CAfS

Archives: FAQs

  • I have east and west-facing roofs. Does this make a difference?

    Yes. For the same total number of panels you will get about 15% less energy over the year from an east-west facing roof, compared to a south-facing one. For other orientations you will get a different percentage, e.g. for a south-west facing roof you will get about 5% less. 

    However, in summer you will get more electricity from an east-west facing roof early in the morning or late in the evening and you could well find this an advantage. Also, east-west oriented houses (assuming they have a simple pitched roof) have twice the viable roof space of a comparable north-south oriented house.

  • How much electricity can I expect to generate in a year?

    The amount of electricity that you will be able to generate from your panels depends on: 

    • The size of the system (number of panels, and the power rating of the panels) 
    • The amount of light that falls on your panels, which is determined by their orientation and any overshadowing and your location in the UK. 

    Electricity generation is not constant – it varies dramatically both across the day and across the year, to reflect the changing levels of light. 

    This depends on where you live and the orientation of your roof. There is standard data table for the UK that provides one single factor for Cumbria.  

    The power of typical solar panels is currently around 400Wp (the p stands for ‘peak’ and 400W is the power of the panel in standardised laboratory tests). For a 12 panel system, the total power is therefore 4.8kWp. Using the standard Cumbrian factor, this will result in an estimate that the system on a south-facing roof, will generate around 4,000 kWh per year. 

    However, there is a variance across Cumbria since some places are sunnier or cloudier than average. So be mindful that the quote you receive might be an over- or under-estimate of what your system will produce. You can explore the differences across Cumbria on this map. 

  • How much will they cost?

    This depends on the size of the system, the manufacturer and spec of the equipment, how easy the panels are to install and whether you need any work to your roof or electrical system. It also depends on whether you add a battery.  

    A typical solar PV system for a family home, consisting of about 12 panels with a battery would cost around £11,000, of which the battery would be about £3,000. 

  • What about the environmental impact of producing the panels and batteries?

    The major components of panels that are mined and processed are quartz, copper and aluminium. Various attempts to calculate how much greenhouse gas is produced in the mining of these materials and the manufacture of panels suggest that this is recovered by production of carbon-free electricity in about two years. This is regarded as a good return on investment, particularly as panels are expected to be used for well over 25 years. So from a global warming perspective they have a positive environmental impact.

    However, there can be negative social and environmental impacts from the mining process, which depend upon where the minerals are sourced and how well the mines are managed. Panels made from ethically sourced materials do exist, so it is worth asking your supplier about this (even if just to get them thinking about it). Ethical Consumer rank different panel manufacturers, but you do need to subscribe to them to access the rationale behind their scoring. Recycling at the end of their lifetime is yet to be fully solved, but once well-established, this should reduce the need for new raw materials.

    There are more serious social and environmental issues around the mining of the materials used in electrical batteries, which are mainly lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese. Again, there is significant work to be done to up systems and facilities for recycling these batteries, as well as research and development of alternative battery technology that avoids lithium in particular.

  • Why should I consider installing solar panels?

    Solar PV panels generate electricity from light. They reduce the amount of electricity that you need from the national grid, which is powered by a mix of renewable technologies and fossil fuels. Installing solar panels can therefore cut your carbon footprint meaning that you can make a personal contribution to reducing global warming. Also, it can save money in the long term and shield against dramatic energy price rises.

  • How do we apply (large grants)

    There will be two rounds of funding, and the successful applicants will be chosen by the
    community at a special online meeting.

    The first round of funding will have a total of £30,000 to distribute to groups. Potential
    applicants are invited to discuss their ideas with the project coordinator and are
    requested to download & save and fill out an application form by the 28th February 2022 and return it to
    [email protected]

    Applications will then be checked by our funding steering group to make sure that they
    fit the eligibility criteria for the fund and are the type of project that we are looking to
    support.

    Successful first stage applicants will then be invited to provide a presentation to
    a special meeting where attendees will be asked to vote for the projects, they feel most
    deserve support from the fund (please note – you won’t be able to vote for your own
    project!).

    We are looking to hold this event in the evening of the 31st March 2022 – so please make
    a note to attend, even if you don’t plan to put in a funding bid. We hope that there might
    be the chance for networking, perhaps the chance for other groups to offer support and
    maybe for projects to decide that they would like to work together in future.

    Successful applicants will then receive a funding contract for their work, once they have
    confirmed details of budgets, delivery plans and monitoring plans.

  • Where else can I apply to gain additional funds?

