Almost 15 years ago Choice installed our first solar PV panels at new housing developments in Belfast and Bangor, with our portfolio of solar PV systems growing ever since.
Solar PV panels generate electricity from sunlight which can be used to reduce the amount of electricity which needs to be purchased, either directly within individual homes, or within the common areas of some of our housing schemes. Any electricity which cannot be used will ‘export’ back into the electricity grid and support Northern Ireland’s wider journey to decarbonisation.
Choice now have around 430 solar PV systems, with around 475,000kWh of renewable electricity generated in 2023/24. Where solar PV panels have been installed, direct and indirect savings for tenants is estimated to have been over £60,000 in 2023/24, with Choice also able to claim payments which contribute to the ongoing maintenance costs of these systems.
Alongside financial savings for tenants, it is estimated that over 50 tonnes of CO2 have been saved in 2023/24 through reduced demand for electricity, excluding the benefit of any renewable electricity exported back to the electricity grid.
As a result of planned installations at some of our new homes, we anticipate that our solar PV portfolio may grow to over 500 systems next year, with renewable electricity generation exceeding 500,000kWh.
If you have a solar PV system installed at your home then further information is available at https://www.choice-housing.org/energy
Choice have also installed a number of other renewable technologies in the last decade, including several hundred solar thermal systems and a small number of heat pumps. Solar thermal systems generate hot water from sunlight, which typically reduces the need for natural gas or heating oil and so delivers financial savings. Heat pumps are a renewable form of heating which replace the need for natural gas or heating oil, and are able to generate heat from a smaller amount of electricity.
Choice regularly engage with local Government to consider options to improve the energy efficiency of our homes and to install renewable technologies. Our use of renewables is anticipated to increase in the future, subject to financial support being made available and ongoing developments in the local energy market.
