Take a look at Project Better Energy’s holistic approach to sustainable living
Boasting an unparalleled in-house team of renewable energy experts, Project Better Energy Ltd (Better Energy) is a renowned provider of renewable energy services. As the parent company of Project Solar UK, Project EV, and Project CÜRV, Better Energy guides businesses on sustainability journeys from start to finish. The company’s mission is to help businesses save money, reduce emissions, and secure future energy generation through state-of-the-art green technology.
Notably, Project Solar UK has sold nearly 40,000 solar energy systems to date, while Project EV has supplied around 80,000 electric vehicle (EV) chargers to organisations across the commercial, residential, and public sectors. Simon Peat, Founder and CEO, discusses the factors leading to Better Energy’s establishment in 2011.
Solar coaster 
“Originally an electrical engineer by trade, I transitioned from conventional to renewable electrics to create Better Energy. Prior to that, I embarked on my solar energy journey in 2010 when it was a prominent topic, engaging in solar energy projects within the UK. During that time, there was a cyclic pattern of feast and famine in feed-in tariffs, offering substantial incentives for customers to adopt solar panels. Soon enough, the government realised these tariffs were not sustainable and therefore attempted to reduce them quickly, sparking outrage within the solar community. In response, the government reintroduced the tariff for a brief period, allowing customers who had not yet benefited from the incentive to seize the opportunity, prompting more people to embrace solar panels. Nonetheless, few individuals understood how solar panels worked, and the notion of receiving approximately £2000 per year towards their solar panels from both the incentive and electricity savings seemed unbelievable. This lack of understanding was partly due to the reasonably low cost of electricity in the UK at that time. As the market started to stabilise, the incentives and tariff amounts became less substantial compared to the initial offerings, leading to what we call the ‘solar coaster.’ Everyone was motivated by the government incentives, but their reasons for adopting solar panels varied. Some wanted to make their properties eco-friendlier, while others recognised the added value of having a battery, Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), and National Home Performance (NHP) rating on their property.
“Today, given the inflated cost of energy, these factors play a key role in the decision-making process when purchasing a property. I believe that education played a crucial role in highlighting the benefits of solar panels over the past decade. Despite the challenges and fluctuations in feed-in tariffs and incentives during this period, the solar industry has progressed tremendously. Now, the primary rationale for adopting solar panels lies in the expensive cost of electricity and the natural desire to improve the energy performance and credentials of a property,” he emphasises.
Ecosystem of solutions
Building on its foundations in the solar energy industry, Better Energy has since diversified its offerings to include EV charging solutions via one of its affiliated companies. “In the current climate, we felt that venturing into the EV market was a natural progression,” notes Simon. “Our subsidiary, Project EV, is one of the largest manufacturers of EV charging in the UK. Interestingly, Project EV is currently involved in a project for Innovate, for which we are building the first-ever megawatt charger. This ground-breaking innovation will empower users to charge a lorry in just 30 minutes. In addition, we sell EV chargers to major house builders and wholesalers, as there is now a mandated requirement to install chargers in new build properties. Naturally, our chargers are powered by solar energy, allowing users to leverage surplus solar power for charging their EVs. This integration of solar power and EV chargers means that the chargers can autonomously optimise charging based on various tariff datasets. For instance, if charging the vehicle at night is more cost-effective, our system will automatically initiate the charging process, regardless of the specific tariff. As part of our ecosystem of solutions, this offering is complemented by our heating and hot water solution, as well as power storage,” he adds.
Through its affiliate Project CÜRV, Better Energy provides a holistic approach, enabling homeowners to reduce their energy bills by circa £500 per year across power, lighting, heating, and hot water. Robbie Deaville, Creative Director at Better Energy, shares insights into a trial project using this approach for Persimmon Homes. “During this trial, we used several of our products at the property, including integrated solar roofing, an EV charging point, an elegant range of infrared heating panels, air sourced hot water cylinders, and rechargeable battery storage systems. The primary objective of this project was to showcase the tangible impact that Better Energy’s solutions can have on a property, and make any necessary improvements based on the findings. The project was executed on two newly built three-bed houses, with one of the properties equipped with our products while the other served as a comparison without our solutions. This setup allowed us to highlight the advantages offered by our solutions in terms of energy efficiency and cost savings. Eventually, this comparative analysis clearly demonstrated the savings achieved on energy bills through the utilisation of our products, resulting in the property being awarded an ‘A’ energy rating. Notably, Project CÜRV enabled the property to achieve overall annual savings of 32.4 per cent in comparison to regular gas running costs. To ensure these solutions were efficient beyond the new build environment, we conducted similar trials in the retrofit market, resulting in positive feedback from clients. Their testimonial emphasised the significant impact our integrated solutions had on their energy bills. It is worth noting that even clients who only started off with one of our solutions – like solar panels for example – have experienced improvements in energy efficiency and lower bills. Therefore, Better Energy provides a one-stop shop for both domestic and commercial needs,” he ends.
Serving as a sole supplier for domestic and commercial customers, Better Energy is poised to continue championing sustainable transformation across various sectors.