Devon-based energy efficiency project wins national award

Local social landlord North Devon Homes and National Energy Action (NEA), the fuel poverty charity, were delighted to win the Solar & Storage Award for ‘Residential Installation of the Year’ last month. The charities have worked together over the last few years on pilot projects to improve homes, lower energy bills and keep residents warmer. The installations for the latest project were carried out by Barnstaple based RES Devon Ltd.

The award winning ‘Evaluating solar PV with electric heating’ project was funded by the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress scheme. It installed 18 solar PV systems, with 11 of these also having Mixergy smart hot water cylinders, which used free solar electricity for water heating. All but three of the homes having installations reached band A, the highest for Energy Performance Certificates.

National Energy Action collected one of the 13 awards which were presented in association with Solar & Storage Live exhibition at the Birmingham NEC in late September. This is the UK’s largest solar energy exhibition, showcasing the latest products and innovations in solar PV and electricity storage. With the energy price cap rising at the beginning of October to £1,755 a year for a typical household, projects like these are needed more than ever.

David Wilkins, Head of Asset Management at North Devon Homes, says, ‘We’re very proud to receive this award in recognition of our partnership with National Energy Action. At North Devon Homes, we’re committed to investing in innovative solutions that make a real difference to our customers’ lives. This project has not only improved energy efficiency but also helps families stay warmer and feel more comfortable in their homes while reducing their energy costs.’

A customer says, ‘Being able to heat hot water from the sun has been fantastic. Since the installation there has been seamless interaction between the solar panels and the battery. On a sunny day in summer, the solar and battery can provide most of the electricity. Some weeks, the solar and battery meant we used only £3-£4 of electricity in the week.’

Paul Rogers, Senior Innovation and Technical Evaluation Coordinator at National Energy Action, supported North Devon Homes with the installation programme and led the project evaluation. He says, ‘The combination of solar PV, battery storage, heat pumps and time-of-use electricity tariffs worked very well on this project. It led to significant savings for residents and warmer homes. We were delighted that the difference this made to households was recognised by this award.’

The partners are looking to further explore the benefits of these technologies in a new project, which started this month.