THOUSANDS of social houses in Conwy could be fitted with smart solar battery systems that could reduce energy bills by 70 per cent.

Cartrefi Conwy, the registered social landlord (RSL), has been selected by Social Energy to pilot its virtual power plant-connected solar battery technology that could lead to 3,000 homes being fitted over the coming years.

Research shows tenants who live in social housing use 30 per cent of their disposable income to heat their homes, with energy bills set to increase this winter on average by £139.

After initially setting out to begin the project in early 2020, the deployment has seen significant delays due to Covid-19, but both parties are now ready to proceed and install the first systems in their rollout.

The Social Energy system, which has been verified by the Energy Saving Trust, repurposes savings to provide bankable revenues for RSLs and local authorities, with Cartrefi Conwy the first to have it installed. It adds to Cartrefi Conwy’s combined use of on-roof solar generation, battery storage and demand response services.

“Our main focus is to ensure that we provide good quality homes that are affordable to live in,” said Andrew Bowden, CEO of Cartrefi Conwy.

“With the cost of energy being at an all-time high, we must try and find new solutions that will help minimise utility bills and keep our tenants out of fuel poverty.

“This new and exciting technology from Social Energy will hopefully help us achieve this for our tenants, and with the battery storage and trading options, we can’t wait to see the full potential this system has to offer

“The main focus of our project with Social Energy is to ensure that we get smarter with energy consumption and production in our tenants’ homes; to help plan and prepare for the decarbonised future of housing."

The expected winter rise in fuel prices is set to be compounded by a move to cleaner heat sources through electrification, which some fear could increase overall costs to heat the home.

Cartrefi Conwy will look to deploy what it sees as the fairest solution for tenants, reducing their bills to allow for increased tenant wellbeing.

Julian Wiley, co-founder of Social Energy, said: “Making battery storage economically viable at the residential level has been a massive challenge over the past several years, but we now have a system that allows the unit economics to work for Social Housing organisations across the UK.

“Having worked first-hand in this project, I’m excited to see the impact that we can have for Cartrefi Conwy tenants.

“We are currently in talks with several large RSLs and buying groups in the sector and expect our phenomenal partnership with Cartrefi Conwy to be the first of many Social Energy Social Housing installations over the next twelve months.”