Mount Pleasant Health Centre in Exeter has fitted solar modules to its roof to help tackle its escalating energy bills.
The medical centre is an intensive energy user, as a result its management turned to solar to help cut the centre’s carbon emissions as part of its commitment to the public.
Local solar installer SunGift Solar was enlisted to design and install a suitable PV array. The company installed a 10kWp solar array on the centre’s roof that is used to power the centre’s lighting, IT, infrastructure and specialist equipment such as EGC machines.
Mount Pleasant Health Centre is an ideal candidate for solar because its peak demand is during daylight hours – when solar PV systems are generating the most electricity.
The centre invested in the array itself and will benefit from the associated feed-in tariff payments. SunGift Solar predicts that the centre will payback on its investment within seven years. In addition, the 10kWp solar array is expected to generate enough energy to power the equivalent of five homes.
When the centre began to research options for renewable energy solutions, Practice Manager Julie Croze was daunted by the plethora of options available for a PV installations. She said: “Not knowing anything about solar energy, the terminology was daunting.”
However, following an expert survey that suggested two potential options, the centre opted for a larger system. Croze explained: “If you have the space why not capitalise on it. It really is first class, looks great and has been installed in such a neat and tidy way.”
Joe Perry of SunGift concluded: “Rising numbers of health centres are looking to Solar PV to reduce their overheads and bring in additional income. We’re seeing systems that are achieving a 20% return on investment which means systems are paid off in as little as five years and the additional income can be used to help with practices’ general running costs.”