Waveney District Council’s Manor Court sheltered housing scheme in Lowestoft, has not only increased the efficiencies of energy usage through the use of renewable technologies from Grant UK, but is also generating revenue from the production of electricity via the Governments’ ‘Feed-in Tariff’ (FIT) scheme.
The Council in conjunction with Dodd Group Eastern Ltd (MCS accredited) who are Waveney’s current nominated contractor for heating and energy works, installed a nine collector Aurora Solar Thermal System and three 300 litre DuoWave solar cylinders providing approximately 7,740kWh of energy per annum to assist with hot water delivery for residents. This was installed in conjunction with a Grant Solar PV (Photovoltaic) System comprising twenty GPV 180 modules to generate electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity providing approximately 3,328kWh of energy per annum. This means that Waveney District Council can now, not only reduce the amount of electricity it needs to purchase, but also generate income from the production of electricity.
Grant solar thermal collectors are available in a choice of two finishes; bronze and aluminium, and have an excellent efficiency performance of 81%. This, together with the robustness of the collectors, makes Grant Solar Thermal systems a favourite with many Local Authorities. The on-roof system also has the added benefit of utilising the same anchors and rails as are used on the Grant Solar PV system, thus making it a cost-effective way of combining both solar technologies.
The planned heating upgrade to the 36 units at Manor Court provided the Council with their first opportunity to use renewable products on a sheltered scheme and came as part of Waveney’s commitment to reduce their carbon footprint, and energy costs for tenants.
The generation from the photovoltaic (PV modules) will assist in reducing the communal electricity consumption for lighting, laundry areas, communal rooms etc. The cost of installation was absorbed by the tenants Housing Revenue Account, and the benefits of reduced energy costs, and income generated through the ‘Feed-in Tariff’ scheme (guaranteed for 25 years) will be reinvested in other capital improvement areas for tenants.
Commenting on the project, John Brown, Principal Services Manager, Waveney District Council said: 'This is Waveney’s first real opportunity to undertake a project of this type utilising both solar thermal and photovoltaic technologies. Waveney is committed to assisting tenants in reducing their energy usage wherever possible and we selected systems from Grant UK on the basis of cost, performance and previous experience with the Dodd Group Eastern Ltd.’
Steve Webster, Renewable Energy Contract Manager, Dodd Group Eastern Ltd went on to add: ‘Our past experience with Grant UK gave us the confidence that all product would be available from stock, delivered on time, with good spares and service backup in the unlikely event of problems during the installation. Assured material supply was particularly important as the intrusive scaffolding could only be in place for a limited timescale.’
