Low-income homeowners and private renters in Nottingham can apply to the City Council to have solar panels fitted to their properties free of charge, in a bid to reduce energy bills and reduce carbon emissions.

Nottingham City Council has secured £4,367,540 from the Government’s Green Homes Grant to fit solar panels to around 655 properties in the city.

This is the latest in a series of schemes which has seen the council use Government funding to install solar panels on over 4,000 social housing properties since 2012. The rollout, due to start next month, comes as energy prices are rising and concerns increase about the need for greener ways to heat and power homes.

Installing solar panels is expected to save around £240 a year in electricity costs per household and would equate to a carbon saving of 440 tonnes over 655 properties.

To be eligible for the scheme, the property must be in the City of Nottingham and have a low energy performance and the household income must be less than £30,000 a year. Anyone interested in applying or finding out more can contact customersupport@nottinghamcity.gov.uk or call 0115 666 7298.

City Council Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Environment, Energy and Waste Services, Cllr Sally Longford, said: “We have many low-income households in Nottingham who are facing a combination of factors which place a further squeeze on their over-stretched budgets. Many also live in homes with a poor energy performance and so this scheme is timely and will help to reduce energy bills while providing peace of mind about the green source of their energy.

“It’s another step on our just transition towards carbon neutrality while improving the lives of our residents.”

Further info:

For low-income owner-occupiers, 100% subsidy up to £10,000 per home is available. For tenants (social or private), a minimum contribution by the landlord of a third of the cost of upgrades is expected.

Eligibility

Funding can be applied for if the following criteria is met. (Nottingham City Council will assess each application for eligibility on a case by case basis once the application has been received).

Criteria

  • The property is located within the Nottingham City Boundary and,
  • The occupier is the home owner or,
  • The property is privately rented, and
  • The home has a low (Energy Performance Certificate) EPC rating of E, F or G and,
  • The household income is less than £30,000 per year (including any income related benefits) or,
  • The property is within the LSOA IMD 1 database (we do not need to see proof of income)
  • A proportion of Band D properties are included in this scheme