Winds of Change

14th July 2006

T. Wyn Jones

The publication of the Government’s Energy Review presented by Alistair Darling, the Industry Secretary, to be formulated in a white paper by the end of the year endorsed nuclear power, proposed cutting the household use of electricity and promoted renewable energy by the form of grants & subsidies to increase the amount generated from the current 4% to closer to 20%.

Although seen by many as a necessary evil a recent poll on behalf of the Green Party has indicated that almost nine out of ten people rejected the nuclear option and 98% backed greater investment in renewable energy.

David Cameron, the Conservative leader, who is intending to install a wind turbine at his London home, has urged the Government to kick-start a "revolution" in green power. Although cynics may consider this an opportunity to score points in the political arena there is visible evidence in public interest in the installation of Household Windmills. Seen by some as the latest ‘must have’ in home accessories there are financial motivations for this increase as well as ecological considerations.

Although at the moment the cost of setting up a domestic wind turbine may not see a quick return on the initial investment an increase in demand should see the installation costs fall, and with the ability to sell any excess electricity back to the national grid the question now being asked is not only could these wind turbines save the householder money but for those living in particularly exposed areas could they become a source of income?

For example an installation by one householder in the south of England has seen the wind provide 80% of his electricity in the summer and it is estimated it will heat the house through the winter, saving him a total of £1,000 a year in heating bills. It is considered that typically a household would see a reduction of between a quarter and a third of its annual electricity bill.

Whilst these figures make interesting reading and who amongst us would not wish to make savings, installing a wind turbine is not as simple as popping down to your local DIY store on a Saturday morning and ‘hey presto’ by Sunday lunchtime watching your joint of beef roasting in your wind powered oven. Turbines come in a range of sizes, prices and powers and need to be installed by a specialist.

More importantly before any installation can take place the issue of Planning Permission must be addressed.

The householder mentioned previously had to overcome more than 20 planning objections from neighbours about noise and visual impact before being given the go ahead to site the turbine in his garden. However as part of the new measures the Government has stated that streamlined planning rules are proposed for small-scale wind turbines on homes.

So it appears the future is looking bright for renewable source energy and with big companies like British Gas said to be investing in new kinds of turbines yet to come on the market “green energy” looks set to move away from the domain of eccentrics and become something we can all take an interest in.

For further information on Property Matters Wyn can be contacted on Tel 07702 722905 or by e-mail on wyn@mccartneys.co.uk