It's a financial incentive backed by the Government and paid by your energy company to generate your own clean electricity. An average three-bedroom home will earn around £900 a year by generating its own solar electricity - and that's on top of the likely reduction of £140 from the household electricity bill.

You can earn a fixed income for every kilowatt hour of electricity you generate and use in your property. And you can also earn an additional fixed income for every kilowatt hour of electricity you generate and sell back to the grid. The income is guaranteed for 25 years (for solar pv systems) and index-linked.
When you need to use electricity at night (when it is dark you won't be able to generate enough electricity from solar technology), you can still buy your electricity from your utility company, but you will need to use much less than usual.

If you want to make the most of solar technology - and to save even more on your electricity bills - try to become as energy efficient as you can; for example, run electrical appliances like your washing machine and dishwasher during the day.

If you invest in solar energy now, you will be guaranteeing that income for the next 25 years. Ofgem will administer the feed-in tariff scheme and energy suppliers will be responsible for payments to their customers.

The Government wants to build the market for clean energy. The Feed-in tariff is an incentive for households, businesses, local authorities, farmers and landlords to start generating their own energy, which allows them to protect themselves against future price rises of fossil fuels, cut carbon emissions and receive payment for the low-carbon energy they produce. By doing so, they are investing in a low-carbon economy for the future.

No. The scheme is for solar electricity, and other technologies which generate renewable electricity.

No. The Feed-in tariff only applies to England, Scotland and Wales.

You can apply for the Feed-in tariff from your electricity supplier from 1 April 2010 if you have installed qualifying systems after 15th July 2009 - and they were registered for the Renewables Obligation. You can also apply by installing a system after 1 April 2010.

The energy suppliers pay the feed-in tariffs to those who generate the clean electricity. When you apply for the feed-in tariff, you should ask your energy supplier how and when payments will be made. Payments must be made at least quarterly.

The money to pay the producers of green energy comes from a small levy on every UK energy consumer.

It starts on 1 April 2010.

For solar electric (Photovoltaics - PV) systems like the solar roofs from Solarcentury, the tariff lasts for 25 years. For most other technologies, it's 20 years. The tariffs are index-linked and guaranteed.

Tariffs will be reviewed every five years - starting in 2013 - and at that stage, the amount new applicats receive and the duration of the tariff may change. It's likely to be at its highest now.

The Feed-in tariff is Primary Legislation, and it would be a breach of the Governments contract if it didn't last for 25 years. Payments to individuals will not change over this time - in fact they will increase with inflation.

It's unlikely that the technology costs will become cheaper quickly; and the Feed-in tariff is structured so that you're likely to get the highest benefits now. The feed-in tariff will be reviewed every five years - starting in 2013 - and at that stage, the amount you receive and the duration of the tariff may change.

So now really is the best time to invest.

Controversy or not, the fact remains that the world is running out of oil and security of supply is going to be a real issue. We urgently need to find other, renewable ways of sourcing energy and the Feed-in tariff will help build a market for renewable energy. It's saying to UK householders, businesses, local authorities, landlords and farmers: "Now is the best time to invest in clean electricity".

The Department for Energy and Climate Change define "stand-alone" as not attached to a building and not wired to provide electricity to an occupied building.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change define a retrofit a system as one that is installed on a building that is already occupied. New build systems are those installed on a new building and before it is first occupied.

The FIT would start from the date of commissioning.

Additional panels, qualifying as separate installations, would receive the tariff applicable at the time of commissioning.

We know that lots of Housing Associations and local authorities are interested in using the Feed-in tariff and solar electricity to earn money, save energy and pass some of those benefits on to their tenants. Solarcentury are currently working with 50 Housing Associations on more than 230 projects. And as for private landlords, it makes sense too: it adds value to their properties, it makes them money and it's good for their tenants.

A typical 2.5kW well-sited solar installation could offer you payments of up to £900 and save you £140 a year on your electricity bill.

No!

See microgenerationcertification.org they are the people you need to comply with to be able to do feed-in tariff work.

The rates for businesses are the same, but vary according to system sizes.
See the rates on We Support Solar

If you get solar installed and start claiming the 'Feed-in Tariff' you will have lower bills and a steady income from the 'Feed-in Tariff' payments. These benefits can be transfered to the new home owner and so when you come to sell your home you can charge more for it.

You would need to ask your utility company for that.