More than 500 solar panels have been installed on council houses across Aberdeenshire thanks to a partnership between the council and Mears Group.
They are working together to improve the energy efficiency of social housing across Huntly, Inverurie, Kemnay and Turriff respectively.
The installation of the panels, which are called photovoltaic (PV) systems, significantly improves energy efficiency and can save approximately 0.8 tonnes of C02 per year for every home.
Upgrade of 1,000 homes
PV roofs also reduce the cost of energy throughout the day, bringing down costs for tenants.
Working with a specialist contractor, Mears Group is currently installing 14 PV roofs a week and is on target to complete the upgrade of 1,000 homes in Aberdeenshire next year.
The delivery of this contract supports Aberdeenshire Council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan, which focuses on delivering high-quality, energy efficient affordable housing in the region.
‘Energy efficiency improvements’
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said: “Aberdeenshire Council is committed to undertaking energy efficiency improvements to help reduce running costs, carbon emissions and the energy used in our council houses and flats as part of our improvement works plan.
“We are very pleased to be working with various partners, including Mears, to install a number of energy efficient measures within our homes and deliver measurable benefits to our tenants, and we are currently applying for additional funding to allow further improvement works to be undertaken.”
Mears Group general manager, Marcus Hainey added: “With an increase in the cost of living, reducing household bills is more important than ever, and PV roofing has proven to reduce costs for the council and tenants.”
Conversation