850 kWp Multi-Site Group Rollout — 14 Care Homes in 11 Months
- System size
- 850 kWp (across 14 sites)
- Annual saving
- £142,000
- Payback
- 6 years
- Location
- UK-wide
Scenario
A UK-listed care home group operating 80+ residential and nursing homes nationally. Annual group electricity spend £4.2m. Group sustainability committee committed to SECR Scope 2 reduction of 25% by 2030 versus 2024 baseline. Institutional investors (private equity sponsor plus two pension fund LPs) flagged ESG performance as a material reporting requirement.
The first tranche covered 14 sites selected on five criteria: south-facing roof orientation, structural condition, demand profile (preference for nursing > residential), DNO connection capacity, and CQC inspection cycle timing (sites approaching inspection prioritised for Well-led evidence build).
This case study is an illustrative composite based on public disclosures from sector-leading group rollouts and our engagement with similar groups. Specific identifying details are anonymised.
Programme structure
- Total combined capacity: 850 kWp across 14 sites (range 35–95 kWp per site, sized to each home’s demand)
- Combined capex: £640,000
- AIA tax shield: £160,000 (25% of capex at main corporation tax rate)
- Effective net capex: £480,000
- Programme duration: 11 months from kick-off to final site commissioning
- Per-site programme: 14-20 weeks each (design/DNO/install)
- Sequencing: 1-2 sites per month, sequenced by CQC inspection windows
Standardised technical specification
For programme efficiency and facilities team training simplicity, the entire 14-site tranche used standardised specification:
- Panels: JA Solar 545W monocrystalline bifacial (4,200 total panels)
- Inverters: Sungrow string inverters, sized 25 kW / 33 kW / 50 kW depending on site
- Mounting: Schletter clamp-fix on pitched roofs; Renusol ballast on flat roofs
- Battery storage: 30-60 kWh LFP per site (selected sites — 9 of 14 received battery for resident-safety resilience)
- Monitoring: Sungrow iSolarCloud unified platform with group-level dashboard
- Live generation displays: Reception screens at all 14 sites with dementia-friendly visual design where applicable
Volume procurement efficiency
Group-level volume procurement reduced per-site capex by 18% versus single-site list pricing:
- Panels: 12% volume discount on 4,200 panels (vs single-site procurement)
- Inverters: 15% volume discount on 28 inverters
- Battery: 22% volume discount on 540 kWh of LFP capacity
- Installation labour: 8% efficiency from learning-curve effects across the programme
- DNO applications: Group-level template reduced application preparation time by 60% per site
Results — year 1 across the portfolio
| Metric | Year 1 (annualised pro-rata) |
|---|---|
| Combined generation | 800,000 kWh |
| Combined self-consumption | 510,000 kWh (64% average) |
| Combined energy saving | £126,000 |
| Combined SEG export income | £16,000 |
| Combined annual saving | £142,000 |
| Combined CO₂ avoided | 184 tCO₂e |
| Combined IRR | 17% |
| Simple payback (post-AIA) | 3.4 years |
SECR reduction across the group
The 14-site programme delivered 184 tCO₂e/year Scope 2 reduction at the group level — equivalent to a 4.4% reduction in group-wide Scope 2 emissions in year one. Combined with energy efficiency actions across the remaining 66 sites (LED retrofit, building management optimisation), the group reported 8.7% Scope 2 reduction in the relevant annual Directors’ Report.
The reduction is on track to deliver the 25% by 2030 commitment — the rollout programme will continue across the remaining 66 sites in tranches over 2027-2030.
CQC inspection outcomes
Of the 14 sites in the first tranche, 9 were inspected by CQC within 18 months of commissioning. Outcomes:
- 3 sites moved from Good to Outstanding on overall rating (with Well-led specifically cited as the driver in inspection reports)
- 5 sites retained Outstanding rating (Well-led evidence supported continued judgement)
- 1 site retained Good rating (other factors limited overall progression but Well-led KLOE specifically improved)
- 0 sites declined in rating
Multiple inspection reports referenced installed solar, live generation displays, family-facing sustainability communication, and the group’s integrated decarbonisation roadmap as Well-led evidence.
ESG investor reporting impact
The programme was incorporated into the group’s first formal TCFD-aligned disclosure (covering the financial year of completion). Specific reporting elements:
- Scope 2 baseline (pre-programme) and reduction trajectory through 2030
- Climate transition risk scenario analysis — programme contribution to 1.5°C alignment
- Renewable energy supply percentage across the portfolio (rising from 0% to 4.4% in year one of the programme; targeting 15-20% by 2030)
- ESG investor scoring uplift — GRESB infrastructure benchmark improved from B to A-
The pension fund LPs specifically flagged the programme as a material ESG positive at the next half-year reporting cycle.
Lessons we’d carry forward
Three things we’d do differently on the next group programme:
-
Earlier DNO engagement at portfolio level. Engaging the multiple DNOs (UK Power Networks, Northern Powergrid, Electricity North West, SP Energy Networks were all involved across the 14 sites) earlier than we did would have shaved 4-6 weeks off some sites with constrained network capacity. Recommend portfolio-level DNO briefings 4 months ahead of programme start.
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Battery storage included from start on more sites. We installed battery storage on 9 of 14 sites; in hindsight 12 would have been better. The 3 sites without battery storage achieve 45-55% self-consumption and have approached us about retrofit. Retrofit is more expensive than original install — recommend battery inclusion as default for nursing care sites.
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More proactive family-facing communication. Several sites reported family enquiries about the install that the home staff weren’t fully equipped to answer. We’ve subsequently developed a family-facing FAQ document that ships to all installs — and recommend operators distribute proactively at next quarterly family meeting.
Group Estates Director quote
“We needed a partner who could plan a portfolio rollout without disrupting residents. They modelled each home from half-hourly data, sequenced the G99 applications across four different DNOs, and delivered 14 sites in 11 months. The SECR Scope 2 reduction shows in our annual report; our institutional investors have flagged it positively at the half-year reporting cycle. The standardised technical spec means our facilities teams aren’t learning a different system at every site. We’re now planning tranches 2 and 3 covering the remaining 66 sites.”
— Group Estates Director