Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
Dates:
Began in Nov 2011 (commercial) Summer 2013 (domestic)
How long does it run:
20 years
Who funds the payments:
Central government have £860million available for the RHI
Further details:
In March 2011, the UK Government announced the details of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which is the first of its kind in the world. The Incentive is designed to provide financial support that encourages individuals, communities and businesses to switch from using fossil fuel for heating to renewables. These include biomass boilers using wood fuel, heat pumps and solar thermal hot water systems.
There are two phases to the introduction of the RHI:
- Phase 1 : introduction of the Renewable Heat Premium Payments (RHPP) scheme for households and also the introduction of the RHI for non-domestic installations in the industrial, business and public sectors. Both of these have been introduced.
- Phase 2 : the the domestic element of the RHI, is expected to be introduced in the summer of 2013, following a UK Government consultation in September 2012.
Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) for the commercial sector
Applications for the RHI for non-domestic installations started from November 2011. The current levels of support for the eligible technologies for industry, business and large organisations are shown below.
Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) for the domestic sector
The UK Government has yet to publish its proposals for how the Renewable Heat Incentive will work in the domestic sector. Details of who will be eligible and the technologies covered will not be clear until after the consultation in September 2012. Installations completed and commissioned on or after 15 July 2009 can apply for the domestic RHI as long as they meet the eligibility criteria determined in the consultation. Those installed prior to that date wil not be eligible.