21 July 2011

£15m grant scheme to green homes heating
A £15 million Government grant scheme to pump-prime a major home eco heating programme and create jobs is set to launch next month.

The Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP), a forerunner to the Governments domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), set to launch next year, will support up to 25,000 installations, including solar thermal, heat pumps and biomass boilers, across UK households between August and March 2012, it will be announced today. But it has also emerged that the Governments RHI aimed at businesses has been delayed until September. The £860 million subsidy scheme was due to open at the end of July.

"Today starts a new era in home heating because were making it more economical for people to go green by providing discounts off the cost of eco heaters," Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said.

Under the RHPP, homeowners will be able to apply on a first-come-first-served basis for vouchers valued at between £300 and £1250 to put towards the cost of installing renewable heating systems in their homes. Installations will have to be carried out by qualified installers registered under the Governments Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).

The RHPP will help develop the UKs fledgling environmental technologies market, the Government said, helping to boost jobs and ensure high standards for the industry.

"Getting money off an eco heater will not just cut carbon emissions, it will also help create a market in developing, selling and installing kit like solar thermal panels or heat pumps," said Barker.

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