Tony and Rhoda Graham have switched their Windermere home from oil heating and are ready for the renewable heat incentive
The government announced the renewable heat incentive for householders today. For Tony and Rhoda Graham, who have lived for 30 years in their 5 bedroom home which doubles as a bed and breakfast, in an idyllic location in Windermere, it is long overdue.
Several years ago, while cycling through Europe, the couple came across eco-friendly biomass boilers, but couldnt find them in the UK. Eventually the government announced its intention to launch the scheme, which prompted them to make the switch from oil exactly a year ago, for Tony’s 70th birthday. He explains why:
I switched for several reasons. We have our own woodlands opposite the property and for years I have managed its conservation and wildlife. I feel passionately about the need to be sustainable.
The boiler itself was £13,000, but in total weve spent around £20,000 to set this up. The financial gain is slow in coming although if we had to buy the wood, weve worked out it is still 50% cheaper than oil. When the RHI comes in, it will go some way to repaying some of the capital and running costs.
Why should I use fossil fuels to turn the wood into chip? For me, burning the wood is the most environmentally friendly option.
The domestic RHI is a super idea, and is all part of the governments commitment to reducing carbon emissions. My concern, however, is with the commercial companies. Large schemes and uptakes have created a massive demand for wood mostly chips and pellets. This is counter-productive as it will create something unsustainable and we are already importing both from abroad.