Council supports ‘Solar Together’ campaign for Cheshire residents

Cheshire East Council is supporting a group-buying scheme designed to make it easier for residents to install solar panels on their homes.

Group-buying aims to make purchasing solar panels and batteries much more accessible and affordable than if residents were to buy solar panels on their own. 

There have already been 43 Solar Together schemes across 11 local authorities in the UK since 2015. As part of these schemes, more than 250,000 panels have been installed, which has avoided 460,000 tonnes of carbon overall.

Cheshire East Council has collaborated with neighbouring Cheshire authorities and independent experts iChoosr, to make the transition to clean energy as cost effective and hassle-free as possible for homeowners and businesses across the region.

Cheshire East residents can now register their interest for the scheme, which offers solar panels with optional battery storage and electric vehicle charge points, as well as retrofit battery storage for residents, who have already invested in solar panels and are looking to get more from the renewable energy they generate.

All residents living in Cheshire East who own their own house or have permission from their landlord to install a solar photovoltaic (PV) system can register for the scheme.

Although solar panels require upfront investment to install, they can increase the value of your home and save money on the cost of your energy bills. 

These are the steps to joining the scheme and potentially enjoying energy savings:

1. Residents can register their details on the Solar Together website 
2. Solar Together hold a reverse auction with pre-vetted installers, who compete to offer registrants the most competitive price.
3. Registrants receive a personal recommendation for their home, based on the information provided during registration.
4. Registrants can then decide if they want to accept the recommendation, which will include information about the winning installer, the proposed installation, costs and savings. A small refundable deposit will be required at this stage. There is no obligation to go forward with the recommendation. 
5. If the recommendation is accepted, the winning installer will arrange a roof survey and set an installation date. All installations aim to be complete within six months of acceptance.

Councillor Mick Warren, chair of Cheshire East Council’s environment and communities committee, said:

“This is a scheme which resonates very strongly with our determination to be a carbon neutral borough by 2045 and I would recommend that residents explore group-buying as a route to generating their own energy.

“I’m sure there are many residents in Cheshire East who have often thought about going solar previously but perhaps weren’t quite sure how to get the ball rolling as far as turning their interest into something more tangible. This scheme represents an excellent opportunity to do just that.

“By producing their own clean electricity, not only will residents be helping to meet Cheshire East’s borough-wide 2045 target, but they will also be helping reduce climate damaging pollution in line with international and national targets.

“So, if you’ve been thinking about installing solar panels on your home, consider registering to Solar Together to see if the scheme can benefit both you directly, as well as the wider environment.”

For more information about the Solar Together scheme, visit: 

www.solartogether.co.uk/cheshire-east 

...or to find out other ways you can take positive climate action, read about: 

carbon neutral by 2045 target