Nottingham has the most solar rooftops per household in the country according to Government statistics, after 1,000 more council houses were fitted with solar panels.
A partnership project between Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Homes to lower energy bills and tackle climate change has seen solar panels installed on a further 1,000 council house rooftops – taking the total to 4,000.
In total, the 4,000 solar roofs are estimated to generate ten million kWhs of green energy each year and avoid the production of four thousand tonnes of CO2 emissions which would be produced from the generation of more traditional energy sources. The combined households are saving an estimated £480,000 on electricity bills.
Nottingham has taken a leading role in the growth of the UK’s domestic green energy production. Recently released Department of Energy and Climate Change figures show that per number of households, Nottingham has the most solar rooftops.
A significant proportion of these solar rooftops are due to partnership projects between Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Homes.
Households benefit from the free and green electricity generated and due to the Government’s Feed-in Tariff scheme (FiTs) which rewards investment in renewable energy, the installation costs are more than covered and extra income is generated for the council.
Councillor Alan Clark, Portfolio Holder for Energy and Sustainability said: “This latest phase has been a real success and it’s great news that a further 1,000 households will benefit from free green electricity. The combined households are saving an estimated £480,000 on electricity bills, and I’m pleased that this amount of money is staying with Nottingham households rather than being spent on electricity.
“For the council, having an income from the FiTs not only pays for the installation but also generates income to the council to protect front line services. During this phase, the Government announced a huge reduction in the FiT payment, but the council was well placed at this time to accelerate the scheme and get the maximum amount of rooftops possible registered for the higher rate payment.
“The council has a commitment to lower energy bills and reduce carbon emissions for the city and large green energy schemes such as this really help us achieve these targets.”
Mrs Christine Bramerton a Nottingham City Homes tenant from Bilborough who has recently had solar panels fitted said: “We were really pleased to be getting the chance to save money on our bills. To get the best use from the panels, we’ve changed how and when we use energy, now we use our electric appliances much more in the day so that we get the maximum savings.
“Lots of the neighbouring houses have had panels too and the street looks great. The council seem to be making a real push for the city to be greener and we are really pleased to have taken part in this green scheme.”