Location: Torfaen, South Wales

Date: March 2009

Category: Social housing

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.

Our Solution

Southern Solar installed solar electric systems ranging in size from 3kWp to 10kWp, on a number of flats and elderly care homes. The project had a total installed output of 75kWp. The solar systems installed on the flats provide electricity for the communal areas such as lighting in hallways, whereas the systems on the elderly care homes feed directly into the main fuse board and the electricity is used within the building.

The systems were retrofitted on both pitched roofs and flat roofs meaning the installation was quick and cost effective. The larger systems were fixed using special flat roof mounting systems, these hold the panels at a lower angle; allowing for more panels in a given area whilst minimising shading issues. Bron Afon was awarded £220,000 from the Welsh Assembly Government, and Southern Solar helped to secure a further £220,000 from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. The installation of the 21 systems was delivered by Southern Solar’s installation teams over a six week period.

Facts

• 21 solar electric systems installed, total of 444 Sharp panels

• C02 saving of 33484kg per annum

• Installed area of 580m2

• Estimated annual output of 64194 kWh

• 100% funded, 50% from The Valleys Regeneration programme and 50% from LCBP Phase 2