A “rural energy charter” will encourage rural households and communities to take advantage of the Green Deal and Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), incoming environment secretary Owen Paterson has announced.
The news came as the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) concluded its consultation on proposed new rules for the RHI. The changes were designed to ensure the scheme did not exceed its budget and businesses did not face unexpected changes to the level of subsidy.
The consultation set out plans for an RHI digression mechanism, based on the regime for solar feed-in tariffs. Under the plans, Decc will assess the level of deployment every quarter to see if a trigger point has been reached. Cuts to incentives available under the business element of the RHI will be enforced at a month’s notice.
Ministers will consult shortly on plans for the deferred domestic RHI scheme, due to begin in 2013. It will also propose additional technologies to be included in the non-domestic RHI.
This article first appeared in Utility Week’s print edition of 21st September 2012.
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