Solar Together

Buying solar panels and battery storage made easy

With the rising costs of living, many of us are looking for ways to reduce our bills and use energy more efficiently to reduce our carbon footprint. Having your own solar panels and battery storage to power your home with clean energy can be a smart investment.

A scheme called Solar Together Wiltshire gives Swindon residents the opportunity to come together to invest in renewable energy through a group-buying scheme for solar panels and battery storage. The initiative is a partnership involving Swindon Borough Council, Wiltshire Council and independent experts in group-buying, iChoosr Ltd.

The prospect of choosing an installer and making the change to renewable energy can be quite daunting, but Solar Together makes the switch to clean energy as hassle-free as possible.

The scheme supports people every step of the way, providing clear and objective information that people can trust, so that they can make a well-informed decision and receive expert guidance throughout the process.

The bargaining power created by coming together as a group is the core principle behind Solar Together. This enhanced buying power allows the scheme to offer more competitive pricing than individual homeowners might get if entering the market alone.

All Swindon residents (and in wider Wiltshire) who own their own house, or have permission from the landlord to install solar panels can register an interest, along with small and medium-sized enterprises (non-domestic) and Commonhold Associations meeting this requirement. 

The scheme offers solar panels with optional battery storage and electric vehicle charge points, as well as retrofit battery storage for residents who have already invested in solar panels and are looking to get more from the renewable energy they generate as well as increase their independence from the grid.

The scheme was first run in Swindon and Wiltshire during summer 2022 and more than 1,500 households had installations of solar panels and/or battery storage. This is estimated to shrink the carbon footprint of these households by more than 650,000 kilograms of Carbon Dioxide in total. 

Registrations for this year’s scheme have now closed, but you can leave your details on the Solar Together website, to be informed of future schemes.

Planning permission

Installations will generally not need planning permission. However, in some cases such as in conservation areas and on listed buildings, planning permission may be required. For further information visit the planning advice page.

Find out more

To find out more about future schemes, visit the Solar Together website. On this website, you will also find lots of helpful blogs about solar panels to help you see if they might be right for you.

The independent Energy Savings Trust has also produced a guide to solar panels along with a search-by-postcode tool to help estimate the energy bill savings and financial payments you could potentially receive by installing solar panels.

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