The Renewable Heat Premium Payment initiative was unveiled by the UK Government on the 21st of July. This £15 million scheme will help to fund up to 25000 households to install renewable heating systems such as biomass boilers, air and ground source heat pumps and solar thermal panels. Opening on the 1st of August for 8 months, this is a cash-limited offer so the sooner you apply, the better.
What is the Renewable Heat Premium Payment?
The Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme is a government initiative that aims to help householders to buy and install renewable heating technologies such as:
- Solar thermal panels
- Heat pumps (air source, ground source or water source)
- Biomass boilers
This scheme is the stop-gap until the Renewable Heat Incentive expands to cover the domestic sector and the Green Deal begins. The initiative will provide one-off payments in order to help the government learn more about what people think of these technologies and how they perform within the domestic sector under a variety of conditions [1].
Who can apply for the Renewable Heat Premium Payment?
Firstly, you need to live in England, Scotland or Wales to be eligible for the Renewable Heat Premium Payment. There are a set of criteria for each renewable technology:
- Solar thermal panels – anyone can apply for solar panels, regardless of how you heat your home and how much fuel you use.
- Biomass boilers and air and ground (or water) source heat pumps – you are eligible if you currently rely on oil, liquid gas, solid fuel or electricity to heat your home. Ineligible homes are those who already use gas as their main heating fuel.
There is also a set of simple criteria that all applicants must meet:
- Your home must be your main home.
- Basic energy saving measures must be in place and be confirmed, such as loft insulation to 250mm and cavity wall insulation where practical.
- The renewable heat product that you install must be listed in the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, and must also be installed by someone registered under the scheme.
- Once everything is installed, you will be asked to fill in two customer surveys and must be prepared to be chosen at random to have extra meters attached to your installation (free of charge)[2].
What will I get from the Renewable Heat Premium Payment?
All successful eligible applicants will receive a voucher to be redeemed against your chosen technology. These will be in the following amounts:
| All Houses | Houses not heated by gas from the grid |
| £300 solar thermal voucher – valid for 3 months | £950 biomass boiler voucher – valid for 6 months |
| £850 air source heat pump voucher – valid for 5 months | |
| £1250 ground source heat pump voucher – valid for 6 months |
It is essential that all installations are complete and vouchers are redeemed by the expiry date on the voucher or by the 31st March 2012 – whichever is sooner. Once your installation is complete, just return your signed voucher with a copy of the invoice and Microgeneration Certification Scheme certificate to the Energy Saving Trust. You will then receive the voucher amount paid into your bank account.
Will I still be eligible for the Renewable Heat Initiative scheme?
Yes, anyone who has installed renewable heat technology under the Premium Payment Scheme will still be eligible for support under the Renewable Heat Initiative. This is providing you meet the eligibility criteria of the scheme and is also applicable to anyone who has installed technology since 15 July 2009.
How do I apply?
As the scheme isn’t open until the 1st of August 2011, you can register your interest with the Energy Saving Trust at http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Renewable-Heat-Premium-Payment-Form. You will then be contacted when the scheme opens, so you can be one of the first to apply. Remember that it is a cash-limited scheme so once the budget runs out, there can be no more vouchers, so get researching your technologies now!
[3]http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Renewable-Heat-Premium-Payment-Form
