Sign up to money saving solar panel scheme
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News release
22.03.2022
For immediate use
Time running out to sign up to money saving solar panel scheme amid energy bill crisis
More than 100 Brent and Harrow households have already had solar panels installed to help tackle soaring energy bill costs. So far 110 houses in Brent and 28 in Harrow have joined the Mayor of London-backed Solar Together initiative, latest City Hall figures show. Local London Assembly Member, Krupesh Hirani AM, is urging residents to sign up to the “exciting and innovative” scheme before registration closes on 3rd April to save cash and help London towards a “greener, cleaner future”.
Responding to a written question from Mr Hirani, the Mayor for London, Sadiq Khan, revealed more than 1,500 homes across London, including 138 in Brent and Harrow, were now part of the affordable renewable energy project. The deadline for the latest phase of installations is April 3rd.
Solar panel installation could reduce household electricity bills by 30-50%. With energy prices increasing to record levels, now is a better time than ever to invest in solar to get cleaner energy and save money on bills. With rising petrol and diesel prices, the option is also available for people to use the scheme to install a car charging point powered by solar energy.
An installation through the Mayor’s Solar Together initiative is a third cheaper than the typical market price. For an eight-panel system – the most common system installed – customers have saved an average of £3,504.
Mr Khan said that hundreds more installations are booked in over the coming months which are “critical for both tackling the climate emergency and helping to reduce household energy bills”.
Energy bills in the UK are set to climb by £693 to an average £1,971 in April, after regulator Ofgem announced in February it was lifting the price cap putting more pressure on those struggling with the rising cost of living.
Recent increases in energy bills have pushed an estimated 75,000 Londoners into fuel poverty. The latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures show that in 2019, 20,322 households in Brent and 13,014 in Harrow were living in fuel poverty.
Last month the Mayor announced he is committing a record £90 million through green bonds to unlock more than £500m in private investment to support low carbon projects, create green jobs and move closer to his target of a zero-carbon capital by 2030.
Local London Assembly Member, Krupesh Hirani AM, said:
“Energy, rent and food prices continue to soar, people are struggling to pay for essentials, wages are stagnating, National Insurance is being increased and we have a welfare system that’s not fit for purpose - with worse still to come.
“Solar Together is an exciting and innovative initiative that makes installing solar panels affordable and puts residents back in control of their spend on energy as well as reducing carbon emissions.
“I share the Mayor’s ambition for London to be zero carbon by 2030, so I’m urging local residents to switch to this renewable energy scheme, it’s a great way we can make a real difference, help London towards a greener, cleaner future and save some much-needed cash.”
Notes to editors
- For more information on the Mayor of London backed Solar Together scheme see here. For more details about the solar panel installation, visit the Solar Together London website;
- Ofgem announced in February it was lifting the energy bill price cap in the UK with prices set to climb by £693 to £1,971 in April;
- Recent increases in energy bills have also pushed an estimated 75,000 Londoners into fuel poverty. The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show the number of households in Brent and Harrow that were living in fuel poverty in 2019;
- The Mayor has announced he’s committing a record £90 million through green bonds to unlock more than £500 million private investment to support low carbon projects, create green jobs and move closer to his target of a zero-carbon capital by 2030.
- Information about the Mayor’s pathway to Net Zero Carbon by 2030 can be found here;
- Krupesh Hirani AM is the London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow.