Real examples of electricity savings and costs

With huge thanks to residents who provided energy readings and their thoughts on the project, here are some examples of how it could work.

Case study 1

The R family live in a 3 bedroom flat where one person works from home most days. They think solar in an excellent idea but not at any cost, and wonder how the Council will feel about it.

They spend £957 on electricity annually at the moment. They could save 49% of their energy costs annually. This would represent a saving of £478.50.

The cost of installation modelled at present would be £400 over 10 years, although this is an average figure. The fairest way to split costs is likely to be by square footage of flat (similar to how the service charge is shared) as larger flats are likely to use more energy. This would mean their annual cost would be more than £400 a year.

Case study 2

The K family have been living in a three bedroom, rented 1^st floor flat on the Estate for three years. They like the idea of solar energy if it allows decentralisation of energy suppliers, and would support getting financial subsidies to introduce solar panels. They want to make sure our insurers would cover the costs of any damage to the panels, and wonder if the project could be extended to other open areas on or near the Estate which might also generate some income for the Estate.

At the moment they buy their energy from EDF for gas and electricity. They don’t have a smart meter. In 12months their electricity use was 1962kWh and this cost them £764. Their gas use was 15592kWh and cost £1325.

If we were able to go ahead with the solar project on our Estate, they would likely save 50% on their electricity costs a year without smart technology, saving them £382 a year. If we could afford to install smart technology they could save 84% on their bills (but of course for a higher cost).

Case study 3

Mr and Mrs P are an active retired couple. They’ve owned and lived in their 2 bedroom flat for 30 years. They feel solar panels for our Estate is a good idea in principle, because it would be good for the environment and would eventually produce cheaper costs. They have some concerns about the practicality and capital costs.

At the moment they don’t particularly worry about energy costs or consider themselves to have a low income. They do have a smart meter, and buy both their gas and electricity from Octopus.

In the first 3 months of 2025, they spend £217 on electricity and £441 on gas. They could save 50% of their electricity costs. 50% would represent £434 annually, but this figure does not take into account standing charges. Standing charges mean although costs of electricity would reduce, even if no energy is used from the grid a charge is still made every day by the energy company. At the moment the average annual standing charge is around £200.

Case study 4

Mr H and his wife live in a 2 bedroom flat which has been their home for over 40 years. They do worry a bit about energy use as they are a retired couple on a low income.

Mr H can see the benefit of solar for if the grid fails- knowing it already struggles- and with more electric cars needing charging this could be more of a problem. He would like to be sure the installation was safe, for example in high winds.

In terms of electricity in the flat, they pay monthly to OVO around £57 total per month of which £21 is a standing charge. Their main heating/hot water is from a gas boiler and cooking with a gas cooker. They would save 49% on their electricity bill. Because their electricity use is low, this would mean a saving of £211 a year. This is a lot less than the £400 a year the current modelling suggested they would have to pay.