A Health Centre in Exeter has had solar panels fitted to its roof to reduce their high energy bills. The busy medical practice opted for the system to tackle its large energy usage. In the spirit of the centre’s continued commitment to the public, its management says it was keen to look at ways to reduce its carbon footprint.
The practice now proudly displays a 10kW solar PV system on its roof, which is being used to provide power for the centre’s lighting, IT infrastructure and specialist equipment such as ECG machines. As the centre uses its electricity throughout the day – when the sun is shining – it uses the majority of the energy that the system generates, rather than having to export it back to the grid.
The installation should generate enough solar energy each year to power the equivalent of five homes. With a payback period of just seven years the investment offers a substantial return.
Practice manager, Julie Croze, said: “Not knowing anything about solar energy, the terminology was daunting, but everything was explained so clearly. If you have the space why not capitalise on it. It really is first class, looks great and has been installed in such a neat and tidy way.”
Rising numbers of health centres are looking to solar PV to reduce their overheads and bring in additional income. Systems are now able to achieve a 20 percent return on investment which means systems are being paid off in as little as five years and the additional income can be used to help with general running costs of the property.
Many more properties can take advantage of this, with heavy daytime usage of electricity; the generated energy can be better spent within the business for upkeep costs, rather than being exported to the grid.
