Eco Environments has reported a record number of solar PV enquiries since Ofgem confirmed that the feed-in tariff for all <50kW systems would degress by 3.5%.
The company has revealed that new business enquiries are up by 30%, as customers rush to take advantage of the higher FiT rate before 1 April 2014.
Mark Buchanan, director at Eco Environments explained: “With an opportunity to save on bills, get paid to generate clean electricity and enjoy tax-free returns that are index linked and guaranteed every year for 20 years, homeowners and business are now realising that they need to have an installation completed this quarter to lock in the current rate.”
Buchanan believes that the surge in interest in solar is only partly down to the imminent degression, crediting the highly publicised energy price hikes by the Big Six for driving renewed interest in solar PV.
From the 1 April 2014, the headline FiT figure for installations <4kW will drop from 14.90p/kWh to 14.38p/kWh – a drop of 0.52p/kWh.
Speaking at the Solar Energy UK roadshows, Ian Draisey managing director BayWa r.e. and director of the Solar Trade Association claimed that some perspective was required over the upcoming degression, stating that it only translated to a minimal loss of income over the lifetime of the tariff and that there was no rush to complete installs before 1 April 2014.