    The Zero Carbon Cumbria Community Climate Grants are not the only source of funding which might be able to support your work.  There are many other trusts and grant making bodies that could contribute towards you achieving your goals, including Cumbria Community Foundation Cumbria Community Foundation – Connecting People Who Care With Causes That Matter (cumbriafoundation.org)

    The Lake District Foundation has a range of funds available including a Low Carbon Lake District fund which could be used as matched funding Apply for a Grant – Lake District Foundation

    Landfill tax is donated to Cumbria Waste Management Environment Trust to support local groups: Grant Info – Cumbria Waste Management Environment Trust (cwmet.org.uk)

    There are also national funding streams also available and you can apply directly to the National Lottery via their Awards for All fund:  National Lottery Awards for All England | The National Lottery Community Fund (tnlcommunityfund.org.uk)

    Local authorities often have a pot of funding to support community groups:

    For example, please see Cumbria County Council’s website: Community Grants | Cumbria County Council

    Local funds

    There may be additional funding available in specific areas, for example Low Carbon Barrow will have grants available over the next 2 years: Low Carbon Barrow – Art Gene (art-gene.co.uk) and there is funding and additional support available for West Cumbria: Cumbria Community Foundation – Connecting People Who Care With Causes That Matter (cumbriafoundation.org)

    CAfS is also distributing some additional funding from Allerdale Borough Council in line with the priorities identified through the ZCC Grassroots Community Fund.

  • My in-home display is faulty. What can I do?

    Contact your energy supplier. If you’ve had the in-home display for less than 12 months, and the display has broken or is no longer working as it should be, your supplier should replace it free of charge. If there is evidence that the damage has been caused by you your supplier may consider applying a charge.

     

  • How will applications be evaluated?

    We have a strong focus on helping grassroots community groups and would like to fund projects which will increase the breadth and depth of activity around climate change in Cumbria.

    This means that we are particularly interested in supporting new groups – so if this is the first ever funding bid that you’ve made or you’re finding the process confusing, don’t worry as we’ll be able to help you through the application.  Just get in touch with [email protected] to find out more.

    The types of things that we will look at when we assess your application are:

    Does the project reach communities with additional needs for support?

    We would like to support groups which haven’t received funding to work on climate change issues before.  In particular we would like to see proposals which will help people who could be disproportionally affected by climate change such as people on low incomes/benefits, young people, older or disabled people, people in insecure housing situations, migrants and/or or refugees. We will give extra weight to applications from groups based in an area without an established sustainability group.

    ‘Fit’ with the fund

    We will look at whether your proposed project fits within the aims of the fund.  Does it support for activities which will reduce carbon emissions and will it engage more people and/or build knowledge and understanding of climate change?  Does it link in well with other projects being delivered as part of the Zero Carbon Cumbria programme, such as the work with young people, or the ‘eat local grow local’ project? We are particularly keen to support projects which will enable lots of people from your local community to get involved.

    Is it a good idea and will your organisation be able to make a success of the project?

    Depending on the type of project and how much money you are asking for, we might also look at whether the group has enough experience / expert support to make the project a success.  This should not put you off applying if you are from a brand new group! We’d like to see some creative, inspiring new ideas which might be reaching out to involve a new audience – but also know that you might need funding for basic costs. We’d also like to know about your partnership plans if you are teaming up with others to deliver your project.

    Value for money

    All projects supported with Lottery funding have to show that they represent value for money.  For example – how many people will be involved? Will your project benefit one family, or a whole street or village?  Does your budget look realistic? What will be the expected level of carbon saving (if any)?  Please note that we are also happy to fund work to support your development as a group, and this could mean employing a trainer or consultant to help build your skills.  It might be worth checking if this work be delivered more cheaply / for free by using existing resources – for example, by joining in with free training delivered elsewhere or by seeking practical help from another group who may have already successfully delivered a similar project.

  • What will we need to do at the end of the project?

    Keeping records of activities funded through the Zero Carbon Cumbria Community Climate Grant is essential to : 

    • Keep track of your progress and make sure you are achieving what you set out to do 
    • Be accountable to the National Lottery Climate Action Fund (which has provided the resources to CAfS / ZCC to deliver this funding programme) 
    • Enable CAfS / ZCC to demonstrate the overall impact of the Zero Carbon Cumbria Community Climate Grant (by adding your contribution to that of others) 
    • Build up a good record of delivery which will help you when applying for other grants (think of it like credit score ratings) 
    • Enable you to be able to report to your members at your regular meetings / Annual General Meeting (if you keep records as you go along, then it is easier to collect information at the end of the year) 
    • Shout about your achievements and inspire others! 

    By signing up to the terms and conditions outlined in your application, you will have committed to providing CAfS with monitoring information. 

    When you receive your grant, if you haven’t already discussed this as part of the application process, it is important that you agree with other members of your group: 

    • What you will measure / count / report on during the delivery of your project (please see list of suggestions at the end of this section)? 
    • Who is going to keep records? 
    • How the records will be kept? 
    • How they will be shared (with your group and others)?   

    At the end of your project, you will be required to return a monitoring form to CAfS detailing what you have achieved through the project and confirming your expenditure.  

     Please see further guidance and template for reporting to CAfS.