The Green Deal is a new initiative that has been introduced by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) which has the aim of helping both tenants and homeowners make improvements to their home that will increase their energy efficiency. It works as a pay-as-you-save scheme that will let you make these improvements to your home without having to find all of the money upfront. You see, the Green Deal allows you to install something like a new combi boiler or wall insulation in your home, which can then be paid off with instalments that are added to your electricity bills.

There are Green Deal Providers who you can approach to see whether the Green Deal will be beneficial for your home; with many energy companies being providers of Green Deal services. Once you’ve contacted them an advisor will visit you at home and assess the energy usage before producing a report for you.

This report will tell you how much money you could be saving and how much you can expect to be paying on top of your standard electricity bill charges. If you then want to undertake this Green Deal, the provider will arrange for the improvements to be carried out by an accredited installer before adding the finance charges onto your bill.

Could I save less than it will cost me to carry out these improvements?

In order to try and ensure this doesn’t happen there has been a ‘Golden Rule’ introduced alongside the Green Deal. This works by making sure that the amount you’ll have to pay back in your energy bill is no more than the amount you will be saving each year. So for example, if you are expected to save £125 per year, then you shouldn’t be paying any more than £125 a year on top of your electricity bill. Should you choose to have several improvements done to your home then the combined costs and savings would be taken into consideration.

It is important to remember that the ‘Golden Rule’ isn’t a guarantee it’s just a principle of the Green Deal, so have a look at the margins between your savings and costs to see if it is going to be worthwhile before agreeing to undertake it.

It may also be an idea to consider asking for more than one provider to carry out a quote for you to give you a comparison, especially if you think the costs/savings really are too good to be true. Do your research too as many consumer watchdogs are doing reviews on the various providers as well as making sure that the government do everything possible to make sure the Green Deal is consumer-friendly.

How much extra can I expect to be paying on my electricity bill?

This is something that you will discuss in depth with your Green Deal Provider, including how long your repayments will last for and the amount that will be added to your bills.

The cost will depend on how much the expected savings from the home improvements are as well as how much it is going to cost for the work to be carried out.
Will I be able to switch energy providers even if I have taken part in the Green Deal?
The Green Deal is attached to your electricity bill, but this doesn’t stop you switching providers as long as the supplier you are wanting to change to supports repayments for your Green Deal. Any repayments you still have outstanding will then be moved across to your new provider and will be written off as and when you have finished repaying them.

What happens if we decide to move house?

Should you decide to move house or rent the property out to someone then the Green Deal repayments will be passed onto them through the electricity bills. Under new legislation everyone is now required to have an Energy Performance Certificate which shows the energy efficiency of the property. If, when you come to sell/rent your home, you have had these Green Deal improvements then the EPC will be updated automatically to show what improvements have been made to the property. This will give tenants/buyers the most up-to-date information on the energy-efficiency of the property – something that is becoming increasingly important for many buyers/tenants.

I don’t know whether it’s DECC or the sector skills council Asset Skills which is responsible for this situation, but someone has made a real mess of things. It was DECC which in 2012 put up £1 million to subsidise the training of 1,000 ‘Go Early’ GDAs, with Asset Skills tasked to get them through by the end of the year. It was obvious by early December last year that a large number of the DEAs signed up by Asset Skills for the subsidised (they paid 30% of the fee) GDA training, were not to make it for the end of December deadline, and West Country assessors’ group DCHI pleaded for the deadline to be extended, at least to the end of January, and preferably to the end of March.

How many DEAs were in training then has not been revealed, but probably about 800. If the deadline had been extended, we might have got all 800 qualified by the end of March. But it wasn’t extended, and as of the end of March Asset Skills had only got around 600 qualified, meaning as many as 25% probably couldn’t meet the deadline and didn’t qualify, with the result that Asset Skills was left scratching around in April trying to put together another 200 DEAs, to replace those which were lost through what seems to me a short-sighted and frankly pretty dumb decision in December. And if that wasn’t bad enough, they now decided to make the whole thing even less attractive by introducing tough terms requiring candidates to pay in full (£1200) up front, and lose the subsidy if they don’t qualify by the end of July. Smart move. You’ve already put a lot of DEAs off the whole thing, so introduce swingeing terms and put the rest off.

