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Welsh landlord targets 50% reduction in energy bills with solar technology retrofit
A Welsh landlord is hoping to provide households with around 50% off their electricity bills, thanks to the retrofit of new solar technology.
Wales & West Housing has announced that the project will connect 24 flats to lower-cost solar energy at Odet Court in Cardiff, with the potential to meet 55% to 75% of each flat’s electricity demand.
This is alongside an estimated electricity bill saving of around 50%.
The project has been funded by the Welsh government as part of its Optimised RetroFit Programme, which climate change minister Julie James has described it as “an exciting first of its kind project for Wales and exactly the type of thinking we need to see within the housing sector”.
She added: “At a time when costs are rising, improving the energy efficiency of homes will not only help us to deal with the climate emergency but also help families through the cost of living crisis.”
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The solar technology is being supplied by Allume Energy. The firm claims that it is the world’s only technology for connecting multiple residential units within a single building to a single rooftop solar PV system.
Previous options involved installing individual solar systems into each unit. In the case of Odet Court, this would have meant installing 24 sets of panels, 24 inverters and 24 batteries.
Jack Taylor, general manager – Europe at Allume Energy. “We hope it will serve as a template for governments and social housing providers in the UK to provide cost-effective energy-efficiency upgrades to multi-unit residences.
“Simple and affordable solutions are available, so it’s great to see governments and housing associations embracing innovative technologies which help tackle fuel poverty and climate change.”
Allume Energy explained that the technology not only reduces the amount of hardware and footprint required, it has also reduced installation costs as compared with a typical solar system.
Neither does it require any changes to the existing supply and metering infrastructure, making it suitable for both retrofit projects and new builds.
Joanna Davoile, executive director (assets) at Wales & West Housing, said: “At a time when many people are facing difficult choices of whether to heat their homes or feed themselves and their families, it is only right that we explore ways to make our homes more energy efficient for our residents where possible.”
She added that this system seems to be a much fairer solution as the energy generated by the building can be shared equally to help residents keep their electricity costs down, rather than going back to the grid.
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