Homeowners set if energy scheme

THOUSANDS of households in Coventry have benefited from a soon-to-be scrapped green energy scheme, figures show.

Households with green energy generators such as solar panels or wind turbines are currently able to earn money for the electricity they produce.

But the Government plans to close the scheme, known as the feed-in tariff, from next March.

Campaigners warn the move will make green energy less attractive and could lead to a drop in installations costing jobs in the sector.

Figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show 2,297 households in Coventry had signed up to the scheme as of September.

This equates to a rate of 157 installations per 10,000 households. Almost all of the installations were solar panels. Frank Gordon, head of policy at the Renewable Energy Association, said the planned change would be “very damaging” for the renewables industry. “Our members are very concerned,” he said. “There are thousands of smallscale installers, 40 per cent of whom say they could exit the solar installation market. “That could mean 6,000 job losses for the sector if the Government follows through with this.” Participants in the feed-in tariff scheme – which was introduced in 2010 – are paid both a ‘generation tariff’ and an ‘export tariff.’ This means they earn money for the electricity they generate for themselves and for the excess energy they export onto the grid for others. According to the REA, households could expect to save between £100 to £200 a year on their energy bills and receive around £100 per year from the two