The Renewable Heat Premium payment (RHPP) scheme is designed to coincide with the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme (RHI) which is to be launched in October 2012 for homeowners. RHPP is a grant for the purchase of a new renewable heat appliance, similar to the boiler scrappage scheme that was introduced in 2010.
The types of products that are eligible with the RHPP are:
- Solar Thermal*
- Air Source Heat Pumps
- Biomass
- Ground Source Heat pumps
All products eligible for the scheme must be Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) registered and installed by an MCS certified installer or equivalent (you can find your nearest qualified installer by using the installer search on the MCS website.)
The facts
The grant has been introduced to encourage the uptake and affordability of renewable heat technologies before the formal launch of the RHI scheme in October 2012.
The Energy Saving Trust will administer the vouchers towards the chosen technology and you will then have a set period of time to redeem the voucher, depending on the type of technology chosen.
RHPP is available to residents in England, Scotland and Wales. Any homeowner can apply for Solar Thermal* technology vouchers, but only homeowners who live in an off mains gas area can apply for vouchers towards Biomass and Ground Source Heat Pump technologies.
When does the scheme start?
The RHPP scheme commenced on the 1st August 2011 and will run until 31st March 2012. After this date vouchers will no longer be distributed.
The benefits
The RHPP grants offer discounts on renewable heat technology purchases. The value of the vouchers and their expiration dates are as follows:
| Product | Voucher value | Household | Voucher expiry |
| Solar Thermal | £300 | All households | 3 months |
| Air Source Heat Pump | £850 | Off mains gas | 5 months |
| Biomass | £950 | Off mains gas | 6 months |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | £1250 | Off mains gas | 6 months |
What are the conditions?
To be eligible for the RHPP vouchers, you must comply with the following:
- The property must be owned by you or if you are a tenant you must be purchasing the system yourself and have permission from the owner of the property
- The property must have loft insulation to 250mm and cavity wall insulation (where practical)
- You should have all necessary planning and environmental permissions in place
- The product and installer you choose must be MCS certified or equivalent (you can find your nearest MCS qualified installer using the installer search on the MCS website.)
Once the equipment is installed and running you will then be required to complete two customer surveys.
Eligible technologies
A range of renewable heat technologies are eligible with the RHPP scheme, including:
Solar Thermal
Solar Thermal heating panels such as the Baxi Solarflo* are installed on the roof of the property and draw energy from the sun which is then turned into heat to provide hot water for a home.
Biomass
Biomass boilers come in various sizes and burn different biomass fuels such as wood, straw, industrial waste or wood pellets. Such as:
- The Baxi Bioflo - a wood pellet burner which is designed to be compact for smaller properties.
- The Baxi Multiheat - another wood pellet burner which automatically adjusts its heat output throughout the day.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
A ground source heat pump (also known as a geothermal heat pump) such as the Baxi Geoflo, uses pipes buried under the ground to extract thermal energy stored below the earth's surface. This energy is used to provide hot water for a domestic heating system.
Air Source Heat Pumps
Air Source Heat Pumps take heat from the outside air and use this to provide heating and hot water for homes.
What to do next
You can have any of the above RHPP eligible technologies installed by an MCS certified installer; you can locate your nearest one by using the installer search on the MCS website.
You can register your interest in the receiving RHPP vouchers for your chosen technology by visiting the Energy Savings Trust website.
For more details on the RHI scheme, visit our Renewable Heat Incentive page or RHI FAQs page.
Alternatively more information can be found on the RHI website.
