Solar panels and insulation grants for green communities

04/02/2010 17:20:37

 

Solar panels, hydro turbines and energy saving insulation will be installed in 12 communities across Britain thanks to government grants.

Each community will receive £500,000 to pay for the retrofitting of technology aimed at cutting emissions and reducing energy bills.

The scheme is designed to encourage homeowners to help limit the impact that the built environment has on climate change.

Ministers hope that the associated savings through lower energy bills will also strike a chord given the financial pressures many homeowners find themselves under.

"The huge enthusiasm for the Low Carbon Communities Challenge demonstrates that local people are passionate about building a low-carbon future in the UK," said Joan Ruddock , the energy and climate change minister.

"This sort of action is vital because over a quarter of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions come from heating, lighting and powering electrical appliances in our homes," she added.

"By 2050 this needs to be almost zero and we can only achieve that through the creative initiative of local communities."

This announcement follows confirmation this week that feed-in tariffs will be introduced in April, allowing homeowners and businesses to sell electricity generated from renewable sources back to the National Grid.

Posted by Kim Bardsley

 

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