Barker’s Tweet stated: “Having listened carefully to industry, we are looking at scope for pushing back a little the next proposed reduction in the #solar tariffs”. Following his announcement, the solar industry eagerly watched today’s (17^th May 2012) Parliamentary questions to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) for further information about the possible date of the next FiT cuts, but to no avail.

Following the re-launch of the Cut Don’t Kill campaign, the solar industry have been very vocal in their pleas to DECC to reconsider the original deadline of 1^st July FiT cut-off date, whereby the FiT will be cut once again. DECC appears to have granted the industry’s wishes by pushing back the 1^st July deadline a little, although just how little is yet to be released.

The legal deadline to present parliament with the plans for the 1^st July FiT cuts had run out on Monday 14^th May, meaning that the deadline for the next wave of cuts will have to be postponed until a later date. However the government has got to this position, the solar industry, along with JHS Solar Solutions welcome it.

As energy prices continue to rise, what better time to invest in solar than now? Investing in a solar panel installation could provide you with returns of up to 10%, based upon the current FiT rate. If you would like to invest in solar now, call JHS Solar Solutions for a free site survey. Our expert surveyors can help you achieve your dream solar PV installation, providing excellent efficiency rates and great returns. Call us now on 0845 3024779 or email solar@jhssolarsolutions.co.uk.

The team at JHS Solar Solutions will ensure you are kept up to date with the latest in solar news and the next FiT cut-off date, as soon as it has been released.

Monday 14^th May 2012 began the start of Green Office Week, a week-long initiative to embrace all that we can do to make a difference to our environment. Starting from our place of work.

Small changes country wide can have a great impact of our environment. Through Green Office Week, we can focus on small steps in making our places of work a greener space for all.

Green Office Week allows businesses to focus on various aspects of making a positive impact on the environment. If your place of work is willing to make a lasting difference, then these steps will contribute in making the world a greener place.

Energy Focus:

Demand for energy within a business is great, the more employees your work place may have, the greater the demand for energy. As costs continue to grow, not only can a focus on energy make a difference to the environment, it can also benefit the business’ outgoings.

Small steps in reducing your energy consumption can make a big difference. Whether you turn your radiators down by 1 degree, you will see a difference. Always ensure you turn off your computers at the end of the day and enable the stand-by mode on printers and photocopiers when they are not in use.

Invest in renewable energy sources. Energy prices are gradually rising as fossil fuels are getting scarce. Investing in renewable energy such as solar photovoltaic (PV) panels within the business can impact greatly on your energy consumption and make a difference to your bills and investment!

Transport Focus:

Transport has a great impact on our environment and, during rush hour, it can impact greatly on your stress levels. What can you do to prevent it? Avoid it!

By avoiding rush hour, you will do your bit to reduce traffic on the roads. Car sharing is another great way to take more cars off our roads and it will help you save on your fuel costs.

Use public transport whenever you can, or even bike or walk to work. If your work place is very local, you needn’t wait in traffic on your way to work anymore, just by walking into work – you can’t get much greener than that!

Waste Focus:

We all know that we need to recycle; this is no different in the work place. If you have to bin it, think whether you can actually recycle it.

Reuse as much materials as possible including paper, envelopes and packaging.  If you cannot reuse them anymore then recycle.

Think before you print! Do you really need to print that email? Printing can be so easy, but if it is not necessary, try to avoid it. If you do have to use the printer, then use black and white printer over colour and always try to print double sided.

The aim is to reduce as much waste as possible, which will make a great impact on the environment and will also benefit the company’s expenditure.

Office Supplies Focus:

Everything we buy has an impact on the environment, although there are ways we can limit the impact we impose.

Only order stationary when you really have to, pens have a tendency to multiply before our very eyes! Where you can, chose the recycled options of paper and re-manufactured ink and toner cartridges.

Many electrical products have star ratings; try to aim for the highest star rating available (aiming for an A).

Engage in new methods:

Green Office Week aims to promote awareness and ideas in making a positive impact on the environment. It is also a great way to engage with others in the office to make a difference. Promote green ideas within the company, set yourself a time limit to make the changes by and make sure you continue to make a difference.

The more businesses which join the green initiative, the greater the impact will be. If you would like to know more about how you and your office can make a difference to the environment, call JHS Solar Solutions now on 0845 3024779 or email solar@jhssolarsolutions.co.uk.

