Work is expected to start shortly to fit solar panels on hundreds of council homes as part of Brighton and Hove City Council’s drive to help residents with the cost of living.
The solar panels are also part of a push to cut carbon emissions and are due to be fitted to about 800 homes rented from the council.
The council said: “The potential benefits of solar panels for residents have significantly increased in light of the cost of living crisis and the rise in energy prices.
“Due to these increases, residents could now save up to £250 on their electricity bill and the equivalent of 0.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2e) per year.
“The priority for the programme is homes with an energy performance certificate rating of D or lower, those with electric heating and areas of the city with a higher likelihood of fuel poverty.
“The solar panel installation is part of the council’s continuing drive to improve the standard of our council housing and make sure residents live in well-insulated, efficiently heated, healthy homes.
“This also includes programmes to instal more energy-efficient heating and hot water systems, insulation and new windows.
“Solar panels will be installed on the roofs of homes selected for the project and wired directly into the fuse box, giving residents free electricity whenever the panels are generating power.
“When a household is using more electricity than is generated, power will still come from the national grid and be paid for in the normal way.
“Any surplus electricity generated by the panels will be exported to the national grid, helping the drive to lower carbon emissions.
“The solar panels don’t need direct sunlight to work and will still generate electricity on a cloudy day. However, the stronger the sunshine, the more electricity will be generated.
“All residents will be provided with information to help them make the best use of the solar panels and make greater savings on their energy bills.
“This includes using high-power appliances at times when the solar panels are generating most, typically in the middle of the day when it is sunny.”
Councillor Gill Williams, who chairs the council’s Housing and New Homes Committee, said: “During the ongoing cost of living crisis, energy costs are understandably a big concern for many residents.
“I’m delighted to see this huge programme of solar panel installation focused where it’s most needed on the homes with the lowest energy efficiency ratings where residents tend to have the highest energy bills.
“It’s part of our commitment to improving the energy performance of our council homes and reducing carbon emissions across the city.
“It will make a real difference – helping people to save on energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint.”
A total of 369 council houses and bungalows in Brighton and Hove already have solar panels, the council said.
They are also fitted on some blocks of council flats, providing electricity for communal areas.
Solar panels are also being included in the design of new council housing projects, the council added.
These include new energy-efficient flats completed earlier this year at Jay Court and Perching Court, in Victoria Road, Portslade, where electricity generated from solar panels is fueling communal lighting and power.
Brilliant news. I’m jealous lol.
When and who are liable for this our little estate is forgotten I wrote to one of the new councillors a while ago just to get the twitten through our estate just to get a clean up and weeds and overgrown bushes cut I am almost 80 and have swept up and pulled some weeds but find it very hard our little estate is the Newhaven estate between Albion Hill and Southover St and we don’t even have a road sweeper in our area or if we do he doesn’t walk through
We have lived here since 1980 when it was built and can honestly say have never seen it so bad there are several older people living here just feel nobody cares anymore
You’re part of Central so Simon Bannister Simon.Bannister@brighton-hove.gov.uk is your BHCC CEO for the area. Pop them an email, or they can be called on 01273 293925 or 07795 336202.
You are correct, nobody cares anymore, as for the panels they will do nothing over winter. Its just spend for spendings sake.
Hopefully residents will be provided with tools to determine when “free power” is available when they are at home – otherwise the panels will be of little use.
Will residents also receive income from the spare electricity exported to the grid?
If the council are worried about carbon emissions, why don’t they just encourage residents to switch to energy suppliers who provide zero carbon sustainable electricity?
I wonder where the funding for the scheme comes from considering the current state of council finances?
If I remember correctly, this was already ringfenced a while ago. They can’t be used for anything else.
With a £31m hole in budgets, perhaps time to un-ringfence this spend?
That’s not how ringfencing works, usually if there are leftovers or unspent amounts, it is lost completely to the council as it has to be given back to the grant giver.
I live in a small block of council flats just on the edge of North Portslade and Mile Oak. Our flats have no insulation and they are freezing cold. Each flat used to have a balcony but the council decided to put windows making them part of each flat. But of course as always they only did half a job as the balconies are single brick and I have an appalling mould problem and the tiny kitchen radiator is not enough to warm both kitchen and balcony. I brecently had new windows fitted which were measured front leaving massive gaps above the windows of more than 2 inches and they just stuck a thin stip of plastic over the gap and now cold winds blow through all the windows as well as through the massive gaps all around the front door.
The council doesn’t give a crap about its tenants. I got fed up with constant complaining and being ignored, they love good press but they don’t want the city knowing this is how most of their tenants are living.
I think it’s more of a case of the backlog that is quite challenging. Emergency repairs push back minor works. I think there’s more to do to help deal with the backlog, but they are making progress. Come to a Residents Area Panel, or submit a question to your local TA to pose.