Gov’t green energy cash incentives spectacular boost for installers, says Stiebel Eltron
to overview
A leading green energy heat pump maker is urging tradesmen in the heating and plumbing sector to prepare now for a predicted huge spike in interest in going green.
Stiebel Eltron manufacturers renewable energy heat pumps which generate heating and hot water for properties by recycling dormant energy in the air and the ground. Its UK managing director Mark McManus said two new cash incentive packages from Government are set to revolutionise how property owners view green technologies like heat pumps.
But Mr McManus said installers needed to be fully trained and prepared for the surge in interest the incentives should create. He pointed to two schemes the Feed in Tariff (FIT) and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which both provide significant financial returns for any property using renewable products to generate heat and electricity. (see notes to editors)
“This is without question one of the the biggest developments ever seen in the green energy property market,” he said. “As a result of these incentives property owners are going to see a significant and long term cash return on going green. Any property heated by a renewable source such as heat pumps and solar thermal will see a considerable pay back. These are exactly the kind of genuinely eye catching measures the industry has been calling for, for years. However, going green is not straightforward and the best and most efficient methods of going green require expert knowledge to be understood. We urge tradesmen to ensure they use the right equipment and get the right training. We can provide this.”
Mr McManus said Stiebel Eltron has a special installer package for tradesmen.
“We want to partner with more top class tradesmen offering them the best possible package of training, financial incentives and technical support in return for using our products,” he said. “We know that there is now going to be great interest in going green and we can help installers by offering their customers a leasing scheme to buy the heat pumps. This immediately slashes the capital outlay of the purchase staggering the cost of buying and installing the pumps rather than paying up front.”
Mr McManus said Stiebel Eltron will further reward installers with free marketing support as well as new livery on vehicles and new clothing. He said eye catching benefits include substantially improving the warranty on equipment from two to seven years for installers’ customers and free versions of Stiebel Eltron’s new heat pump navigator computer software.
“The heat pump navigator software is worth thousands of pounds but we are giving it away for free to partner installers,” he said. “It saves installers time and money by giving them the skills to design a green energy heating system, for any property, within minutes. All the installer needs to do is input the details of the property. The package will then examine 40,000 different options before giving architect standard designs of the most efficient system. The package can also show the installer and their customer the economic viability of the heat pump system. It can detail payback periods and compare the equipment’s performance against oil or gas heating systems over five or 10 years. It really is a terrific package.”
For further information on becoming an installer partner to Stiebel Eltron contact
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Mark McManus
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Background
Feed-In Tariff
The Feed-In Tariff (FIT) scheme will pay people for all the renewable power they produce from this April 2010. The scheme guarantees a fixed payment to the user for every unit of renewable energy generated over a period of 10-25 years. A recent public opinion poll by YouGov showed 70% of UK homeowners would be interested in investing in domestic renewables under the scheme, if they felt the returns were attractive enough. With interest rates at a current historic low, the 5-8% under the FITs offers a better investment than leaving money in the bank. At the same time investors can cut carbon, help to build a successful UK industry and enjoy protection from unpredictable future energy price rises. While new to the UK, the ‘feed-in Tariff’ approach is currently used by over 40 countries. FIT supports the following renewable electricity technologies up to 5MW in size; solar PV; wind; hydro-electric; biomass electricity; Anaerobic Digestion of organic wastes.
Renewable Heat Incentive
In February the Government published detailed consultation proposals for the world’s first Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which will pay people for the heat they generate themselves. The scheme, which is due to start in April 2011, is expected to lead to a rapid increase in the number of homes and offices heated by woodfuel, biogas, solar thermal, heat pumps and waste-to-energy technologies. This will be driven by the RHI guaranteeing that the average household will be paid well over £1,000 for the renewable heat they generate themselves.
Today, renewable heat technologies meet just 0.6% of UK heat demand, but by 2020 the Government aims to meet 12% or more of the UK’s heat demand through renewables. Demand for heat dominates energy use in the UK and is responsible for half UK energy use and half of UK Carbon Emissions.
The RHI offers long-term, fixed payments based on the type of installation. There will be payments also for every unit of renewable gas fed into the gas network. This “biomethane” is chemically identical to North Sea gas.
