Sun shines on Plymouth City Council’s energy saving programme

Plymouth City Council is reaping the rewards as clear skies send solar energy production soaring.

Four of the Council’s corporate properties have solar PV installations which have generated savings of over £2,000 in just two weeks due to the recent hot weather.

Since installation at the beginning of the year the solar panels have generated 40.5mWh of energy. This is the equivalent of ten years of electricity for the average household, 64,285 loads of washing at 40 degrees or 368,181 uses of the kettle.

The Council House will be the next building to receive solar arrays with the two meter panels being raised to roof level at the start of August.

A number of other sites will follow when a formal tendering process for installing and maintaining the arrays completes in September.

This is just one of the many initiatives the Council have launched in a bid to reduce carbon emissions in the city and make Plymouth a carbon-neutral council.

Councillor Brian Vincent, Cabinet Member for Environment said: “Reducing the city’s carbon emissions is something we are committed to doing and the fact that Plymouth remains one of the best performing cities in the country is something to be proud of.

“We aim to deliver on the target of reducing the Council’s corporate emissions by 20 per cent by 2015 from the 2010 levels. The Council launched a £13 million carbon cutting programme in February which will see us investing in energy saving and renewable technologies such as solar panels and LED street lighting.

“There are also further projects that have been introduced to help our residents and businesses think about how they can reduce their emissions too. For example, we have recently announced a £50 million investment in the city through two deals made with British Gas – one with Plymouth City Council and the other with Plymouth Community Homes. These will help insulate many homes and help reduce energy bills for our residents.

“We have also recently set up the Plymouth Energy Community, a new co-operative giving residents more control over their energy supplies. These projects will not only contribute to reducing Plymouth’s carbon emissions it will also help tackle fuel poverty within the city – which is another priority of ours.”

Plymotion, a project set up to improve walking, cycling and public transport links and encourage people to try greener, cheaper and healthier ways of getting around the city, is another initiative that the Council are running.

Plymotion on Your Doorstep, being delivered through the programme, involves travel advisors visiting local residents, chatting about how they get around the city and providing advice on the different travel options available to them.

The programme started in Mount Gould and St Judes last year and over the summer the team knocked on around 5,200 doors, had 1,004 conversations. This year the team are working in parts of Keyham, Devonport, Stonehouse, the city centre and the Barbican. Since late May the team have visited more than 6,000 properties and attended 16 community events.

Residents can register their interest in saving on their energy bills with the Plymouth Energy Community by visiting www.plymouthenergycommunity.com.

Information on the Plymotion project and how to travel around the city by walking, cycling or by public transport visit www.plymouth.gov.uk/plymotion.