According to Inside Housing, Durham County Council is, like many others, considering the installation of photovoltaic panels on 3,000 of its homes. The plans are aimed at reducing fuel poverty in the area while cutting residents carbon footprint and energy bills.
When the cabinet next meets on September 14 it will examine the proposal to fit the panels to selected homes. Each south-facing property will need to be checked for suitability before being considered for the scheme.
Clive Robson, Cabinet Member for housing said: “Solar panels reduce carbon emissions as they convert sunlight into electricity for use in the home, making the scheme financially attractive, all the more so over its 25-year lifetime as a feed-in tariff allows electricity to be sold back to the National Grid.”
“Communities in the north east are more likely to suffer fuel poverty than elsewhere in the country. However, County Durham is the best in the region, and second best in the country, for attracting funding to help people overcome it,” he continued.
The move is part of Durham Council’s wider strategy to combat fuel poverty in the County by reducing energy costs and improving insulation. The council hopes to access Government’s Green Deal energy efficiency scheme, which launches next year. Fuel poverty currently affects more than 27% of households in Durham area.