In early 2011 main contractor ISG Jackson invited Eco East Anglia to tender for the supply and install of photovoltaic panels to 44 new dwellings they were about to start building for Ashford Borough Council. Complying with the Code for Sustainable Homes, against strong opposition, Eco East Anglia won the contract and were asked to match the kW output for each dwelling in order to meet the relevant energy saving requirement to comply with the Code for Sustainable Homes. Robert Walmsley, Regional Director at Eco East Anglia, specified the panels and the layout of the panels for the 12 different house designs and one block of flats.
High quality panels from Austrian manufacturer Kioto were specified. During the early stages of the contract Ashford Borough Council decided to maximise the roof space and we were asked for new layouts to incorporate as many panels as could be fitted on the roofs. The end result was a contract for 265 panels with a total kilowatt peak output of 52.75 kW. Logistically this was not the easiest of jobs as the dwellings were spread over 9 different sites within a 7 mile radius of Ashford. Our installers worked to a tight schedule dovetailing with other trades attending each site whenever the next plot had roof tiling complete. They visited again when the plot was secure to install the inverter and meter with a final visit to commission just prior to the completion and handover of each plot.
ISG Jackson commends our service and Mark Schorah at ISG Jackson commented,
The installers have been incredibly helpful and pro-active in providing fixing information, SAP calculation information and generally doing whatever they can to ensure things run smoothly.
Part of the contract was an extension to a block of flats (Luckley House sheltered housing) and we were tasked with installing 45 panels on the flat roof. To avoid the use of fixings that would perforate the roof membrane, the panels were installed on ballasted consoles. The amount of ballast was calculated to suit the position and height of the console. The anticipated electricity production will be in excess of 24,000 kilowatt hours (kWhrs) per year. The anticipated CO2 emission saving will be in excess of 13 tonne per year.