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Posted: 2 March 2008

SML Solar Regeneration at Forgeside Housing Estate

The community of Forgeside near Blaenavon has benefitted from a grant of over £38,000 from the Government's Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) Phase 2 funding scheme for the installation of SML solar water heating systems.

SML partner company, Filsol Solar Limited, were approached by United Welsh Housing Association to design, supply and install solar water heating systems for 30 south facing properties on the Forgeside estate. The solar panels were installed as part of a wider refurbishment programme of the 1980s estate which was designed to significantly enhance the overall energy efficiency of the houses. Part-funded by the Heads of the Valleys regeneration initiative, work included improvements to insulation as well as new high efficiency condensing boilers to work in conjunction with the solar panels.

Visiting the estate, Leighton Andrews, the Welsh Deputy Minister for Regeneration said: "The Assembly Government is supporting, promoting and encouraging the use of microgeneration and renewables. We want the Heads of the Valleys to be a model of good practice in sustainability and this project is an excellent example of how the latest technologies can be used on older properties."

United Welsh opted to include solar water heating in the refurbishment programme to give their tenants cheaper heating bills, whilst also helping to reduce carbon emissions. Solar water heating also offered a low maintenance solution over the lifetime of the systems.

The solar systems included flat plate solar collectors which are manufactured in Filsol's factory in Carmarthenshire. Each system will typically reduce household energy consumption by 1,500 to 2,000kWh per year, providing as much as 70% of the total annual hot water requirement per household.

As a 'Framework Supplier' under the LCBP Phase 2 programme, SML are able to offer grants of up to 50% of the total purchase and installation costs on solar water heating systems.

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