Hundreds of homes to be fitted with solar panels in Brighton

Brighton and Hove Council have announced plans to install solar panels on 500 council-owned houses by 2023.  

If the proposal is given the go-ahead, the solar panels will be installed on the roof of each home and will be wired directly into the fuse box, giving tenants free-electricity whenever the panels are generating power.

If the household is using more electricity than is being generated, additional power will come from the national grid and will be paid for in the normal way and any surplus electricity will be exported to the national grid.

The council has said that these solar panels will help to cut fuel bills for each household by £150 per year and will reduce the total carbon emissions by 300 tonnes a year.

Cllr Gill Williams, chair of the Housing Committee, said: ‘We know many residents struggle with energy costs and that can have a real impact on their health and wellbeing.

‘This proposal is a really practical way of helping to reduce people’s fuel bills, at the same time as cutting carbon emissions in the city, which is one of our top priorities. It’s a real win-win.’

Cllr Siriol Hugh-Jones, the joint opposition spokesperson for housing, added: ‘This is a great start and one of the many practical ways we achieve our commitment of becoming a carbon-neutral city by 2030.

‘In due course, we look forward to the council offering solar panels and the associated fuel savings to many more council tenants, in line with Labour and the Green Party’s pledge to address fuel poverty.’

Photo Credit – Pixabay