Your environmental endeavours can now earn you some cash, with green householders able to glean financial rewards for harvesting sunshine.

On April 1, the Government introduced feed-in-tariffs (Fits), that provide a tax-free income for anybody who generates electricity in their home.

Whether you do it through solar photovoltaic (PV) panels or mini wind turbines, you can benefit.

The company, 1st Solar PV Limited, based in Epsom, said you could receive 41.3p for every unit of electricity you generate, regardless of whether you use it or feed it back to the grid.

You are allowed to use this electricity for free, so do not need to pay for grid energy.

If you do feed any spare electricity back to the grid, you receive an extra 3p for every unit.

Chris Hine, Kingston's Green Guardian household winner, said: "I would definitely recommend doing this and installing solar panels, whatever the initial investment, simply because it adds to the value of your home and makes it more energy efficient."

However, he warned the form-filling was a "nightmare" and said despite fitting his panels a year ago, he was yet to see a return.

Solar PV panels are arguably the easiest way for you to line your pockets and go green.

But just how much do you stand to make from them?

As soon as the panels are installed, you can save money on your bills from the Fits, and these savings will help pay off the cost of installation.

A 10-panel system costs about £10,000 to install. If it generated 1,459kw hours in a year, the financial benefit based on the Fits would be £792, making it a viable long-term investment.

To calculate the benefits of installing solar PV panels, use the Energy Saving Trust's online calculator at energysavingtrust.org.uk.