Out With the Old and in With the New

12th August 2006

T. Wyn Jones

I have to confess that I am of that age where Radio 2 as opposed to Radio 1 is my preferred choice of easy listening and to be quite honest I am not that sad that we have heard the last of Top of the Pops although I did very much enjoy it in my youth. Our esteemed Prime Minister however never misses a trick and has this time taken the opportunity to align himself with the young and environmentally aware in his recent Radio 1 interview.

During the interview he proposed that householders took more responsibility in the attempt to combat global warming and said he wanted individual homes to have carbon audits to encourage owners to do more to reduce pollution. The salient question here is of course as to whether the proposed “audit” is the precursor to a “green” tax on your home – the less energy efficient the greater the tax?

The call for greater responsibility from homeowners appears to have been taken up by some parties and I am sure that most of us have heard of the High Street electrical retailer Currys who are set to sell solar panels for home electricity generation, bringing the technology directly to home users for the first time.

Indications are that those opting for solar power can expect to reduce their electricity bill by up to 50% and could cut down on carbon dioxide emission from their homes by up to 2 tonnes per year.

Initially offered from three stores with an in-store consultation with a trained advisor customers with suitable houses will be offered a home assessment free of charge and should their property be suitable the installation will probably take from 1 –2 days.

The fly in the ointment however is the price tag. To purchase and install enough solar panels to generate 50% of the electricity required for an average three-bedroom household would be £9,000, which equates to a payback period of in excess of 20 years.

So it appears as suggested last month the future is looking bright for renewable energy but at what price to the consumer. At present the forecasted payback period for these energy-producing alternatives is excessively long. If it is intended that the mass market take up these energy efficient opportunities there must be some form of incentive.

If the Government is genuine in their attempt to promote eco friendly alternatives to the energy production methods currently available let’s get on with it. What about offering grant aid to cover part of the installation costs thus making the whole process more cost effective and therefore attractive to the general public?

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