Member Article

London solar technology provider North Star Solar vows to cut electricity bills by 35-50%

North Star Solar is a new player in the solar power sector, with a unique approach to solar installation.

Focusing on the social housing sector, the London-based solar technology provider has vowed to help alleviate UK fuel poverty by installing solar PV on roofs of social homes, cutting tenants electricity bills by 35-50%.

North Star Solar works alongside housing associations across the country to provide solar energy solutions, co-founder Peter Sermol told Bdaily: “Whichever way you look at it, the number of fuel-poor homes is disastrously high, especially for a G7 nation.

“By offering free solar installation to tenants in social homes, we hope to make a difference in this crisis while also running a viable business. Social entrepreneurship is the way forward,”

“Let’s stop hearing that the elderly and vulnerable have to make the decision between food or heat. It’s enough.”

North Star Solar, who currently employs three staff, has a partnership with a firm based in Newcastle called Absolute Renewable Technologies, which acts as our Engineering and Construction firm and act as our installation consultants

According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change in their 2014 Fuel Poverty Report, approximately 2.4 million households in the UK suffer from fuel poverty. That is one in ten homes. The number is staggering and unacceptable.

Peter continued: “Our target market are Residential Social Landlords (RSLs) or local councils and these bodies are very keen we use the local workforce which is fine with us.

“I would say the fundamental difference between North Star and any other firm installing free solar is the number of roofs in any given portfolio we can install.

“The industry norm is 25% to 30% as the higher cost of funding only allows cherry-picking of the best roofs (south facing).

“We securitize portfolios of roofs and this lowers our cost of funding and rather than take any profit it allows us to install solar PV on any roof aspect, even north facing.

“Further, as long-term owners of the assets we insist on installing the best panels and associated materials.”

Peter said that the improvement of solar technology has improved greatly over the last five year, increasing the power and efficiency of panels, he continued: “If an installation has shade (from trees is the most typical reason), on just one panel of say 12 in an installation and the output drops by say 50%, then in the past the output from all the panels would have dropped by 50%.

“Nowadays one can buy ‘optimised’ panels (more expensive but well worth it) which isolates the fall in output to in this case just that one (or however many) panel/s which is shaded.

“So wherever possible we install optimised panels which also allows us to monitor the output in real-time. The traditional installer market is characterised by installers installing the cheapest panels as they are not incentivised to increase power output.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .