As climate change becomes more and more talked about and with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council declaring a climate emergency in September 2019, we all need to work together to help the borough become carbon neutral by 2030.

Given all the emissions that come from burning fossil fuels to produce energy, generating the energy you need renewably with solar panels is one way you can help with this and make a real difference for our planet.

We’ve done some research and spoken to some local suppliers to help you on your journey.

Why use a local business?

As with any other product you purchase, by keeping it local you are helping create and support local jobs and investment and reducing the carbon footprint of your purchase. They are also on hand for servicing and maintenance of your system.

One of the businesses we spoke to, Energy Decisions, tells us “We’re a small family run business which means we can offer personal touches to our services that larger corporates cannot offer – quite simply, every client relationship is important to us. When you contact us, you are coming directly through to our team, and we really listen to our clients in order to provide pragmatic advice to meet your particular requirements.”

What local suppliers are there?

Tomato Energy is based on Basing View. It is empowering communities to live sustainably and keep costs low by maximising the benefits of locally generated sustainable energy. In Basingstoke and Deane, residents can sign up to get free solar panels and battery storage installed at home, when they sign up for a fixed electricity bill for 10 years that should be cheaper than average bills. The renewable electricity generated powers the home. Any excess initially goes into storage batteries, following which it is distributed across the community. At the end of the 10-year period, the solar panel and battery storage become your property and you can continue to use Tomato Energy or choose an alternative supplier. Termination fees apply if you end the agreement early.

Auream Energy Ltd was established in 2013 in Basingstoke to provide renewable energy installation services to high usage residential customers. They offer large residential solar panel systems of all types, including on-roof, in-roof, and ground mounted as well as on car ports and pergolas, with all roofing systems coming with pigeon protection as standard. They offer complete home energy solutions by installing panels, optimised inverter systems and energy storage. They also install commercial systems.

Sunergy UK is a Basingstoke-based renewable energy company that specialises in energy efficiency measures such as solar panels (roof mounted, ground mounted, solar car ports and floating solar), battery storage, electric vehicle chargers, wind power, hydro power, LED smart lighting, combined heating and power turbines and heat pump technologies. It’s right first time, concept-to-energisation services ensure the best carbon savings alongside the best return on investment. Sunergy can also fund all this technology with zero upfront investment for clients and even include things like efficient cladding, windows and new roofs.

Basingstoke Energy Services Co-operative was founded in 2012 and only installs systems that will give value for money over the whole lifetime of the system. Covering both domestic and commercial installations they have installed renewable energy systems on many homes, fire stations, feeding directly into railways, on warehouse roofs, in fields, on village halls, on college roofs – almost anywhere an effective renewable energy system can be installed.  They also deliver community solar installations across north Hampshire and west Berkshire where communities come together to raise funds and build renewable energy installations for the good of the community.

Energy Decisions, based in Sherfield-on-Loddon, designs, sources and installs renewable energy systems including solar panels, battery storage, air-to-air heat pumps, electric vehicle charge points and power diverters. They can also prepare feasibility reports on the viability of a renewable energy system, building energy assessments, decarbonisation reports and applying for government grants for public sector bodies. They are registered with the Renewable Energy Consumer Code and homeowners can choose to register with either MCS or Flexi-Orb microgeneration certification schemes through them.

Other suppliers of solar panels and heat pump installers based in the borough are Vector Projects UK, South England Solar, Meadham Energy Solutions, Nick Manual Renewables and Mark Smith Plumbing and Heating.

For businesses

Most of the suppliers above work with commercial organisations as well as homeowners, although Sunergy works exclusively with the commercial, industrial, new build and social housing sectors, so you’ll find plenty of options for your organisation. The council commissioned a solar panel study last year to assess all non-domestic roofs over 30m² across the borough to determine how much renewable energy they could each generate with rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. If you would like to see a copy of the report for your building you can contact the climate change team at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

Why now?

Tomato Energy says: “In the context of both the climate and cost of living crises, it is vital now that we pull together as a community and take control of our future. Everyone in the community has a role to play in transforming Basingstoke and Deane into a thriving, net zero community.”

Many local companies have told us that costs are lower than ever and now is a good time to invest in solar panels.

Want to know more?

You can find further information on installers on the MCS directory. The Energy Saving Trust has lots of advice on heating your home together with information on solar panels. The Basingstoke and Deane Green Team supports residents and organisations to cut their emissions and become more sustainable as they play their part to help tackle the climate emergency. They can help by providing a free home energy survey to help you understand how you can take action to make your home more energy efficient, and they can also let you know about grants you may be eligible for that could help to pay for measures like solar panels.

If green energy is not right for you but you want to do your bit for the planet, then Sustainable Basingstoke is a great place to start. It has some great tips for adopting a more sustainable lifestyle and plenty of ways for you to get involved to help tackle climate change and protect nature locally.

Please note the inclusion of any business within this listing is not  an endorsement of their services. Whilst the information is considered to be true and correct at the date of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information.   If you know of any local businesses not listed then please let us know by emailing hello@lovebasingstoke.co.uk.

February 2024