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DTI Tops Up The Renewables Funding

Posted: 30/10/2006

The renewables industry and their many customers can breathe again after recent scare stories that this years grant allocation had already been used up. Enquiries from The Green Building Press met with a simple 'funds for the Low Carbon Buildings Programme will be available for the 3 years the programme will run' in reply. That's up to 2008.

The Solar Trade Association, however, say that another £6.2m has now been promised by the DTI for this year to top up the householder stream of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. The current budget, of £3.5m had been committed in full 6 months after the scheme was launched, with 7 months still remaining. NEF have reported a massive surge in interest in renewables this year which they were delighted with. However on the downside the industry is not yet strong enough, partly because so many installations have depended on grant funding, to stand alone and urgently needs more investment.

The Solar Trade Association, working closely with other renewable energy trade associations and the National Energy Foundation, have lobbied the DTI on this for some time after it became clear that the initial allocation of funds for domestic installations would run out before Christmas.

Gareth Ellis Head of Renewables at NEF commented “there is much more regulation and funding encouraging the application of renewables to new buildings and homes, but it is important to remember that the big market out there is existing homes. If this retrofit market for renewables is not encouraged then we are not only missing a huge opportunity but also jeopardising the tremendous progress achieved by specialist renewable energy businesses in the UK to date."

Speaking about the announcement of further funding for the LCBP, Ellis said "This will enable many more homes to benefit from clean, sustainable energy supplies including hot water from solar panels. We understand this funding should allow domestic installations to be supported through to the middle of 2008," he added, "and it will provide some stability in funding that is essential if the current growth in the small-scale renewable energy market is not to be jeopardised".

"We have found unprecedented interest from householders in solar water heating, but at the moment this interest will often only turn into action with financial support from a Low Carbon Buildings grant."

Solar thermal (hot water) is currently the main form of renewable energy being requested by householders, as it can be readily added to an existing gas central heating system to provide around 40% of a home's annual hot water needs.

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