British shoppers

[puff26]

UK consumers add solar panels to shopping lists

*

* Lifestyle »

LONDON | Wed Mar 2, 2011 1:00pm EST

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - British shoppers can now pick up a solar panel while out grocery shopping as the country's third largest supermarket J Sainsbury Plc has started to sell renewable energy technology in some stores.

Sainsbury's Energy -- a five-year partnership with British Gas -- is offering small solar panels and loft insulation at stores and online so people can start generating their own energy at home.

Its 2.1 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system costs from around 10,000 pounds ($16,310) to install and set up but could pay back a household as much as 22,000 pounds over 25 years.

Sainsbury's Energy will deliver and install the units and offers customers 10,000 "reward" points, equal to 50 pounds, which can be used to pay for anything from groceries to holidays.

It is estimated that government schemes due to be introduced this summer, which pay households for each unit of renewable electricity produced, could save them an average 600 pounds a year.

However, a recent survey found that 87 percent of UK consumers do not know what small-scale renewable energy is, and 80 percent do not know where to buy the equipment needed.

That could change. Sainsbury hopes to have trained experts giving advice in hundreds of stores across the country by the end of the year.

"Our ambition is for Sainsbury's Energy to become the number one destination for customers looking for new energy technologies, energy efficiency measures and great energy deals, so we can help them to reduce costs, while also reducing carbon emissions," said Justin King, Sainsbury's chief executive.

(Reporting by Nina Chestney, editing by Paul Casciato)

Lifestyle

[Geck]

Thanks for the post.

[venetia]

UK consumers add solar panels to shopping lists

*

* Lifestyle »

LONDON | Wed Mar 2, 2011 1:00pm EST

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - British shoppers can now pick up a solar panel while out grocery shopping as the country's third largest supermarket J Sainsbury Plc has started to sell renewable energy technology in some stores.

Sainsbury's Energy -- a five-year partnership with British Gas -- is offering small solar panels and loft insulation at stores and online so people can start generating their own energy at home.

Its 2.1 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system costs from around 10,000 pounds ($16,310) to install and set up but could pay back a household as much as 22,000 pounds over 25 years.

Sainsbury's Energy will deliver and install the units and offers customers 10,000 "reward" points, equal to 50 pounds, which can be used to pay for anything from groceries to holidays.

It is estimated that government schemes due to be introduced this summer, which pay households for each unit of renewable electricity produced, could save them an average 600 pounds a year.

However, a recent survey found that 87 percent of UK consumers do not know what small-scale renewable energy is, and 80 percent do not know where to buy the equipment needed.

That could change. Sainsbury hopes to have trained experts giving advice in hundreds of stores across the country by the end of the year.

"Our ambition is for Sainsbury's Energy to become the number one destination for customers looking for new energy technologies, energy efficiency measures and great energy deals, so we can help them to reduce costs, while also reducing carbon emissions," said Justin King, Sainsbury's chief executive.

(Reporting by Nina Chestney, editing by Paul Casciato)

Lifestyle

Well thanks for posting that.......I will look out for it this afternoon when I go shopping!! That's what I love about this site. You get to hear all sorts of useful information that you don't even on hear on your own doorstep!!

[haymon]

Wonder are they on the open market? Someplace to make money investing.

[venetia]

Wonder are they on the open market? Someplace to make money investing.

YEP...you can buy shares in Sainsburys. Don't know off hand how well they are doing right now. Their rival supermaket Tesco is a very strong company here.

[umbertino]

The only problem is they don't have many sunny days in Britain.

[Hit_the_ground_running]

Government schemes are already in place and its called the 'Feed In Tariff' which obliges Regional Electric Co's to buy back from you any excess you generate. Solar panel installation has long since ceased to be associated with the 'hippy' element in society.

As regards not very many sunny days in the uk...... no problem with my panels!

I love the thought of not having to pay the utility co. when I switch on my lights and it also means that as a country we might become less dependant on oil imports which in turn means less issues to go to war over. So think of all the wonderful peoples lives that could have been saved! this reason alone should make you think more closely about things like solar power!