720 kWp Care Village — CCRC Whole-Estate Year-1 Phase

Scenario

A 280-unit Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) operating in the Home Counties. Integrated independent-living apartments (220 units), assisted-living units (32), and a 28-bed nursing care suite. Annual electricity bill £555,000 across the integrated estate before install. Operator: specialist CCRC group running 8 villages across the UK, with institutional investor (private equity sponsor + 2 pension fund LPs).

Phase 1 of a planned 5-phase whole-estate decarbonisation programme committed to a 2035 net-zero operational target. Phase 1 scope: solar across all six main rooftops, LFP battery storage in two dedicated external plant rooms, and 36 EV charging points across resident + staff + visitor parking with smart load management.

This case study is an illustrative composite based on representative engagement with premium UK CCRC operators. Specific identifying details are anonymised.

What the project delivered — Phase 1 (April 2026)

• Solar PV: 720 kWp across six main rooftops (clubhouse, restaurant, wellness suite, nursing care building, central facilities, large flat-roof maintenance block) + 100 kWp ground-mount on the south paddock
• Battery storage: 320 kWh LFP in two dedicated external plant rooms with gas-suppression fire protection
• EV charging: 36 × 22 kW chargers across resident parking (16), staff parking (12), visitor parking (8)
• G99 application: 480 kW export-limited connection, 24 weeks approval (negotiated to meet phase 1 programme; capacity-constrained DNO region)
• Workplace Charging Scheme grant: £18,000 claimable at the current rate (36 sockets × £500, the rate since 1 April 2026)
• Live generation displays: Reception (main village + nursing wing), restaurant, wellness suite
• Group monitoring integration: Live data feed to group’s central sustainability dashboard

Results — year 1

Metric	Year 1
Generation	680,000 kWh
Self-consumption (with battery)	71% (483,000 kWh)
Energy saving (import offset at 27p)	£130,400
SEG export income (197,000 kWh at 8p)	£15,750
Total energy cost saving	£146,150
EV charging revenue (visitor + resident)	£28,000
WCS grant (one-off)	£18,000
Combined year-1 financial benefit	£186,750
CO₂ avoided	158 tCO₂e
IRR (capital purchase + AIA)	16%
Simple payback (gross capex)	6 years

Programme structure — Phases 2-5 planned

• Phase 2 (2027): Air-source heat pump replacing gas central heating across all 6 main buildings. £1.1m capex. Combined Phase 1+2 IRR projected at 17%.
• Phase 3 (2028): Fabric upgrades — insulation, glazing, smart heating controls across 280 units + communal facilities. £680k.
• Phase 4 (2029): EV charging expansion to 80 sockets total; battery storage expansion to 500 kWh. £270k less WCS grants.
• Phase 5 (2030): Full ground-mount expansion on the unused west paddock — 350 kWp ground-mount taking total installed capacity to 1.07 MW. £280k.

Total Phase 1-5 programme value: £2.7m over 4 years. Expected end-state position: ~87% renewable energy supply on operational footprint, Scope 2 reduction to near-zero, Scope 1 reduction by ~75%, EV-ready estate with full visitor + staff + resident charging.

TCFD-aligned investor disclosure

The installation contributes to the group’s TCFD-aligned climate disclosures:

• Scope 1 baseline (gas heating dominates): 1,720 tCO₂e/year pre-Phase 2
• Scope 2 baseline (purchased electricity): 138 tCO₂e/year
• Year-1 post-Phase 1 Scope 2: 37 tCO₂e/year (-73% on installed site)
• Group-level reduction following rollout to 2 further villages: ~390 tCO₂e/year (~18% group Scope 2)
• TCFD scenario analysis: Positive resilience demonstrated to 1.5°C and 2°C transition pathways. Carbon-pricing sensitivity reduced by ~£210k/year exposure across the group post-rollout.

The group’s pension fund LPs flagged the programme as a material ESG positive at the half-year reporting cycle. GRESB benchmark scoring improved from A- to A.

Sales and marketing outcome

CCRC sales depend on visible values as much as floor plan. The 2026 sales report (covering the year of Phase 1 installation):

• 17% uplift in unit sales velocity versus prior year
• 34% increase in unprompted “sustainability commitment” mentions in prospect-meeting notes
• One new pension fund LP joined the cap stack at the year-end fundraise, citing the operational decarbonisation programme as a material positive
• 4 of 12 prospect-survey responses in Q4 2026 cited “environmental commitment” as a primary reason for selection (vs 1 of 12 in Q4 2025)

DNO complexity at scale

The 720 kWp + 320 kWh battery + 36 EV chargers connection required negotiated G99 approval with the local DNO’s capacity team. Initial DNO response: 18 months timeline due to local capacity constraints. We engaged at desk-feasibility stage and proposed:

1. Export-limited connection at 480 kW (vs system capacity of 720 kWp generation + 320 kWh battery + 36 EV chargers peaking at ~800 kW combined draw)
2. Smart load management software gating peak grid demand to within the export-limited capacity
3. Battery storage absorbing midday peak generation, releasing during evening peak demand

Outcome: 24-week DNO approval (negotiated down from 18 months). Phase 2 (heat pump) DNO discussion already initiated for the 2027 connection upgrade.

Family + resident reception

The visible installation has been positively received across resident and visitor groups:

• Residents: Live generation displays in 4 communal locations. Resident-led “Green Committee” formed; meets quarterly.
• Visitors: EV charging adoption rapid — 60% utilisation of visitor sockets in month 6 (vs 12% modelled). Family-driven demand higher than projected.
• Prospects: Pre-purchase visitors increasingly enquire about sustainability commitments during tour. Sales team trained to discuss Phases 2-5 roadmap.