THE RENEWABLE HEAT INCENTIVE

In the UK, heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar water heaters are supported by the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). This is currently open to new applicants until March 2021. The RHI provides a set payment per kwh (kilowatt-hour) of heat generated by a qualifying setup. Among the various requirements, you must have an MCS certificate on the installation and an EPC on your property, and the product you’ve chosen must be on the eligibility list.

The payment is constant from the point at which you are accepted into the scheme and will be made quarterly in arrears for seven years. Head over to www.self-build.co.uk/rhi to find out the most up-to-date tariff details.

The RHI can have a significant impact on the viability and payback periods for self builders and renovators installing qualifying renewable systems. So if running costs are your key consideration, always do the sums up front to ensure you’re choosing the setup that best suits your requirements.