Applications for Home Renewable Energy Subsidies Reopen

Residents of properties in England, Scotland and Wales will be able to apply from today for a new round of payments under the Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme. The scheme is overseen by the Energy Saving Trust, and offers subsidies for residents or businesses seeking to increase their energy-efficiency and assist the national switch to renewable energy by installing technology such as underfloor heating, the latest in insulation, or ground source heat pumps.

The home heating methods utilised will determine which kinds of subsidy are available. For instance, a gas-heated home can receive subsidies for a solar thermal water heating system, while homes heated by oil, electricity, solid fuel or Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) can apply for subsidies for a range of biomass boilers and heat pumps. For those householders who are having heat pumps fitted, they will also be required to fit a heat meter and provide information to the Energy Saving Trust. This is a separate government scheme involving the evaluation of different sorts of heat pumps, ahead of a wider subsidy scheme for renewable energy heating, provisionally entitled the Renewable Heat Incentive.