THE sunny weather of the last few weeks means residents in Kilmersdon will be enjoying cheaper energy bills thanks to our programme of solar panel installation.
We have invested more than £88,000 in installing Solar PV, which use the photovoltaic effect to convert sunlight directly into electricity, at ten homes in the village.
Maintenance Manager Darrel Smith said the programme follows work last year to install the panels as 15 homes in Ammerdown Terrace.
“We've allocated some money every year now to try and do things like this to make it cheaper for our tenants,” said Darrel. “They look quite nice and when the sun shines it means our tenants are getting cheaper bills if they are doing the washing and the hoovering.”
He said tenants who have only had the panels a few weeks are seeing the difference. “We’re getting some good feedback, which is pleasing,” he said.
Some homes in Silver Street, Kilmersdon, got some unexpected work when workmen discovered problems with the roofs as they were fitting the panels there. “We've had to replace the felt and batons because we found a few issues and in one case the plaster was crumbling so we’ve made sure that is all replaced,” he said.
“It’s a great project and we think that over the years to follow the residents could save a tidy sum of money.”
Residents with solar panels are advised to use their electrical appliances during the day rather than in the evenings, especially if it is a sunny day. Timers can be easily purchased from hardware stores which can be set to activate household appliances during daytime hours.
We've also produced a helpful guide to solar panels, which can be found here.