better generation

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) will be providing £300 million to initiatives in the North East, in order to create as well as maintain jobs and businesses in the region. The New And Renewable Energy Centre (NAREC) in the North East of England has been awarded £495,000 from ERDF, in order to support renewable energy microgeneration initiatives. NAREC aims to provide support to small to medium-sized enterprises (SME) that are developing and cultivating renewable microgeneration technologies, which produce electricity below 50kW and heating below 45kWe. Support will cover technologies such as wind turbines, solar electric, solar thermal, heat pumps, combined heat and power (CHP) and biomass systems. It is hoped that interest in new microgeneration technologies will be stimulated as a result of the technical advice and guidance provided, which will be specifically tailored to each SME.


Feed-in tariffs are due to be introduced in April this year by the UK government and NAREC are looking to break down the all too familiar barrier of technical knowledge associated with micro-renewables. As well as supporting renewable energy courses that will be run in Northumberland College and Newcastle College, sessions on carbon reduction and energy efficiency will be provided for businesses. To find our more information visit http://www.narec.co.uk.

Additionally, the government’s new boiler scrappage scheme, in which the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and climate change secretary Ed Miliband are at the forefront, was rolled out earlier this week.  The scheme entitles England’s 125,000 homes that have inefficient G-rated boilers to a £400 discount towards a new A-rated energy efficient one. Household energy bills could be reduced by between £200 and £235 per year. For more information about if you are eligible for a replacement boiler, visit http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Home-improvements-and-products/Heating-and-hot-water/Boiler-scrappage-scheme.