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Solar Made Easy -
Join our project |
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Since 2021 we’ve been working closely with Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) to help households and small businesses take the leap and install solar photovoltaic panels on their rooftops.
We know that a major barrier to investing in solar is the uncertainty of where to start and who to trust. Together with CAfS we helped develop the ‘Solar Made Easy’ model which has now been rolled out across Cumbria into communities right across the County.
‘Solar Made Easy’ aims to provide both the information you need to decide whether solar power is the right thing for you, and to assist you in finding reliable solar PV installers. Ambleside was the very first Community to trial this model using two ‘pioneer’ households to assess our partners in early 2022, and since then over 50 installations have been completed under the programme.
We know that a major barrier to investing in solar is the uncertainty of where to start and who to trust. Together with CAfS we helped develop the ‘Solar Made Easy’ model which has now been rolled out across Cumbria into communities right across the County.
‘Solar Made Easy’ aims to provide both the information you need to decide whether solar power is the right thing for you, and to assist you in finding reliable solar PV installers. Ambleside was the very first Community to trial this model using two ‘pioneer’ households to assess our partners in early 2022, and since then over 50 installations have been completed under the programme.
The slide below from Cumbria Action for Sustainability gives an overview of how the project can help you through the process of getting solar panels.
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Want to know more about solar PV?
If you are new to the world of solar power, together with CAfS we have also developed a list of frequently asked questions about solar PV, which include indications of cost and payback period for a typical system, with or without a storage battery. If you are thinking about installing solar panels this is a great place to start.
If you are new to the world of solar power, together with CAfS we have also developed a list of frequently asked questions about solar PV, which include indications of cost and payback period for a typical system, with or without a storage battery. If you are thinking about installing solar panels this is a great place to start.
How do Ambleside householders feel about their solar PV?
We conducted a survey of those homes in Ambleside that we found with existing solar PV installations. This is what we found out from those who responded:
“Very satisfied. Would do it again and tie up with schemes such as Octopus to sell electric power to the grid”
“Renewables are a long-term investment in the future and save money”
“Very happy with system. Paid for itself within 7 years as well as saving some electricity costs, generating "clean" electricity and feeding into the grid. Without the Feed in Tariff, I would need to know that the system would pay for itself within a reasonable period through electricity bill savings - for that, a battery would be needed.”
If you live in the Ambleside area, are seriously considering a solar panel installation, and want to join the Solar Made Easy programme then visit the CAfS Solar Made Easy page where you will find details on how to enlist and complete an initial questionnaire about your household or business.
We conducted a survey of those homes in Ambleside that we found with existing solar PV installations. This is what we found out from those who responded:
- 90% found the installation process easy and had no issues (the one issue was a couple of cracked roof tiles).
- 80% have had no maintenance issues (one person reported that they had a couple of optimisers fail that were fixed under warranty, and another person has an issue with their original supplier having gone out of business).
- 100% are satisfied or very satisfied with the system, with most saying that they would still invest today even without the feed-in tariff.
- 30% have battery storage added to their systems
“Very satisfied. Would do it again and tie up with schemes such as Octopus to sell electric power to the grid”
“Renewables are a long-term investment in the future and save money”
“Very happy with system. Paid for itself within 7 years as well as saving some electricity costs, generating "clean" electricity and feeding into the grid. Without the Feed in Tariff, I would need to know that the system would pay for itself within a reasonable period through electricity bill savings - for that, a battery would be needed.”
If you live in the Ambleside area, are seriously considering a solar panel installation, and want to join the Solar Made Easy programme then visit the CAfS Solar Made Easy page where you will find details on how to enlist and complete an initial questionnaire about your household or business.
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