Homeowner’s that have a solar photovoltaic system installed and commissioned before 3 March 2012 could now benefit from the higher FIT rate for a guaranteed period of 25 years.

The Court of Appeal today upheld an earlier ruling by the High Court which ruled the government’s proposed cut to the FIT rate was “legally flawed.”

“We would urge any interested party to contact us immediately to register their interest in a solar photovoltaic system,” said Solar Fusion’s Andy Groves. “We’re already experiencing a large increase in enquiries. As one of the UK’s largest installers of solar energy systems we have the infrastructure, and experience in place to accommodate the high number of enquiries.”

To guarantee an installation before 3 March 2012 please contact Solar Fusion immediately: 0800 87 66 995

The F.I.T exists to pay solar panel owners for the electricity they generate for the National Grid. Under Government proposals the F.I.T rate will be slashed by more than 50 per cent, reducing it from 43.3p per kilowatt hour to 21p.

Only installations completed before December 12, and successfully registered with electricity suppliers, will still be able to reap the rewards of a full-rate F.I.T tariff for a guaranteed 25 years.

The Energy Savings Trust advises that any party interested in solar photovoltaic energy should contact their chosen solar energy installer as soon as possible, with the aim of completing an installation by the end of November.

An estimated 90,000 people are thought to be already benefiting from having installed solar photovoltaic panel systems.

To guarantee an installation from Solar Fusion before the F.I.T deadline comes into effect please contact us immediately: 01202 208208

The Energy Savings Trust’s report reveals that of the 88 systems installed the worst performing provided just 9% of that particular household’s hot water requirements. This highlights the importance of the installers as much as the technology chosen – which is normally overlooked.

We have been installing hot water and photovoltaic systems since 2004, and have seen many companies come and go. We are constantly surprised at the broad spectrum of quality we see when asked to service a thermal system installed by companies that are no longer in business.

The thermal hot water system is a product where performance and saving the most amount of money is paramount. A well setup ‘budget’ system will out-perform a poorly installed ‘top of the range’ system. You need to combine a well installed system with superior technology to maximise your return on investment.

When deciding on which system to install, it is prudent to select a company that have been installing these systems for a number of years and have a large bank of customers that can give testament to the quality and performance of the system.

Anyone who installs a system that provides just 9% of a household’s hot water requirements should quite frankly hang up their plumbing wrench.

A total of 88 homes were surveyed by the Energy Saving Trust over a 12 month period. The study found that the systems provided a median of 39 per cent of households’ hot water requirements.

That figure rose to 60 per cent for some installations, but alarmingly dropped to a mere 9 per cent for the worst installed system, highlighting the importance of using a good, well established company.

Jaryn Bradford, the report’s author, and senior technical manager at the Energy Savings Trust said: “This is a technology that works, and works well in the UK.”

Dave Sowden, chief executive of the Micropower Council, believes that the results of the study are promising. “We welcome this latest trial of a key microgeneration technology by the Energy Saving Trust,” he said.

“The key finding that 84 per cent of customers are happy with their solar hot water system is particularly encouraging,” he added.

Research published by the Energy Saving Trust states that the number of gadgets and appliances in the average UK household has increased three and a half times between 1990 and 2009. Combined with ever-increasing energy bills the resulting effect is an expensive one for consumers.

Dr Paula Owen is the report’s author. “What amazes me is that you wouldn’t buy a car without taking into consideration how fuel-efficient it was but people will buy electrical products without thinking about how much it is going to cost to run them,” she said. “As energy prices continue to rise they are eating up more of our money.”

As the cost of powering a household continues to rise many are turning to solar energy as an alternative source of energy.

Mr and Mrs Peters recently installed a 10 panel photovoltaic (PV) system at their home near Ringwood, Hampshire. “We pay something like £95 a month combined, and it is set to go up again this month,” said Mr Peters. “We contacted Solar Fusion to see if solar energy would make a difference to the annual bills and could keep u­­s steady so that we are swallowing up a bit of the energy increases all of the time.

“We will soon see the benefits of the system, not only we will be selling our excess electricity we will also more-or-less not be paying our bills,” he added.

Energy consumption from consumer electronic goods rose by more than 600% between 1970 and 2009. The main offenders in terms of energy guzzling in the home include plasma TVs, fridge-freezers, wireless routers, tumble dryers, and halogen spotlights.

