I was fortunate this week to be invited to the South West Net Zero hub Energising Britain event. It was a very positive event with some excellent celebratory case studies. So it seemed a good moment in time to look at the impact of our volunteer run Community Solar discount scheme. We have detailed installation […]
Category Archives: Solar Scheme Case Studies
Zero Chippenham Community Solar PV case studies
16
May
May
Introduction This is a very specific quite technical post related to the Intelligent Octopus Go electricity tariff and the free open source smart home technology Home Assistant. However, this question comes up almost daily on many different community forums related to EVs, EV Chargers, Home Energy, Heat Pumps, and Octopus; so I thought it time […]
18
Sep
Sep
If you’re home owner that’s had solar panels installed for some time you may be wondering – do they need maintenance? You may have even been contacted by a company trying to sell you a maintenance package. If you have a commercial roof your insurance company may have introduced a solar panel maintenance clause. What’s […]
08
Jun
Jun
This interesting case study is written for us by Mark Harris of Melksham. It demonstrates how a large domestic solar installation can take you off grid for much of the year. Mark’s installation didn’t come through the Zero Chippenham Community solar scheme, but we do cover the Melksham area. Mark tells us his experience… Background […]
12
May
May
It’s been a beautiful sunny month in Chippenham and a great month for solar generation. In this post and video our solar admin Matthew takes a look at the different strategies he uses to make the best of that FREE solar electricity and minimise household energy bills. Introduction I first installed solar on our house […]
06
Apr
Apr
So the question is – Can I install Solar Panels on a listed building in the Chippenham conservation area? Updated – April 2024 The answer is, most likely yes, with a few caveats, but you will need to apply for planning permission. In this post I will look at three recent successful planning applications for […]
04
Apr
Apr
A new British Standard for the fire safety of home battery storage installations, which came into force on the 31st March 2024, will have significant impact on how and where new home batteries are installed. The new standard PAS 63100:2024 is available as free download from the British Standards Institute. Home Batteries Home Electrical Energy […]
18
Feb
Feb
So you have solar panels on your roof and you’re thinking of buying an electric vehicle (ev), can you charge your ev from solar? Well the short answer is yes, but with a few caveats. When you buy your first Electric Vehicle (EV) or Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), it will probably come with […]
12
Jan
Jan
With the government announcing that VAT will be zero rated from February on retrofitted household electrical battery storage solutions, it seems an appropriate time to write up my own experience of retrofitting and living with an AC battery in our 1930s Chippenham house. Following an industry wide consultation in 2023 the UK government announced the […]
21
Nov
Nov
We’re delighted to have passed the milestone of 50 completed Solar installations from our Community Solar PV buying scheme! The scheme was launched by Zero Chippenham in 2019 with two key aims… To reduce the cost of solar installations using the group buying power of a community To independently vet and check installers to identify […]
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