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swindonlink.com • April 2011 37
Power from your own roof to generate

tax free income to pay the (rising) bills

Renewed doubts about energy supply and security as a result of the nuclear disaster in Japan will mean
greater focus on renewable sources and there’s no better source than the power of the sun. With the price 16mm compost
of energy set to increase, now’s the time to consider using your roof to generate electricity. 1 /2 tonne sold in one
People make many different kinds
of home improvement: double glaz- large bulk bag
ing, a conservatory, extension or a £33.00 delivered
new kitchen, but only solar PV will
make a return on the outlay of be- incl VAT
tween £7,000 and £15,000 - assuming
your roof faces south. Telephone for orders:
Since April 2010, energy com- 01793 714450
panies have been obliged to pay a
Feed in Tariff (FIT) if a house owner
makes an investment in their homes
by having photovoltaic solar panels
(solar PV) installed on their roof.
Therefore, for every kilowatt hour Depending on the number and Solar PV is certainly worth con-
(kWh) of energy generated your therefore generating capacity of sidering but it’s essential that you
electricity supplier has to make a the solar panels on the roof, most deal with an installer which is Mi-
FIT payment of 41.3p. households will be able to receive crogeneration Certifi cation Scheme
Most impressively the payments about £600 to £1,200 annually in approved.
are index linked, free of tax, and FIT payments. The two companies advertising
guaranteed for 25 years - equivalent The initial investment should be below are both local and experi-
to 5 to 8 per cent return. paid off in about 10 years. Thereafter enced. Glynn Stevens from Grange
The investment also signifi cantly the solar panels will be generating Park is a well known electrical
reduces household carbon emission. income over the rest of the FIT contractor about to receive MCS
During the daylight hours, the guarantee period. accreditation, whilst Rain Wind Sun
home uses any electricity generated If you can’t afford the panels, there from Purton have been MCS install-
for free which is a saving on buying are a growing number of companies ers since before the FIT scheme was
power. Any not used is exported to which will rent your roof. They will launched.
the grid, for which the electricity undertake the installation and give Both will provide free assess-
provider will pay an additional 3p you use of any electricity generated ments of the potential to generate
per kWh. (How this is calculated but keep the FIT to pay for and profi t electricity from your home and
varies between suppliers). from the solar panels. free quotes.

G. STEVENS

(ELECTRICAL)
LOCAL MCS ACCREDITED
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS PHOTOVOLTAIC SPECIALISTS
& CONTRACTORS
Reduce your energy bills
Industrial - Commercial -
Domestic Installations Clean energy cash back

Fire & Intruder Alarm Systems Maintenance free system

Solar Photovoltaic Installation Service Year round generation
from initial planning through to Reduce your Co
commissioning and completion 2 FREE NO
MCS accreditation pending Affordable systems OBLIGATION
QUOTATION
Tax free earnings
01793 870948

07715 004126 Local systems available to view
[email protected] Designed around your needs

www.yell.com/gstevenselectrical
Call us on 01793 772277,
visit www.rainwindsun.com,
email [email protected]

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