TOPIC:

There are new tariff rates that need to be applied after July 1st 2013

The feed in tariff data is stored in a file called solarConfig.XML located in the following path:

C:\Program Files\Visual Building Solar Designer\Program\en-GB\solarConfig.xml

This file contains tariffs for all countries but we are only interested in the UK figures here.

You will then need to unzip the file and ensure it is called solarConfig.xml. You may want to rename your existing solarConfig.xml to OLDsolarConfig.xml so you can recover if you make a mistake.

Applicable only to Visual Building Solar Designer

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For your information and if you really want to edit your own xml file:

If you want to edit your own, you need only be concerned with the xml block <Category ItemName="GB">

The xml block <Category ItemName="MapValues"> relate to the power generation derived when clicking on the map, and these have not changed and so should not be changed.

The xml block <Category ItemName="Reimbursement"> is the place where we keep the FIT data.

Within this block there are 3 xml blocks:

<Category ItemName="2009-07-15">
<Category ItemName="2011-04-01">
<Category ItemName="2012-04-01">

This is now historical data and can be ignored. (In fact in the download file we have removed the historical data to avoid chance of selecting old tariff and creating wrong data.

We will create 3 new blocks valid to 2013-07-01, one for each rate.

<Category ItemName="2013-07-01 Higher Rate">
<Option ItemName="Name" ValueType="21">Higher Rate to 30.09.2013 </Option>
<Option ItemName="Comment" ValueType="21">EPC Band D or better</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level0" ValueType="6">0.170114</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level1" ValueType="6">0.170114</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level2" ValueType="6">0.15413</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level3" ValueType="6">0.143513</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level4" ValueType="6">0.126729</Option>
<Option ItemName="ExportTariff" ValueType="6">0.052975</Option>
<Option ItemName="ImportTariff" ValueType="6">0.145568</Option>
</Category>

<Category ItemName="2013-07-01 Middle Rate">
<Option ItemName="Name" ValueType="21">Middle Rate to 30.09.2013</Option>
<Option ItemName="Comment" ValueType="21">Multi installation</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level0" ValueType="6">0.153103</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level1" ValueType="6">0.153103</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level2" ValueType="6">0.138717</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level3" ValueType="6">0.129127</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level4" ValueType="6">0.114057</Option>
<Option ItemName="ExportTariff" ValueType="6">0.052975</Option>
<Option ItemName="ImportTariff" ValueType="6">0.145568</Option>
</Category>

<Category ItemName="2013-07-01 Lower Rate">
<Option ItemName="Name" ValueType="21">Lower Rate to 30.09.2013</Option>
<Option ItemName="Comment" ValueType="21">No EPC</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level0" ValueType="6">0.078207</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level1" ValueType="6">0.078207</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level2" ValueType="6">0.078207</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level3" ValueType="6">0.078207</Option>
<Option ItemName="Level4" ValueType="6">0.078207</Option>
<Option ItemName="ExportTariff" ValueType="6">0.052975</Option>
<Option ItemName="ImportTariff" ValueType="6">0.145568</Option>
</Category>

Note the values stored are in Euro at a standard conversion rate of 1.141707. This is an internal exchange rate and has nothing to do with reality and will not affect your results.

Current official FIT rates are published by www.ofgem.gov.uk