As social landlords face pressure from two sides, Monarch offers a release valve in the form of low-cost solar generation.

The net zero challenge

As the UK’s green recovery gets underway, housing associations are expected to improve their green credentials in line with the UKs net zero 2050 ambitions.

According to a 2019 Committee on Climate Change report, housing accounts for approximately 15% of UK greenhouse gas emissions and of that figure, 17% is classed as social housing. Therefore, social landlords have a significant opportunity to reduce national emissions by improving the carbon profile of their portfolios.

While there have been several key schemes offered up as a means to bolsters this effort, such as the Green Homes Grant, on-site solar generation could prove the dark horse that wins the race.

The benefits of producing your own renewable energy locally are both numerous and tantalising – particularly in our current climate of unstable energy markets and increasing carbon legislation.

On-site solar generation with Monarch

The major deterrent to widespread on-site generation has been the upfront cost of installation. While solar PV technology has become cheaper in recent years, the long-term investment is still prohibitively expensive at the outset, especially given its uncertain timeline for break-even.

Monarch understands this price barrier, which is why it will consider paying for set-up of the solar generation array as an investment for a longer term managed energy contract. This would mean no upfront cost to the property owner.

After installation, you’ll purchase the new, renewable energy back from source on a tariff decided by Monarch. We guarantee to freeze this price at a rate lower than grid tariffs, providing annual savings of up to 33%.

The beauty of this contract is that, unlike other fixed tariffs – now becoming increasingly unreliable in the wake of lockdown – it will stay fixed and not rise and fall with the market tides.

A misconception is that solar needs direct sunlight to generate energy. This is no longer true since panels are also sensitive to diffused light. Moreover, even on the darkest days, any excess demand beyond the solar generation capacity is carried over to your pre-existing energy contract.

While 2050 seems a long way off, early engagement with on-site solar generation means earlier dividends in the long run, not to mention a softer road to net zero. Starting the process is as easy as contacting our carbon consultant Stephanie Strange for a conversation by phone on 020 8835 3535 or by email at Stephanie.strange@wwwtest.monarchpartnership.co.uk