From April, people with a home wind turbine or solar panels, who send power back to the National Grid, will receive an average tax-free payment of £900 a year.

Christine and Roger Griffiths run Aeolus Power from their Pilning farmhouse in South Gloucestershire.

Christine, 50, started the firm after receiving a £2,200 electricity bill for her grade II-listed farmhouse.

After mentoring from a Lowestoft firm, part of the process required before Aeolus began its own installations, the company now supplies equipment to installers across the South West, as well as putting in its own equipment for clients.

As well as supplying a home with electricity, any surplus energy created is sold back to the National Grid.

The firm sells about 50 wind turbines a year across the UK and Ireland.

She said: "News of the payments is great – people are realising the importance of wind power.

"This known as the Feed-In Tariff – this will give payments back to people whose wind turbines create electricity for the National Grid.

"For example, a wind turbine in someone's garden creating 10 kilowatt hours of electricity for the National Grid could generate them £2,300 in payments a year under the Tariff scheme."