Last updated: 23 March 2021

Feed-In Tariff

The Feed-In Tariff: What Is It

If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, your electricity bills, and you want to increase your savings and generate your own energy, then you need to install a green energy solution for your home. The Feed-in Tariff is a government backed scheme that is designed to benefit people who utilise green energy solutions.

The Tariffs were introduced back in April 2010 and became the main government incentive to encourage people to turn to renewable-electricity generating technologies.

UPDATE: the Feed-in Tariff ended in the UK in April 2019. The reason for this is that the renewable technologies covered by the scheme have become more affordable, and thus more widely accessible.

Which Technologies Are Eligible for the FIT?

Most domestic technologies make you eligible to receive FIT:

Solar panels, both mounted and stand alone
Wind turbines, both mounted and stand alone
Hydroelectricity
Micro combined heat and power (CHP)
Anaerobic digesters

Note that in order to qualify for the tariffs, you need to use the services of an MCS certified supplier. The rates change slightly after each review so, when applying, remember to look at the dates and check when the next review on the tariffs will be. Moreover, the rates vary depending on the size of your system, the type of technology installed, the date of installation and how energy efficient your home is.

If you wish to get customised quotes about the price of a given system, fill n the contact form with your details and preferences. We will do our best to help you find your best deal, by providing you with free, no obligation quotes on the product of your choice.

How Can I Benefit from the FIT?

If you were eligible for FIT, you would have benefitted in the following three ways:

Generation tariff: you will get paid for each kWh of electricity generated. Once registered, your system is eligible to receive the payments for the next 20 years.
Export tariff: You will get the chance to sell/export the energy that you don’t use. You will get an extra of 4.77p/kWh for each unit that you export back to the national grid. The export rates are the same for all technologies.
Energy bill savings: since you are going to generate your own electricity, get paid for generating it and selling it back to the grid, your savings will increase significantly. The amount of savings will vary, depending on how much electricity you need to use from the grid.

FIT—Further Considerations

There were a couple of things to do in order to qualify for the Feed In Tariff.

ROO—FIT (Renewables Obligation Order)

This specific accreditation is needed for solar and wind installations that are larger than 50kWh and for all anaerobic digestion and hydro systems up to 5 MW. You will need to get your application to be reviewed and approved.

MCS—FIT

This certificate is needed for solar PV and wind installations that have a declared capacity of up to 50 kWh and micro CHP systems that have a capacity of up to 2 kWh. Therefore, if your system has such characteristics, you need to send your application for an MCS accreditation.

Registering for FIT

Once you’ve chosen your supplier, ask him to register you in the MCS database. You should then receive a certificate from your supplier. Afterwards just tell your supplier that you would like to register for FIT.

You will need to send:

A complete application form
An MCS certificate
For solar PV you will also need to send the Energy Performance Certificate, showing that your home has a rating better than D

Then your FIT supplier will:

Undertake eligibility checks
Confirm your eligibility and determine the date from which you will start receiving payments
Add you to the Ofgem Central FIT Register
Determine if and when you might need to provide meter readings

Tariff Rates for Solar PV

Once you start receiving the Feed-In Tariff, the rate will change in accordance with inflation and the Retail Price Index (RPI). The table below shows the solar PV rates at the moment (last updated in 2015).

For Solar PV:

When applying for FIT, an evidence of the property’s EPC will be required
The export tariff for solar PV at the moment is 4.77p/kWh
The tariffs are reviewed every three months and will be revised according to deployment rates.

Tariff Rates For Other Technologies

For Hydro, Wind and Micro-CHP:

Evidence of EPC rating is not needed for these technologies
The export rate is 4.77p/kWh
The tariff period for hydro and wind is 20 years, whilst for Micro-CHP it’s only 10 years
Micro-CHP has to go through ROO-FIT and not MCS

For site specific calculation you will need to contact your supplier directly or get in touch with an official government agent.

Are You Interested in Investing in Renewables?

The FIT is definitely an attractive benefit when talking about renewables. It makes your investment in renewables financially smart, so why not switching to green energy? If you’d like to be eco-friendly and earn a profit on your investment at the same time, feel free to request quotes by completing the form on our website! We will do our best to help you find your best deal by providing you up to 4 free, no-obligation quotes from our professional suppliers.

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