renewable heat incentive

What is the RHI?

The Renewable Heat Incentive in principle is similar to the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) scheme, whereby homeowners who install renewables receive an annual payment for each kWh of energy generated. While FiTs pay out on electricity generating renewables, the RHI concerns only those which generate heat. This makes the Solarfire™ qualify for Solar Thermal. Unlike FiTs, which are funded by energy suppliers, the £860m RHI bill will be paid by the Government.

How does the scheme work?

There are three parts to the Scheme:

Step One: You install in your property renewable heat systems such as solar thermal panels

Step Two: You measure how much heat your renewable energy system produces

Step Three: You get paid a fixed amount based on that output, the type of technology and the size of the system

Who Qualifies?

The Renewable Heat Incentive is for everyone, including households, landlords, businesses, farmers, schools, hospitals, care homes and more. The RHI can even be used by entire communities, coming together to invest in a renewable scheme from which they will all use the heat and share the income.

However residential systems are not eligible for support until Phase 2.

The RHI scheme does not apply to domestic systems until 2012. But they can in the interim claim the Renewable Heat Premium Payment, and will still be eligible for the RHI, when it does start to apply.

What is The Renewable Heat Premium?

This is an interim scheme to support renewable heat installations before the RHI starts for residential installations in 2012.