.”
As well as the tariff rates, the STA has expressed concerns about the ‘cost control’ mechanism that could lead to damaging stopstarts in the market. The Government has put maximum caps on the total amount of solar it wants to see installed in every quarter. The STA argues that this could be very damaging, but it has welcomed the fact that there is no increase in the energy efficiency requirements to be eligible for the Feed-in Tariff nor any changes to the export tariff when electricity is sold back to the grid. “The new tariff levels are challenging, but solar power will still remain a great investment for forward-thinking homeowners who want to protect themselves from volatile energy prices and do their bit to reduce global carbon emissions," says Barwell. “Solar is still worth considering if you consider the wider benefits such as the increased value to homes. Homeowners can also benefit by changing the way they use their generated electricity or via storage, which is now a rapidly developing market.”
Research reveals cost of DIY disasters New research has revealed that UK homeowners are spending an additional £42million a year to salvage work around the home that they’ve tried to do themselves or abandoned mid-way through. A survey undertaken on behalf of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) shows that more than a quarter of homeowners admit they have started and then abandoned home improvement jobs, with almost one third (30%) calling in a tradesperson to finish or rescue the job, costing an additional £871 on average than it would have cost if they’d hired professionals at the start. Some 27% of respondents admitted that they have ‘given up’ on a job ever being completed –
with 19 months identified as the average length of time before a job is abandoned. One in five said that their attempts at home improvement projects have been ‘disastrous’, with 62% of these admitting that DIY building blunders have reduced the value of their property, and a further 18% believing their properties are now harder to sell. The two biggest disaster areas for the country's aspiring plumbers came from attempts to self-install a kitchen or a bathroom. When looking at the main reasons homeowners have dragged their heels at calling in a professional, 55% say they are worried about the cost, while 30% claim they haven’t had time to organise the work. An
indecisive one in five can’t decide or agree on what they want, while 17% haven’t been able to find someone to do the work. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, comments: “While it’s noble that people want to have a go at home improvement projects themselves, our research confirms that if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re risking not just increased costs, but also your property value – not to mention your health and safety when it comes to serious builds and renovations. Unfinished work and botched DIY attempts are increasingly cited as reasons people turn to our members, so we urge homeowners to be realistic about what they are capable of doing.”
Clean up with two stylish showers from Bristan in this month's competition – see page 50
Partnership speeds on JG Speedfit has announced that it will continue to sponsor the GBmoto Kawasaki team in its bid to challenge for the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship. The team managed to finish third in last year's championship, winning two races and taking seven additional podium finishes, but aims to go even better this time around. Looking forward to remaining with GBmoto for a second term, Mike Riseley, UK Director of Sales at JG Speedfit, says: "It has been a very successful partnership for both parties and I'm confident that the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team will continue to go from strength to strength."
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