400 kWp + Battery + 24 EV Chargers, Retirement Village
- System size
- 402 kWp
- Annual saving
- £82,000
- Payback
- 6 years
- Location
- South East
Illustrative composite scenario (Premium retirement village operator) — a modelled worked example built from published industry install data and 2026 cost benchmarks. Figures are modelled, not measured on a project we carried out.
Scenario
A 240-unit Audley-style retirement village with clubhouse, restaurant, swimming pool, gym, wellness suite, and 28-bed on-site care suite. Annual electricity bill £320,000 across the integrated estate. EV charging requirement identified for 60 resident, staff, and visitor parking bays. Group-level ESG reporting commitment to institutional investors with TCFD-aligned disclosure.
Operator: premium retirement village group running 12 villages across the UK. The estate was selected as the lead site in a 3-village pilot programme covering solar + battery + EV charging integration.
This case study is an illustrative composite based on representative engagement with premium retirement village operators. Specific identifying details are anonymised.
What the project delivered
- Solar: 402 kWp across four main rooftops (clubhouse, restaurant, care suite, central plant)
- Battery: 200 kWh LFP in dedicated external plant room with gas-suppression fire protection
- EV charging: 24 × 22 kW chargers across resident parking (12), staff parking (8), and visitor parking (4) — with OCPP-compliant load management software
- G99 application: 280 kW export-limited connection, 16 weeks approval
- Workplace Charging Scheme grant: £12,000 claimable at the current rate (24 sockets × £500, the rate since 1 April 2026)
- Live generation display: Three reception screens (main village reception, restaurant, wellness suite)
- Commissioning date: April 2026
Results — year 1
| Metric | Year 1 |
|---|---|
| Generation | 380,000 kWh |
| Self-consumption (with battery) | 73% (277,400 kWh) |
| Energy saving (import offset at 27p) | £74,900 |
| SEG export income (102,600 kWh at 7p) | £7,180 |
| Total energy cost saving | £82,080 |
| EV charging revenue (visitor + resident) | £24,000 |
| WCS grant (one-off) | £12,000 |
| CO₂ avoided | 87,400 kg |
| IRR (capital purchase) | 16% |
| Simple payback | 6 years |
Whole-estate energy strategy
This install was Phase 1 of a planned whole-estate decarbonisation programme:
- Phase 1 (complete): Solar + battery + EV charging (£600k capex, paid back in 6 years)
- Phase 2 (planned 2027): Air-source heat pump replacing the gas central heating system (£800k capex, expected payback 9 years including SEG and AIA tax shield)
- Phase 3 (planned 2028–2029): Fabric upgrades (insulation, glazing, smart heating controls), further EV expansion to 60 sockets, planned ground-mount expansion on the unused south paddock
Total programme value £1.8m over 4 years. Expected programme-end position: ~80% renewable energy supply on operational footprint, full Scope 2 reduction to near-zero, Scope 1 reduction by ~70%.
Sales and marketing outcome
Premium retirement village sales depend on visible values as much as floor plan. The 2025 sales report (covering the year of install and 6 months post-commissioning) showed:
- 18% uplift in unit sales velocity vs prior year
- 26% increase in unprompted “sustainability commitment” mentions in prospect-meeting notes
- ESG investor scoring improved from B to A (independent benchmarker)
- One new pension fund LP joined the cap stack at the year-end fundraise, citing the operational decarbonisation programme as a material positive
The operator now references the installation prominently in sales literature and as a case study in investor presentations.
EV charging as revenue centre
The 24-socket EV charging installation generates revenue across three tariff structures:
- Resident charging: at-cost (28p/kWh, plus 2p service charge) across the 12 resident-dedicated points.
- Resident charging revenue: £14k a year
- Visitor charging: 38p/kWh on 4 visitor sockets — revenue £6,500/year
- Staff charging: subsidised 15p/kWh on 8 staff sockets — revenue £3,500/year (workplace benefit, recovered partially through payroll)
Total EV revenue £24,000/year, plus a £12,000 one-off WCS grant at the current £500 per socket rate. With solar covering 60–80% of EV charging energy during daylight hours, the marginal cost to the operator is 4–8p/kWh — comfortable margin against the 28–38p tariff.
TCFD-aligned investor disclosure
The install supports the operator’s TCFD-aligned climate disclosures:
- Scope 1 baseline: 1,180 tCO₂e/year (gas heating dominates)
- Scope 2 baseline: 95 tCO₂e/year (purchased electricity)
- Year-1 post-install Scope 2: 26 tCO₂e/year (-73% on installed site)
- Group-level Scope 2 reduction following pilot rollout to two further sites: ~210 tCO₂e/year (~22% group Scope 2)
- TCFD scenario analysis showed positive resilience to 1.5°C and 2°C transition pathways
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