Don't time out for Feed-in-Tarrif


Wilson Chowdhry with new solar panels on roof.



My father recently installed photo-voltaics (solar panels) to our roof, which will produce around 60% of our annual general electricity consumption.

This will not only lower our electricity bills but because the installation was fitted before the 31st of March, my father can also benefit from a feed-in-tariff (FiT), which means he will be paid for any daily surplus that is not used for our home.

Most importantly the solar panels produce a very green form of energy and today I feel as if our family is really doing something important to preserve the future of our environment.

We were lucky as since we moved to Chigwell we are now in the county of Essex. As an incentive to local residents Essex County Council organised a bulk-buy scheme with a local contractor, meaning that due to economies of scale overall the purchase was discounted for all those who took part in the "Solar Together Essex" programme.

A spokesperson for the scheme said:
Please note that your application for the FiT can still be processed after 31st March 2019, as long as your solar PV system has got a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certificate issued on or before 31st March 2019.
If the supplier has an MCS certificate ready for you before March 31st and it is on its way, you will still be able to apply for FiTs after 31st March 2019 with a FiT licensed electricity supplier of your choice.

So there is still work for us to do to ensure we benefit from any extra electricity we produce, but at least we will have the opportunity to maximise the yield from our panels.

My advice to people of Essex is to see if they can sign up to the "Solar Together Essex" programme before it is too late.

Moreover, I will also be challenging for the London Borough of Redbridge to consider a bulk-buy programme for their residents.  Even if the feed-in-tariff is now no longer available to Redbridge residents the incentive of discounted solar panels may trigger more purchasing of this green energy system that will preserve our future and will reduce homeowners' overall energy spend.

I will also suggest the implementation of a Council Tax discount for residents of both constituencies who install green energy systems, much like the discount applied for Road Tax, based on low emissions. I feel this is something that our Government should adopt to reduce our carbon footprint. 

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