UK Domestic Renewable Heat Update – December 2014

The latest data available for the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive covers the period from the launch of the scheme on April 9th 2014 to the end of November 2014. The Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (Domestic RHI) is a UK Government scheme to encourage the use of renewable heating technologies. Under the scheme, householders receive quarterly payments for a period of 7 years based on the amount of renewable heat their system produces. Figures from the scheme show renewable heat installations in the UK continuing to grow.

Domestic RHI GrowthNew Domestic Installations by Technology

Key Points From November 2014

Legacy Applications Continue to Dominate

The Domestic RHI has had 19,283 applications. Legacy applications account for 77.06% (14,860) of applications to date. Only 22.94% (4,423) of applications are for “new” installations, ie those that took place since the launch of the scheme. It is new applications that give us an indication of current activity in the renewable heat market.

New Installations Continue to Grow Month on Month

The number of installations applied for under the scheme have been increasing month on month for the 7th month running. It is yet to be seen how much of this may be seasonal.

New Domestic Installations Month on Month Growth

November Installations Up 28.36% on October

There were 1,195 new installations in November, the biggest month to date and 28.36% up on October which was previously the busiest month.

Growth is Lifting All Technologies

The technology mix is changing from month to month and although biomass has been the big winner in terms of percentage share, it is important to note that all technologies are growing. New installations of every technology have been rising since the start of the scheme and all except solar thermal saw record new installation numbers in November.

Biomass Installation GrowthAir Source Heat Pump Installation GrowthSolar Thermal Installation GrowthGround Source Heat Pump Installation Growth

Biomass Continues to Surge Forward

Biomass Installation GrowthBiomass has been the most popular technology since the launch of the domestic RHI and it’s upward surge continued in November. Biomass now accounts for 44% of new installations under the Domestic RHI. October was a particularly strong month for biomass with 449 new installations. November went even higher with 600 new applications. Put in context, November’s new biomass installations are nearly 2.5 times as many as in August or September.

New Applications by Installed Technology

New applications are for systems installed since the launch of the scheme on 9th April 2014.

Technology Applications Accreditations
Number % Number %
Air Source Heat Pump 1,435 32% 1,052 31%
Ground Source Heat Pump 292 7% 196 6%
Biomass 1,960 44% 1,493 44%
Solar Thermal 736 17% 625 19%
Total 4,423 100% 3,366 100%

Total Applications by Installed Technology

Total applications include both new applications and legacy applications.

Technology Applications Accreditations
Number % Number %
Air Source Heat Pump 7,396 38% 6,039 37%
Ground Source Heat Pump 3,086 16% 2,468 15%
Biomass 4,495 23% 3,805 24%
Solar Thermal 4,306 22% 3,772 23%
Total 16,487 100% 13,327 100%

Our Domestic Renewable Heat Updates page is updated monthly with the latest figures, reports and graphs on domestic renewable heat activity in the UK and numbers from the Domestic RHI.

If you would like to find out more about the Domestic RHI, you might find our Domestic RHI Guide useful.

A Note on Graphs Images and Figures Used in this Update

This update is based on statistics released by DECC on the uptake of the Domestic RHI. If you wish to use graphs etc. from this update, you are free to do so and do not need specific permission. We would ask that you credit the source of the images by linking to this update.