No sun but solar energy still gives tenants plenty to smile about
The sun may not have been shining much so far this summer but the installation of solar panels by Eaga plc is still helping people to save money and energy in a small Northumberland village.
Affordable housing provider Home recently joined forces with residential energy efficiency provider Eaga plc to install solar panels in 18 of the homes it owns and manages in Humshaugh, near Hexham in Northumberland.
The £60,000 scheme was designed to help tenants reduce their heating bills in an area where they have to rely on expensive electric storage heaters because there is no gas supply.
The first solar panels installed by Eaga, were fitted in May and even with the lack of sunshine over the past couple of months, tenants are already saying they have not needed to use their immersion heaters to warm their water.
In the longer term, it is estimated that the solar panels will reduce peoples’ heating bills by around £170 per year.
Stephen Dormer, Scheme Development Manager for Eaga Renewables, said: “It is extremely encouraging to see housing associations, such as Home, bringing the cost saving and environmental benefits of renewable energy to households in the North-East.
“Fitted correctly, solar thermal panels will convert enough heat from the sun to provide up to 60% of a typical household’s hot water needs. A four-square meter panel can also cut C02 emissions by one tonne annually. They can offer an extremely economical and efficient source of renewable energy, particularly for households which have no access to mains gas or which are in isolated rural areas and hard to reach.”
Energy expert Charlie Lamb, a contract surveyor with Home, said: “We are very pleased with the success of the solar panels, particularly at a time when the sunlight has been scarce.
“Even in overcast conditions, the panels can absorb 65% of available energy so when the sun hopefully does finally come out, our tenants should benefit even more.
“As a socially responsible landlord, Home is committed to using the latest new methods and technology to help towards saving the environment and reducing energy costs for our customers.”
Charlie, who is known as Home’s eco-warrior, has managed to secure grant funding of £29,000 from “The Low Carbon Buildings Programme”, which is run by the Energy Savings Trust, to put towards the costs of the solar panel installation.
Humshaugh tenant, Valerie Gemmel, said: “Anything that can lower our heating bills has to be a good thing. We don’t have access to a gas supply, so solar heating is certainly going to be worth it for us. We also try to do our bit for the environment, with recycling and fortnightly bin collections, and we fully support using a renewable energy source.”
Notes to Editors
- Eaga plc is the UK’s largest residential energy efficiency provider. The company is a leader in the provision of innovative and sustainable services, products and solutions that address the environmental, social and energy efficiency objectives of Government and the private sector both nationally and internationally.
- Working in partnership with central and local government Eaga is positioned at the heart of policy-making and front-end delivery of social and environmental improvement programmes. Eaga operates across the UK and in the Republic of Ireland, India and Canada employing over 3,500 people.
- Eaga was established in Newcastle in 1990 to lead government funded efforts to improve the living conditions of vulnerable people living in cold, damp and energy inefficient homes across England. Since its inception, Eaga has made a positive difference to over 5 million disadvantaged households across the UK, by installing energy efficiency measures and central heating.
- Eaga holds the contract to deliver the £1.5 billion Warm Front programme in England, the cornerstone of government's target to eliminate fuel poverty by installing energy efficiency measures in vulnerable homes by 2010. Eaga also works with devolved nation governments to deliver similar schemes across the UK.
- As a co-owned business, Eaga is one of only a handful of UK organisations where every employee with over a year’s service is entitled to a share in the success of the business. Eaga’s commitment to co-ownership is an integral part of the values that define the ethos of the business and what it means to be an Eaga employee.
- The Government has set targets for all local authorities to have all social rented homes meeting Decent Homes standards by 2010. This requires homes to be fit for habitation, in a reasonable state of repair, with reasonably modern facilities and services and a reasonable degree of thermal comfort.
- Since 2000, Eaga has invested over £3 million in the independent Eaga Partnership Charitable Trust which funds research into solutions to fuel poverty.
Media Contact
Rik Kendall
Group Media Relations Manager
Eaga plc
07852 134 154
0191 245 8342