Viridian Solar Tops Off UK's First Energiesprong Homes

Revolutionary Approach to Low Energy Refurbishment Could Open Huge New Markets for Integrated Solar

February 2018

A remarkable refurbishment project is nearing completion on ten homes in Nottingham that will become the first Energiesprong homes outside of the Netherlands. Developer Melius Homes and social landlord Nottingham City Homes have worked together on the scheme, with solar photovoltaic roofing supplied by UK manufacturer, Viridian Solar.

Energiesprong is an innovative approach to the delivery and financing of low energy refurbishment where homes are completely updated to achieve a net zero energy performance in under a week, and all this is done without the residents even moving out. Afterwards, instead of paying for gas and electricity tenants pay an energy services fee to the social landlord. With this guaranteed additional income, to which savings on planned maintenance costs are added, the landlord can borrow to fund the upfront costs. The goal is to drive massive economies of scale and innovative construction techniques, such that the work can be done at a low enough cost the return is attractive to financial markets and no government support is required.

More details on Energiesprong can be found in this blog article written by Viridian Solar CEO, Stuart Elmes

Stuart Elmes, CEO of Viridian Solar said:"The team at Viridian are determined to play our part in making the Energiesprong concept a big success. You only have to look at the improvement that has been made to these pilot homes in Nottingham to understand why local authorities and social landlords are so excited by Energiesprong. The opportunity it offers to completely regenerate whole areas of our towns and cities, increasing the value of property and improving the comfort of tenants, all financed by energy savings is amazing."

David Adams, Technical Director at Melius Homes, said: "The Energiesprong requirement for cost effectiveness, rapid delivery and extended warranty pose an immense technical challenge to UK construction, a challenge that we set up Melius Homes to tackle. Every element of the building has to be reassessed and optimised for the new industrialised approach. Being able to work closely with Viridian Solar has been very helpful in developing our technical solution. It is clear that solar power has an important role to play in helping an Energiesprong development to achieve nearly net zero energy and guaranteed energy bills. Why would you ever tile a roof and put solar on top of it, when the roof itself can be formed from the solar panels?"

The ten homes in Nottingham are a pilot study, with an option to extend the programme to 400 more. Many other social landlords are expected to launch their own projects in the near future.