Case Study: Solar Panels

At the end of 2022 The Almshouse Association was pleased to be able to respond to a request for a loan from Lord Petre and Puckle Charities to support the installation of solar panels. In addition the Charity was looking to replace their night storage heaters with a new heating system which would be compatible with their drive to solar energy.

David Clark, Chair of the Trustees at Lord Petre and Puckle Charities is sharing with us a case study of their project in 2 parts. In the following article, we learn about the background and installation of the solar panels and their new heating system. The second instalment will hopefully reflect the benefits to the Charity and the residents of their new solar energy system after the best that a UK winter can throw at them!

“The almshouses in Little Burstead, Essex are financed and managed by Lord Petre & Puckle Charities. The terrace of three bungalows was built in 1972 as replacements for the original cottages dating back to the 1920s. They are located within the village conservation area and the project proceeded without the need for planning permission. The pitched roof of the properties faces north/south and south is the preferred orientation for maximum solar panel efficiency.”

“In the spring of 2022 at the commencement of the Ukrainian/Russia war the effect on energy costs was so horrendous that we needed to look at ways to significantly reduce this area of our overheads. As the Charity pays for all heating, hot water and communal lighting for the residents, we were greatly impacted by the soaring energy costs.

We conducted an exercise looking at the previous year’s usage which was 22,000 kWhr or 1500 kWhr per month and projecting that forward at the new rates per kW, this would have used 52% of our total income per year – a big problem going forward. In addition to this, we were already contemplating replacing 50-year-old night storage heaters which were very inefficient.

It was decided that we should get quotes for solar panels/batteries and replace the old heating system. We looked at several  companies and chose The Skill Group to work with the Charity on this project.

Initially the cost of such a project looked to be problematic, especially as we explored the possibility of grants but were turned down. However The Almshouse Association came to our rescue and granted our Charity a £40,000 interest-free loan, for which we are extremely grateful.”

“On 6 March this year the scaffolding went up, on 7 March the Skill team arrived and installed all 72 solar panels including bird guards; these are essential to stop the possibility of birds nesting under the panels. On 8 March the scaffolding was removed, all without any inconvenience to our residents. Part 1 of the project completed.

It was decided that the next stage, installing the batteries in the roof voids and the electrical work connecting everything up would be left until the weather was warmer so that we could limit the disturbance to our residents. This part of the project commenced in late April, together with the removal of the old storage heaters and the installation of the new heating system compatible with the solar panel installation. This part of the project took just over a week and was completed most efficiently, with only minor hiccups and very little inconvenience to our residents.

The solar panel installation went live in May and we have generated 7,713 kWhr of energy which is now supplying most of our electricity needs, additionally we are currently selling back to the grid through our electricity supplier, Octopus Energy per day at a price of 15 pence per kW. The amount of energy we have sent back so far is 6,356 kWhr. This sell back will be credited and used against what we will need to buy in during the winter months when the solar panels will not produce as much electricity. Our energy usage has gone from 1,500 kWhr per month to 100kWhr.

The Charity would highly recommend The Skill Group to other almshouses who might be contemplating this type of project. They were extremely personable, understanding, efficient and quick to react to any concerns or issues we had.

The Charity would also like to reiterate its thanks to The Almshouse Association for granting us the loan which has allowed us to complete this project.”

Well done to you all for meeting the challenge head on! We are all looking forward to hearing the second instalment in the new year!

Posted August 2023