Awareness of the importance of lowering our collective carbon emission by adopting renewable energy sources, as well as the obvious financial advantages attached to signing up to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is on the rise amongst UK householders!According to a recent energy survey, some 85 per cent of those taking part said they would definitely have a renewable energy system installed if their current boiler failed!Positive news indeed at a time when the solar industry is under review by the coalition government, although the domestic residential sector is largely unaffected. Under the government Review, the tariff rate paid under the FeedIn Tariffs Scheme (FiTS) to homeowners for supplying electricity back to the grid has actually been increased!Although the recently announced Renewable Heat Incentive scheme for domestic properties has been delayed until 2012, the survey also revealed an overwhelming majority were aware of its' existence, and while the answers indicated a significant amount of vagueness and confusion over the scheme, an encouraging 15 per cent indicated a clear understanding.Undoubtedly, the introduction of the FeedIn Tariff in April 2010 has been key to help create awareness and develop the demand for renewable energy systems, notably solar PV. As a result, a 230 per cent year-on-year employment increase has led to an estimated 17,500 trained and qualified PV installers, almost entirely within the 2-50kW sector. From 2010 onwards, over 42mW of solar PV panels were installed on the roofs of 16,000 UK homes and commercial buildings.Findings from the research showed that although interest was evenly spread across the different types of renewable technologies, it was solar hot water and heat pumps, being currently the most affordable, that proved the most popular of the systems, at 45 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively.At AbleSkills Renewable Energy Centre, electrical and plumbing students are fully equipped with the mandatory knowledge and specific skills now required to meet the growing demand for installing energy efficient technology to approved regulatory standard.The approved national, industry qualifications are obtainable on City & Guilds and BPEC renewable energy courses and are available to both entry level students and experienced trades, including solar PV courses, solar courses and heat pump courses, at Level 2 and importantly, at Level 3. AbleSkills tutors also strongly advise all candidates to complete the renewable energy awareness course, as a proprietary introduction to the green technologies, which will greatly help with curriculum progress.