Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the payments made under the non-domestic renewable heat incentive scheme have been at the projected lower levels during the summer months since the start of the scheme.

Non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) installations are paid quarterly. Payments are based upon heat meter readings submitted by applicants every 3 months from the date when the (accredited) application was submitted. These readings, in conjunction with the tariff level at which an installation was accredited, determine the level of payments.

Using the quarterly data collected, we have assessed the seasonality of renewable heat generated under the scheme, using natural gas demand as a comparator – see attached. The attached chart shows this seasonality is as expected, with scheme generation correlating with the seasonal variation in gas demand, including the lower demand in the summer months.