What is it all about?
The Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme is a government scheme that gives money to householders to help them buy renewable heating technologies – solar thermal panels, heat pumps and biomass boilers. As from next year, the Renewable Heat Incentive will expand to cover the domestic sector and the Green Deal will come into force, so this is a short-term scheme making one-off payments that will also allow us to learn more about what people think of these technologies and how they perform in a variety of conditions.
Who can apply?
For solar thermal products, any householder in England, Scotland and Wales can apply.
For ground to water, air to water or water to water heat pumps, and for biomass boilers, householders without gas central heating in England, Scotland and Wales can apply (in other words those who are not connected to the gas grid and currently rely on fuels such as oil, liquid gas, solid fuel or electricity for their heating). All successful applicants will have to meet certain simple conditions.
What are the conditions?
Your house must be your main home and it must have basic energy efficiency measures in place. This means you will need to confirm you have loft insulation to 250mm and cavity wall insulation, where these measures are practical. The renewable heat product you will be installing must be listed under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, and be installed by someone registered under the scheme, or equivalent. Visit the MCS website for details.
Once the equipment is up and running, you will be asked to fill in two customer surveys. You may be chosen at random to have extra meters attached to your installation (free of charge) as we are keen to monitor and learn about how heating systems are used in practice in various different circumstances and types of home. It is a condition of the scheme that you are happy to have these meters installed.
How much are these grants worth?
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All houses
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Houses not heated by gas from the grid
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| £300 – solar thermal – voucher valid for 3 months |
£950 – biomass boiler – voucher valid for 6 months |
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£850 – air source heat pump – voucher valid for 5 months |
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£1250 – ground source or water source heat pump – voucher valid for 6 months |
How do I apply?
Anyone can apply from 1 August to the Energy Saving Trust. If you meet the conditions you will receive a voucher. You then have a set number of months to redeem the voucher by returning a signed version with a copy of the invoice and a certificate from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme. You will then have the money paid into your bank account.
What can I do before 1 August?
This is a cash-limited offer and once we reach our budget limit we will stop issuing vouchers. So you might want to prepare now so you can be quick off the mark. From today, you can contact EST via its website or by phoning them on 0800 512 012 for information. Meanwhile, make sure energy efficiency measures are in place. Carry out research to see which renewable heat technologies might work for you. Shop around for quotes from different installers. And check if you need planning permission or permits if it is a substantial installation.
Will I get the Renewable Heat Incentive too, when it comes in next year?;
People who have installed the kit under the Premium Payments will also be eligible for support through the RHI providing they meet the eligibility criteria of the full RHI scheme, as will anybody else who has installed eligible equipment since 15 July 2009.
Important
This is a summary of the full conditions. Please consult the EST website for details of how the scheme works and eligibility rules.