Feeling a bit fed up with zero returns on our Building Society deposits, Irene and I decided to look at getting a return by installing solar pv panels and taking advantage of the newly introduced Feed in Tariff.  Thus our original motivation was financial with eco-considerations as a valuable spin-off.

We visited Cotswold Efficient Energy Centre, off the Cirencester/Tetbury road, where they have an excellent showroom demonstrating solar pv, solar thermal, rainwater gathering, light tunnels, and wood-pellet boiler systems, air source and ground source heating etc.  They also have full software for producing desings etc although we have since found this to be true of most suppliers.  Subsequently they visited us, checked roof orientation, advised on number of panels to make a sensible investment and were cautious about advising us to install solar thermal panels, which, though feasible, were not as financially advantageous as solar pv at the time. I believe this is about to change shortly.

Although common sense says we should have sought several quotations, we were sufficiently impressed by the company to accept their quotation and have been pleased with their service.  The fact that their Admin Manager lives in Chedworth also helped, support your local businesses and all that.  Being asked to look at quotations by other Chedworthians subsequently, they are all much of a muchness, generally with a 10% spread.  However, if your motivation is entirely ecological, there are firms who will install the panesl free in return for having the feed-in-tariffs assigned to them.

In the first year of operation, our ten panels generated 1,432 kWh or units of electricity.  This represents somewhere about a 6.0% return on investment, tax free, or 7.5% gross to a basic rate taxpayer.

We did not need planning permission for the installation; this may be because it is on the roof at the back of the ouse.  However, they can be installed on the ground, a flat roof, even hung on a vertical wall, in short, wherever there is an un-shaded space facing anywhere between South East to South West.  The installation is, of course, initially visually noticeable but we soon got used to it and, after a couple of weeks no longer notice is.

Would we do it again?  Yes.

Harry Catton.

We, like many in our industry, were very disappointed that the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) was withdrawn by government - only hours before it was meant to come into force.

However, the Department of Energy and Climate Change has insisted that it is being delayed rather than abandoned.  The scheme was due to open today (30th September 2011) but its delay is being blamed on European Commission clearance.

The latest promise is that the delay will only be one month, but we are not holding our breath!