The global pressures on governments to reduce carbon emissions to meet the specified limits in a short time frame are considerable. What this means for domestic households and commercial enterprises are significant grants, funding and financial incentives to encourage and promote the use of cleaner, and renewable energy sources. Not only is it time to be more environmentally aware for the good of the planet but financially there has never been a better time to increase energy efficiency in the home and to incorporate alternative energy sources.
Within the UK, a range of grants and funding sources are available for switching to cleaner sources of energy production. In 2006, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) Initiated the Low Carbon Buildings Program. This is managed by the Energy Savings Trust and exists to offer grants to domestic energy customers within the UK. So called micro-regeneration technologies qualify for funding, and these include solar power, wind turbines, hydro, and bio energy systems.
For domestic wind turbines the level of grants will depend on the per kW performance of the system installed. A maximum of £1000 per kW is available, to a total of £2,500. This is subject to an overall 30% limit of the installed cost.
The Energy Savings Trust also manages another grant body, the
Scottish Community Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI). This receives its funding from the Scottish Government and offers grants to householders living in Scotland for solar water heating or thermal space heating, and small scale wind or hydro systems. A maximum of £4000 is available, limited to 30% of the installed cost of the system. Property owners in Scotland are eligible to receive funding from either the Low Carbon Buildings Program or the SCHRI, but not both.
Additional sources of funding are available in localised areas throughout the UK, where there may be other energy saving and production initiatives.
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