Even worse, they have applied this to the main cohort of commercial assessors, who have to pay £1800 up front and risk losing £1260 if they don’t qualify by the end of July. How has this gone down? ‘Lead balloon’ is a phrase that springs to mind. The number being targeted was not revealed, but I suspect it was 200, and as a result of asking assessors to put up nearly £2,000 and risk losing it the number actually recruited is probably about 80. Asset Skills is now talking about making up the numbers by recruiting ‘new entrants’, who will need to be trained as NDEAs and GDAs, though how they plan to recruit them is far from clear.

All this is certainly not the fault of assessors, but sadly that doesn’t mean we won’t be on the receiving end as a result. Those of us who are commercial energy assessors and have been around in this business for a while will know that we have been here before. I became an assessor back in 2008, secure in the knowledge that the 2007 regs specified that no-one could do my job unless they spent time and money obtaining the qualification I had. But businesses lobbied government, claiming EPC prices would be high because there was a shortage of assessors. And what happened? In 2009? Government introduced regs allowing unqualified ‘data gatherers’. What DCLG meant was that Level 3 assessors could assist on Level 4 or Level 5 jobs if supervised – but it didn’t say that for another year. During that year numerous outfits had set up providing useless, inaccurate EPCs provided by completely unqualified people, at fees no assessor could match. As a result fees fell off a cliff in 2009 and haven’t recovered yet.

Now, thanks to bad decision making over subsidised training, it looks as if there is going to be a big shortfall in commercial assessors qualified as GDAs. Does that mean that next year we might see DCLG allowing unqualified GDAs into the market? If so, it would make a joke of the qualifications DECC is subsidising and many of us are working hard to achieve. And it would undoubtedly force fees down to totally uneconomic levels, as it did in 2009. I really hope that won’t happen, but as I said, we’ve been here before. Would DCLG really do it to us all over again? They wouldn’t – would they?

Written by Terry Wardle, Editor of Energy Assessor Magazine

As well as costing you money on your bill, leaks and faulty pipes can also cause damage to your home incurring much greater costs. General checks and maintenance can save all this. Now is the time to give your plumbing the once over and check your money is not dripping away. Here are 6 tips to keep the water in your works and your pounds in your pockets.

1) Check for leaks

Check your major appliances for leaks. If you have a water meter this can be a really easy job. Simply turn off all the water in your house then look at your meter. If your meter is moving then you have a fast leak. If it is not moving, leave it ten minutes and check it again. If it has moved you have a slow leak. You can always turn the water off to your home and check the meter again. If you find you have a leak call your water supplier.

2) Clean your guttering

It is not the nicest job in the world. However, cleaning your guttering is a job that can save you some serious water-related bother. Clogged water pipes or drains can divert water under roof tiles and cause damage to the inside of your home. Ideally, gutters need cleaning twice-a-year. Remove all debris but be sure to wear protective gloves as you do not know what surprises you may find! Check over the guttering itself and make sure it is in decent condition. If there is too much work or you are unable to safely use a ladder get professional help.

3) Is the toilet leaking?

The toilet is one of the biggest users of water. A simple trick to see if the tank has a leak is: add some food colouring to the tank (not the bowl). Give it ten minutes, if there is colouring in the bowl there is a leak in the flapper at the bottom of the tank. Usually parts, such as the rubber gaskets, have eroded over time. This is a common problem and easily solved. All you need is to replace the broken parts. There are hundreds of guides on the internet with a step-by-step guide of how to do this. Just make sure you follow step one – turn the water off to the toilet!

