ENERGY bills have been slashed by as much as 27 per cent at 1,000 Warrington homes thanks to investment by the borough council and social housing provider Golden Gates Housing Trust.
The council invested £5.25 million in July last year in a project to install solar panels on 1,500 homes and three sheltered housing schemes in the borough.
Now more than half completed, panels have been installed on 1,000 homes – and the council and housing trust got together to present flowers to tenants at the 1,000th property, at Sunnyside, Great Sankey.
Kay White was pleased when her bungalow was chosen for the project.
She said: “I feel like I have won the lottery thanks to my newly fitted solar panels. I was very impressed with the work that was carried out on my home and thanks to the solar panels and the energy advice I have been given I have saved 27 per cent on my energy bills.”
Having solar panels means tenants will save an estimated £233 a year on their energy bills. The solar photovoltaic panels capture the sun’s energy and convert the sunlight into electricity.
The funding has come from the council’s capital investment programme.
Cllr Russ Bowden (pictured), the council’s lead member for corporate resources and assignments, said:“Many residents are struggling with the cost of living and have faced substantial increases in their energy bills. We are pleased to work with partners like GGHT to get the best for Warrington residents. The project has a significant social benefit in tackling fuel poverty by giving residents a big reduction in their bills.
“This scheme finances two energy advisers to support residents, whilst GGHT has also created a number of jobs in solar PV installation. “Innovative projects like this are making a huge difference to residents and at no overall cost to the council, since they are self-financing due to the income we receive from the feed-in tariffs.”
Golden Gates chairman Roy Smith said: “GGHT has already helped many households across Warrington lower their fuel bills and making their homes more energy efficient. Working in partnership with WBC we can allow even more households to save energy and money.”
