Kirkcaldy firm’s solar panel boost for Cottage Centre will slash energy bills

The work carried out by Alba Heat & Power will make a significant improvement to its heating bills, and the money saved then invested back into the services and staff which support the most vulnerable people in the community.

Solar panels have been on the Cottage’s wish list since it opened its base in 2005, but the costs were prohibitive until the business stepped in.

Run by father, son, and son in law, Ewan Campbell, Wayne Campbell and Ryan Campbell-Hodge, Alba wanted to make a contribution after hugely successful 2023.

Ewan said: “We had a really good year. We’re all Kirkcaldy boys and we’d always wanted to give back to the community and had been aware of the Cottage Centre for many years. We can give our time and products and that will help with their bills.”

The Cottage currently racks up monthly electricity bills of around £800, so the installation of solar panels will make a huge difference straight away.

Pauline Buchan, centre manager, said: “It is amazing the speed at which it has helped, and it isn’t just for this year, but for many years to come as we get reduced energy costs and be prepared for the future. We only spoke with the guys last week, and this week the system is being installed.

"The turnaround has been remarkable. For any traders to to that so quickly is fantastic. We can see from the moment it goes in that it will be a huge benefit. There is no grant or funder going to come along and reduce our costs for us, so the more efficient we can become the more we can use that money to benefit the people who need our support.

“When bills go up, it impacts on the staff hours we can give, and that creates challenges when we lose good people. Since the last grant period we have had to drop a children’s support worker, so this has come along at the right time - instead of cutting the post we can look at keeping some hours, and that buys us some time to look at other funding sources.”