Nah; IASOC when he scraps the Hummer altogether.
Wind turbines and solar panels at B&Q
Julia Finch, City editor
Friday September 29, 2006
The Guardian
The do-it-yourself chain B&Q is to sell wind turbines and solar panels as home energy generation moves into the mass market.
From next month, every one of B&Q's 320 UK stores will display the energy-saving turbines, which transmit electricity, and three types of solar panel, which produce hot water. Both will fit on domestic roofs.
The move comes just a month after electrical retailer Currys started a pilot scheme selling solar panels.
B&Q has a reputation for being more environmentally friendly than most retailers and has recently been supporting the Climate Clinic, which includes Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, at party conferences. Yesterday the retailer's chief executive, Ian Cheshire, said it was "responding to genuine customer interest" in eco-friendly, DIY energy generation.
The turbines will cost £1,498, which will include a home survey, help with applying for planning permission and installation. The retailer will advise householders on whether their homes are structurally suitable for the 1.75m wide and 2m tall turbines and whether they live in a location too sheltered from the wind. A spokesman for B&Q said its staff would also help customers apply for grants from the Energy Saving Trust, which can cover 30% of the cost of the turbine.
The turbines will generate up to 1kW of electricity, wired directly into a ring main to reduce the amount of power a household needs to buy.
Whereas Currys' solar panels were designed to generate electricity, the B&Q version will heat water. The retailer said the panels worked with daylight rather than direct sunlight and were likely to provide half the hot water an average family needs. Two-panel units will cost £1,498 and three-panel units £2,498. A one-panel unit will be available for £1,798. Customers will have to arrange installation.
environment.guardian.co.uk |
