Local authorities, housing associations and other social housing providers are reaping the benefit of free solar photovoltaic panels from Nationwide Solar (NWS), one of the UK’s leading suppliers of solar PV to the social housing sector.
RCT Homes, which manages almost 11,000 council homes on behalf of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council in South Wales, has recently reached an agreement with NWS to fit free solar panels to the roofs of up to a thousand rented properties. The agreement means a large number of RCT Homes’ tenants will escape fuel poverty, as well as being able to reduce the carbon footprint of their homes.
Russ Cowan, Managing Director of NWS, said: “Many local authorities and social housing providers are recognising that free solar PV is a win-win for them and their tenants. It means that there is no financial outlay for them, but their tenants benefit from savings on their energy bills, reducing the number in fuel poverty.”
RCT Homes’ Deputy Chief Executive Malcolm Wilson, said: “When the Feed in Tariff was reduced last year, solar PV became less attractive to some people. But for us, it was never about the money, as we are more interested in attacking fuel poverty. NWS has the expertise in fitting solar PV systems for tenants and we are delighted to be partnering with them on this project.”
The deal means that up to a thousand families will be able to benefit from cut-price electricity and a large proportion of free electricity during daylight hours. Malcolm Wilson continues: “The most important thing is that tenants will make savings of around £120 per year on their energy bills. The fact that we have made a deal that works, despite all the constraints, shows that large-scale solar PV for social housing is definitely back on the agenda.”
Russ Cowan of NWS adds: “The fact that we are investing in providing free solar PV for thousands of tenants homes across the country just goes to show that solar PV is still a very viable and worthwhile investment. We have the expertise in partnering with local authorities, ALMOs and housing associations to ensure we deliver the right solution for tenants. Our installation teams have extensive experience in working in tenants’ homes to ensure a smooth and straightforward installation.”
Nationwide Solar is one of the largest and most experienced solar PV installers in the social housing sector. The company is an approved supplier to Efficiency East Midlands and has supplied thousands of homes, owned by social housing providers throughout the country, with solar PV. This includes Newark and Sherwood Homes, ASRA, Derby Homes, Acis Group, Gedling Borough Council, plus lots more.
RCT Homes took over the ownership and management of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s entire housing stock in 2007. Since then it has invested more than £11m on energy efficiency measures in tenants’ homes, cutting tenants’ combined energy bills by an estimated £5.6m per year. This is the second major social housing solar PV scheme to be announced by NWS in recent months, following it financing an agreement with the City of York Council last year.
NWS is an MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) accredited installer, which means its staff have undergone training in system design, installation and after-sales care. MCS is a body that certificates microgeneration technologies that are used to produce electricity and heat from renewable sources.
The company counts many local authorities, schools, businesses and homeowners amongst its customers. The company is renowned for the high quality of its installations and works with manufacturers of the very highest quality products, with its Solar Photovoltaic systems designed to last 25 years and beyond.
For more details or to request a quote, visit the website www.nws.co.uk or call Nationwide Solar on 01226 747300.