Call for end to Household Grant Suspension

Solar photovoltaic installers urge immediate end to Household Grant Suspension.

Solarcentury, the UK's leading solar energy company, specialising in the supply and innovation of building integrated photovoltaics, and its associate companies today called for DTI Ministers to lift the suspension of the household renewable energy grant programme, end the monthly capping of grants and reinstate the cancelled April funding round.

It is now seven weeks since the last household funding allocations were made on 1 March.

Consequently the industry has had to shut its doors and refrain from taking orders for the duration of the grant suspension.

This is the longest gap in support to the sector since the Government introduced a modest renewable energy grant support programme in 2002.

The call comes on the day that two redundancies of a skilled installer and solar photovoltaics (PV) electrician were confirmed by one of solarcentury's associate companies.

Another associate confirmed that they were being forced to move away from the household renewable energy sector altogether in order to avoid job losses.

Jeremy Leggett Chief Executive of solarcentury said, "I fear that these two redundancies are very much the tip of the iceberg if the current suspension continues well into May as proposed by the DTI.

With every passing week, the suspension of this programme, which comes hard on the heels of four months of grant rationing and a reduction in the solar PV grant rate, is doing real and lasting damage to the many small local and regional installers with whom we work".

"This is reflected in lost orders, declining customer interest and PV sector job losses".

"These companies and their customers are simply baffled by the DTI's decision to suspend the programme for 7 weeks and counting, despite the welcome announcement of GBP6 million of new funding in the Budget".

"So am I.".

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