Community solar power comes to Eastbourne
BHESCo and ECO Action Eastbourne are bringing fully-funded solar panels and batteries to families in Langney
Community solar power comes to Eastbourne
BHESCo and ECO Action Eastbourne are bringing fully-funded solar panels and batteries to families in Langney
What is this all about?
Brighton and Hove Energy Services Co-op (BHESCo) are partnering with ECO Action Eastbourne to help local households who struggle with energy bills to install solar panels and solar batteries for no upfront cost. This initiative places fairness, accessibility, and community benefit at its heart.
With energy bills expected to explode as a result of the conflict in the Middle East, this is an valuable opportunity for people in Eastbourne to instantly reduce their energy costs.
Even better, households that have solar panels and batteries installed will stay protected from rising energy bills for the next 20 to 30 years.
To introduce our community solar programme to Eastbourne, we will start by working with residents in the area of Langney. Once people can see how the programme can bring down energy costs and provide long-term energy security, we will open our offer to all residents in Eastbourne.
Anyone living in the Langney area of Eastbourne who is interested in the offer should register their interest and come to our launch event to learn more.
Come to our launch event to find out more
Date: 30 April 2026
Time: 6:30pm – 8pm
Venue: St Barnabas United Church and Christian Centre Kingfisher Drive, Eastbourne, BN23 7RA
How does it work?
The goal is to install rooftop solar panels and battery storage for as many homes as possible.
This is how it works:
1
Register your interest
Become part of this community-led programme
2
Survey & Design
Energy experts survey your home and design a solar panel and battery system tailored to your needs
3
Solar panels and a battery is installed in your home for no upfront cost
4
Which households can participate?
Anyone living in the shaded area in the map below is invited to sign up for the Solar Powered Communities programme.
Solar Powered Communities Timeline
Community launch meeting
April 2026
Home surveys to identify potential for solar panels
May – July 2026
Preparation of finance options
Aug – Sept 2026
Residents receive solar design and finance options
Oct 2026
Contracts signed and systems installed
Nov 2026
How are the solar panels and batteries paid for?
There are a few different ways that we can help people get solar panels and batteries installed for free.
Warm Homes Plan: Fully-funded upgrades
In January 2026, the UK Government launched the Warm Homes Plan, a £15 billion programme to install solar panels, batteries, heat pumps, and insulation in homes across Britain.
Where possible, we will help households in Eastbourne access 100% fully-funded solar panels and batteries through the Warm Homes Plan.
Warm Homes Plan: No-cost or low-cost loans
If your household is not eligible for fully-funded home upgrades through the Warm Homes Plan, you can apply for a loan at a zero or very-low interest rate.
BHESCo Solar Powered Community-programme
BHESCo can cover the cost of your solar panels and battery storage system, and sell the electricity back to you. The electricity rate you pay BHESCo will be much lower than the rate you pay to your energy company.
Benefits to your household
- Pay nothing upfront
- Enjoy instant savings
- All maintenance and monitoring taken care of
- Protection against energy price hikes
- Increased property value
Who are the project partners?
Eastbourne ECO Action Network
Eastbourne’s grassroots climate action network, working to make Eastbourne carbon neutral by 2030.
Eastbourne ECO Action Network brings together local people, businesses, councillors and community groups to take bold, practical climate action. Their Housing & Energy Group works specifically to bring Eastbourne homes towards carbon neutrality and tackle energy hardship — making them the ideal partner for this programme.
- 974+ local organisations connected
- Carbon neutral goal by 2030
- Volunteer-run
Where is there a successful example of a Solar Powered Community?
Preston Park Community Energy (2025)
Preston Park Community Energy was BHESCo’s first successful community-led residential solar power programme.
With installations delivered by our partners at POP Energy, the programme saw solar panels and batteries installed at 10 properties, all financed by BHESCo’s network of community investors.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
BHESCo is a Brighton-based company that develop energy saving and renewable energy projects for communities and businesses in Sussex. Founded in 2012, BHESCo has developed sixty-six clean energy projects which are expected to save our customers more than £4 million.
Funding for the programme comes from the Just Transition Fund, part of the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme. In Autumn 2025, BHESCo were successful in an application to the fund so that we could expand our Solar Power Communities offering to new communities in Sussex.
Energy Saving Trust has been appointed by Ofgem to distribute payments from companies who may have breached Ofgem rules
The Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme, launched in 2018, has awarded over £213 million to fund 790 projects across England, Scotland and Wales that support vulnerable energy customers and carbon emission reduction initiatives.
Read more about Energy Redress here: https://energyredress.org.uk/.
Private rental tenants are welcome to participate in the programme.
If you live in a rental property, please pass details of the Solar Power Communities programme to your landlord. Alternatively, please provide your landlord’s contact details to BHESCo and we can contact them directly.
Solar panels are considered permitted development by the planning authority. Under the permitted development criteria solar panels can be installed on a front roof slope in a conservation area. Furthermore, the solar panels can project up to 200mm from the slope of the roof under permitted development. Rules around permitted development can be accessed on the Council’s planning website.