Stirling Observer

Milestone for solar panels

Bungalow gets 1,500th installati­on

- Gareth Jones

The effort to make council housing in Stirling more environmen­tally friendly and energy efficient is continuing.

This week the 1,500th solar PV installati­on of a Stirling Council property was completed at a new build bungalow in Firs Crescent, Bannockbur­n. The installati­on is also one of 50 properties that are also piloting the addition of a battery storage system to maximise the energy efficiency benefits of a solar PV installati­on.

Housing portfolio holder, Councillor Violet Weir said: “With electricit­y costs forming such a high proportion of household budgets, it’s important that we do all we can to reduce energy costs through a range of measures, and I’m delighted to witness this latest solar panel installati­on.

“Combined with the battery storage system, our tenants are benefiting from the latest technology to reduce their energy costs. The savings will actually increase each year as the cost of electricit­y is expected to continue to rise so, this really is an investment that will continue to benefit our tenants for years to come.”

Overall, the 1,500 installati­ons to date will generate nearly four million units of electricit­y each year, enough to meet the average annual electricit­y needs of 1000 homes.

The council has invested more than £8m to date on solar panels and has committed to invest a further £4.25m over the next two years, which will allow 1,200 properties to benefit from the technology.

 ??  ?? Hot stuff Marking the 1,500th solar panel installati­on are FES project manager Michael Hudson, foreman Harry Bruce, FES divisional manager Ian Mailer, Councillor Violet Weir, housing manager Gregor Wightman and Martin Allman of Sonnen
Hot stuff Marking the 1,500th solar panel installati­on are FES project manager Michael Hudson, foreman Harry Bruce, FES divisional manager Ian Mailer, Councillor Violet Weir, housing manager Gregor Wightman and Martin Allman of Sonnen

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