2012

SOLAR PANEL Feed in Tariff amounts generated to 18TH 0CTOBER 2012

Snitterfield Village Hall – £1204 from the 3.6kW system installed 7th Dec 2011 (earning 43.3p per unit generated). For the first two years this money is for the village hall to spend on energy efficiency projects at the village hall. From Jan 2014 the money generated will go to the SACC community grant fund.

Snitterfield Sports Club – £1192 from the 3.6kW installed 7th Dec 2011 (earning 43.3p per unit generated).

This money goes directly to the SACC community grant fund.

Snitterfield Primary School – Figures not yet available as this system was more recently installed (earning 21p per unit generated). All the money generated from the Feed in Tariff at the school goes directly to the school to be spent on environmental education and energy efficiency projects.

SACC Community Grant Fund

This fund is available to residents, community groups and businesses in Snitterfield. This year the fund available was £1192. This year we only received one application for funding. This was from the sports club and we are working with them to improve the energy efficiency at the club. Applications for next year to be received by 1st October 2013. Please download the application form here. Grant Form (pdf, 271 K)

The new solar panels installed in September at Snitterfield Primary School. (jpg, 1699 K)

3 community buildings have had large solar installations, courtesy of SACC who gifted solar panels to them for free.

Snitterfield Village Hall, Snitterfield Sports Club and Snitterfield Primary School have all had large solar systems installed over the last year. This means lower energy bills as energy used in daylight hours is offset against that generated. Any excess electricity is sold back to the grid. A significant additional financial benefit comes from the FIT tariff which is a government subsidy to encourage eco-installations to help the government meet its own targets agreed under international treaties towards reducing carbon emissions.

Money received from the FIT tariff for all 3 Snitterfield community buildings is then ploughed back into projects to improve energy efficiency ongoing, thus reducing bills (and Snitterfield’s carbon footprint) even further.

So far, proposed projects include the purchase of an energy monitor for the school and energy efficient lighting, replacement windows and insulation for the Sports Club. SACC is in discussion with all three community buildings to ensure that the money is spent to their best advantage.

DID YOU KNOW? – If you are planning a project to reduce energy usage in our community – you can apply for grant funds from SACC. SACC’s grant pot for distribution this year, earned from FIT tariffs from community solar generation, was £1,200 and we only received one application. In future years the pot will be significantly larger than this.

September 2012

Snitterfield Village Hall has two new double glazed windows as a result of a successful grant application by SACC.

SACC Community Grant Fund

Do you have an idea to reduce the carbon emissions of Snitterfield either at home, work or at a community building? This could be anything from installing energy efficient LED light bulbs, to insulation and renewable technology projects. SACC has funding available annually for such projects. To apply for funding for your carbon reduction project please download the application form here. Grant Form (pdf, 271 K) The funding available this year is estimated to be approximately £1200. Applications for this year to be received by 1st October 2012.

Where have the funds come from?

Snitterfield Village Hall, Sports Club and Primary School are all now generating their own electricity and paying lower electricity bills thanks to the success of the Snitterfield Community Solar Programme. The photovoltaic systems have been installed free of charge through the scheme, and have been upgraded in size (to maximise the return through the Feed in Tariff) by SACC, a generous local business and Snitterfields dedicated solar installer, Eco2solar. The Feed in Tariff (FIT) is the financial incentive offered by the government to encourage the installation of renewable energy. Guaranteed and index linked for 25 years the FIT provides a regular income stream and it will be used as follows.

• Village Hall – The Village Hall uses significantly less electricity when compared to the other community buildings. However, due to the age and nature of the building, the gas use is high. For the first two years the income generated through the FIT at the Village Hall will be used for energy efficiency improvements to the Village Hall to help reduce the gas consumption. After this, the income generated will go to the SACC Community Solar Grant Fund (see Sports Club).

• Sports Club – The Sports Club has a high electricity use and is already benefitting from significantly reduced electricity bills since the installation of their solar panels. The FIT generated at the Sports Club will accrue in a dedicated SACC bank account and will be available annually in grant form for the next 25 years, to any resident or organisation of Snitterfield for carbon reduction projects.

• Snitterfield Primary School – The FIT will provide a significant income for the School over the next 25 years. It will be used by the school for environmental studies by the children and for energy efficiency improvements to the school building.

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Whilst the financial incentives for new installations of renewable technologies have been reduced by the government, with ever increasing energy costs it still makes economic sense to consider installing solar pv, solar thermal, heat pumps etc. To get a no obligation discounted quotation through the Snitterfield Community Solar Scheme, please contact us via this website or on 01789 731348.

JULY 2012 Snitterfield Primary School have had a 3.6kWp solar PV system installed through the community solar programme. The school is the third community building to benefit from a FREE solar PV system. Through the deal negotiated by SACC and the Energy Saving Trust, residents benefitted from a discounted price on their domestic installations. Our dedicated solar installer, Eco2solar, offered a free 2kWp system on a community building for every 10 domestic installations. The Village Hall and Sports Club have been installed with systems which were upgraded in size to 3.6kWp by SACC. Eco2solar have generously upgraded the school to a larger system also.

JUNE 17th 2012 SACC attended the village fete and provided full recycling facilities for the fete as well as compostable cups for use in the food tents. As a result the total non recyclable waste generated from the fete was 1 bin liner.

JUNE 16th 2012 THIS VISIT HAS BEEN POSTPONED BY THE FARM. NEW DATE TO BE ARRANGED FOR THE AUTUMN AND WILL BE POSTED HERE. Visit to view the 10kW wind turbine at Heath End. This is now confirmed for Saturday 16th June 2012. If you would like to come please contact us via this website or call 01789 731348. Lift share available.

March 2012 There have now been 36 installations through the Snitterfield Community Solar Programme. Those who installed up to 3rd March will now receive the 43.3p per unit through the FIT payments as the government lost their appeal at the Supreme Court.

The solar programme is still open and, as prices have dropped significantly through the supply chain, it still makes economic sense to install solar panels. Contact us for a free no obligation quote.

The Small Wind Turbine assessment was available for residents to view at the recent event in the village hall. Few residents attended. There is a planned visit to the Heath End wind turbine. The bolts on the turbine are currently being upgraded and the turbine is not operational. As soon as it is working we will organise the visit. If you would like to come please contact us via this website.

SACC have been awarded grant funding to help improve the Village Halls energy efficiency. The funding will pay for the supply and installation of two new upvc double glazed windows in the kitchen, following an energy assessment as part of the grant application.

February 2012 SACC have been granted funding by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) http://www.decc.gov.uk/ via their Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF).

SACC have commissioned a Small Wind Assessment for the locality to assess the feasibility of wind as a renewable energy source, and determine the benefits that the local community can gain from such an energy scheme.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change launched the 10 million LEAF. The funding comes as the Government gears up for the launch of the Green Deal later this year, the first scheme of its kind in the world, aimed at radically overhauling the energy efficiency of millions of homes across the UK.

LEAF is managed by a consortium of community networks administered by the Energy Saving Trust. Money is intended to be used for understanding energy efficiency at a local level and renewable energy generation issues.

January 2012 Today the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) confirmed that it won’t drop tariff rates below 21p/kWh of electricity generated for domestic solar PV systems installed between 12th December 2011 and 31st March 2012. Contact us on 01789 731348 to receive a no obligation quote and install before 31st March to recive a great return. Prices in the solar industry have dropped this year due to the drop in feed in tariff and there is still a decent return. Join the Snitterfield community solar programme to get a discounted quotation.