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Monday, 6 February 2006

Renewable energy: UK grants expire shortly!






There seems too little publicity about the fact that UK government grants to householders for installing environmentally-friendly energy sources in their homes will end shortly. You could get grants for:
  • Solar thermal
  • Wind turbines
  • Micro/small scale hydro turbines
  • Ground source heat pumps
  • Room heaters/stoves with automated wood pellet feed
  • Wood fuelled boiler systems.
But, unless the money runs out earlier, the absolute cut-off date is now 31 March 2006, when the grants scheme closes. You have to have applied and been approved for a grant by then, or else you can't get one; plus the work has to be completed within a certain period after receiving the grant offer letter. (And they cut off grants for non-profit community organisations even earlier, last year.)

Given that you need to get quotes from approved installers, and have to involve them in the grant application process, you haven't much time - so if you're keen on installing renewable energy sources in your home and want a government grant to help out, you'd better get applying etc ASAP to Clear-skies.org: the list of registered installers, qualifying products and application forms etc are all on the site (though not, as far as I can see, the info on the deadline!).

Just shows what the government's priorities are, doesn't it - they're willing to spend billions of taxpayer's money on a fruitless ID card scheme that will collect and dump all our personal information into one easy place for identity fraudsters to get at, while cutting off money to schemes which would help reduce the dependence of the UK on less environmentally-sound energy sources, at a time when the world as a whole is becoming more aware of the importance of moving to renewable energy. Hurrah to the Lords for at least postponing the introduction of ID cards. And would someone now make the government explain why they're ending funding for renewable energy?


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Really pleased to read this - thanks for publicising it.

Looks like they've brought forward the date to the 3.March now.

Improbulus said...

Cheers Simon.

Even less time to apply, then! You going for a grant?