Many people consider installing things like solar panels, wind turbines, and solid wall insulation but are put off by the sheer cost. Oh, for sure, the things will cut your heating and electric bills but, frankly, it'll take years for them to pay back the original cost, if at all!
So, at present, you have to be seriously commited to reducing your emissions AND have large amounts of money sloshing about to do it at all.
Now though, it appears the government is planning on bringing in a loan scheme which allows home owners to install these things then pay for it over a number of years. Nothing new there, you might say, people have always been able to get home improvement loans. However, where this scheme would differ is that the loan would be associated with the home not the person taking it out. This means that, should you move house, the loan doesn't follow you!
So, while you own the home, you get the savings on your bills from your improvement, which should easily outweigh the loan repayments. When you come to sell the property, the improvements make it more saleable, the new owners get instant benefits from reduced costs, and you're not left paying for an improvement you're no longer getting benefit from! It's a win-win scenario.
Incidently, this also benefits the government in these cash-strapped times. They will no longer have to put up grants to help people with the cost. To be honest, these grants have never been big enough to be useful to most people. So the loans would be a massive boost for the government AND to the take-up of solar panels etc.
The only issues left to contend with are the 'cowboy' installers, and unscrupulous loan companies. The government needs to regulate big time in these areas or it could strangle the scheme.
More details on the proposed scheme here.
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