4) Have confidence to make repairs

Even some of the most hardened DIY-ers are afraid of the plumbing. Yet, many repairs are alarmingly straightforward. Things like broken boilers and exploding pipes should always be left to the experts. However, things such as leaking taps, faucets and toilets are remarkably easy to fix. The internet is full of easy guides and you can always ask for advice from friends or even staff in DIY stores. The trick to avoiding serious problems is to ensure you know how to turn off the water to what you are fixing. As long as you do that you can save hundreds of pounds in call outs charges and do your own repairs.

5) Buy water efficient technology

Replacing old technology with new more efficient products will save water.

Water-saving models of appliances, such as shower heads, toilets, hose pipes and dishwashers can save gallons of water with little extra effort.

Whatever the products research the water usage and see if you can find something more reliable. It is not a case of going out and spending a fortune. You can just wait till your current appliances reach the end of their life span and make your home more water efficient naturally over time.

6) Monitor your water usage

You can monitor your usage by looking at your water bills and meter. This can be the first sign of any water-related issues. Even if you pay a set water rate it can still pay to make your home water tight. Extra water used can mean extra costs in other areas. More water used can mean using more electricity to heat that water. Water leaks can also damage the property and inflict expensive repairs. In the longer term you may also find it could be cheaper to switch to a water meter.

By Michael Hallam

Green Ed (a LibDem) seems keen to see CGD get up and running, but his junior minister Greg Barker (a Tory) seems uninterested to the point of dropping off. Insiders at DECC say he won’t hear anything about promoting CGD and is only interested in domestic GD – which is all that the Daily Mail is likely to be interested in.

Normally a junior minister would need to defer to his boss if he wanted his political career to progress, but the Coalition has changed that to some extent, and the change will become ever more apparent the closer we come to the next election. Ed Davey is the boss, but from the weaker Coalition partner. Greg Barker is his subordinate, but with his own power base within the stronger Coalition partner. In the circumstances it’s unlikely that Barker’s boss can force him to take an interest in CGD if he doesn’t want to – and all the signs are that he doesn’t. He has already refused to act on what is apparently an excellent report on CGD, which was presented to him several months ago by a task group, and he has also refused to publish the report so that others can act on what are apparently some really good ideas in it.

This is all the more worrying because next year is pre-election year, with the parties getting ready to square up to each other at the polls in 2015, so anything not sorted this year could fall victim to increasing hostility between the Coalition partners in 2014.

OK, we couldn’t have a major commercial launch right now, because there are only five commercial assessors qualified as GDAs, but more will be coming off the subsidised training courses by the end of July – - though Asset Skills has pointedly not said how many places it is allocating. Once more qualified assessors are in place, there is no reason why we can’t start rolling out CGD – provided we don’t find it being blocked by the politicians.

From speaking to businesses about GD I know that there is interest out there – but things move fast in business, and companies can’t wait forever. One owner of a small but fast expanding business recently told me: ‘I’m definitely interested – if it comes within the next three to four months’. After that, he will be forced to go ahead with building improvements without GD.

As things stand, the scheme might just be able to meet that deadline, but we now need to see the politicians and financiers getting behind the commercial scheme – and I don’t see that at the moment. Talking to industry figures, as I have been recently, always produces the same response: ‘Not yet’. ‘So when do you think?’ I ask. The question just produces head shaking.

But if not this year, then the political climate is likely to be even less favourable for CGD next year. And after the election – who knows? Anything could happen – depending on who gets in, and what they decide to do with Green Deal in general.

So it looks as if once again it is up to assessors to drive the energy efficiency industry forward. If commercial GDAs find clients for the scheme, I can’t see the financiers and installers turning the business down. Come August, when we should have a lot more commercial GDAs, there’s no reason why we can’t get the Commercial Green Deal going – whether Greg Barker likes it or not.