100 schools in the United Kingdom are going to be given the chance to fund raise for their own solar panel installation during September 2012.

The 10:10 Solar Schools Project aims to help schools cut their carbon emissions, cut the costs of energy bills and educates children about the impact of climate change.

By providing schools with online and offline resources, the 10:10 Solar Schools Project can help to raise the profile of schools’ fundraising projects by providing websites, training, and support.

On the school’s website, pupils, families, ex-pupils, staff and businesses can sponsor little areas of the solar panels the school wishes to purchase through online donations or buying vouchers and attending school fundraising events.

This fantastic opportunity not only brings a community together for the good of a local primary school, but it also helps to spread the awareness of climate change throughout the UK.

If you would like your school to be involved, please apply at the Solar Schools website. The deadline closes on the 14^th May 2012 for those schools hoping to “Go Solar” in 2012. If you would like your school to be part of the scheme for 2013, there is no better time to start preparing.

Climate change is happening, join JHS Solar Solutions and get your school behind the fight to make a positive impact on our environment now.

If you would like to know more about the 10:10 Solar Schools Project, please contact JHS Solar Solutions now on 0845 3024779 or email solar@jhssolarsolutions.co.uk.

Friends of the Earth have launched a new campaign, encouraging the people of Britain to back clean energy being produced within the UK.

Research conducted by YouGov suggests that 85% of the people within the UK would like to see energy providers cut their use of fossil fuels, replacing it with wind, wave, solar, hydro and tidal power.

Based upon this news, Friends of the Earth have taken it upon themselves to urge David Cameron to back clean, British energy. Not only making a difference to our carbon footprint, but also seeing a return to energy being made within the UK.

The people of Britain have spoken: we would like to see a greater use of renewable energy being not only produced by ourselves, but also for ourselves. If you would like to join JHS Solar Solutions and get behind Friends of the Earth’s Clean British Energy campaign, please sign the petition to encourage Energy Secretary Ed Davey to make a difference.

A building which installs a solar PV system under 250kW will need to provide an Energy Performance Certificate rated at a D or above in order to receive the higher FiT payments. Should the building fail to prove an EPC rating of D or above, it will then receive the lower 9p/kWp payments from the FiT.

Many domestic buildings in the UK has the potential to reach an energy performance rating of D or above. However, should your home not meet the requirements, many companies throughout the UK offer services to ensure your building reaches a better energy performance level, including the installation of a solar PV system.

By making your building more energy efficient, you will not only be saving money on your energy bills but you will also be reducing your carbon footprint. In order to achieve the full FiT payments, the EPC rated as a D or above will need to be presented prior to the application for your FiT.

The confusion in the EPC however, lies in which buildings will need to prove an EPC rating in order to receive the full FiT and which buildings do not. Many farm buildings are actually exempt from the EPC requirement unless the building is wired into or connected to another building which will need to be assessed for an EPC.

A building which will need to be assessed for the EPC is defined as “a roofed construction having walls, for which energy is used to condition indoor climate” (heating and cooling systems). A building which is designed to condition the climate for human occupancy will require the EPC, this includes offices, homes and workspaces.

This means that buildings such as barns with open sides, unheated barns and grains stores will not require the EPC rating in order to receive the full FiT payments. Additionally, if an EPC cannot be obtained at all, a document has been signed by the Energy Assessor to confirm that this is the case and you could still receive the full FiT payments.

If the building which is hoped to house the solar PV array is wired or connected to more than one relevant buildings, then only one of the buildings will need to be assessed for the EPC.

If you would like to invest in a solar PV installation and require more information on obtaining an EPC, please contact JHS Solar Solutions on 0845 3024779.

JHS Solar Solutions can help you to ensure your relevant building reaches the required level D EPC rating to benefit from the full FiT payments. We cater to many areas across the Midlands including Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands.

The change in planning regulations was introduced on 6^th April 2012. It now means that installations on non-domestic dwellings will be treated as “permitted development”.

This will now allow ground mounted solar PV systems (up to 9 square meters in size) to be installed without the need to apply for a planning application, which takes on average 8 weeks to complete.

