| A Renewable Heating Incentive is expected to be introduced soon for Domestic Properties in Northern Ireland. Broadly speaking the Domestic RHI scheme is for heating systems for single homes and will cover the installation of the following heating systems: biomass boilers air source heat pumps ground source heat pumps solar thermal panels (flat plate or evacuated tubes) The Domestic RHI shall gave payments to the householder that will allow their investment in these systems to be paid off in 7 years. These systems should last 20 years so if you are planning to stay in your home longer than 7 years then the Domestic RHI may suit you. An EPC Certificate is required to apply for the RHI. The starting point for the RHI is that you have a property capable of getting a domestic Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). The EPC is the proof needed that your property is assessed as a domestic ‘dwelling’. Without one you can’t apply and won’t be able to join the scheme. We can provide an EPC for your home. Northern Ireland Domestic RHI and Energy Efficiency Because the RHI works best in a well insulated home, the Northern Ireland Domestic RHI encourages people to make their homes more energy efficient first. Pound for pound, energy efficiency is one of the best investments you can make. Before applying to the Domestic RHI, you must first install loft and cavity wall insulation to current recommended standards. If your loft insulation is less than 150mm then you will be required your loft insulation to 270mm. If you have cavity walls and your house was built before 1986 then you be required to install cavity wall insulation or provide proof that your walls have insulation or that it cannot be installed. Installing cavity wall or loft insulation have shorter paybacks (2 to 5 years) than installing a heating system under the RHI scheme (7 years). We can also examine the cavity if required to check for insulation. |  Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster has announced the extension of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to domestic customers. “The RHI scheme helps applicants to take advantage of renewable heating solutions such as biomass; heat pumps and solar thermal. It reduces dependencies on oil and other fossil fuels and contributes to the Executive’s target of having 10% of our heat from renewable sources by 2020.” The Minister continued: “I am committed to making sustainable technologies more affordable. The RHI helps to bridge the gap in costs that currently exist between renewables and fossil fuels and therefore gives householders more choice. The scheme will be administered by DETI and will be open to all domestic properties. It replaces the Renewable Heat Premium Payments scheme which has provided interim support for households. RHI for the non – domestic sector has been in place since November 2012 and is administered by Ofgem on behalf of DETI. This provides a tariff based support scheme for businesses. A further announcement will be made on how to apply for the domestic RHI once the scheme is open for applications however in the meantime prospective applicants should be making initial preparations |
| Your renewable heating system is already installed. You may still be eligible for the RHI if your system was installed after 1 September 2010. However you have to make an application in the first year of the scheme. The closing date for applications for already installed systems is therefore expected to be around 30 November 2015. |