October/November 2011
news the sun still shines on solar pv
FEATURES IN THIS ISSUE: Cladding & External Fixtures Doors, Windows & Conservatories MMC & Construction Systems Smart Homes & Security Selfbuild Finance & Insurance
Homebuilding & Renovating Show Preview – Somerset HEATING & RENEWABLE ENERGY SUPPLEMENT
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Cover image is supplied by Homebuilding & Renovating Show, photographed by Darren Chung.
Energy minister Greg Barker has announced a 50 per cent reduction in the Feed-In Tariff scheme. The proposals, published in a press notice on the Department of Energy and Climate Change website, may mean that consumers installing a PV system after 12th December this year will be earning half as much from their Feed-In Tariff as those with installations already in place. After months of speculation about when
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long time builder shares industry secrets for homeowners and homeowners-to-be to save thousands
Until now, homeowners have had two options when it came to their home build- ing projects: hire a local contractor to take full control of the process and pay thou- sands for the service with sometimes mar- ginal results; or they could physically do all the work themselves and end up taking years to complete the project with many headaches along the way. Finally, an experienced builder has found a way to share the knowledge, resources and secrets that will allow every day people to take control of their projects. “Over the years I watched as my cus-
tomers continued to spend more and more time on the jobsite,” says Michael Luckado, 16 year home building veteran. “The funny thing is, I was the one getting paid to spend that kind of time on the job. Not them. Then it hit me. Why shouldn’t these people get paid for the time and effort they put in to their own projects? If I could arm them with some of my experience and proven resources, they could take on the role of the general contractor and save thousands in the process.”
“And why stop there? Whether you’re building a brand new house from the ground up, or simply repairing your cur- rent home, the same rules apply. Who better than a builder to help you with diagnosing and repairing existing home issues? A builder’s knowledge can go a long way, especially when saving money is important.” Throughout his career, Michael has
built, remodeled, and repaired thousands of homes, and has trained many individu- als from accountants to history majors on how to build them. His vision was to create a simplified resource that anyone could use to repair, remodel or build their dream home. Through
ArmchairBuilder.com and
Blog.ArmchairBuilder.com, Michael provides detailed videos and written resources for dedicated do-it-yourselfers to help them manage their building projects themselves. In addition, selfbuilders are able to ask home building or home repair questions and get responses from a trusted, unbiased expert.
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and by how much the tariff would be cut, the press notice on the DECC website shocked the solar industry by shortening the timetable for the cut in tariffs from April 2012 to December 2011, meaning that thousands of customers who have signed contracts to order solar PV systems will not have their installation complete in time to claim the higher tariff. Greg Barker implied that the cuts were to ensure that the solar industry sur- vived, stating that these actions would put the solar industry on a ‘firm footing’ and prevent it falling ‘victim to boom and bust’. As the Feed-In Tariff has long been consid-
ered to be the biggest motivation for con- sumers to purchase solar PV systems, the per- ception has generally been that the change to the tariff will be damaging to the renew- able industry.
However, for those wanting to invest in renewable energy, there is still plenty to be hopeful about. While many consumers have shown concern at missing the higher tariff rates, Tony O’Connor, managing director of BritishEco, describes the future for the Solar PV industry as being ‘healthy and sustain- able’, explaining that ‘Looking at the new tar- iff levels and taking into account the lower panel prices, BritishEco are still able to pro- vide Solar PV systems with a rate of return in excess of 10 per cent, which we believe to be a great investment’. The renewable energy industry was
rocked by the date change for the Feed-In Tariffs, but it came as no surprise that the tar- iff was lowered. “We recognised that the FITs needed to be adjusted downwards to reflect significant reductions in the product costs,” Tony O’Connor stated: “And we are still committed to providing our customers with systems that will make them a good rate of return, as well as reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and combating climate change. The future is still bright for the Solar Industry as far as we are concerned.”
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