Another solar opportunity for district's residents

Published: 22 March 2023

Solar panels against a blue sky

Residents looking to save on energy bills and reduce their carbon emissions are being invited to take part in the second phase of a solar panel scheme.

Residents looking to save on energy bills and reduce their carbon emissions are being invited to take part in the second phase of a solar panel scheme.

Folkestone & Hythe District Council has teamed up again with Kent County Council for Solar Together Kent, a group-buying initiative for solar panels and battery storage.

It is being rolled out county-wide following the success of the 2022 scheme. So far 133 of the district’s homeowners have had high-quality solar photovoltaic (PV) panels installed and panels are still being installed on people's homes, so demand for the next phase is likely to be high.

It is free to register with Solar Together Kent and there is no obligation to proceed to installation. Working with iChoosr, independent experts in group buying, homeowners will be helped through the process and kept informed at every stage.

Anyone interested in the scheme should register before 26 May 2023, providing details about their roof. The more people that register, the better the deal should be for each household.

Solar Together Kent’s approved installers will bid for the work in a reverse ‘auction’. The most competitive offer from these pre-vetted installers will win the auction.

Applicants will then be emailed a personal recommendation for their home, based on their registration details. This includes costs and specifications of their system.

There is no obligation to accept the recommendation or continue and applicants are given four weeks to decide whether to go ahead. Telephone and email support will be available throughout the process, which, together with information sessions, will allow households to make an informed decision.

If an applicant decides to proceed, the winning installer will carry out a roof survey and set an installation date.

Anyone who already has solar panels installed can register to have battery storage added.

A spokesperson for Folkestone & Hythe District Council said: “There have been some very satisfied residents from the first scheme who are now storing power gleaned on bright, sunny days to help them during gloomy weather.

“We are pleased to be able to promote this scheme again – encouraging home-owners to take advantage of this way to reduce carbon emissions at a time when the cost of energy from other sources has spiralled.”

For detailed information about likely costs and the amount of energy that is expected to be generated and to register, go to solartogether.co.uk/Kent