Are you eligible to claim Feed-In Tariffs – and what tariff do you get?
If you want the table of tariff levels – go here.
Renewable generation systems up to a capacity of five megawatts are eligible under the new Feed-In Tariffs scheme. Five megawatts is a lot of power, so all households and the vast majority of businesses wishing to install renewable energy systems are therefore eligible.
It is also possible for communities to join together to build their own community renewable energy generation schemes. Just as long as the output is under five megawatts*, the system will be eligible for the tariffs. This should be enough to meet the power needs of entire villages!
* Tariff ceiling to be raised to 10MW for communities
Following representations from the community energy sector, the government announced in July that it will raise the FITs ceiling for community energy projects to 10 MW. See the announcement here.
Who can claim the tariffs?
Anyone who installs a renewable energy system producing electricity is eligible to claim the tariffs as long as they produce less than 5MW of power. Virtually every property in England, Scotland and Wales is eligible.
This includes schools, hospitals, landlords, farmers, care homes, churches, supermarkets, shopping centres and so on.
When can I claim the tariffs?
The tariffs went live on April 1st 2010. So any system that is installed now is eligible for the tariffs. All systems installed after July 2009 are also eligible.
Older systems that were installed before July 2009, but were registered for the Renewables Obligation will also qualify but at a reduced rate of 9p/kWh.
For further details on eligibility for older systems, see our page on installation dates.
How do I claim the tariffs?
For more advice on getting started, take a look at our page What to do Next?
What sort of renewable energy system will I require?
There are several technology options to consider; the best one will depend on your particular circumstances. The size will also have to be selected depending on the space available and financial considerations.
The installation will need to comply with planning consents (if required), connection requirements and other regulatory and legal obligations.
They will also need to conform with the eligibility requirements described in this section of the website.
How much are the tariffs?
The main amount paid by the Feed-In Tariffs varies depending on the size and type of system. Find out all the details on our Tariff Levels Table.