GO GREEN AND STAY IN THE BLACK
While subsidy payments for wind turbines and solar panels may have ended, there are still plenty of options to save money and help the environment, finds Peter Ranscombe
How to combat climate change and your overdraft
Scotland is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, from the water that makes our whisky to the wind that rustles our hair and the sun that – occasionally – warms our cheeks. Harnessing those forms of renewable energy is not only a way for us to save money, but also to protect the beautiful countryside and coastline we treasure so much and stop them being destroyed by climate change.
The winds of change have been blowing through the renewable energy sector though. The feed-in tariff (FiT) subsidy scheme that guaranteed payments from energy companies for the extra electricity produced by households from their solar panels and wind turbines closed at the end of March.
Although people already receiving payments won’t be affected, government ministers are yet to publish details of any replacement scheme, with a consultation on their proposed ‘smart export guarantee’ ending at the beginning of March. Closing one scheme without having its replacement ready to go smacks of carelessness at best and down-right ineptitude at worst.
Yet there are still plenty of options out there for rural residents who want to go green while keeping their bank balance in the black. Subsidy payments for
generating electricity were always going to end and have done their job – solar power is now one of the cheapest ways of generating electricity, going headto-head with gas-fired power stations.
Before exploring options for generating your own electricity, the first step to saving money is to make sure you’re using the electricity you already have wisely. Some of those steps are dead easy – replacing old-fashioned lightbulbs with modern light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is probably the easiest trick in the book.
Current LEDs are a world away from the early examples we used in the noughties; there’s no more waiting for them to ‘warm up’ like an old-fashioned valve wireless. Instead, they produce an instant, consistent and warm light – and they cost less to run than old filament bulbs.
Next is looking at the energy-efficiency of your appliances. Now, I’m not suggesting you should throw out your kettle, washing machine and oven to buy the latest A-rated white goods, but you’d be daft not to factor in the running costs the next time you come to replace your appliances.
Installing loft and wall insulation and replacing old boilers and radiators are both big jobs, but also worth it in the long run. The Energy Saving Trust (EST) website is a great starting point when it comes to grants that are available, or for those who prefer to speak to a human being, then you can request a callback by phoning for free on 0808 808 2282.
The EST runs a network of Home Energy Scotland local advice centres throughout the country on behalf of the Scottish Government, so has its finger on the rural pulse. For countryside businesses like farms, I’ve been very impressed with the advice on offer from Zero Waste Scotland’s Resource Efficient Scotland programme.
One of the easiest ways of getting a handle on how much you’re spending on gas and electricity is to get your free smart meter installed by your energy supplier. I’d put it off for months but switching supplier at the start of the year gave me the kick up the bum I needed to get my posterior into gear and do it.
It was one of the simplest jobs I’ve ever had done
– the engineer was in and out in just over an hour and replaced my old meters with smart meters that transmit readings to my supplier. No more estimated bills, so I only get charged for the gas and electricity I’m using, plus I get to see my usage on a wee digital screen.
It’s already making me do all the things I knew I should do, like turning off the light when I leave a room or only boiling the kettle with the water I need for my mug of tea instead of filling it to the brim. It also makes it easier to switch supplier to get the best deal – once you have accurate usage readings then you can compare like-with-like by typing the numbers into a price comparison website or speaking to an advisor over the phone.
Looking further ahead, smart meters are essential for the changes that are coming to our
“
Switching supplier at the start of the year gave me the kick up the bum I needed to get my posterior into gear
wider electricity grid in the next decade, which will allow electric vehicles to recharge safely and efficiently. Ultimately, electric cars won’t just be a form of transport, but also a way of storing renewable energy generated by wind and solar farms, along with batteries built into our homes and grid-scale batteries connected to substations.
Back to the present and, once the basics are ticked off, it’s time to look at how electricity is getting into your home in the first place. While the FiT scheme has closed, there is still funding out there for generating your own power.
Any surplus electricity you produce from solar panels can still be sold to the grid and many electricity companies are already competing to offer the best price, even before ministers stop havering and decide what they’re doing with their smart export guarantee. The Solar Trade Association has a league table of the best prices on its website.
Many rural residents can steal a march on townies when it comes to renewable energy thanks to the space they have available. Wind turbines are still an option for many farms, while small run-ofriver hydro-electric schemes continue to be popular with estates.
Biomass boilers are another option – speaking to landowners and small rural businesses, I’ve been impressed with some of the technology that’s been installed, which in effect either burns wood or pellets to provide heat and hot water for houses, hotels or even micro-distilleries. The key point with biomass is to think about the sustainability of your fuel source – are you planting more trees on your estate than you’re chopping down or is your pellet supplier trustworthy?
Looking at more exotic options, I’ve been fascinated by the air-source heat pump since visiting Shetland for the first time and seeing one in action on a croft. These pumps absorb heat from the outside air, which can then be used for radiators or underfloor systems.
Similarly, ground-source heat pumps extract warmth from below the surface. There are obviously costs involved in installing and running each system, but again the EST can offer advice on grants and also any ongoing payments available from the UK Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive; ministers are consulting on changes to this scheme too, but it’s primarily aimed at properties not connected to the gas grid, so should continue to benefit rural homes.
Households can find out more at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/ scotland/home-energy-scotland while rural businesses can use www. resourceefficientscotland.com