Solar panels project offers lower power bills for council tenants

Kirklees Council is proposing to spend 6m on photo-voltaic (solar cell) technology but says money can be earned back by selling the energy produced to the National Grid.

It has been estimated that the 6m scheme will earn more than 500,000 per year for the council for the next 25 years through the Government's "feed-in tariff" scheme.

When future maintenance costs are taken into account, the income generated is almost three times more than the initial capital costs, the council says.

Tenants will benefit from reduced bills, with the poorest neighbourhoods given priority for having solar cells fitted.

"Apart from the impacts on fuel poverty the scheme has major potential to stimulate the local economy in terms of job creation and upskilling, and help reduce carbon," according to the council.

Managers at Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing, the body which manages council homes, consider that the best approach would be to focus on properties which are the most difficult to heat, such as those heated by electric storage heaters, and those with high fuel bills.

Kirklees Council also plans to borrow up to 2m next year to install solar photo-voltaic cells on around 25 council buildings, including schools.

This project will also generate income for the council from selling the power.

Priority sites for solar panels include the council depot in Vine Street, Huddersfield, the Albion Street offices, the Civic Centre I site, Dewsbury sports centre and Huddersfield sports centre.

A list of "potential' sites" has also been drawn up. These are Batley sports and tennis centre, Civic Centre III, Whitcliffe Mount sports centre and Colne Valley sports centre.

The council is in the process of assessing which school sites will benefit most from solar panels.

Some of the buildings in the list of potential sites may have structural issues which will complicate the installation of solar panels. At Whitcliffe Mount, a survey may be needed because bats roost on the site and Civic Centre III has a reduced roof space.

A council report on the solar investment programme says: "The new 'feed-in tariff' has created an opportunity for solar panels to pay for the cost of borrowing the money to purchase them and also to generate an income stream, to create and support local jobs and to reduce fuel poverty and carbon emissions."

Money spent installing solar panels on council houses will not affect tenants' Right to Buy their council home.

However, the report says that not all poorly heated council homes will be able to benefit from the scheme.

"The proposal will cover estates across Kirklees, prioritising areas suffering from inequalities – some of the council's most deprived communities. The scheme will only be suitable, however, for properties with the correct roof orientation."

The council is proposing to reinvest income raised from the electricity in several ways. Some will be used to repay the capital spent, some will be spent on maintenance and some will be used to reduce fuel poverty across Kirklees.

The re-investment will allow Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing to explore other ways of improving heating and reducing bills/emissions in the small number of properties which cannot benefit from existing renewable energy technologies.

The report says that the 6m investment will create or sustain about 18 full-time jobs for at least one year.

On average council house tenants will save around 155 a year in reduced energy bills.

The council and Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing have set up a joint project management team to take the scheme forward.