Warwick District Council this week announced plans to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on up to 511 buildings. “This project is the first phase in the council’s commitment to use renewable technologies,” Cllr Norman Vincett said at a meeting of the council’s executive.

Meanwhile, Dorset County Council has had plans approved to install PV panels on between 20 and 30 of its school and public buildings. The council believe that the move will bring in around £3m of revenue. “While the council needs to borrow £1.5m to fund the project, the guaranteed income will provide a net financial benefit of £1.5m over 25 years,” a spokesman told View Online. “That’s a 100 per cent return on the investment.”

Dorset County Council expects the panels to be installed on selected schools and public buildings by April 2012. “The PV panels will also cut energy bills, support local green energy businesses and help the council reduce its level of carbon emissions,” said the spokesperson.

The energy price rise announced this week by EDF completes a full house of increases by Britain’s six major providers. The result of this latest round of hikes is that the average dual energy bill currently stands at an astronomical £1,300.

The odds of winning in this game of numbers would appear to be heavily stacked in favour of the energy giants. Electricity prices have increased by 4.5 per cent (EDF), 11 per cent (E.ON), 12 per cent (Scottish & Southern), 7.2 per cent (Npower), 16 per cent (British Gas), and 10 per cent (Scottish Power).

This winning formula for the energy providers does not stop there. Gas prices have risen by a monumental 15.4 per cent (EDF), 18 per cent (E.ON), 19 per cent (Scottish & Southern), 15.7 per cent (Npower), 18 per cent (British Gas), and 19 per cent (Scottish Power).

As a result the average dual energy bill has risen a colossal 14.2%, from £1,132 pre-price hikes, to £1,293.

While millions will be left wondering how to pay for their energy this winter a few, select others will continue to claim their slice of the jackpot.

EDF energy this week became the last of the energy giants to announce a price hike. Gas and electricity prices will rise 15.4 per cent and 4.5 per cent respectively for customers of one of the UK’s largest energy providers from 10 Novemebr 2011. The increase takes the current average dual fuel energy bill to an astronomical £1,300 a year.

Mike O’Connor, chief executive of consumer champion Consumer Focus fears a difficult winter ahead for many. “This not unexpected news means more consumers making tough decisions as we head into the colder months and millions of people cutting back on other essentials if they want to keep warm,” he said.

The announcement by EDF follows a round of price hikes from Scottish Power, Scottish & Southern Energy, British Gas, E.ON, and Npower. According to the price comparison service USwitch the average energy bill has now increased by 14.2 per cent to £1,293, following the series of rises.

USwitch also estimate that around 14 million households went without heating at some point last winter in order to keep their energy costs down. “We are in danger of seeing energy becoming an unaffordable luxury for the few instead of a household basic for the many,” said Tom Lyons, the firm’s energy expert. “As a result many households are being forced to make unpalatable and sometimes even dangerous choices. My concern is that the impact will really become apparent this coming winter.”

Vincent de Rivaz, chief executive of EDF said: “We have absorbed rising wholesale energy, network and other costs as long as possible but must reluctantly now pass some of these through to consumers.”

The research, conducted by Barclays bank, also revealed that more than one-third of UK farmers want to install renewable energy, such as solar panels, within the next 12 months.

Of the bank’s 300 agricultural customers polled 60% viewed systems such as solar energy as not only a way of saving money but also as a source of additional income. One-third of respondents hoped to generate average returns of £25,000 per annum.

In response to the findings Barclays have launched a £100m fund to help farmers finance the installation of renewable energy systems. “This is a quickly emerging industry,” said Travers Clarke-Walker, Barclay’s business product and marketing director. “We want to signal very clearly to the market that we consider this to be a big future industry, a big opportunity for agricultural businesses and also a big opportunity for the renewables.”

Michael Eavis, arguably Britain’s most prominent farmer brought the use of renewable energy to public attention with the installation of more than 1,000 solar panels on his land.

The projection suggests that photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal generators may meet most of the world’s demand for electricity, and half of all energy needs, by 2060.

“Photovoltaic and concentrated solar power together can become the major source of electricity,” said IEA senior analyst Cedric Philibert in an interview with Bloomberg. “You’ll have a lot more electricity than today but most of it will be produced by solar-electric technologies.”

The IEA estimates that at present nearly 70% of electricity is generated from fossil fuels. The two largest resources remain coal and gas, as a result electricity accounts for 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions.

The Paris-based agency believes that these emissions will grow by 58% globally by 2030 unless alternative sources of energy are utilised.