The guidelines of the “permitted development” include the rule that panels cannot protrude more than 200mm above the height of the existing pitched roof. Flat roofs on the other hand, must not project more than 1,000mm and the panels must be no closer than 1,000mm to the roof edge.

Those buildings which are based in areas of outstanding natural beauty and listed buildings will still require planning permission. Although commercial buildings and agricultural buildings will now find it easier to install solar panels, without the need to obtain planning permission; making the installation of solar much easier for businesses and farmers, as well as giving them an average saving of £700-£800.

If you would like to know how the changes to planning permission has affected you, please don’t hesitate in contacting JHS Solar Solutions on 0845 3024779.

JHS Solar Solutions are expert solar PV installers and designers of domestic, commercial and community projects, catering to areas throughout Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Warwickshire, Bedfordshire, the West Midlands and Leicestershire.

Last Friday (30th March 2011) JHS Solar Solutions attended the Cherwell Business Awards, having been shortlisted for the Sustainable Business Award along with two other reputable and well-deserving companies: Upton Estate and Green Interiors.

Following the past few months of uncertainty within the renewable energy market, JHS Solar Solutions enjoyed an evening of celebrations with Cherwell’s hardworking and dedicated businesses. Sat amongst Banbury Recruitment Agency, Prosepect Personnel and local charity Skidz who help to deliver vocational skills to young people who have struggled in an educational environment; the evening was full of celebrations and inspirational businesses throught the Cherwell District area.

We would like to congratulate all of the winners at the awards and everyone who attended the ceremony.

For anyone who has installed a solar system on or after 3rd March 2012, as from April 2012 you will now stand to receive FiT payments of 21p for a domestic 4kW installation. The 21p payments are indexed linked and guaranteed for 25 years. Anyone who installs a solar PV system between 1st April and 1st July 2012 will be in a position to earn 21p for the energy their solar panels produce for 25 years, as long as your building reaches the desired Energy Efficiency Rating of D or above.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) states that should a building wish to receive the full FiT payments, it will need to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of D or above, otherwise it will receive the lower payments of 9p (for installations up to 250kW). Most households within the UK has the potential to reach the desired EPC rating, although should the building fall below, energy saving measures can be taken to ensure it reached a higher rating of D.

The higher FiT payments can still be achieved if the building falls below an EPC rating of D. After the energy saving measures are made, including the installation of a bespoke solar PV array, an EPC can be carried out to prove a higher rating. Once you can prove your building’s higher efficiency rating, you can then apply for your FiT application to receive the higher rates.

The final change that DECC has made which will take effect from 1st April 2012 is the new multi-installation tariff rates. This will see payments of 80% of the full FiT rates when an organisation or single person registers more than 25 solar PV installations for the FiT.

If you would like to discuss how these changes may impact you, call JHS Solar Solutions on 0845 3024779.

Following months of confusion and court cases, the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) uncertainty between 12^th December 2011 through to 3^rd March 2012 can finally be laid to rest.

The panel of Supreme Justices refused to grant DECC leave to appeal their case following the High Court’s decision that DECC’s actions in making retrospective changes to the FiT was illegal.

Following today’s announcement, DECC have now been left in a position whereby they have to accept that their actions were unlawful. Whilst homes and businesses who installed solar photovoltaic (PV) systems between 12^th December 2011 and 3^rd March 2011 will now benefit from the higher tariff rate.

Today’s announcement has delivered relief to the industry, ensuring that retrospective changes cannot be conducted for future schemes and changes to the FiT.

Whilst the news of the Supreme Court’s decision to reject DECC’s leave for appeal has been supported by the solar industry, many fear that the finances set aside for the future of the FiT will now be stretched, which could ultimately decrease the FiT level sooner than expected.

The industry are now calling for support from DECC, along with a sustained future for the renewable industry.

If you would like to find out more about how the FiT changes will affect you, please contact JHS Solar Solutions today. Expert installers, delivering bespoke solar panel installations throughout Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire , Berkshire and the West Midlands.

Today, Friday 16th March 2012, our Director Angie Hill attended Oxtreegen‘s tree planting day in Oxford. Oxfordshire businesses gathered to plant a total of 162 trees, eight of which were planted by our very own green-fingered Director.

Angie Hill with Oxtreegen Director, Mark Lay

Angie Hill enjoying the tree planting experience