EDF announces acquisition of solar panel and battery installer, Contact Solar

• Purchase follows EDF’s acquisition of heat pump installer, CB Heating, last year, paving the way for integrated low-carbon home offers
• Contact Solar brings decade-long experience in quality installs, rated ‘excellent’ on TrustPilot
• Solar panels reduce electric consumption by up to 74% in homes, with annual installations set to increase by 75% by 2030

EDF, Britain’s biggest generator of zero carbon electricity, has acquired Chorley-based solar panel and battery installer, Contact Solar.

This latest investment is part of the energy supplier’s UK strategy to help its customers and Britain achieve net zero. It follows last year’s acquisition of heat pump installer CB Heating, moving the energy supplier one step closer to being able to offer ‘whole house’ net zero home offers, combining solar, battery, EV charge points and heat pumps.

With solar panels reducing electricity consumption by up to 74% in each home, take-up is predicted to increase by 75% between now and 2030¹, This investment will ensure EDF has the required flexibility and capacity to meet customer demand both now and in the future, as well as supporting growth in Contact Solar.

Customers will also benefit from access to Contact Solar’s services, rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot, and EDF’s broad supply chain, creating opportunities to pass on savings for customers. 

Founded over a decade ago, Contact Solar embarked on a mission to deliver unrivalled domestic solar projects with an unwavering focus on quality. Specialising in domestic UK solar panels, commercial solar and battery storage for solar, the company is a leading installer offering a range of products and systems that are designed to suit customers’ needs. 

Contact Solar’s network of qualified, local installers across the country will work with EDF to deliver residential installs alongside solutions for local authorities, housing associations and developers in building and retrofitting homes, as they look to meet their own net zero ambitions.

To provide even greater coverage and service, EDF will also explore the possibility of upskilling engineers already working on home energy solutions to install solar panels, alongside other zero carbon products such as electric vehicles or heat pumps.

Philippe Commaret, Managing Director of Customers at EDF, said: “We are a long-term partner to Britain and this investment marks another important step forward in our commitment to helping our customers achieve net zero.

“We know more and more people want to save cash and carbon and by acquiring a company like Contact Solar we can help them by providing better value and a truly great end-to-end solar panel install service, utilising a company whose expertise, knowledge and service is exceptional.” 

Tom Taylor, Director at Contact Solar, said: "We are delighted that EDF has chosen to acquire Contact Solar. We’ve experienced exponential growth in recent years thanks to the extraordinary competencies of our highly skilled workforce, who are incredibly passionate and dedicated. And this strategic move will not only accelerate our business growth but will also enable us to continue providing exceptional service to our customers, which has always been our top priority.

“We are excited about the limitless opportunities that lie ahead and look forward to working alongside EDF to help more customers install solar and batteries in their homes, as the country moves towards a greener future.”

Notes
¹ Solar panel take up data taken from LCP Delta’s Residential Solar PV market – Europe, State of the market report.

The 74% saving has been calculated on a property with an annual electricity demand of 2700kWh. Customers who install ten 4kWp of solar panels along with a 5.32kWh battery could save 74% on their annual energy bill (as at January 1st 2024, using the standardised guidance and calculations from MCS). The claim is based on the following assumptions:

• Your home is in the South West of the UK, with a south-facing roof, that’s not shaded and is sloped at 35°
• You have ten 405W solar panels and a 5.32kWh battery installed
• You’re home all day with an annual electricity demand of 2700kWh per year, pay 28.62p per kWh for your electricity unit rate (average Direct Debit Standard Variable Rate with EDF as at January 1st 2024)
• You use 2019kWh of 3740kWh predicted solar panel generation, which leaves 681kWh to be imported from the National Grid. This is a reduction of around 74% on an annual electricity demand of 2700 kWh
• It could cost a household, with an annual electricity usage of 2700kWh, £773 to import energy from the Grid (based upon Jan 2024 average Direct Debit SVT rate of 28.62p/kWh).  If the household used 2019kWh of solar PV generation and battery and imported 681kWh at 28.62p/kWh from the national grid, it could mean their annual energy costs would be around 74% lower at £195. In this scenario, the annual carbon emissions of the home could decrease from 559kg CO2e to 141kg CO2e; this works out at 25.2%*
• Standing charges are excluded from the savings calculations

Additionally, by exporting 1721kWh of the annual 3740kWh generated by the solar panels, the property could also receive annual SEG payments at 5.6p/kWh of £96.
Customers will be provided with a personalised performance estimate. This will more accurately reflect the expected generation, consumption and savings for their property and the proposed installation for their home.  Savings depend on property type, roof type, area, location, and household usage.

Estimates are based upon the standard MCS procedure and given as guidance only for the first year of generation. The estimate should not be considered as a guarantee of performance.