Ned Collier in Spencer Rise

CUTTING energy bills and lowering their carbon footprint is the aim of a new project organised by neighbours in a Dartmouth Park street.

Residents of Spencer Rise – a terraced street in NW5 – are joining together to install solar panels on their roofs. They hope to make big savings in both what they pay energy companies and the amount of carbon being pumped into the atmosphere.

Ned Collier, who lives in the street, has worked in green tech for an energy supplier which hosts computer servers in Norway, where they are cooled by the colder climate and run the country’s renewable energy.

He now wants to bring his work home with him by working with his neighbours for a greener planet.

He said: “Our ambition is to decarbonise our street, and at the same time help deal with the cost of living crisis.

“With the heating of homes being one of the biggest carbon emitters, finding new ways to do so is vital if we are to make inroads into reaching net zero.”

And he hoped their experience of sourcing and installing solar panels on a bigger scale will pave the way for other streets to do the same.

He is writing a manual laying out the process they have taken and why other neighbours could follow their lead. So far around 14 households from a possible 50 have signed up.

“Our main objective is to write a blueprint, a guide book, to roll this out on other streets,” Mr Collier said.

“It will be an instruction manual to realise the benefits of solar.

“We are focusing on how to benefit from economies of scale and so we are looking to sign up as many houses as we can on Spencer Rise.”

The project has been supported by not-for-profit group Power Up North London, which installs solar panels on public buildings.

“It is a no brainer – it pays back the investment over about eight years,” Mr Collier said.