New FIT Solar PV rates 1st April – 31 June

FIT rates for Solar and Wind will change on the 1st April this year.

To find what you’re looking for you need to know the date of installation and the size in kW. For solar PV you also need to know whether you receive the higher, middle or lower rate. Most private domestic installations will be on the higher rate. The middle rate is for bulk installations, and the lower rate is for anyone who couldn’t achieve an EPC band D.

Feed-in Tariff Payment Rate Table for Photovoltaic Eligible Installations for FIT Year 5 (2014/2015). This table shows PV rates for installations up to 31st June 2014.

Feed-in Tariff Payment Rate Table for Non PV Installations for FIT Year 5 (2014/2015). This table shows FIT rates up until 31st March 2015. However, under certain circumstances, further degression may occur on 1 October 2014. If this occurs, affected tariffs with eligibility dates between 1 October 2014 to 31 March 2015 will be republished by 31 July 2014.

Eligibility

For most renewable electricity systems (with a declared net capacity of 50kW or less), the eligibility date will be this the date your FIT supplier receives a valid application for FITs. This will be after the date on which your renewable electricity system is installed, so it’s essential to send your application to your FIT supplier as soon as you can after installation.

It is worth taking some time to shop around for your FIT supplier (also known as FIT licensee) – it doesn’t have to be your electricity supplier. They all currently pay the same rate, so it’s worth researching to find the company with the best customer service or eco-ethics, if that’s what you’re interested in. Once you are happy with the FIT supplier you have chosen,  contact them as soon as possible to make sure you know exactly what information they require from you and when they need to receive it by. You will only be paid for what you generate based on the meter reading on the eligibility date. This is likely to be a later date than the date your system was commissioned so units generated before the eligibility date may not be paid. You should check this with your FIT licensee before the system is commissioned.

The rules are slightly different if you add solar panels to an existing system. The eligibility date for the new panels is always the date they were commissioned, not the date that you send your revised claim in. This is particularly important if you want to claim the higher rate by submitting an EPC. The EPC must be dated before the commissioning date or you will not get the higher rate.

by Mark Smith

COMMENT