The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
What is it?
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is designed to provide financial support that encourages individuals, communities and businesses to switch from using fossil fuel for heating, to renewables such as wood fuel.
How the scheme works
If you replace your existing fossil fuel heating system (e.g. gas, oil or coal) with a renewable technology (e.g. wood fuel) you could get paid a set amount each year as an incentive for you to reduce your CO2 emissions and help prevent climate change.
The Government are not proposing to measure the heat generated from installations. Instead, an estimated figure will be used to work out payments.
The estimated figure represents the amount of heat energy needed to warm the home and/or hot water and will vary by house age and size, as well as by technology.
It has been proposed that payments would be made annually to householders.
Eligible technologies
- Air, water and ground-source heat pumps
- Solar thermal
- Biomass boilers
- Renewable combined heat and power
- Use of biogas and bioliquids
- Injection of biomethane into the natural gas grid.
The renewable heat incentive is due to start in June 2011 with the tariffs being announced late in 2010.
It is proposed that renewable heating technologies installed after 15th July 2009 will be considered to have been installed on the first day of the RHI.