The Welsh Government’s Optimised RetroFit Programme (ORP) is a whole house, approach to decarbonising existing homes. It is more sophisticated and bespoke than previous schemes. It takes into account the fabric or materials homes are made from and the way we heat and store energy. It also takes into account how energy reaches our homes.
We are currently carrying out ORP 1 to our homes with the installation of Solar Panels. 8 homes have received new systems from Eclipse Energy and should benefit from the renewable measures. In line with our sustainable strategy, we will continue the programme roll out on our homes to achieve the Welsh Governments target of net carbon zero by 2050.
Were were delighted to work alongside Eclipse Energy who are specialists in creating energy efficient, low carbon homes. As part of our mission to reduce emissions and bills for our Contract Holders, we were looking to utilise solar power on a select number of properties alongside battery storage, allowing for zero carbon energy generation and the ability to use this energy at periods most convenient to the occupants.
Following on from an on-site survey and initial assessment, it was determined that all 8 of the properties would be able to benefit from a full 4kw of solar, potentially providing over 100% of the annual electricity requirements of the houses. Combined with correctly sized battery storage, this energy would be stored when not being used and could be harnessed by the occupants at night-time. In low light months like December and January, these batteries can even draw from the grid at off peak, cheaper, times (such as the middle of the night) and this stored electricity be used throughout the day, further driving down energy bills.
Cumulatively, the 8 installations will save over 5 tonnes of carbon every year, with over 800kg of carbon being avoided by each property annually. Over the lifetime of the systems, over 101 tonnes of carbon will be saved.
Over the lifetime of the systems (which we calculate as 20 years) these carbon savings equate to:
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960 trees planted
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108 long haul flights avoided
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149,000/93,300 miles driven in a car
System Summary:
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Panels Used: Trina 390W All Black Tier 1 Panels
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Inverter Used: Solax X-1
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Batteries Used: Solax Triple Power 5.8kWh Battery x 1
If you would like to read a case-study on the project – please visit: eclipseenergy / cartrefi-case-study
Last modified on February 10th, 2023 at 8:56 am