In the past few years solar photovoltaic panels have really taken off.
It is a technology which captures the sun’s energy using photovoltaic (PV) cells which convert the sunlight into electricity. This can then be used to run household appliances and lighting and it even works on a cloudy day.
And there is good news on the way for Jon Cooke, of All Stretton, who will soon be receiving a cheque from his energy supplier – thanks to a new government scheme.
Following the success of similar feed-in tariffs in Germany, where residents are offered a financial incentive for producing renewable energy through solar PV panels, from April 1 the UK is set to follow suit.
The feed-in tariff system is currently out to consultation. It will guarantee a fixed, premium rate for renewable electricity fed into the national grid.
The power companies will be obliged to buy the renewable electricity, the additional costs of which are passed onto the customers.
It has been championed as a way of combatting our excessive use of conventional fossil fuels and easing climate change.
Mr Cooke, chairman of Stretton Climate Care, told the Chronicle energy conservation is something people would have to give serious thought to as we enter ‘a period of uncertainty’.
He said: “Energy costs are inevitably going to go up but we would hope that every householder will be striving to reduce the amount of energy that their house uses.
“One return flight to Australia can produce as much carbon emissions as an average house might produce in a year – and that is around 10 tonnes. One tonne of CO2 will fill a balloon 10 metres across.
Changing
“It is so hard to get people to be aware of climate change because it is not happening here and now. We are suffering from climate change fatigue because it is in the media all the time. But the climate is changing, spring is coming sooner and every year the weather patterns change.”
In 2007 Mr Cooke set up Stretton Climate Care in a bid to help the area become a low carbon community. There are now around 60 families who are members and the charity has 21 active volunteers.
And Church Stretton Town Council has since signed up to the national 10:10 campaign to help the UK achieve a 10 per cent cut in its carbon emissions over the course of this year. Stretton Climate Care trustee Isabel Carter has even got rid of her central heating in favour of two log burning stoves.
Mrs Carter said she uses wood from her own trees to fuel the burners which she described as a good cost cutting exercise.
Seven years ago Mr Cooke had three, south facing, solar hot water panels installed on the roof of his home at a cost of around £4,000.
It caters for 50 per cent of his hot water needs and on a long, hot sunny day the water can reach a temperature in excess of 60 degrees celsius.
And two and a half years ago, Mr Cooke had 14, east facing, solar PV panels installed on the roof of his home at a cost of around £1,000 a panel – a move which has so far paid off – in 2009 the value of the electricity he sold to the power company was greater than the cost of the electricity he had to buy from them.
He estimated that those signing up to the feed-in tariff scheme will be paid 36.5p for each unit (kilowatt) of electricity generated and a further sum of around 5p for every unit exported into the grid.
And not only does Mr Cooke walk and cycle as much as he can, he and his wife Ann also grow their own vegetables and use rainwater to flush the toilet – saving up to nine litres of water at a time.
Mr Cooke added: “It is human nature to be reactive rather then proactive and eventually you will be the odd one out if you don’t get your emissions down.”
To find out more about cutting carbon emissions visit www.strettonclimatecare.org.uk or www.1010uk.org
By Charlotte Hester