Written by Terry Wardle, Editor of Energy Assessor Magazine

The first cost we come across are “commodity costs” which are known as wholesale costs and stand for the prices energy companies pay for the gas and electricity that is supplied to you. These markets can vary every day, with prices being very variable depending on what is happening in various parts of the world where this energy is sourced. Energy companies tend to source their energy in advance in portions so as to try and keep a better average of prices. This also enables them to ensure that bills don’t rise and fall with as much volatility as the wholesale costs do. An example of where the wholesale cost affects customer prices would be petrol, as this move with the market prices.

The costs involved in the transportation of electricity and gas around the country are known as network costs. These costs are derived from usage of the system as well as the insurance for an energy company that enough energy is going to be supplied to their customers. These costs are divided to local distribution networks and the National Grid. The National Grid is paid for transporting the gas and electricity through their gas pipes and large pylons, whilst the local distribution network is paid to reduce the voltage of the electricity to the amount that we use in our homes. They also distribute the gas to homes through smaller pipes and wires. Recent years have seen an increase to these costs due to the increasing demand for energy, with the networks having to be upgraded or built to meet these demands.

Energy Supplier Costs

These costs are also included in your bill for the operations carried out by your energy supplier. These are the maintenance of gas and electricity metres, the reading of these and the costs involved in managing your accounts.

This is also where they obtain their profits and ensure that they will be able to continue investing billions of pounds in renewable energy, the construction of new power stations and to meet costs of all their previous investments.

Government Costs

These costs are derived from various payments including VAT, tax and environmental and social schemes and amount for around 16% of your energy bill. Environmental costs include those costs that are built up through supporting renewable technology; for example, the Feed in Tariff that is provided for those who have solar panels installed on their roofs. It also includes the cost of the schemes that energy suppliers are obligated to provide in order to improve Britain’s energy efficiency and to reduce the cost of energy bills.

Other costs included are for government social schemes; including the Warm Home Discount which is given to vulnerable customers who may struggle to meet energy bill costs. The cost of the government’s carbon floor price and the EU emissions trading scheme costs for carbon are also added in.

Over the past three years these costs have increased dramatically, which is why it is important that energy companies continue to work with the government to look at the ways in which energy bills can be reduced. This involves creating and developing new social and environmental schemes that energy companies will be able to provide.

Example Energy Bill & the Costs Involved

Let’s say your energy bill (for gas and electricity) was £989, below is an estimated calculation of what costs go where:
43.2% will be used for the wholesale energy costs = £427
23.2% will be used for the network costs = £229
12.4% pays for the operating costs of your supplier = £122
16.4% are taken for government costs = £162
(This 16.4% is broken down into: 2% for renewables support; 7% for energy efficiency schemes; 0.9% for social programmes; 0.6% for feed in tariffs; 1.2% for the cost of carbon and 5% for VAT.)
4.8% is used by the supplier as profit = £47
*These figures are based on an average npower dual fuel energy bill – March 2013.

Firstly, you will need to establish what is going to be involved in getting this renewable energy source installed in your property. This will depend entirely upon whether this is a new build, or within an existing property, what type of renewable energy source it is and where the property is located. It is essential that you do your research here and seek professional advice before going ahead.

Things such as your insulation can play a key factor in this as it is always recommended to have the maximum insulation in your home before going ahead with installing a renewable energy source. By ensuring your house is as energy-efficient as it can be, this will allow for you to save more money from your renewable source, as well as hopefully getting some money back for the electricity generated.

Equally, you will need to look into what offers and loans may be available as an incentive for you to have this installed in your home. Have a good look around to see which, if any, are worthwhile and speak to several providers to see what kind of offers/tariffs may be available once you have it working.

How to choose the right renewable energy source.

If you’re keen to get your home powered by a renewable energy source but aren’t sure which one, then you will need to do your homework as to which is going to be the most beneficial for your home and location. For example, solar panels may seem the like the most affordable option, but all of those tall trees around your home may make this a less effective option. Alternatively, opting for wood-fuelled heating systems are all well and good, but with nowhere to store your wood/chippings this will turn into a less efficient option cost wise.

Making your home as energy-efficient as possible.

As previously mentioned, energy efficiency in the home doesn’t just rely upon these renewable sources but on how energy-efficient your home is on the whole. So, ensure maximum insulation is installed in your loft and that your wall insulation is up to a good standard. Your doors and windows will also need checking to ensure that they aren’t going to be letting in too much cold air and too much heat out.

Getting planning permission & building warrants.

Again, these will depend entirely upon what type of property you live in and what source of renewable energy you are looking to install. Some may require you to get permission from your local planning authority, so always check before going ahead with the installation. This is also the case if you are building something to do with your renewable energy source.

If you live in Scotland, the Scottish Government has taken steps to making it easier for you to have some renewable energy sources installed in your home. You will also need to check whether the type of renewable you are installing is covered by these changed planning legislation’s.

Getting funding for your renewable energy.

There are several different loan schemes available when it comes to installing renewable energy sources into your new home, including:

• Home Insulation Scheme – this is covered in Scotland whereby areas that are including within scheme may be entitled to receive a loan for their renewable energy source.
• Home Renewables Loan Scheme – this type of scheme allows you to borrow money which contributes towards the installation fees of renewable heat and electricity sources. The maximum loan currently available is £10,000.

Installing your renewable energy source.

Even though you could potentially install the system on your own, it is a good idea to seek professional advice and an expert installer as they will know which system will suit your home as well as the best way to set it up.

Equally, if you are looking to have a Feed-in Tariff the system will need to be installed by a certified installer that has a Microgeneration Certification. Always do your homework when choosing an installer; have a look around and ask anyone you know who has/knows someone who has a renewable energy source for their recommendations.

When it comes to finding the products that you need to get your renewable energy source up and running always note that you will need to have certified renewable systems in order to qualify for the Feed-in Tariffs scheme. Your installer should be able to point you in the right direction when choosing this; otherwise with some research you should be able to find these certified products with ease.

Joining me in Britain’s cycling revolution will not only give a noticeable saving on fuel bills but the feel-good factor extends way beyond saving the planet. Cycling can have a huge impact on your life. So on your bike –and to help I’ll give you a push start!

Cycling to save on car bills

Not using petrol in your car will provide a large and instant saving. With the price of petrol you will be surprised just how much it can be. Just using your car for social use and those days where cycling is impossible (don’t worry it is allowed!) will also save money in other ways. Every time you cycle you are saving the wear and tear on your car so car maintenance will cost less. For example, for the price of a new set of tyres you could buy a brand new bike! Also if you pay to park there will be a saving and using your car for less miles could mean paying less on your car insurance.

Getting the right cycling equipment

For comfort and safety it is important that before you start you have the right equipment. Top of that list, even before the bike, is a helmet. Though it is not the legal requirement, do not cycle without one. Tour de-France winner Bradley Wiggins believes everyone should ride with a helmet on. He is right – it may save your life.

Next the bike itself. Getting the right bike is not difficult but will play a large part in whether you make cycling a regular part of your life. You want your bike to be comfortable and good for your route.

There are two main types of bike: mountain and road. A road bike is designed for speed on road, including handle bars where you can bend over the handle bars and lean into the saddle. On a mountain bike you are sat more upright. With thicker tyres it is also more durable on rough terrain but as a result is slower on the road. There are hybrid versions but these are the main choices. Assess your route and if you’re buying a new bike, just try out a few of the styles in the shop. Don’t worry it is not complicated – you will know very quickly what is best for you.

You maybe able to purchase the bike through a cycle to work scheme, but be sure to fully understand the repayments before signing up. A local bike shop maybe able to offer a better deal for a cash payment upfront.

