The council plans to fit solar panels to a thousand homes over the next three years to cut fuel bills for tenants and to reduce carbon emissions.
Brighton and Hove City Council said: “At present over 400 of the city’s council homes have solar panels and the aim is to add panels to 1,000 more homes over the next three years.
“Preparatory work for the project will begin this year, with installations due to start next year.
“A new sustainability and energy team is taking forward a range of carbon reduction projects for housing in the city.”
The projects are among the steps being taken to help the council meet its goal of Brighton and Hove being carbon-neutral by 2030.
The council said: “As well as solar panels, we’re reviewing heating systems and starting to instal other forms of low-carbon heating in council homes.
“We’ve already installed over 20 air source heat pumps which reduce emissions and lower energy bills.
“There are plans to instal up to 100 more air source heat pumps this year (2022-23), focusing on homes with inefficient electric heating and lower energy efficiency ratings.
“And we’re carrying out an options appraisal which will see 265 flats in blocks in north Whitehawk move from gas to low-carbon heating and hot water over the next two to three years.
“The project will significantly reduce carbon emissions and give residents greater control over the heating and hot water in their home.
“We have made significant investment in upgrading existing gas boilers which are still in good working order.
“This means 99 per cent of boilers in council homes are now ‘A-rated’ and they are serviced regularly to maintain efficiency.
“A new heating and hot water contract will start next year and – as and when they need replacing – boilers and other heaters in council homes will be replaced with low-carbon energy-efficient options.
“There have been improvements in the average energy performance certificate (EPC) ratings of our council homes.
“And the sustainability and energy team is developing an energy plan which will prioritise measures to improve properties with low energy performance ratings of D to F.”
The council said that, as well as reducing carbon emissions from council homes, it was also working to reduce emissions from supporting activity.
One example was the council’s housing repairs and maintenance fleet which now included four electric cars, three electric vans and two electric bikes.
The council added: “We are part of a consortium which successfully bid for government money to fund improvements to private sector homes for households with low income and low energy performance certificate-rated homes.
“The Warmer Homes Programme was launched in May and will run until March 2023.
“The funding can provide up to either £10,000 or £25,000 of funding to eligible households for energy improvements to their homes. To find out more, visit www.warmerhomes.org.uk.
“Funding is also available for homeowners and private tenants on low incomes struggling to afford to keep their homes warm through the ‘warm safe home’ grant.
“The grant is means-tested and can be used to fund electrical and gas safety checks and repairs, boiler repairs, replacement loft and cavity wall insulation – and installation of air source heat pumps, where feasible.
“The maximum grant available was increased from £7,000 to £20,000 last year, using warmer homes programme funding.
“Applications for funding are managed through the disabled facilities grants process. To find out more about the Warm, Safe Home grants, contact our disabled facilities grant team by emailing disabledfacilitiesgrant@brighton-hove.gov.uk or calling 01273 294366.”
Green councillor Siriol Hugh-Jones, who co-chairs the council’s Housing Committee, said: “We are committed to providing well-insulated, efficiently heated sustainable housing.
“We are already taking action to reduce carbon emissions from our council homes and projects to instal more solar panels and air source heat pumps, for example, will make a real difference.
“With rising bills and the cost of living crisis, we also want to ensure these projects help residents with energy costs. We will be working with tenants – and their feedback will be important as we instal newer technologies.
“And there is support available for energy improvements to private homes through the warmer homes programme and warm safe home grants. We encourage people to check to see if they are eligible to apply.
“We are not complacent. We know there is still lots more to do and as well as pressing ahead with existing projects, we will continue to look for further ways of cutting emissions from housing in the city.”
I understand that for residents of council buildings the panels are provided free of charge and hence will reduce the amount of electricity used.
However, how many years will it take for the savings in electricity costs to exceed that of the Solar PV installations?
Will installations include batteries to allow excess power to be used overnight?
Who gets the income from any excess power returned to the grid?
And is this the must cost effective way of reducing the city’s carbon emissions? Would just switching to an energy supplier who delivers sustainable electricity be better?
Will this be ‘cost neutral’ or will the non-council tax payers be picking up the cost not covered by the Government Grant?
Should be ‘non-council residents’ ..
Best source pumps are ridiculously expensive and very inefficient. Trust this council to like them.