Climatewire: 
The United Kingdom has started paying rebates of up to $1,500 per year for households that install small-scale renewable energy systems such as solar panels and wind turbines.
Through the Clean Energy Cashback program, a typical 2.5-kilowatt solar installation will earn a household more than $1,350 in rebates per year while saving it more than $200 per year on electricity costs, according to government estimates. The government may introduce another program providing incentives for low-carbon home heating next April.
Renewable energy company Solar Century said inquiries had multiplied fourfold since Ed Miliband, the United Kingdom’s energy and climate change secretary, announced the program in February. But homeowners may still be put off by the initial cost of renewable installations. The typical rooftop solar array costs upward of $15,000.
Utility British Gas has started a Pay As You Save pilot program, allowing U.K. homeowners to gradually repay the cost of solar panels through monthly utility bills. The program will start with 500 households.
“U.K. homes are responsible for over a fifth of U.K. emissions but by slashing energy waste, and fitting renewable electricity systems such as solar panels on our roofs and wind turbines in our gardens, they can be part of the solution to climate change,” said Andy Atkins, executive director of Friends of the Earth, in a statement (Lisa Bachelor, London Guardian, April 1). – GN