In a bid to reduce the local authority’s carbon footprint, the panels at the council’s four main offices at Phoenix House in Tiverton and at the Exe Valley, Culm Valley and Lords Meadow leisure centres are expected to cut emissions by 170 tonnes per annum. The council also expects to save approximately £60,000 on its annual energy bills and receive an income from the Feed-in Tariff (FiT).
The work took six weeks to complete and was timed to be registered ahead of the government’s expected reductions to the Feed-in Tariff on July 01.
Nigel Brunton-Reed, operations director for Kier, said: “We are pleased to be able to help Mid Devon District Council reduce their environmental impact by embracing the benefits of solar power. At a time of record fuel prices and uncertainty over the future of government subsidies for renewable energy, many organisations are choosing to take advantage of the long-term savings delivered by subsidised energy production. As a result, we have seen record levels of interest in solar energy from businesses seeking to qualify for the government subsidy.”
Cllr Ray Radford, cabinet member for the environment, added: “This is a perfect opportunity for the council to make electricity cost savings and installing solar panels on our buildings is one of a number of energy-efficient initiatives the council has introduced to both save money and reduce carbon emissions.”