The £450 million Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), announced by the Government last year as part of its Heat & Buildings Strategy, will open on 23 May 2022.

The BUS follows the Domestic Renewable Heating Incentive (DRHI), which closed at midnight on 31 March 2022 and will allow people to apply for a one-off grant payment of:

• £7,500 towards the cost of an air-source heat pump (ASHP) or biomass installation

or

• £7,500 towards the cost of a ground-source heat pump (GSHP) installation.

Homes and small non-domestic buildings on and off the gas grid, including owner-occupiers, private landlords and custom-builds, are eligible for the BUS. New buildings and social housing will not be eligible for support.

All applicants must have a valid EPC and if the EPC states that cavity wall or roof insulation is recommended, this work must be done, and a new EPC issued before applying for the BUS Scheme. They will also need to use a MCS registered installer to undertake the work.

If you have started an installation project from 1^st April this year you will be eligible to apply for a BUS grant once it has launched.

The Spring Statement also welcomed VAT relief on Energy Saving Measures which includes  solar panel and heat pumps installations. From 1^st April 2022, these will be zero rate VAT for a period of 5 years. By way of example of the incentives this can have, the Chancellor said; “A family having a solar panel installed will see tax savings worth over £1,000 and savings on their energy bill of over £300 per year.“

Steve Gregor commented:

“These are welcome moves by the Government to keep providing grant funding and VAT relief for homeowners that are looking for more carbon friendly ways to heat their homes.

 “As an MCS registered installer, Gregor Heating has been installing renewable technologies for over ten years and we are delighted to be able to assist customers looking for a reliable expert to help with their home heating needs.”

If you are interested in looking at renewable technologies to heat your home then check out our dedicated website for success stories of renewable technologies.

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More and more people are making the switch to renewable heating solutions such as heat pumps especially when those working on self-build projects, which have rocketed in popularity in recent years.

Indeed It is no surprise that 50% of us in the UK have the dream of building their own environmentally friendly home one day, and it is extremely rewarding when we are able to help make this a reality, as we did in the case of Mr and Mrs Amos, you can read more about their story here.

In the 10 years since we have been installing renewable technologies we have seen the industry change at a pace. What started out as an industry largely focused on electricity generating solar PV panels, has quickly turned into a broader, fast moving, disruptive industry that is offering increasingly affordable renewable heating choices for those that are not connected to a mains gas supply or those who simply want to choose a more self-sustaining option.

And while subsidisation of solar PV panels has declined there is some government support in the form of the Domestic Renewal Heat Incentive potentially available for the installation of other renewable heating solutions, including solar thermal, ground source heat pumps, air to water heat pumps and biomass.

Our renewables team has been advising on, installing and servicing the latest renewable technologies in homes in and around Bristol and Bath for over 10 years. And we are really pleased to welcome Craig Broadbear and Darren Beak to the growing team.

With new team members, of course, comes new vans. You’ll be seeing more Gregor vans out on the roads; complete with the green stripe of the renewable team. Be sure to give them a wave if you see them out and about!

The team is ideally placed to help you understand and assess the suitability of the range of renewable technologies that are now available. If you would like an informal chat please contact them on 0117 935 2400 and we’ll be sure to help.

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Tim and Margret wanted a super-efficient, environmentally friendly home and came to us for a Solar PV system and a Solar Thermal system that would provide hot water for their home. We also installed a rainwater harvesting system that diverts water from their guttering into a tank for flushing their toilets.

Several years on, Tim and Margret are in the enviable position of their gas and electricity costs actually being less than what they earn from their Solar PV and Solar Thermal systems being registered with the  government’s Feed-in-Tariff and Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive schemes.

In addition their water bills – based on a meter – are estimated to be down by 60%!

Mr Wilcox told us; “Seven years since the installation and everything’s still working perfectly. Gregor did an excellent job and I can’t quite believe how great the payback has been.”

It’s great to see the real benefits of the renewable technologies we install, in action.

If you’re interested in the latest renewable technologies and would like to discuss the options available to you, get in touch with the Gregor team on 0117 935 2400.

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Looking ahead, anticipating possible fuel shortages and increasing prices, wishing to reduce a carbon footprint: all sound reasons for considering a solar water heating installation; and all taken into account by architect David Coleman when he planned the refurbishment of his house in Abbots Leigh, near Bristol.

The 1964 house, which he bought just 12 months ago, had not been touched since it was built. Additional accommodation was part of the refurbishment plan and David was keen to ensure that any alteration carried out would be as environmentally sustainable as possible. To this end, cavity insulation, low energy lighting, loft insulation to the highest level, and a wood-burning stove are all part of his plan.

However, following on-line research into solar technology, he considered that this should be the initial step in providing a return in both environmental and economic terms.

He next had to find a heating specialist to handle the project and, following a trade recommendation, he commissioned Gregor Heating & Renewable Energy to install both solar water heating and a mains-pressurised system with an oil-fired boiler. “I was expecting to have to employ two different contractors” he said. “Gregor was the only company who seemed to know about solar, and the fact that they could handle both parts of the project was a bonus”.

The system Gregor installed comprises a Worcester Greenskies boiler, high efficiency flat-plate collectors on the roof and a thermal store cylinder. “They knew what they were doing” said David; “They even reacted graciously to my views on the positioning of pipework. The whole installation went very smoothly and the solar was completed in just two days”.

David says that it is too early to evaluate the economic benefits and, in any case, he does not have consumption information on the previous central heating system. However, he has already reached conclusions on how to get the best out of solar energy. “There is little point in conventionally heating water overnight” he says “Start the day with whatever heat remains in the tank and let the solar panels do the work. Get used to reading the dials on the tank to find out what the heat levels are. Set the boiler controls so that when solar energy is insufficient, the boiler fires automatically to bring the water temperature up. Manage your system to make it pay”.

Currently, David Coleman is participating in the Royal Institute of British Architects “Architect in the House” scheme whereby, in return for a donation to Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity, house-owners are given a 1-hour consultation period to discuss the design potential of their houses. From his direct experience, he says he is now better able to offer practical advice on when a solar energy installation would be both appropriate and beneficial.

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