A company has vowed to continue providing homeowners with free solar panels, as the government makes plans to cut the feed-in tariff to those providing the National Grid with energy from solar power.

A Shade Greener has so far installed 10,000 systems, with a plan to install 35,000 systems by March 2015. The company, which employs over 600 people, has also created 129 new jobs in the Bristol area.

We will have to wait until the New Year to discover the results of the government’s plans to cut the feed-in tariff for those providing energy to the National Grid, but it seems almost inevitable that the current 43p/kWh will be cut by over 50% to 21p/kWh.

This is bad news for homeowners planning to buy solar pv with the intention of benefitting from the feed-in tariff personally (where the government buys power back from you).

But where companies offer you free solar pv it’s their turn to benefit from the feed-in tariff (to both recoup their costs and make a profit) while the customer benefits from cheaper and greener electricity. A Shade Greener state that customers can reduce their electricity bills by around 50%.

Stewart Davies, managing director of A Shade Greener, said: "We still have thousands of free systems to install on suitable homes, free solar is still free."

So, if you’re interested in saving energy and saving money, why not give solar pv a chance?

Despite us having to deal with a government that seems dedicated to backtracking on its energy policies, there are still companies out there who are prepared to take any future risks on your behalf. So go ahead, make energy while the sun shines.

[Image: allison.hare]