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The rugby football club as operated in Havant for 74 years. Due to rising electricity costs, as a result of the development of the clubhouse as the main source of revenue, the organisation needed to find a reliable energy solution. Gordon Brember, Head of Facilities, took the time to share the organisation’s experience of why a sustainable investment was important for business.
Although the club has installed various interventions over time, solar panel installation became the best solution to “take away the pain of the price increases”, according to Gordon.
The full installation of solar panels and battery storage was just under £25k, working closely with Save Energy UK to ensure the best package was chosen. A total of 56 solar panels have been installed on the grandstand roof at the club.
The longer term investment is what the club is aiming for, recognising that the initial energy costs saved will pay off the higher purchase loan that was secured with the support of Save Energy UK. With a number of rising costs, like many other organisations in hospitality, Gordon shared that releasing the capital funding to finance the installation would have been a challenge.
The costs saved will pay off the loan and contribute to the organisation running over a 5-year period. Following the initial 5 years, the expectation is to see an estimated 20% savings on electricity costs.
“Do your homework and build a prediction model. We looked at our hourly usage in detail.”
“We are a hospitality business that supports a rugby club in essence. Hospitality has many challenges and we have to keep improvements to stand still.” Gordon added, “Installation of Solar PV and savings plays a role in the overall business.”
