Your flat or house in Chiswick does not have to be a constant drain on your finances if you take advantage of the Government’s energy saving schemes and install solar panels and double glazing.
Although no longer quite as generous as it once was, the government's feed-in-tariff
scheme, which pays homeowners for every unit of electricity generated by solar panels mounted on their roof, is still a hassle-free way to make some spare money from your
property in W4. It also currently offers better returns than you'll get on savings in the building society. On top of that, you should also see your energy bills fall.
Solar panels
Setting up a biggish (4kw) system will now set you back £6,500, but it should generate an income or savings of £350-£400 a year, for 25 years . That includes the amount you save in using free electricity while the sun's out – which only looks like it will get more valuable as electricity prices rise.
The returns are better in the southern half of the UK and ideally you need a south-ish facing roof, but you can still make a decent return from other roofs too. This is a great one for higher rate 40% taxpayers, as the income is not taxed.
Double glazing
More than half of UK homeowners are interested in installing double glazing, new research from the Energy Saving Trust has found – with that number predicted to rise under the Green Deal. That’s the view of the Energy Saving Trust after a survey of more than 2,000 adults showed 22% of householders have purchased double-glazing in the last 12 months, followed by insulation (21%) and an energy monitor (14%).
The news comes as the Government announced a £125 million cashback scheme where homeowners could get more than £1,000 worth of cashback for installing energy efficient measures.
Energy Saving Trust experts predict demand for green upgrades will be boosted by the Green Deal, and the organisation is inviting glazing installers to step up and get registered to take advantage of this opportunity. The
Green Deal, which launched last month, is an innovative financing mechanism which lets people pay for energy-efficiency improvements through savings on their energy bills.
