In February 2011 the village of Derrington, near Stafford, marked the completion of an energy makeover of its Village Hall with a special launch. The event, formally opened by Stafford's mayor, Cllr Malcolm Millichap, was the culmination of an 18-month scheme to upgrade the energy efficiency of the entire building, making the Hall a model for other communities to follow.
The project was overseen by the Hall's management committee, with support from the Derrington Way Ahead low-carbon community project. Income from the solar electricity is being used to benefit the community, so for example, certain groups in the village can now use the hall at specially subsidized rates, or even for free.
The south-facing pitched roof of Derrington's Village Hall makes it an
ideal site for the 24 solar PV panels
The initial step was an energy audit of the Hall, undertaken in October 2009. This indicated which measures would be most cost-effective. Following strenuous efforts to secure funding, and tendering for the various tasks, the work was completed in October 2010, with the fitting of the solar panels.
The problem
- The Village Hall was costly to run in terms of electricity and oil consumption
- Flat roofs were not insulated
- There were no effective controls of the heating system
The solution
Initial funding was raised for an energy audit of the Hall building by Marches Energy Agency. This indicated the most effective measures and their likely cost. Time for more fund raising! The main aspects of the scheme were to be:
- Zoning of the heating system - allowing flexibility in heating for rooms within the Hall, instead of 'all on or all off'.
- Solar PV panels for the pitched roof - an array of 24 photovoltaic panels giving 7.5 kilowatt peak output
- Renovation of the flat roofs with insulation
The benefits
- Improved energy efficiency, with consequent reduced energy consumption and lower running costs
- Warmer and more comfortable space
- Income from the electricity generated by the solar panels, estimated to be £2500-3000 per annum with the feed-in tariff (FIT)
- Free electricity for the Hall when the solar panels are working
- Savings and FIT income used to subsidize cost of hiring the Hall for members of the community, or at no charge
- Electricity generation using renewable technology, thus cutting fossil fuel use and reducing the community's carbon footprint
Councillor Ray Sutherland of the Village Hall committee outlines the history of the
Hall at the event to mark completion of the Hall's energy makeover
Energy audit (October 2009): Low Carbon Buildings programme from the Building Research Establishment Energy measures (carried out October 2010): Staffordshire Environmental Fund (£15,000) - for solar PV Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) Communities Mean Business Leader programme (£26,500) - for zoning of the heating and reroofing flat-roof areas Stafford Borough Council (Community Centres and Village Halls Grant; £5000) - for solar PV Staffordshire County Council's Local Community fund (£2000) - to overall cost of project Derrington Village Hall Committee (£1000) - to overall project cost |