The uptake of renewable heat technologies has really dropped off with the renewable heat incentive (RHI) still looming, but no confirmation of the final tariffs or criteria, and the recent removal of the LCBP grants.

No doubt things will pick up once the RHI details have been announced there. However, based on the response to the feed-in tariff this has the potential to be very dangerous.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change today published plans for a scheme to incentivise renewable heat generation at all scales. The Renewable heat incentive scheme (RHI) will be a world first.

The RHI will come into effect in April 2011 and guarantee payments for those who install technologies such as ground source heat pumps, solar thermal hot water systems, biomass boilers and air source heat pumps.

As you may know the government is currently running a boiler scrappage scheme for England giving households a £400 incentive if they upgrade a G-rated boiler for a modern heating system.

What a lot of people are unaware of is that this scheme also covers heat pumps.

As MCS accredited heat pump installers this means that our customers qualify for an additional £900 Low Carbons Building Programme grant against installation.

That’s £1,300 available towards the installation of an air source heat pump!

There has been a lot of exciting change of late within the microgeneration sector. On the 12th November, the Green Energy Bill was made law - this Bill states that all microgeneration technologies, including wind turbines and air-source heat pumps (subject to size limits), will be as of the 12th January 2010 exempt from planning permission in or on domestic premises within England and Wales. This is great news for all those interested in or currently in the process of installing renewable energy technologies.