23 September 2005
Consumers wishing to save on rising energy costs by developing their own electricity need to have more assistance from the government, a report has said.
Researchers from the University of Southampton, the University of Sussex and Imperial College London told the Guardian that household power generation - known as micro-generation - needs to be made less expensive in order to be viable.
Micro-generation, the production of heat and/or electricity on a small scale from sources such as solar panels and rooftop wind turbines, is currently very expensive.
Jim Watson, from the University of Sussex, said: "Our research shows that some basic changes in regulations could make a significant difference. People should be given the sort of help that energy companies receive through tax breaks when they invest in new power stations."
John Butler at HSBC told the Daily Mail that the recent price rises lowered disposable income and made the pursuit of alternative solutions less likely: "On top of higher petrol prices, energy bills are set to soar this winter after British Gas and Powergen pushed through big price rises in gas and electricity.
"Inflation acts as a tax on people's income so will result in a slowdown in growth throughout 2006."
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