Householders save with Solar Together scheme

Published: Friday, 29 September 2023

Householders across Leicestershire have saved thousands of pounds on solar panels thanks to the latest round of a group buying initiative.

The Solar Together 22 Scheme saw 460 total installations across the county. The price achieved for a typical 14-panel system was a huge 27% discount on typical market costs.

These new installations will deliver an estimated 7,385 tonnes of carbon reduction over the next 25 years.

Some 71% of participants across the scheme opted to add a battery to their solar panel installation following the survey. Also, of the 460 installations 29 of these were retrofit batteries.

This shows a high appetite for battery storage and an increasing resident focus on self-consumption.

Solar Together sees Leicestershire Councils work together as part of the Green Living Leicestershire Partnership.

The scheme is run through group buying experts iChoosr. Authorities involved include Blaby District Council, Charnwood Borough Council, Harborough District Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Leicestershire County Council, Melton Borough Council, North West Leicestershire District Council and Oadby and Wigston Borough Council.

Residents sign up for free on their own Council’s website and are entered into an auction. Solar PV suppliers compete by offering the lowest rate for solar panel installation. The more people who are registered, the lower the price can be.

A free, no-obligation offer is made from the successful energy supplier with a personal recommendation sent out to households. This includes information on the winning solar panel installer, the proposed system, costs and savings.

As part of the process iChoosr carries out stringent checks on any installer, looking at financial stability, customer satisfaction results, certificates and insurances, product specifications and ability to deliver.

It removes the burden of research from any householder looking to install solar panels and battery systems.

It also helps homeowners feel confident they are paying the right price for a high-quality installation from pre-approved installers, making the transition to clean energy as cost effective and hassle-free as possible.

iChoosr’s group-buying offer covers solar panels with optional battery storage and EV charge points, as well as retrofit battery storage. This means residents who have already invested in solar panels can still benefit, getting more from the renewable energy they generate, as well as increasing their independence from the grid.

Solar Together 22 has contributed an additional 1.6MW of renewable energy in Leicestershire.

Over the two years of the scheme some £4.3 million has been invested in renewable energy across Leicestershire.

A second phase of Solar Together Leicestershire is already underway with expected additional investment in solar PV and battery storage over the coming year.