Shining example
Like many other environmentally aware organisations, the ECA is looking to increase its use of renewable energy technology, and recently completed a solar PV installation at its offices in Sevenoaks. Rob Shepherd talks to the Hughes Group about the project – and finds out how the ECA is benefiting from it
T
he ECA has been highly vocal in its support of renewable energy technology and has championed the benefits of getting involved in this burgeoning sector to its members. It is
perhaps no surprise to find that when it was looking at ways to increase the energy efficiency of its offices in Sevenoaks and, in turn, reduce its carbon footprint, it opted to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.
Perfect fit Although much of the focus on solar PV has concentrated on the domestic sector, the nation’s 1.8 million non- domestic buildings are responsible for 18 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions. They are at the very heart of meeting the challenges set out in the Climate Change Act 2008, which sets a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the UK by at least 80 per cent on 1990 levels by 2050. In order to contribute to this reduction, David
Shrimpton, the ECA’s group facilities manger, with support and advice from the energy solution team based at ECA head office in London, proposed a site that would be a suitable place to install solar PV. He explains: ‘The building at Sevenoaks in Kent is our administrative facility and the headquarters of the Electrical Contractors’ Insurance Company (ECIC). We have a small flat roof measuring around 10m by 5m, and I felt that this would make an ideal location for the panels.’ Shrimpton put his proposal to the ECA Project Review
The ECA’s building in Sevenoaks, Kent, which has recently had a solar PV system installed
Board and, based on the proposed return on investment (ROI), this was accepted. The installation was originally scheduled to take place during spring 2012, but was brought forward when the government announced that it planned to reduce the payments to new buildings installing solar PV by half – from 43.3p per kWh to 21p – for schemes up to 4kW in size. At the time, it meant that in order to qualify for the 43.3p tariff the project would need to be completed before 12 December 2011.
Help at hand Having already discussed the planned installation with
30 12 ECA Today Spring/Summer 2010 March 2012
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