Up to 1,000 homes across the Liverpool City Region are set to be fitted with energy saving solar panels and battery storage as part of a money saving, group buying scheme
STEVE Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region,
launched Solar Together last year to enable residents to cut their energy costs
while also reducing their carbon emissions. It is part of a raft of measures;
including fitting energy saving measures to 5,500 homes; to enable the City
Region to reach the ambitious target to be Net Zero by 2040 or sooner. A total
of 7,962 residents initially registered an interest in the innovative solar
scheme, which promises an average 26% discount on the installation costs, with
1,185 now signing up and paying the deposit.
Councillor David Baines, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Portfolio
Holder for Climate Emergency and Renewable Energy, said:- "We know that
many people are interested in installing solar panels both to cut their energy
bills and to do their bit for the environment but may have been put off by
finding a trustworthy contractor or just because the process seemed too
complicated. Solar Together helps to address those concerns and give residents a
simpler way to make the leap; the take up across the City Region shows that many
people have now taken that step. We know that we will need to halve our total
energy use as a City Region to hit our target of being net zero carbon by 2040
or sooner and every house and business that can produce its own energy takes it
that much closer to our target."
Solar Together Liverpool City Region was launched in August 2022, the latest in
a number of successful programmes run across the UK.
Nationally, the initiative has delivered over 7,000 installations, preventing
130,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.
Some 7,962 residents across the City Region registered an interest and received
an offer by mid-October.
Out of these, 1,114 accepted the offer for solar panels; 145 opting to include
battery storage; with a further 71 households choosing to retrofit battery
storage to an existing solar installation.
Between 800 and 1,000 projects are expected to go ahead, depending on survey
results.
Companies in Birkenhead, Wigan and Mold won the contracts to carry out the work,
with 670 surveys now carried out and 51 projects completed.
The scheme was most popular in Wirral, with 444 installations, followed by
Liverpool with 254 and Sefton with 207. St Helens accounted for 92 installations
with 91 in Halton and 26 in Knowsley.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has already fitted energy saving
features free of charge to more than 1,300 properties occupied by low-income
households across the City Region, as part of a £60million programme to retrofit
5,500 homes.
Councillor Graham Morgan, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Portfolio
Holder for Housing and Spatial Framework, said:- "With energy prices
continuing to increase, residents across Liverpool City Region are looking for
opportunities to reduce their carbon emissions, save on energy bills and
increase their independence from the grid. With our scheme to retrofit energy
saving measures, we are continuing to work with our local Authorities to help
people deal with the cost of living crisis and meet our environmental targets.
For those looking to invest in solar panels, the Solar Together group-buying
scheme has helped drive down installation costs and it is encouraging to see so
many people take advantage."
Life saving defibrillators are being installed across 60 more Northern Stations
A total of 60 more live saving defibrillators are set
to be installed across Northern's stations over the next 3 months. The train
operator also installed more than 100 defibrillators across its network in 2022,
and the equipment was deployed 22 times over this period. Every defibrillator
has step by step, spoken word instructions built in to it, which explain how to
use it on someone in an emergency. Computers inside the defibrillators work to
analyse a person's heart rhythms to find out if an electric shock is needed.
Electrodes then automatically deliver the shock if required. All of the
life-saving units have been added to the national register and training will be
offered by the local Ambulance Service to station staff, along with local
communities.
Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said:- "Our 187
defibrillators are a huge benefit to both our customers and the communities we
serve, as they are all positioned in public places, where anyone can use them.
The installation of 60 more defibrillators could help save even more lives. We
plan to continue to introduce this equipment at even more of our stations."
Locations of new defibrillators:- Blackburn, Newton-Le-Willows, Birchwood,
Barrow-In-Furness, Sunderland, Poulton-Le-Fylde, Broad Green, Earlestown,
Windermere, Buxton, Congleton, Leyland, MetroCentre, Sandbach, Darwen, Clitheroe,
Sellafield, Kirkham and Wesham, Poynton, Greenbank, Whitehaven, Burscough
Bridge, Disley, New Mills Central, Northwich, Eaglescliffe, Chester-Le-Street,
Millom, Morecambe, Workington, Roby, Kendal, Carnforth, Bishop Auckland, Whaley
Bridge, Sankey For Penketh, Prudhoe, Seaham, Grange-Over-Sands, Chinley, Parbold,
Mossley Hill, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Cramlington, Redcar East, Blackpool
South, Adlington (Lancashire), Wylam, Nelson, Arnside, Edale, Maryport, Burnley
Central, Meols Cop, Stockton, Cuddington, Newton Aycliffe, Billingham, West
Allerton and Rainford..
