On Mon, 7 Jan 2008 14:18:20 -0800 (PST) someone who may be
wrote this:-

I have some questions regarding solar heating / power / wind power and
UK grants. I'm interested in experiences rather than straight facts as
many of these are on the internet:

One of the facts that can be found on Internet is that there are no
UK grants for such things in the domestic sphere. If you tell us
which country/province/principality you live in then we may be able
to help you more.

(1) We're considering ploughing some money into some a renewable power
source for our home.

Before doing that make sure you have done as much as reasonable to
reduce energy losses. Lagging hot water pipes, loft and wall
insulation, energy saving lamps, no fancy lighting schemes designed
to make your meter spin round like a catherine wheel and so on.

I knew of government grants, but I also recall
reading recently that the grants were either being cancelled or cut
back substantially.

The ones in England were still in a mess the last time I checked,
which was some months ago.

The approach is generally that the householder applies for the
grant, perhaps with the help of a supplier. However, the precise
approach depends on the country/province/principality someone lives
in and the precise grant.

Note that the grants discriminate against DIY. They are only
available for "professionally" installed systems. There is also a
discriminatory regime on VAT, again discriminating against DIY.

If you have the skills and time it is likely to be cheaper to DIY,
despite the discrimination. www.navitron.org.uk is a good source of
parts for DIY.

(2) Of the various options available (I can think of at least three)
has anyone any experience across each type? Are some more effective
than others in terms of energy return for a UK home? Are some more
problematic regards installation?

In terms of energy they are likely to be solar thermal, wind and
solar electric in your list. However, it does depend on your site.

Do a bit of research and you may find a local organisation which
offers help to wade through the options http://www.devondare.org/ is
an example.

http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/campa...ropower/guide/ is a
guide to some of the options. You may be able to rule some of them
out quickly, but others may be worth investigating.

What installation problems there are depends on your particular
house. For example fitting solar thermal to a house which has a
combination boiler which cannot accept warm water is rather
different to fitting a Solartwin panel http://www.solartwin.com/ to
a well insulated existing hot water cylinder.






--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54