Whatever the bike, make sure it is the right size for you. The general rule is when sitting on the bike you need to be able to put both feet on the ground while having your legs nearly fully extended. You can adjust the seat and handle bars to get it just right. Also, it may be worth investing in a quality seat; you don’t want to be saddle sore!

The other essentials include: lights and a high visibility vest for all night cycling, comfortable riding shoes and a bag to carry anything you need.

It can change your life

Cycling to work can make a huge impact on your life. You will feel happier and get fitter. Exercise is a proven way of boosting emotional well being.

This is the most underrated part of cycling. Being active will kick start your work day and on the way home you can cycle away stress making the evenings more relaxing.

Make it work for you. Organise leaving things that you don’t need to carry at work. Also, wet wipes and deodorant will mean you start work feeling clean and not sweaty. In addition, do not feel bad if you have to use the car some days – we all have to use the car sometimes. If you think cycling is too much at the moment you can practice to build confidence.

Like me, you may never be Bradley Wiggins but you will save money in more ways then you realise, save the environment and you never know what your new found happiness will bring – for me, maybe the confidence to grow those side burns!

Written by Michael Hallam

Obviously, manufacturers like to promote the efficiency of their products. It forms a large part of their marketing and it is as if ‘energy saving’ has become a brand in itself. What we really want to know is: do these products work and are they worth buying?

Do Energy Saving Appliances Work?

In short, yes. There are loads of products on the market that are the real-deal. Technology is constantly improving so that appliances run on less energy and also have energy saving features. Energy saving is high on Government and public agenda and manufacturers have responded. That said; energy efficiency and saving varies greatly between products so it can still be difficult to find value for money.

Is it Worth Buying Energy Saving Appliances?

It is estimated that around 40% of utility bills are made up from appliances used for entertainment or general housework. This means that savings are available on a huge portion of the bill. However, the main drawback of having better technology is the cost. They are more expensive than normal appliances. Deciding if it is worth purchasing an appliance comes with judging whether the extra cost can be recouped through potential savings.

To give an idea of potential savings:

• Televisions: the running costs of modern TV’s can range between £4-£85. Generally, the bigger the set the more it costs. The tests were done on modern LED, LCD and plasma sets.
• Tumble Dryers: Infamous energy guzzlers, running costs for a tumble dryer can range between £38 – £131 per year.
• Fridge Freezers: yearly costs can vary between £14 – £102.
• Computers: Laptops generally use 85% less energy than a desktop computer. This can save around £30 a year.

These statistics are for products currently on the market. If you have older appliances you could save even more money. Though energy saving devices are more expensive, it is important to think longer term. With many of these products it would not be unrealistic to make a saving of £40 per year. If the product then lasts ten years that would be a saving of £400, easily covering the extra initial cost.

Finding the best energy saving appliances

To make these possible savings a reality, research the products to ensure they live up to their energy saving credentials. The Which? website has comprehensive guide to all manner of products. In addition, the Energy Saving Trust has a similar guide of recommended products.

Both websites recommend best purchases but it is possible to make this judgement yourself.

According to EU legislation almost all household products must now display energy saving information. Appliances are rated on a scale from A+++ (the best) to G (the worst). It is vital to note that the rating can vary for different products. For example, the energy efficiency of fridge freezers is rated depending on its capacity. Yet, it is easier to make a larger fridge freezer more efficient. So a smaller fridge freezer rated B may actually use less energy that a larger one that is rated A+. Fortunately, the label also has a reading for Kwh displaying the energy consumption per hour or for devices such as washing machines, per cycle. Though it will depend on how the appliances are used to determine how much can be saved, the labelling system will help compare models and sizes to find what works best for your home.

Energy Saving Appliances: Difference Makers

Energy saving appliances are not a myth. However, savings will not just materialise by purchasing the products. It is crucial to find the appliance that would work best for you and use it in an energy efficient way. Using the best products in a conscientious way will not only be a difference maker; but the difference could be pretty substantial.

