Car industry insider, Andy Skuse, has future-proofed his new home with a raft of sustainable technologies, including NGRE-installed EV charge points, PV solar panels and a smart battery charging system – all of which will help him and his family save resources, save money and capitalise on the green transport revolution.
Zero-emission Vehicles is the Future
Mr Skuse is due to take delivery of a new hybrid car in the next few weeks certain in the knowledge that low- and zero-emission vehicles are now the way to go.
He said: “I work in the car industry and all of the car manufacturers are going down the electric route and by 2035 you’re going to be forced to go zero-emissions.
“We’ve taken this opportunity to future-proof our new home with EV chargers and we’ll use the electricity from our solar panels to charge the cars up. It makes sense all round.”
Government Bans Petrol and Diesels
In November 2020, the UK Government announced that all new cars would have to be zero emission from 2035. At the same time £1.8 billion was pledged to support the greater uptake of zero emission vehicles, including grants for the installation of charge points and for the buying of zero and ultra-low emission vehicles.
Managing Director of NGRE, Greg Bishop, said: “The Government believes charging vehicles will become a part of everyday life, like charging your mobile phone.
“Given the hard evidence coming out of Government and investment from people with knowledge of the car industry, like Mr Skuse, now is starting to look like a tipping-point for EVs.
“It makes perfect sense for people to make that investment now.”
See our article on Why Choose to Go Electric.
EV Efficiency – Free Travel?
Match some of the most efficient EVs on the market today with a competitive tariff and it could cost as little as £2 for a full charge. Your journey could cost you only 1.2p per mile compared with the average petrol or diesel, at 12p per mile.
Greg said: “But charge that vehicle from your own solar PV system and your journeys are free!”
The Zappi Smart EV Charging System
NGRE installed two 22kW Zappi smart chargers at Mr Skuse’s home. The chargers not only operate as standard EV chargers but will also allow Mr Skuse and his family to charge their EVs for free utilising the clean, green energy generated by their PV solar panels.
The charging system combines Zappi’s innovative EV charger with its Hub, so it can be monitored and controlled remotely using Zappi’s myenergi app.
The Solar PV System – Viridian Clearline Fusion
NGRE installed Viridian’s Clearline Fusion roof integrated PV system into the roof of Mr Skuse’s new property. Consisting 13, Viridian 320w solar panels, producing 4.16kWp and 3,338kWh annually, the panel array is built into the roof rather than mounted onto the roof affording clean, modern lines. The “in-roof” system meant Mr Skuse could offset some of the cost of the system, as tiles or other roof coverings are not needed underneath.
The system is expected to offset 1,745 kilograms of carbon dioxide each year.
Battery Storage System
The panel array is paired with an 8.2kWh GivEnergy battery via a GivEnergy 3.6kW hybrid inverter, which combines a solar inverter and battery inverter in one neat package.
The GivEnergy storage system is designed to maximise Mr Skuse and his family’s self-consumption and by smartly managing their PV system, so that they can use as much clean, self-generated energy as they can and pay for as little energy as possible from their supplier.
Using a variety of modes, the system is able to store excess energy from the PV system not used at home (Or charging EVs) and use it at particular times when buying energy is expensive, such as in the evening time, or sell it back to the grid for profit. If used with flexible tariffs, such as Agile Octopus, the system can also be charged from the grid at times when electricity is cheap and even charge from the grid during ‘price plunge’ events where users are actually paid to use energy.
The system can be monitored and controlled via the GivEnergy Cloud, an online monitoring portal, or via mobile apps, which provide user friendly visual representations so you can track exactly how your system is operating.
Sustainable Future
Mr Skuse and his family didn’t end there.
Mr Skuse said: “Our target was basically to make the house more sustainable and save money over time. So, as well as the solar panels, the battery system and the EV charge points, we also added rain-water harvesting and a air source heat pump.”
Why NGRE?
Mr Skuse said: “We decided to go with Greg and NGRE, not only because of the competitive price, but because he’s someone that talks on my level, and it was very easy to discuss all our needs and come up with the best solutions.
“I’m mechanically minded but not electronically minded so I found this personal touch really beneficial.”
Greg added: “As well as installing renewable solutions, a big part of my job is to discuss and understand customers’ requirements and to discuss and formulate solutions to meet those requirements while making sure the customer is always informed and ‘on-board.”
Interested in Switching to EVs or a Solar PV System
If you are interested in making the switch to EVs and/or investing in a solar PV system with or without battery storage, fill out our contact form, and one of our experienced team will be in touch to discuss your requirements.
NGRE specialise in the supply of the latest renewable solutions for homeowners, businesses, architects and builders in Oxfordshire and surrounding areas and have more than 10 years’ experience. Next Generation can carry out the installation of the latest EV charge points, alongside solar panels and battery storage units. We are MSC accredited installers of solar PV systems which all come with a 25-year warranty. GivEnergy inverters come with a standard 10-year warranty and GivEnergy batteries come with a standard 10-year standard warranty or a throughput of 10MWh per 1kWh stored capacity (whichever comes first).