The government’s proposed “clean energy cash back” scheme (or feed in tariff) when introduced, will guarantee a set price for every unit of green electricity generated for 25 years. If all housing association properties had a solar photovoltaic (PV) system, which can generate 2,100 units of electricity a year, they could earn an income of around £20 thousand per home over 25 years.
The scheme would also pass on thousands of pounds of electricity savings to tenants – many of whom are suffering from fuel poverty.
Faced with a shortfall of £260 million due to the government’s recent decision to cut social housing rent in 2010, some housing providers are taking advantage of the financial benefits that investing in solar power brings. As well as a much needed income boost for the organisations, solar power helps low-income families cope with the financial hardship caused by rising fuel prices.
Brent Housing Partnership (BHP) is an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) working with Solarcentury, a UK solar energy company, to generate a guaranteed income from clean electricity. Solarcentury has begun to install solar electric roof tiles, designed to suit the majority of housing associations at a low cost, on over 80 existing homes on the Brentfield Estate in Brent. This will provide residents with approximately a third of the electricity they need for free – a saving of £120 every year.
Shaun Gillam, Senior Project Manager, Brent Housing Partnership said: “Solar power is a great way of investing in the future for our tenants. It is a way for us to reduce our residents’ expenditure on energy and meet energy efficiency targets whilst making a profit at the same time. With over 13000 BHP homes in Brent, we’re able to make a real difference to the quality of our tenants’ lives.”
Housing providers own an estimated 2.4 million homes across the UK. Many of these tenants live in fuel poverty, spending more than 10 per cent of their household income on heating and powering their homes
Town & Country Housing Group, in Kent, is another housing provider helping their tenants out of fuel poverty with solar PV.
Paul White, Innovation, Design & Quality Manager said: “Solar power is already playing a key role in the greening of our estates, 160 of our households have solar so far. It is reducing tenants’ electricity bills and helping us to deliver low energy homes that are affordable, functional and easy to live in.”
According to campaign group National Energy Action, more than five million households across the country are affected by fuel poverty.
A typical size solar PV system for a household is a 2.5kWp system and costs an average £12,500. On average, this system will generate 2,125 units (kilowatt hours (kWh)) of electricity a year. The Energy Saving Trust says this will produce about 50% of the electricity a household uses in a year.
This size of system will result in bill savings of £245 a year based on the average cost of electricity at 13p per unit and 50% electricity generated used. The income received from exporting 50% is £50 per year, with total generation annual income an additional £730 for 25 years with the feed-in tariff scheme.
Each property in the Brent scheme will produce 1,062 kWh a year – approximately one third of their electricity, saving approximately £120 each year for the tenant. This income figure is based on the system generating the number of units stated above and applying the government’s proposed generation tariff of 36.5p per unit generated. The figure also assumes that on average tenants will consume 50% of the solar electricity in the property and export the remainder and it assumes a top up payment of 5p for each unit exported and energy savings of 13p per unit.
Source - Green Building Press
Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts
Friday, 2 October 2009
Saturday, 4 October 2008
A very cold UK energy winter indeed
UK families will from today face paying spiralling energy costs as increases to electricity and gas bills are introduced.
Consumers will now have to pay almost 20% more for gas and 33% more for electricity.
The huge increase, announced last month, sparked concerns about the impact among the business community as well as householders who are already suffering from jumps in food and fuel prices.
From today Phoenix Gas customers face a 19.2% hike for domestic and small industrial and commercial customers.
The increase adds around £2.15 a week to the average household gas bill, resulting in an average customer paying £689 per year.
While NIE customers will be paying 33.3% more. This follows an earlier increase in gas prices of 28% four months ago.
Last month Phoenix Gas said large increases in wholesale gas costs left them with “no alternative” but to review prices.
However, when asked if they would consider introducing a cap on tarrifs, NIE Energy said it “does not currently offer fixed or capped electricity prices” like other UK energy companies.
It said it is “a regulated business operating under a price control, determined by the regulator, who acts on behalf of all consumers in the UK”.
Kerstie Forsyth from NIE Energy said: “We are concerned about the impact of this increase on our customers, particularly those on lower incomes.
“We can’t control world fuel prices, which have led to this increase, but what we can do is offer discounted electricity.”
He said: “Our customers can be assured that we are committed to delivering gas at the lowest possible price both now and into the future.
“If, as we hope, worldwide energy prices fall, Phoenix will reduce its prices accordingly.”
Michael Hughes, chief executive of the Rural Community Network, representing people in rural areas on issues relating to poverty and disadvantage, said many will struggle to pay high energy bills this winter.
“Statistically there is more unfit housing in rural areas than in urban,” he said. “Those are the houses that are harder to heat, the older house that the person has lived nearly all their lives and wouldn’t want to move.”
However he said that the current situation will prove a financially tough time for most people across the country.
“This is not the case for getting into a debate about people in urban and rural areas and who is poorer. There are disadvantaged in all areas, but this is also affecting people throughout the country who would normally be comfortably off.”
On Monday the Assembly backed plans for the Executive to spearhead an action plan to counter the effects of spiralling energy bills.
But Mr Hughes said: “The Executive needs to get working again urgently to deal with these issues and help those who have to choose between food or heat this winter.”
Source - The belfast telegraph
Consumers will now have to pay almost 20% more for gas and 33% more for electricity.
The huge increase, announced last month, sparked concerns about the impact among the business community as well as householders who are already suffering from jumps in food and fuel prices.
From today Phoenix Gas customers face a 19.2% hike for domestic and small industrial and commercial customers.
The increase adds around £2.15 a week to the average household gas bill, resulting in an average customer paying £689 per year.
While NIE customers will be paying 33.3% more. This follows an earlier increase in gas prices of 28% four months ago.
Last month Phoenix Gas said large increases in wholesale gas costs left them with “no alternative” but to review prices.
However, when asked if they would consider introducing a cap on tarrifs, NIE Energy said it “does not currently offer fixed or capped electricity prices” like other UK energy companies.
It said it is “a regulated business operating under a price control, determined by the regulator, who acts on behalf of all consumers in the UK”.
Kerstie Forsyth from NIE Energy said: “We are concerned about the impact of this increase on our customers, particularly those on lower incomes.
“We can’t control world fuel prices, which have led to this increase, but what we can do is offer discounted electricity.”
He said: “Our customers can be assured that we are committed to delivering gas at the lowest possible price both now and into the future.
“If, as we hope, worldwide energy prices fall, Phoenix will reduce its prices accordingly.”
Michael Hughes, chief executive of the Rural Community Network, representing people in rural areas on issues relating to poverty and disadvantage, said many will struggle to pay high energy bills this winter.
“Statistically there is more unfit housing in rural areas than in urban,” he said. “Those are the houses that are harder to heat, the older house that the person has lived nearly all their lives and wouldn’t want to move.”
However he said that the current situation will prove a financially tough time for most people across the country.
“This is not the case for getting into a debate about people in urban and rural areas and who is poorer. There are disadvantaged in all areas, but this is also affecting people throughout the country who would normally be comfortably off.”
On Monday the Assembly backed plans for the Executive to spearhead an action plan to counter the effects of spiralling energy bills.
But Mr Hughes said: “The Executive needs to get working again urgently to deal with these issues and help those who have to choose between food or heat this winter.”
Source - The belfast telegraph
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