By Michael Hallam

More than doubling the commercial lodgement fee has obviously drawn most of the fire, but the three weeks’ notice DCLG planned to give us is appalling, especially given that they signed off an Impact Assessment on this almost two months ago. Perhaps even worse is the complete lack of consultation over this. They didn’t consult us, which is normal, though hopefully it won’t be in the future and consultation with assessors’ organisations will become standard procedure, but clearly they didn’t consult the ABs either, making them very angry.

Regardless of this, it has seemed in the past that the ABs were content to simply pass on official instructions to us without a murmur of dissent, even when the instructions were nonsense. A public servant who regularly sat in on meetings attended by ABs, told me privately last year that he was often incensed by the failure of accreditations to stand up for assessors in meetings.

Well that certainly seems to have changed! Though why that is I’m not sure. Maybe they are just angry that they weren’t consulted. But it is also possible that the growth of assessors’ organisations is making ABs realise that their world is changing. In the future they will not simply be able to email instructions to assessors and expect them to be complied with. Increasingly, assessors are expecting to have a voice in their industry, and a say in what happens within it.

We haven’t yet seen assessors’ new-found power translated into economic reality, but that will come, and the successful accreditation bodies of the future will be those prepared to make common purpose with their assessors to reshape the industry. If that happens, and I believe it will, then I think we may look back and decide that the first moves in that direction began with protests from both assessors and ABs over a misconceived and mistimed lodgement fees increase. Maybe in the future assessors’ groups may get together and run their own accreditation body. In which case the government had better beef up its onsite first aid for staff – because that could cause a few seizures at DCLG.

Written by Terry Wardle, Editor of Energy Assessor Magazine

The costs involved in improving the grid could also be put on developers as they suggested that they may be asked to taken on “a large proportion of these costs.”

As much emphasis is placed on the importance of developing renewable energy sources it is clear that many have taken heed within the region as the number of renewable energy projects rose by a whopping 46,487 from 2009/10 to 2011/12. In 2009/10 there were just 936 renewable energy projects in the South West, which has risen to 47,423 in 2011/12. These figures were provided by Regen SW, renewables advisor, who also warned that the charges for improvement to the grid could reach as much as £4million, potentially creating a barrier in developing any further renewable energy schemes.
Over 1,600 acres of land in Cornwall is now used for solar farms which have been approved by Cornwall Council – all since 2009. Speaking about these farms, WDP said that an additional 250 megawatts would be added into the pipeline, which “would be at the limit of the generation they can accommodate”. They identified St Tudy and Pyworthy as being areas that are almost at maximum capacity.

In a statement released by WDP they said: “We have seen many large scale photovoltaic (PV) generation applications, as well as a few wind farms across the South West and particularly in Cornwall over the last few years.

“To connect further would therefore require extensive reinforcement of existing or building of new circuits, which can be quite expensive.”
These costs could vary from £1million to £4million depending on the scale of any changes imposed.

Merlin Hyman of Regen SW, who are responsible for promoting renewable energy within Cornwall, also added: “It is not a secret that the grid’s capacity is the biggest constraining factor for the growth of solar energy.

“We are working hard with Western Power Distribution to ensure there is investment in reinforcing networks, otherwise the grid will be a major barrier to some renewable energy projects.

“Investment to create robust local networks will enable more local generation of secure energy rather than relying on uncertain imported fossil fuels.”

He commented on how WDP are looking to increase their plans of spending £3million a year in order to reinforce the network, suggesting that this isn’t enough.

Also adding their views, the Energy Networks Association said: “Large scale generation projects will benefit from the energy they will sell to consumers and so it is fair that they cover the cost to reinforce the network that their project will profit from.”

Equally, Greg Barker, Climate Change Minister, said that it was essential that they “manage additions to the grid more carefully.” He also went on to say, “Cornwall is the most extraordinary powerhouse for natural energy and it’s very exciting…But we need 21st century connections to get that energy out of Cornwall and into the rest of the country.”