Raven Renewables – Work completes on retrofit solar energy project   

A new partnership has seen the installation of renewable energy measures set to save hundreds of thousands in energy bills.

Raven Renewables was chosen as the installer of solar photovoltaic panels for The Grange Centre in Bookham, Leatherhead, and installation has recently been completed, with predicted savings of over £315,000 on energy bills.

The Grange Centre, a charity providing support to people with learning disabilities, was faced with constantly inflating energy bills for its rambling buildings that include social housing, skills training facilities, community spaces, and a heated therapy swimming pool.

Raven Renewables installs and advises on renewable technologies across the south east and was brought on board to work with The Grange Centre to help control its bills, expected to skyrocket as a result of the current energy and cost-of-living crisis, whilst protecting its future energy provision.

The solar panels could save The Grange Centre over £315,000 on its electricity bills over 25 years. Installation costs will be covered in just six years and an extra £35,000 could be generated by selling excess energy generated by the panels to the grid. The savings will enable The Grange Centre to continue to enhance its service-user provision.

Raven Renewables also assists with sourcing grants and funding for sustainable technologies. Through their connections with local sustainability funding streams, the team was able to secure extra finance to cover half of the costs of the solar panel installation for The Grange Centre. This was sourced through the LoCase programme, which supports decarbonisation and net zero projects across the south and east of the country.

Hugh Skeil, Head of Finance and Transformation at The Grange Centre, said: “We are so pleased to see these solar panels installed. We believe that they will generate big savings that will make a huge difference to the people we support. Raven Renewables has been a super company to work with – the team are experts in their field. Mark Gardiner was painstaking in his approach, and very patient answering all our questions and ensuring that the system was the optimum size for our needs. As a result, we were able to access funding from LoCase Surrey, which will cover 40% of the costs of the project.

“Their management of the whole process and helpful, professional service has given us the confidence to tackle this project, leaving us free to concentrate on our priority, which is helping people in our community.”

Mark Gardiner, Business Development Manager for Raven Renewables, added: “It has been a pleasure to work with Hugh and the team at The Grange Centre. It is always satisfying to see work start on a renewable energy project, particularly one which will make such a difference to our client and their service users, not to mention the sustainability benefits the use of solar energy will bring.”

Founded by Raven, as part of our commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Raven Renewables offers an end-to-end service for the design, installation and maintenance of renewable technologies including solar photovoltaic panels, air and ground source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points.

Find out more about Raven Renewables here.