RENEWABLE HEAT INCENTIVE

After what seems like an eternity it’s finally here!

The Renewable Heat Incentive or RHI scheme is a government backed initiative to reduce carbon emissions and reward households who move away from fossil fuels to heat their homes. Working in a similar way to the Feed-in-Tariff for solar photovoltaic (solar PV) systems, owners of renewable technology will be paid according to the total heat load of the property in kilowatt hours, for seven years tax-free.

These payments are made in arrears on a quarterly basis and will change annually with inflation over the seven year payment period.

For an example of the payments you could potentially receive please follow the link below and input the required details.

RENEWABLE HEAT CALCULATOR

The scheme is open to:

  • Owner occupiers
  • Private landlords
  • Registered social landlords
  • Self-builders
  • Third party owners of a heating system

The only group not eligible are individuals who have purchased a property that has never been inhabited with renewable technology already installed. This will generally be anyone who has bought a new build property or housing developers themselves. As you can see above the exception to this rule is the self-builder.

As with most schemes there are a few hurdles to get over.

Firstly the installation and equipment used must be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme. The property in question must have also had a Green Deal Assessment (GDA) to find out which energy measures are most cost effective. Loft insulation to the recommended 250mm and cavity wall insulation must have been installed when recommended under the GDA, and if installing insulation isn’t possible then valid evidence is required proving why this is the case. The last requirement is everyone under the scheme must agree to have a metering system installed if chosen by the DECC. If you’re a self-builder then all you will be required to do is submit your EPC certificate.

For a more detailed overview of the scheme why not have a look at the videos to the left or give our team a call on 01491 671718