Homeowners
who
splash
out
on
wind
turbines
and
solar
panels
are
being
paid
for
the
electricity
they
generate,
even
when
they
use
it
all
themselves.
The
perk
can
be
worth
several
hundred
pounds
a
year
and
is
being
subsidised
by
other
customers
through
their
electricity
bills.
It
is
part
of a
government
package
to
encourage
alternative
energy
sources
¨C
but
the
generous
payouts
have
surprised
some
homeowners.
¡°It¡¯s
staggering,¡±
said
Harry
Metcalfe,
publisher
of
the
supercars
magazine
Evo,
who
has
installed
a
30ft
wind
turbine
in
the
grounds
of
his
large
farmhouse
near
Burford
in
the
Cotswolds.
¡°I
thought
I¡¯d
just
get
paid
for
the
surplus,
but
not
the
electricity
that
I
use
myself.¡±
His
turbine
provides
power
for
his
house
and
for
underfloor
heating
in
his
garage,
where
he
has
a
small
fleet
of
sports
cars.
¡°I
got
the
turbine
because
I
love
technology
and
am
naturally
mean
when
it
comes
to
paying
bills,¡±
he
said.
Under
his
agreement
with
his
energy
company,
Ecotricity,
Metcalfe
is
paid
for
9p
for
every
unit
of
electricity
his
turbine
generates
¨C
whether
or
not
it
is
exported
to
the
national
grid.
It
works
out
at
more
than
£700
a
year
and
he
calculates
that
the
payback
period
on
his
£13,000
investment
will
now
be
only
about
seven
years.
Dale
Vince,
managing
director
of
Ecotricity,
said
that
householders
facing
higher
energy
bills
might
balk
at
the
payouts
but
they
were
an
important
incentive
to
encourage
microgeneration,
or
domestic
green
power.
¡°The
current
rate
is
actually
probably
too
low
to
bring
about
the
change
the
government
wants
to
see,¡±
he
said.
The
payouts
are
made
under
the
Renewables
Obligation
Certificate
scheme,
which
rewards
power
generators,
companies
and
householders
who
create
green
power.
The
scheme
costs
up
to
£870m
a
year
and
adds
about
£10
to
the
average
electricity
bill.
Homeowners
in
urban
areas
are
unlikely
to
benefit,
though.
Energy
advisers
say
that
the
type
of
turbine
the
Conservative
leader
David
Cameron
has
installed
at
his
west
London
home
does
not
generate
enough
power.
The
cash
can
also
be
claimed
if
homeowners
install
solar
panels.
Nick
and
Fiona
Mills,
both
50,
who
live
in
Stroud,
Gloucestershire,
had
14
panels
fitted
in
April
2007.
Their
electricity
company,
Good
Energy,
pays
them
9p
per
unit
of
electricity.
The
panels
meet
almost
all
their
power
needs,
and
in
the
first
year,
they
were
paid
£83
by
Good
Energy.
The
Department
for
Business
and
Enterprise
said
the
subsidies
were
justified
because
home
generators
did
not
produce
carbon
emissions
from
fossil
fuels.
The
government
wanted
10%
of
the
UK¡¯s
electricity
to
come
from
renewable
sources
by
2010,
and
to
double
that
by
2020.
¡º