More homes going green

Tai Tarian residents in Lower Brynamman and Cwmllynfell will soon see the benefits of greener energy after having solar panels (PV) installed on their roofs.

Jointly funded by us and Welsh Government, the panels will provide tenants with reduced electricity costs, a real positive in the current climate.

Traditionally, PV will generate most electricity during summer time, when days are longer and lighter, but electricity will also be generated when it’s cloudy - good news for us when sunny days can be limited in Wales!

Over the year, the panels should reduce electricity bills – but tenants will make bigger savings if they adapt their electricity use to make the most out of them, something our designated Tenant Liaison Officer, Olivia has been advising residents on:
“When our tenants use the electricity as it is being generated it’s free, but the panels will only generate a
certain amount of electricity, so if they use more than the panels are producing, they will have to pay for it.

“The homes have also been fitted with battery storage units, so electricity can be stored for use after dark when the panels will not be generating electricity.

“The real savings will come from tenants being smart with their household routine, carrying out jobs during
daylight hours and using appliances one at a time to get the most out of the panels and keeping their bill to a minimum.”

Solar panels on just one of these homes can reduce carbon emissions by 1.3 tonnes per year. In simple terms, that’s the equivalent of the amount of CO2 emissions that comes from using 536 gallons of petrol or charging 607,904 smartphones.

Great for our tenants and a positive step for us in reducing our carbon footprint and delivering on our aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

Cwmllynfell resident Mr Jones has had panels installed, he said:
“When we were asked to have solar panels installed, we were keen to get involved and have been really impressed with how straight forward the installation was, disruption was minimal really. The panels themselves were installed in just a couple of hours with electrical work in our kitchen taking about a day
to complete.

“Thanks to having a smart meter, already we are noticing a difference in what we are spending on electricity, so are looking forward to the summer when we will expect to save even more with longer brighter days.”

More solar panel installs are planned from April onwards, watch this space.