Calculator shows how renewable heating adds up

Households can now get a clear idea of the payments they could receive if they install a renewable heating system, thanks to a new online service.

By tapping a few details about their property into the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) calculator, people can see instantly how much money they may be paid through the scheme, according to what type of renewable heating system they install.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Climate Change, Amber Rudd MP said: “Renewable technology is helping thousands of people keep their homes warm and reduce their energy bills at the same time, not to mention reducing their carbon footprint.

“The Domestic RHI helps households offset the cost of installing renewable heating systems. From today, by entering just a few simple details into this calculator, people can now instantly see how much they could be paid through the scheme.”

The domestic RHI is the world’s first long-term financial support programme for renewable heating, offering incentive payments to homeowners to offset the cost of installing low carbon technologies (such as biomass boilers, heat pumps and solar thermal systems) to keep their properties warm.

The scheme is open to home owners, social and private landlords, and people who build their own homes. It is available to households both on and off the gas grid. To date 4,448 households are already benefitting from the RHI since the scheme launched in April 2014.

Anna Livesey, from the Sustainable Energy Association, said: “We support the launch of the DECC RHI calculator as a simple way to provide consumers with an estimate of RHI payments. The calculator will help raise general awareness of the domestic RHI and support installers in explaining the scheme to their customers.”