You might be one of the many community groups battling rising costs and bills. Protecting your services and future-proofing your buildings is more important than ever.

There’s good news. Solar panels and battery storage will save your vital community space money… and there’s funding out there to help you. Whether you’re a village hall, community centre, sports club or surgery, low-cost electricity is in reach. You just need to know where to look and find the right team to partner with you.

Brimstone Energy are making this happen right now. We recently completed a solar and battery installation at Caxton Village Hall, near Cambourne in Cambridgeshire, a key community space serving local residents. We spoke to Parish Councillor, David Cronk, whose work with the Village Hall Committee has now helped them secure 30 years of energy savings.

Read on to find out more, and watch the video to see how Caxton Village Hall’s success story could become your story too.

How did the solar panel and battery storage project start?

Costs. Need. Opportunity. Decision.

I care about what I do, just like everyone does who gets involved in community work. I love what Caxton Village Hall brings to our residents, as young and “older” people need this space to gather, connect and socialise.

Community buildings are facing the same thing. Higher energy bills have increased running costs. The building used to be the old school, there’s no gas supply, and we’ve got electric heaters throughout. So, until now, we’ve been completely reliant on the grid.

When bills go up, you start thinking about saving money. You have the options of increasing rental costs for local groups, or starting to consider reducing the availability of the space. Neither of these sat right, as both would mean people who need the building lose out. These spaces are more important than ever.

Our solar installation story began with an email from our South Cambridgeshire District Councillor, telling us about green energy funding and grants available for community spaces. I discussed this with the team and broadly asked, “What do you think?”

Good timing! What happened next?

The need was there, and higher bills weren’t going anywhere. We decided we had nothing to lose, and potentially lots to gain, with benefits now and in the future.

“If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”

We knew we could make a good case for the importance of Caxton Village Hall, and easily show the value of installing low-cost energy here. We found the funding window was open, so we went for it and applied with the mindset, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”

What research did you complete about solar and battery storage options?

We did all the normal sense-checking with the council before completing the funding form. I have to say, the form was sensible and intuitive. Hoop jumping puts people off, but this was just four pages, with all the information relevant and easily found.

We also knew we had a large south-facing roof, so there was lots of space to catch the sun.

We were successful. The District Council granted £15,000 to install solar panels and battery storage. The sun was shining on Caxton!

Did any advice stand out?

We got four quotes. Each company had a different take, which helped us gather information. Specifically, we were reassured about the structural suitability of our roof and were pleased to know it would have no problem holding the panels.

Did you face any barriers?

With a community project, you want to make the right decision at each step… you may even feel this more than if you’re installing solar panels in your own home.

There were discussions about where to put the battery. Matt helped with this decision, and we were pleased to know the GivEnergy option is happy to sit inside or out. Outside, under a new canopy (thanks Matt!), was the option we took.

Caxton Village Hall is leased from the Diocese of Ely, so we needed to work closely with them and get permission. Our lease was shortly up for renewal and there were some questions about raising the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating before this time. EPCs weren’t initially in our thinking and the building is very old, but the rating has been improved sufficiently by the new solar panels and battery.

Tell us about the solar panel and battery system

On Matt’s and Brimstone Energy’s advice, we’ve got Eurener photovoltaic solar panels and a GivEnergy battery.

We’ve got 16 panels on the roof, giving us an 8kWp system. You see when you come in how smart they look! Each of these are fitted with an Enphase micro-inverter, meaning each panel works independently. In string systems, an issue with one panel impacts them all, so we’ve avoided this problem. These Enphase micro-invertes also come with a 25-year warranty, so there won’t be any unexpected maintenance bills.

We also got a 13.5kWh GivEnergy battery, so we can store excess electricity to use when the sun’s gone down. And, on the smart app, we can see information about imports, solar generation and exports back to the grid.

The whole thing is AC-coupled, which is industry best-practice.

How do you feel now the project’s complete?

The project feels like it really matters – it’s benefitting the community and protecting an important space in the village.

We’re pleased. We still need electricity but we’ve taken control of how we get it – we’re less reliant on the grid, and we’re doing our bit for the environment.

Put simply, the solar panels and battery storage system works, so we’ll be paying less money on our bills from now. Even in February, we generated over 300kWh from the panels… and we’re only going to get more sun from here.

Tell us about partnering with Matt and Brimstone Energy

I told you we got four quotes. Matt turned out to be cheapest, quoting at slightly over the £15,000 we had from the grant.

The most expensive quote came in at over £34,000!

Going with the cheapest option for any project can be a false economy – we didn’t choose Brimstone because of this. It was clear Matt tailored his advice based on our need and worked with our funding limits… in effect, he saw the big picture.

He was responsive, arrived exactly when he said he would, was quick to complete his assessment and feed back to us, and then set a clear date and timeline. You won’t be surprised to know, he stuck to it completely.

Having Brimstone was like having a partner on the project.

When we asked Matt to be flexible about the dates for a delivery. No problem.

When Matt said he’d be there. No delay.

When Matt was on site and installing. No fuss and no mess.

Would you recommend Brimstone Energy.

Yes. 100%.

The project ran like clockwork, and this matters when you’re in a community space that’s being used each day. The scaffolding was up quickly, and the panels were installed and commissioned in a couple of days.

Everything was quickly back to normal, the only difference being our new relationship with the sun!

What’s your advice for businesses thinking about solar panels and battery storage?

You can make it work and you’ve got nothing to lose.

There is money available to help, and the government is keen to channel it through to local community organisations where the impact is big. Speak to your District Council, so you can get ahead of the game by knowing exactly when different funding windows are opening.

Any conversation you have with the council will also help you understand and focus your application, and by speaking to installers, you can combine this with a clear idea of what your project could look like.

And lastly, your installer matters. The price is important, but what matters more is your instinct on who’s really listening, who understands your community needs, and who will stick to what they say they’ll do at each point. Brimstone Energy did this for us.

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From Matt, Founder of Brimstone Energy UK

As a local company, Brimstone Energy loves working on projects to benefit communities.

David said it perfectly, community spaces do matter. More than ever.

When we visited the Village Hall after the installation, a local group were in the hall with the heating on and the kettle boiling. It was great to know this was all being protected for the future by low-cost energy.

The story at Caxton shows you have nothing to lose, you can make it happen, and you don’t have to wait. It’s time to get cracking.

Get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

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Here are some extra things to think about…

Your home? See how solar and battery installation will also reduce your household bills.

Your business? See how solar and battery installation will reduce your running costs.

For any advice or for a quote, get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

Find out what makes Brimstone Energy UK unique. Read the Brimstone Manifesto:

Learn about the basics of solar power here. Start with What is Peak Power in Solar Panels:

Find out about the Economics of Battery Storage and understand how they can earn you money.

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From the Brimstone Blog: