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Case studies

Solar Together Sussex

Solar Together is a group buying scheme to enable residents to buy solar PV panels for their roof at a lower rate than if you buy them on your own. An average solar PV system can reduce annual household carbon emissions by approximately one tonne each year, helping East Sussex on its way to become carbon neutral. 

Over the last 3 years, over 1,700 homes across Sussex have benefitted from Solar Together, 550 of which were in East Sussex.

Solar Together Sussex is currently closed for new applicants, but we expect a new round to open in the future. Visit the Solar Together website to find out more.

I get a warm feeling when making my cuppa and it costs zero pence! It has relieved energy cost anxiety and sometimes I look at it and it gives me a lift that something is going right.

Solar Together Sussex participant

Reducing energy use and carbon emissions in schools

To date, East Sussex County Council has implemented 182 energy and carbon saving projects for schools, supported by a combination of Salix government funding and ESCC’s own Climate Change Fund. These have ranged from insulation improvements to LED lighting and low carbon heating.

Since 2022, we have decarbonised heating at 5 of our schools, with a further three completing in 2024/25. These projects have involved significant improvements to building insulation and replacing fossil fuel boilers with air source heat pumps.

Since 2022, 90 school site managers and school business managers have attended our energy saving workshops for school site managers. These workshops have covered practical advice on energy cost savings, climate change & carbon, energy efficiency measures and virtual site audits. A local school case study was used to show how changes which site managers implement can result in emissions and cost savings. Further carbon reduction schemes, workshops and support are planned for the upcoming year.

Climate awareness training

ESCC is aiming to embed net zero throughout the whole organisation, from policy and decision-making, to staff travel, project management and building user behaviour. Engagement and training are essential for all council staff, in order to achieve the behavioural change needed to meet net zero targets.

A programme of engagement and training has been launched to offer a wide range of training and engagement opportunities to staff, from face-to-face carbon awareness workshops to a bespoke e-module for East Sussex staff which has become mandatory for all new starters.

So far over 170 staff members, and 26 elected members have been trained.

The course was very informative and made me more aware of the urgent issues that we face with climate change, to make changes both at work and in home life.

Member of staff