Generating your own electricity is certainly a fantastic way to take control of your energy bills, but it can also help you cut your consumption by encouraging a closer and more intelligent relationship with the energy you use.

At Good Energy, we believe that when we better understand where our energy comes from and have a sense of ownership of it, we’ll value it more and use it less. And this is vital to achieving a future that’s powered purely by renewables. We support a growing community of over 6,000 independent renewable generators across the country and one of them, Richard Darlington, got in touch with us with some fantastic figures. Not only has his electricity consumption decreased almost every year since he started taking readings, but has been generating more than 60% of what they use. “It’s partly because we’ve become more conscious of wasting electricity and partly because of slowly switching to low energy bulbs,” says Richard.

It was a trip to the Centre for Alternative Technology that inspired Richard to install solar thermal panels in 1991; and he and his family has benefitted from sun heated water ever since. “Our gas boiler for the domestic water is only on for one hour in the morning and one in the evening, and that’s only when the sun has not got the water over 60oC.”

In 2003 Richard and his wife invested an inheritance into a 2.16kWp solar PV array rather than putting it in the bank. “We did it because we believe that every bit of electricity generated in the UK means less dependence on imported energy and fossil fuels, but we’ve benefitted financially too. We earn around £150 a year from our solar panels instead of the £110 at a 2% interest rate from a Building Society ISA,” says Richard. “Today, people with the Feed-in Tariff will do even better financially.”

A review consultation of the Feed-in Tariff is due any day and all the signs say the Government will reduce payments on April 1st 2012, perhaps earlier. So if you’ve been thinking about installing solar panels the time to do it is now. Join the UK’s fastest growing community of independent energy generators.