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Energy Saving Tips - Part 5 of 6

In part five of the moneysupermarket.com energy money saving tips guide we take a look at more sources of renewable energy and how they can be applied to the home.

If you want to go directly to another section of our green energy guide, you can click on one of the links to the left:

Hydropower

This converts energy in water to kinetic energy, which turns a turbine and produces electricity. For small-scale home systems the source will have to be close to where you require the power, or to a grid. In a grid connected system any excess electricity can be sold to the electricity companies. Though system costs can often be high they will generally be lower than a grid connection and have no electricity bills.

Costs range from £4,000 per kW for low head systems and up to £25,000 for medium heads that have a fixed cost of £10,000 and then an additional £2,500 per kW.

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Grants

The Energy Saving Trust promotes the use of cleaner fuels for transport and better insulation and efficiency for buildings and homes, as well as championing renewable energy. The Trust provides independent information on the benefits of sustainable energy-related services and products and believe they can save 20% of an average energy user's consumption, meaning a saving of as much as £250/year on energy bills. The company develops programmes on behalf of the UK Government including grants for innovative technologies.

The Trust can be contacted at the following addresses:

ENGLAND: 21 Dartmouth Street, London SW1H 9BP.

WALES: Energy Saving Trust Wales, Wales Albion House, Oxford St, Nantgarw, Cardiff CF15 7TR.

SCOTLAND: Mike Thornton, Head of Energy Saving Trust Scotland, 112/2 Commercial St, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6NF.

NORTHERN IRELAND: Noel Williams, Head of Energy Saving Trust Northern Ireland, Enterprise House, 55/59 Adelaide St, Belfast BT2 8FE.

Funding is available in the form of renewable energy grants available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland through Clear Skies (www.clear-skies.org) which is funded by the Department of Trade and Industry and managed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE). Energy grants are also available through Warm Deal (Scotland), Warm Front, the Home Energy Efficiency Schemes (Wales) and the Home Energy Commitment. To be applicable for a grant you must follow the directions outlined on the website. Let's take a look at the size of the grants available:

  • Solar Water Heating - £400 regardless of system size.
  • Biomass room heaters/stoves - £600 regardless of system size.
  • Biomass wood fuelled boiler systems - £1,500 regardless of system size.
  • Ground source heat pumps - £1,200 regardless of system size.
  • Wind Power - £1,000, per kilowatt up to a maximum £5,000 and limited to 30% of the total installation cost.
  • Hydropower - £1,000 per kWe installed up to a maximum £5,000. Capacity above 5kWe will not receive a grant.
  • In Scotland 30% can be saved on installation costs up to £4,000 from the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI).

For Solar PV the Energy Saving Trust provides grants through the major demonstration programme, details of which can be found at: http://www.solarpvgrants.co.uk

In part six we will inform you of some of the places to go to secure renewable energy in your home.