CONTRACTORS are battling against the clock to complete a £28 million scheme to install energy-saving solar panels on the roofs of 3,000 Wrexham council homes.
Council chiefs who approved the major programme last year believed they could comfortably complete the installation by next spring to enable tenants to enjoy a reduction in their electricity bills.
But the plan hit a major obstacle earlier this month when the UK Government announced that the Feed-In Tariff (FIT), which pays people money for solar energy they generate and fed back to the National Grid, would be halved from 43p to 21p from December 12 and not next April as expected.
This has meant contractors on the Wrexham scheme have been ordered to pull out all the stops to complete as many installations as possible in the next four weeks.
Work started last week and the council says 250 installations should be done by the end of next week.
Cllr David Bithell, lead member for environment and transport said: “Wrexham Council's executive board on Tuesday of last week approved the continuation of its Solar PV installation project, despite Government proposals to cut FIT payments by 50 per cent.
“The council will work closely with its contractor over the next four weeks to maximise the number of installations that can be completed before the proposed FIT changes are introduced on December 12.
“The council also remains committed to completing all 3,000 installations by March 31, 2012.”
Tenants with panels fitted should benefit from cheaper electricity, saving £200-£300 – or 40 per cent – on their annual energy bills. The panels are being supplied by Sharp Electronics at Llay.