Having been painted purple for Luton in Harmony, the town could now be going green as part of a pioneering solar energy initiative.
Luton is one of 10 towns and cities selected as candidates to be the home of Britain’s first Solar Street – the winning town will see an entire street of houses fitted with free solar PV panels.
Energy specialist Ecovision chose Luton for its higher than average levels of sunlight and the large number of trained solar PV installers in the area.
The state-of-the-art Solar PV panels usually cost around £15,000 to install and can reduce electricity bills by up to 50 per cent.
Not only will the winning homeowners save on bills thanks to the panels, they’ll also be able to reduce their carbon emissions by around one tonne per year.
Ecovision is focusing its search on 10 towns and regions across the south of England – including Bristol, Brighton and St Albans, – but is interested in hearing from anyone who thinks their road should be the nation’s first solar street.
CEO Peter Randall said: “This is an exciting opportunity for one of Britain’s towns or streets to become a true green pioneer and for householders to save hundreds of pounds on their electricity bills.”
A recent Luton survey carried out by the company found that 34 per cent of residents have considered installing solar panels but 84 per cent of these said the high cost was the main reason they had not.
Mr Randall added: “Half of consumers questioned in our research said they would consider installing panels but almost three quarters said they were not aware of the free solar scheme. When told about the availability of free solar PV, 83 per cent of people said that they would be interested. This shows there is plenty of interest in and demand for free solar.”
To find out whether your home is suitable for free solar – simply visit www.ecovisionenergy.com or call 08450 038001.
All that is required is a south, southeast or southwest-facing roof, which is unshaded and has a total area of up to 28 square metres. You can also nominate your street at www.ecovisionenergy.com/sunstreet
