We wrote to the Prime Minister to ask him to reconsider the Feed-in Tariff review, in particular with respect to its impact on social housing. Thanks to everyone who signed it – from NGOs to MPs to Housing Associations.

Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA

Tuesday 1st November 2011

Dear Prime Minister,

You will be aware of the current debate about support levels for microgeneration projects through the Government’s Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme.

In the short time it has been running, the FIT scheme has helped tens of thousands of households, businesses and communities across the country control their energy bills at a time of soaring prices.

In the social housing sector in particular, the scheme has proven the huge potential of renewable energy to help alleviate fuel poverty in some of the country’s poorest households, by cutting bills and promoting greater energy efficiency. The scheme has attracted substantial attention and investment from social landlords, who have been quick to identify these benefits for their tenants. As well as reducing their tenants’ energy bills, the FIT generates an income which can be re-invested back into their communities with additional energy-saving measures for the benefit of all homes.

Following pressure from the Treasury, DECC has now published details of proposed changes to the FIT scheme. These changes are based on what DECC has publicly acknowledged as outdated modelling. Whilst we fully support tariff reductions in line with falling technology costs for solar power installations in particular, the level of cuts proposed are far greater than the reductions in the cost of that technology since the scheme was launched some 18 months ago.

At a time of great economic uncertainty, FIT installations are one of the very few things that social landlords can do to support their tenants. However, the proposed level of these reductions will, quite simply, render new projects financially unviable. For the vast majority of social landlords, the risks of projects will be too big and the return on investment too small.

We therefore urge you to request the Chancellor of the Exchequer to revisit the spending constraints his Department has placed on a scheme which makes no contribution to reducing the Government deficit and is funded by energy companies, and to give special consideration to the contribution it has made to the UK’s social housing sector.

Yours sincerely,

Juliet Davenport
CEO & Founder
Good Energy

Angela Bryant
Executive Director
10:10 Campaign

Rebecca Harris MP
Co-Chair
All Party Parliamentary Fuel Poverty & Energy Efficiency Group

Nigel Kershaw OBE
Chairman
Big Issue Company

Tony Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary
Communications Workers Union

Ed Mayo
Secretary General
Co-operatives UK

Andy Atkins
Chief Executive
Friends of the Earth

Caroline Lucas MP
Leader
Green Party

Dr Tim Lunel
Chief Executive
National Energy Foundation

Alan Whitehead MP
Chairman
Parliamentary Renewable & Sustainable Energy Group

Stephen Howlett
Chief Executive
Peabody

Chris Baugh
Assistant General Secretary
Public and Commercial Services Union

Merlin Hyman
Chief Executive
Regen South West

Gaynor Hartnell
Chief Executive
Renewable Energy Association

Simon Shaw
Chief Financial Officer
Savills PLC

Andrew Lee
Head of International Sales
Sharp

Jeremy Leggett
Executive Chairman
Solar Century

Howard Johns
Chairman
Solar Trade Association

Owen Daggett
Sustainability Manager
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Dr Christopher Handy
Group Chief Executive
Accord Housing Group

Steve Drew
Director of Assets
Alliance Homes

Michael Reece
Group Asset Management Director
Aster Group

Allister Young
Bristol Churches Housing Association

John Petitt
Group Chief Executive
Housing Solutions

Chris Witte
Kingspan Group

Matthew Bush
Sustainability Manager
Metropolitan Housing Partnership

John Jackson
Electrical Project Manager
Nottingham City Homes

Paul Ciniglio
Sustainability Manager
Radian Group

Janine Crockett
Energy & Sustainability Coordinator
Sanctuary Housing

Val Bagnell
Executive Director
Sentinel Housing Association

Craig Jackson
South Yorkshire Housing Association

Steve Nowell
Project Manager
Sovereign Housing Association

Joe Keating
Environmental & Energy Manager
Stockport Homes

Jack Skinner
Group Sustainabilty Manager
The Hyde Group

Phil Brailsford
Three Valleys Housing

Chris Rowland
Director
Ovesco

Damian Tow
Brighton Energy Co-op

Giles Bristow
Chief Executive Officer
Carbon Leapfrog

Chris Pomfret
Community Buying unLimited

Alex Grayson
Managing Partner
Empower Community Management

Kathy Smyth
Guildford & Waverley
Friends of the Earth

Mark Shorrock
Chief Executive Officer
Low Carbon Developments

Andrew Milne
Managing Director
Low Carbon Exchange

Steve Sheldon
Low Carbon Expert

Chris Church
Chair
Low Carbon Communities Network

Richard Weetman
Business Strategy Manager
Orsis

Jon Halle
Sharenergy Co-op

George Simms
Energy Use Reduction Officer
A London Local Authority

Jonathan Edwards
Solar PV Project Manager
Wrexham County Borough Council