Govt renewable energy strategy due

25/06/2008

The government's renewable energy strategy could see homeowners encouraged to use microgeneration technologies, it has been reported.

Legislation is being considered which would see new grants, low-cost loans and other incentives offered to homeowners who install renewable energy equipment, which could then be used to sell electricity back to the national grid, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Ministers hope that seven million UK homes will adopt solar water heating systems, compared to the 90,000 in use today, and plan for 3,500 wind turbines to be erected over the next 12 years.

In addition, energy efficiency could be further encouraged by compelling homeowners to increase the levels of insulation and double glazing on their property.

Other types of appliances, including inefficient oil-fired boilers, could also be banned under the legislation.

According to the newspaper, the strategy says: "The scale of the increase in renewable energy we propose over the coming decade will have significant impacts on all our lives."

If every home in the UK with central heating used an efficient condensing boiler, more than 12 million tonnes of carbon emissions would be cut year, according to the Energy Saving Trust.