Businesses will be able to take their solar panels with them when they relocate under proposed changes planned by government.

Businesses and factories will be able to take their solar panels with them when they relocate, allowing them to continue to reap the benefits of lower bills under proposed changes planned by government.

The government is seeking views on removing a barrier for building-mounted Solar PV by allowing medium and large installations to be moved between buildings without loss of Feed in Tariff (FiT) payments.

With an estimated 250,000 hectares of south facing commercial rooftops – the equivalent of 350,000 football pitches – there is massive potential in the UK to turn our buildings into power stations, helping to cut energy bills, reduce pressure on the grid and create jobs.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy, Amber Rudd said:

“Around 900 businesses already use solar PV – but I want to see more generating their own electricity. There’s potential for significant growth in this area so it’s vital that we remove the barriers that prevent businesses from benefiting.”

“With more rooftop solar, we’ll see job creation as well as helping us deliver the clean, reliable energy supplies that the country needs at the lowest possible cost to consumers”

Solar offers efficient and cost effective onsite generation opportunities to both businesses and domestic consumers.

At the moment if a FiT accredited installation is moved it becomes ineligible for further support. This can act as a significant deterrent to landlords and tenants who cannot guarantee to have the long-term ownership or lease of a building.

Allowing the panels and the tariff to move with their owner will increase flexibility and make solar PV a much more attractive investment. The definition of building-mounted solar under the FiT will be amended to require the building to use at least 10% of the electricity generated.

In addition, DECC is introducing a 12 month grid delay grace period for solar PV projects when the Renewable Obligation closes to 5MW plus schemes. This will provide extra time for accreditation in cases where grid delays cause the project to miss the 31 March 2015 closure date

A consumer unit or fusebox is used to control and distribute electricity around our homes

They usually contain:

A) Mains switch

B) Fuses or Circuit Breakers

C) Residual Current Device Mains Switch

The mains switch allows you to turn off the electricity supply to your electrical installation. Some electrical installations have more than one mains switch, for example, if your home is heated by electric storage heaters, you may have a separate consumer unit (fuse box) for them.

The consumer unit should be easy to get to, so find out where the mains switch is to turn the electricity off in an emergency.

Fuses Rewirable fuses have a piece of special fuse wire running between two screws. When a fault or overload current flows through the fuse wire, it will become hot, and melt when the current goes above an acceptable level. The melted fuse breaks the circuit, disconnecting the faulty circuit.

Circuit Breakers Circuit breakers are automatic protection devices fitted in the consumer unit which switch off a circuit if there is a fault. Circuit breakers are similar in size to fuseholders but give more precise protection than fuses. When they "trip", you can simply reset the switch. However, you first need to find and correct the faulty circuit.

Residual Current Devices An RCD is a switching device that trips a circuit under certain conditions, and disconnects the electricity supply. If your electrical installation included one or more RCDs, test them regularly. You can do this by following the instruction label, which should be near the RCD. The label should read as follows: 'This installation, or part of it, is protected by a device which automatically switches off the supply if an earth fault develops. Test quarterly (every three months) by pressing the button marked 'T' or 'Test'. 'The device should switch off the supply. You should then switch it back on to restore the supply.

If the device does not switch off the supply when you press the button, contact us and arrange for one of our engineers to replace the unit. Testing the button every three months is important. However, do not hold the test button for a long period if the device does not trip. If the RCD does not switch off the supply when you press the test button, contact us for more advice. If your fusebox has a wooden back, cast iron switches, or a haphazard mixture of fuses, it is likely that it dates back to before the 1960s and will need to be replaced.

The Technology Explained:

In the UK our voltage is typically around 245V. Household appliances must be designed to operate safely and efficiently within the European statutory range.

Many of the appliances we use regularly will use less energy at lower voltages.

Voltage Optimisation units use smart technology that enables Voltage Optimisation to be cost effectively introduced into the home. The unit reduces and stabilises the voltage at the property to a level within statutory limits but below the voltage that is usually supplied by your energy provider, in the UK the output is typically 220V.

This reduced voltage not only saves on your energy bills and carbon footprint, but can also increase the life of your appliances, many of which are designed to operate at an optimum voltage of 220 volts.

How Much can I Save?

Voltage Optimisation units have been shown in independent tests to save up to 12% off electricity bills.

In terms of carbon reduction, this equates to around 4 tonnes of CO2 over the 25+ year life of the product.

The really good thing is that once it's installed, you don't have to do anything else.

You don't have to notify your electricity provider. You don't have to change your lifestyle.

The unit will silently and unobtrusively make savings; you'll just notice a smaller electricity bill as a result.

As a rough guide, a typical domestic property fitted with gas central heating and running all the usual white goods in the kitchen, computers and gaming devices elsewhere and with an average electricity bill of £100.00 per month could save up to £120.00 per year.