30 kWp Solar on a 28-Bed Specialist Dementia Home

Scenario

A 28-bed specialist dementia care home in the East Midlands. Annual electricity bill £21,000 with 24/7 secure-unit lighting, commercial kitchen, and high staffing levels driving exceptional baseload. Operator: specialist dementia provider running three homes in the region.

The install required particular sensitivity — the home accommodates residents at moderate-to-advanced stages of dementia, several of whom are identified as wandering risks under their care plans. Anti-ligature considerations, quiet-working protocols, and DoLS awareness shaped the install programme.

This case study is an illustrative composite based on representative dementia-care engagements. Specific identifying details are anonymised.

What we delivered

• System size: 30 kWp (55 × 545W panels on south-east-facing pitched roof)
• Inverter: 1 × 25 kW string inverter, mounted in dedicated plant room
• Anti-ligature cable routing: All cabling internal to service voids; no exposed runs in resident-accessible zones
• Battery storage: 20 kWh LFP for resident-safety resilience (call systems, secure-unit door access, emergency lighting)
• Live generation display: Reception screen with dementia-friendly visual design (large numerals, high contrast, no flashing elements)
• Commissioning date: May 2026

Results — year 1

Metric	Year 1
Generation	28,500 kWh
Self-consumption (with battery)	68% (19,400 kWh)
Energy saving (import offset at 27p)	£5,240
SEG export income (9,100 kWh at 8p)	£730
Total year-1 saving	£5,970
CO₂ avoided	6,560 kg
Simple payback	5 years

Install protocol adjustments for dementia setting

Three specific adjustments shaped the programme:

1. Site induction. All install personnel completed a dementia-friendly site induction before mobilisation. Topics included: communication with residents who may approach contractors, recognising signs of distress, what to do if a resident attempts to enter a work zone, contractor identification (high-visibility clothing potentially distressing — moderated for site work), and who to contact from the home’s team for any incident.

2. Quiet-working protocols. The home’s activities coordinator provided a daily activity schedule. Noisier operations (roof penetration, scaffolding lifts, drilling) were scheduled around structured activities and quiet periods. Specifically, no noisy work between 13:30 and 15:00 (post-lunch rest period) or after 16:00 (pre-evening agitation window common in dementia settings).

3. Anti-ligature cable routing. Visible cabling within secure units was eliminated entirely. All DC runs route through service voids in the ceiling above the secure unit; AC distribution from inverter to consumer unit routes through staff-only corridors. The DC isolator is mounted in the staff-only plant room. The inverter is mounted at high level in the plant room behind locked access.

Family engagement

The home’s manager held a pre-install family meeting (4 weeks before mobilisation) explaining the project. Family Q&A topics covered:

• Will my relative notice the work? (Brief disruption during scaffolding erection only)
• Will it disturb sleep patterns? (No — work scheduled 09:00–16:30 only)
• Is battery storage safe given fire risk? (LFP chemistry, external siting, BS EN 62619 compliant)
• How will residents react to the live display? (Dementia-friendly visual design)

A second family meeting was held at commissioning, including a tour of the live display. The display has been positively received, particularly by adult-child family members who appreciate the visible carbon-saving narrative.

CQC outcome

The home was inspected three months after commissioning (Q3 2026). The Well-led rating moved from Good to Outstanding, citing:

• Visible sustainability commitment
• Family-facing communication of environmental impact
• Staff awareness of carbon savings (one staff member spontaneously referenced the live display generation figure when greeting the inspector)
• Integration of sustainability into care planning (the dementia-friendly display being commented on by relatives during structured family conversations)

The dementia-friendly nature of the visual display was specifically noted as evidence of resident-centred design under the Caring KLOE.

Battery storage rationale

For dementia care, battery storage justification is primarily resident-safety resilience rather than economics. The 20 kWh LFP battery powers a dedicated critical-load circuit covering:

• Nurse call and secure-unit alarm systems (3 kW)
• Secure-unit door access controls including dementia-friendly entry/exit management (2 kW)
• Emergency lighting beyond standard 3-hour spec
• Medication refrigeration
• Fire alarm panel

Total critical load: 6 kW continuous, peak 9 kW. The 20 kWh battery provides approximately 3–4 hours of continuous critical-load operation during outage. LFP chemistry only — non-negotiable for a vulnerable-occupant secure setting.

Registered manager quote

“I was anxious before the install — our residents don’t cope well with disruption, and the wandering risk meant contractors couldn’t simply turn up and work. The site induction made a tangible difference. The install team understood what they were walking into. There were three or four moments during the two-week install when a resident approached a contractor, and each time it was handled calmly and professionally. Zero incidents. Now we’ve got the panels paying us back and the live display in reception is genuinely one of the things families comment on most often.”

— Registered Manager