Our Blog

After a large amount of paperwork and completing the assessments, we are pleased to announce our registration with the MCS scheme! We are currently registered for 2 technologies, solar thermal and solar PV. We installed 4KWp of PV and 3 large thermal panels linked to 2 x 300 litre cylinders on a large manor house in Surrey, the customer is very pleased with the performance, even in the depths of an artic winter! He has already registered to claim his feed in tariff, which should be quite substantial for 4KWp, and will be ready to benefit when the RHI procedure begins in 2011. We will try and add some photos in the new year.

Hidden amongst all the headline grabbing  spending cuts was the new government’s confirmation that it will adopt the Renewable Heat Incentive proposed by Labour  when they were in power. Chancellor George Osborne’s Comprehensive Spending Review indicated that the government will provide £860 million between 2011 and 2012, which will bring renewable heat to a wider market.

Eligible heating systems include energy generated from air source heat pumps or ground source heat pumps, combined heat and power boilers, solar heating technology, solar thermal, biomass heaters, and wood fuel heating boilers.

On a relevant note, another interesting article in the Sunday Times about a large London house using ground source heat pumps to provide space heating. Articles like this bring the renewable heating options to a wider audience, which is definitely a bonus for our industry.

Another interesting article in the Sunday Times, basically warning people that the high pressure salesmen who used to sit in your house for hours until you gave them a deposit for double glazing, are now working for solar PV and solar thermal companies. Their tactics are at best unethical and at worst illegal. There are rules in place to protect the public from these “spivs”, but not enough people are aware of them. I’ve had a few customers who have come to me after such experiences and not surprisingly it makes people very wary. Hopefully the regulatory bodies will start to crack down on them.

I think we managed to generate some interest at the recent urban green fair in brockwell park. It was so busy I only managed to sit down twice all day! We had a great pitch set up with a dummy air source heat pump, a small demonstration solar thermal panel (that was warming up even with the overcast / rainy weather!), and a solar P.V. panel connected to a volt meter. Our new banner and a couple of posters to demonstarte biomass boilers and rainwater harvesting also managed to catch the eye. All in all a succesful day, and huge thanks to Hatty and Benja, who were invaluable.

Welcome to our first blog post! We’ll try to make renewable energy and technologies interesting, and keep you updated with projects we are working on.

If you missed it, Saturday’s edition of D.I.Y. S.O.S. on BBC1 was  brilliant! It showed, with well explained commentary, how solar PV, rainwater harvesting and weather compensation heating systems can be easily integrated into an average house. But I think the most important point made was, that while all these technologies work brilliantly, the number one priority is insulation! By increasing insulation levels in the loft, secondary or double glazing, or even just draught proofing existing windows, a lot of energy can be retained, therefore using less energy to heat the property. They also managed to complete a loft conversion in less than a week! It is probably still available on BBC iplayer, and well worth a watch.

An interesting situation is developing with large companies offering free solar PV panels for certain  houses. They will install and maintain the panels for nothing, you will benefit from the electricty generated but you will sign a contract agreeing the company will receive the feed in tariff for the next 25 years. They say the contract will be binding to whoever buys the property from you, but the legality of this has yet to be proved.

Very exited about this weekend, we’re exhibiting at the urban green fair in Brockwell park in Herne Hill, showcasing the renewable technologies that can reduce energy consumption and dependance on fossil fuels. Hope to have plenty of interesting exhibits and some good weather!