Government considers feed-in tariffs

The government is considering feed-in tariffs as part of a scheme to encourage homeowners to make their homes greener.

The Green Homes Service has been launched to provide people with advice on how they can save water, reduce waste, green their travel and apply for grants and offers from energy companies.

Environmental Secretary Hilary Benn said: “The Green Homes Service will cut through the confusion by providing a one stop shop, including a green MOT for your home and a green home makeover. We’ll be backing this by making help and support available to even more households than in the past.”

The government is increasing its support for renewable energy with new CERT incentives for energy companies to encourage them to install more renewable energy.

With up to 150,000 homes looking to generate their own renewable energy by 2011, the government wants to increase that figure further and is investigating incentives for microgeneration, such as feed-in tariffs where homeowners sell excess energy back to the National Grid for a fee.

Other measures include pumping £100 million of government funding into the Energy Saving Trust to build on the existing energy advice service by 2011 and boosting investment in energy saving by requiring energy companies to double the energy saving measures they install in people’s homes from April 2008.

The Green Homes Service will be launched on 1 April 2008.