Hampshire County Council: Solar Together Scheme – Briefing Note February 2021
Background
Hampshire County Council declared a Climate Emergency in June 2019 and Cabinet approved the Hampshire County Council Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan in 2020.
The Strategy is based upon two targets set by the County Council; to be Carbon neutral and to be resilient to a 2 degrees temperature increase by 2050, for both the County Council and the wider County area.
The Strategy has been developed using robust evidence to ensure we are focussing on the right areas; these are the key sectors where action will need to be taken.
The County Council has limited control over the majority of the emissions in the Hampshire area, so it is really important that the whole Hampshire community, including other public sector partners, residents, and businesses play their part.
One key sector and new area of work where the County Council is starting to take more action is on energy use within the residential sector. Last summer we announced four community projects that will focus on this area. See Community projects | Hampshire County Council (hants.gov.uk)
Solar Together scheme
One of the projects, the Hampshire Solar Together scheme is launching on the 15 February.
Hampshire Solar Together Scheme
The scheme, managed by iChoosr, independent experts in group buying schemes, seeks to increase the amount of renewable energy being generated at household level, which is one of the major gaps in Hampshire.
Targeted to homeowners and SMEs, the schemes will give residents the opportunity to buy high quality solar panels and battery storage from reputable traders at a highly competitive price. Please see ‘How does it work?’ below.
Communications
Approximately 170,000 targeted homeowners across Hampshire will receive a direct mail of the offer from the week commencing 1 March, although anyone can register their interest to join the scheme.
In addition, wider communications such as press releases and social media posts will also be taking place to support the launch, and throughout the scheme, in partnership with the District and Borough Councils across Hampshire.
Approved posters, flyers, and images have also been circulated with this briefing note should you wish to support and advertise the scheme any further within your local community.
This information is being sent to all Hampshire County Council Members, District and Borough Council Officers, Town and Parish Councils and Hampshire Climate Change Community Groups.
Various webpage links are also provided below for further information.
• For further information please visit: Hampshire Solar Together Scheme
• To pre-register your interest and join the scheme please visit: iChoosr
• To view frequently asked questions on the scheme please click here
• To view the Hampshire County Council Strategy and Action Plan please click here
• For further information on the residential community projects please click here
How does it work?
Registration:
Registration opens on the 15 February 2021 and it’s for free and without obligation. Simply provide details about your roof, such as its size and orientation.
Auction:
A supplier ‘auction’ will be held on 23 March, when our approved solar suppliers will bid for the work. The supplier with the lowest price wins and it usually favours local suppliers too. The more people that register, the better the deal should be for each household!
Personal recommendation:
From 22 April you will be contacted with a personal recommendation, based on the specifications of your roof. This includes your costs and specification of your solar panel installation.
You decide:
The decision is then yours as to whether you want to accept your recommendation. There is no obligation to continue. You will have until 21 May to decide and will be invited to visit an information session.
Installation:
If you accept, the winning supplier will contact you to survey your roof and set an installation date. All installations are planned to be completed by the end of October 2021.