By Claire Simon
 
Dianne Hutchens from Welling, Kent, caught the generation bug early. In 2003, she made what was perceived by some as a risky decision – making the move to generating her own electricity. She didn’t stop there though: a few years later she began generating her own heat too.


Dianne’s journey began one warm summer’s day. Going up to her loft space, she was surprised by how hot it was, and began thinking about the energy being wasted and the potential of harnessing it to power or heat her home. When she later came across an article in a magazine about the potential benefits of solar PV, she decided to contact a solar installer to find out more.

Knowing no-one who had gone down the path of renewable energy before her, Dianne was viewed as somewhat of a risk-taker: “Those who invested in home generation early were pioneers”, she says. “Other people needed proof that it would work, and waited to see how I got on with it before taking steps themselves”. In fact, Dianne was in the first 1000 people in the UK to get a grant for her panels, placing her at the forefront of home generation. In 2003, she qualified for a 50% grant on the £15,000 cost of the installation of her 14-panel 2.52kW solar PV array. Importantly though, Dianne didn’t see the grant as a way to save money, but as a way to expand on her renewable vision: hearing that she would get financial help towards the cost of the installation, she decided to double the planned size of her solar PV array.

Once installed on her roof, the 14 panels generated around 98% of the electricity she consumed. Dianne also receives a payment of 9p per unit for the electricity she generates. By contrast, under the Feed-in Tariff rules introduced in April 2010, new solar generators get 41.3p a unit – which for an array this size would amount to an annual payment of around £900 – although new generators aren’t entitled to the grants that were available when Dianne installed her solar PV.

Thanks to these financial benefits, Dianne realised that not only was she saving money, she was helping save the planet too. This caused the generation bug to well and truly take hold: “Once I started down the renewable route it made me a lot more aware about what was around”. With her electricity sorted, her next step was heating.

In 2009, Dianne’s 16-year-old gas boiler was starting to show its age. However, instead of simply replacing it with a new one, she took what was perceived as another gamble – choosing an air source heat pump. However, it wasn’t a straight swap. As heat pumps work at a lower temperature, they need a bigger surface area to release more heat, meaning Dianne also had to replace three radiators with ones 30% bigger than the originals, escalating the cost of the project.

The heat pump’s inaugural winter of 2009/10 was certainly a test. Thankfully, Dianne says that despite the hiccups, and even with the wrong sized radiators, “I was still kept warm throughout the winter. The air source heat pump was working very hard, but it did it!” The pump uses around a third of the energy of a traditional gas boiler, with Dianne’s gas consumption falling to zero. And under plans for the Renewable Heat Incentive, due to be introduced in 2011, Dianne may also receive a payment for the heat she generates, similar to the Feed-in Tariff. Unsurprisingly she considers her air source heat pump a very worthwhile investment.

On top of her own renewable technologies, Dianne wanted to make sure that any electricity she did have to buy came from 100% renewable sources. This is why she is a Good Energy customer. As with many of our generators, Dianne found that generating her own energy has made her much more aware of her energy consumption, and the need to use as well as generate energy wisely: “It sounds silly, but it really feels like ‘my’ electricity and ‘my’ heat now, so I don’t want to waste it”.

And have her previously perceived risky decisions rubbed off on others? Of course: “My parents and some friends from work have followed suit and had solar PV panels fitted”. But it took people like Dianne to make those vital and visionary first steps. It is with awareness and an attitude like hers that the UK will be able to reach a 100% renewable future.