The utility bills are included in the monthly rent for residents of 48 Rousham Road,so Bristol Student Properties selects the electricity and gas supplier and pays the bills. Early in 2011 we switched to Good Energy,who supply us with 100% renewable electricity and also gas‡.
Now we’re going further by investigating solar panels on the roof of the house. If our supplier thinks this is viable then we’ll be generating solar electricity early in 2012. Watch this space!
‡ the gas isn’t renewable:bio-methane isn’t commercially available yet,but selling gas enables Good to work towards renewable gas supplies.
The sudden 50% reduction in the Feed in Tariff makes solar power installations far more expensive,and the reduced FiT is unlikely to be available to older properties like this due to changes in the rules which require a level of insulation which is not economically achievable in buildings without cavity walls. So unfortunately we can’t go ahead with solar panels at this time. We will of course continue to use Good Energy’s 100% renewable power,I don’t know any other landlord who’s willing to do this rather than just going for the cheapest deal available.
At 48 Rousham Road,I (the landlord) pay the bills,so I have a vested interest in ensuring that the house is energy efficient. The house is already double-glazed and quite well insulated,heated by an efficient modern gas boiler and uses low energy light bulbs everywhere. I’ve just ordered additional insulation for the loft,and this year I swapped the electric cooker for gas (lower CO2 emissions from cooking) and added an extractor hood over the cooker (to save the need to open windows to clear the air,which wastes a lot of heat in the winter). I’m also planning some internal wall insulation for the larder area of the kitchen.