Solar for Social Housing
Melin Homes
Gerddi'r Mynydd, Brecon, Wales - November 2010
Melin Homes is a housing association working towards making a positive difference for their tenants.
Melin will allow the tenants to use all of the electricity coming from the panels to reduce their bills. They will claim the entire income stream generated by the Feed-in Tariff and they will use this to fund additional renewable projects for their tenants.
Bron Afon, Torfaen
Torfaen, South Wales - March 2009
Bron Afon Community Housing is a social landlord, set up specifically to own, manage and improve the homes previously owned by Torfaen County Borough Council.
They were awarded funding from The Heads of the Valleys Regeneration Programme to update and improve the energy efficiency of their housing stock, to begin using on site renewables. Southern Solar was asked by Bron Afon Housing Association to design and install solar electric systems on some of their properties spread across 21 sites.
Somer Housing & Lovell Partnerships
Bath, August 2011 - April 2012
Somer Housing Association’s three developments in Bath came about due to a need to replace 191 homes. Aware of the need to protect tenants from rising energy bills and of the availability of the feed-in tariff to give themselves a return on their investment, they opted to take the opportunity to install solar PV on over 100 suitable properties, benefitting 171 separate households.
Information on Solar for Social Housing
Put tenants first with home energy generation
Solar installation isn’t just about technology – it’s about the people that live with it. Solar is an excellent opportunity for social landlords to lower their carbon footprint whilst helping out their tenants. We have worked on many social housing projects across the south and we know what a positive impact solar installation can have on everyone involved:
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Reducing tenants’ energy bills;​
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Improving the energy performance of older properties;
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Panels can be easily retrofitted onto existing housing stock, or incorporated into new build projects.
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Solar can help meet Code for Sustainable Homes and planning requirements;
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Apartment blocks offer an attractive investment opportunity to install larger PV systems on the landlord’s electricity supply. These systems minimise disruption to tenants and due to economies of scale they can help maximise ROI, whilst helping landlords keep down ongoing maintenance costs and standing charges for tenants.
Why Southern Solar?
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We are experts in this sector. We are pleased to say the majority of our business with social landlords is based on ongoing relationships, repeat business and recommendation. Please do not hesitate to ask for testimonials from previous happy clients;
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​We are able to work directly for social landlords or under a main contractor, integrating solar into the design, fitting into the schedule of works and saving costs where possible;
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​We provide tenant information days and simple user literature to help them understand their system and get the most out of it. We can also liaise with tenants and liaison officers over access and tenant needs;
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We are able to work on multiple installations and sites simultaneously to minimise disruption to your tenants and help reduce costs;
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Over 10 years’ experience in Solar PV and Solar Thermal system installation of all scales;
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We hold ‘Approved Contractor Status’ under the NICEIC; MCS accreditation; Solar Trade Association membership; Constructionline, CHAS and EXOR scheme membership; and all our installation staff are CSCS registered and H&S trained;
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All our work comes with a warranty and optional operations and maintenance contracts where required that can include live monitoring of your system to spot problems before you even know they’re there;
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With all our installers, project managers and electricians in-house, we offer full turn-key solutions you can trust;
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​We employ local people in all our regional branches and use local suppliers and manufacturers where possible.