Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will take steps to ensure that British Gas increases the transparency and efficacy of the process for registering solar panels.

The Feed-in Tariff (FITs) scheme pays consumers for small-scale generation of their own electricity through renewable sources, such as solar panels. Major energy companies, like British Gas, as well as some smaller independent suppliers, process applications and make Feed-in Tariff payments, in their role as FIT Licensees, for sub 50kW solar PV and wind installations.

However, final confirmation of an installation’s eligibility for FITs is carried out by Ofgem, not by British Gas, before it is entered on the Central FITs Register (CFR). Solar PV products and installers are certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).

Additionally, the Renewable Energy Consumer Code and Home Insulation and Energy Systems Contractors Scheme, approved under the Chartered Trading Standards Institute consumer code approval scheme, provide protection for consumers participating in Government incentive schemes, such as Feed-in Tariffs.