A case study of the Zero Chippenham Community Solar scheme solar installation on Sheldon Road Methodist Church, Chippenham.
Jan tells us about their experience…
Our church (Sheldon Rd Methodist Church, Chippenham) was investigating the idea of adding solar panels to our church roof at the beginning of 2018 and some of us attended a public meeting held in the town hall by Zero Chippenham. There were presentations and displays regarding installations of solar panels by ZC personnel and professional companies, and we were inspired to take our own installation forward. Of course it took ages to get all the permissions in place from our side, and Covid intervened, but finally we had secured funds and chose to go forward with Beazer Electricals. They installed the panels over about 5 days in August 2022, completing the task with very little disruption, and they worked and cleared up very professionally. We didn’t have enough funds for a battery at the time, so that is for the future. During the past year we have generated energy and savings as below:
Solar Panel generated over 12 months 7542 units (kWh)
Electricity used over 12 months August 2021 – 2022 = 13,219 units
Electricity used over 12 months August 2022 – 2023 = 10,789 units
Possible savings of 2,430 units though power consumption will vary anyway depending on the use of the building
2,430 units @ 14.317pence per unit = £347.90 savings equivalent to approx. 30 year payback on the £10,500 investment
We are grateful for all the support from ZC during this process. We recommend Beazer Electricals to anyone who asks about our installation!
Jan