London Housing Association tenants of the Brentfield Estate near the North Circular in Brent have reportedly seen a £120 saving per property on their electricity bills following the installation of solar photovoltaics roof tiles on over 80 homes. Combined, that brings the annual total saving to £10,000 on fuel bills across the estate a year, with savings expected to rise with electricity prices.
The panels featured on these houses were installed in autumn 2009 by Solarcentury through Brent Housing Partnership (BHP). Since the feed-in tariff (FiT) currently pays out 41.3p per kilowatt hour of solar electricity produced, the organisation will receive a pre tax income of £64,000 a year across the estate, some of which is being reinvested in energy efficiency for further tenant savings.
Gerry Doherty, Chief Executive of Brent Housing Partnership said, “This is just the beginning of our retrofit programme. We want as many of our residents to see their bills cut using solar photovoltaics as possible. But we can only do this because the income from the Feed-in tariff allows us to reinvest in energy efficiency programmes. That's why it’s such a great scheme, we get to keep reinvesting one project after another because of the solid, sustainable income stream. We need such a sustainable model to really cut C02 emissions and help protect our tenants from rising energy prices.”
Mrs Mariam Shah, Resident of Brentfield Estate said, “I am very pleased with the work; there has been a great deal of improvement. I feel that the works have created a sense of community and everyone has a more positive outlook now and are happier. I am also proud that my home is environmentally friendly and I am part of such a beneficial project.”
Shaun Gillam, Senior Project Manager, Brent Housing Partnership said, “Solar power is a great way of investing in the future for our tenants. It is a way for us to reduce our residents’ expenditure on energy and meet energy efficiency targets whilst making a profit at the same time. With over 13000 BHP homes in Brent, we’re able to make a real difference to the quality of our tenants’ lives, by reinvesting our income in further energy efficiency projects.”
