Countering a popular fallacy that solar PV is the preserve of the affluent middle classes is Peabody, one of London’s oldest and largest housing associations. It’s been generating renewable electricity since 2006, with over 200 kilowatts peak of solar PV arrays spread across four of its properties. Some of the electricity generated is used in the buildings’ communal areas while the rest is exported to supply Good Energy customers with 100% renewable, independently certified green electricity.

With social housing making up around a fifth of UK homes, it is vital that housing associations are at the frontline of improving energy efficiency and renewable generation in homes. “As a social organisation,” says Peabody’s Environmental Sustainability Officer, Tessa Barraclough, “we recognise our responsibility to protect the environment for our generation and future generations. It is also about setting an example to residents and staff so they can see the kind of things we’re implementing as well as learning about the things they can do.”

But Peabody hasn’t stopped there: it’s launched a £23 million programme to install solar panels on selected properties across the capital, saving around 3,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.

Peabody’s first installations were financed by a grant, but it was the introduction of the Feed-in Tariff in April 2010 that made the association’s most recent renewable programme possible. “The Feed-in Tariff is the funding stream for the project and was absolutely key to making this work for us” says Tessa.  “Another driver was being able to bring PV and renewable technology to our residents. It’s important that we don’t just leave it to the people who own their own properties.”