Ecopower, the Belgian energy cooperative that cooperates with the municipality of Eeklo in this project, wants to encourage the installation of PV panels on private roofs. Very often, the landlord-tenant dilemma stops people from investing. The landlord sees it as a stranded asset as he is not benefitting from the electricity her-/himself. As for the tenant, especially if he is in a vulnerable situation, he may have neither the money to pay for upfront costs nor the power to install new infrastructure on the building. Good information and advice may help getting safely through the jungle.
It’s not a secret: if well done, PV on rental homes can greatly benefit both, owners and renters.
Win-wins for both sides
The landlord can
- Invest his money sutainably while being fully reimbursed for the installation via the fixed monthly contribution for solar panels
- Get an upgrade of the rented property thanks to the solar panels
The tenant will
- Enjoy solar power at 0 euros/kWh
- Receive compensation for the surplus electricity that goes into the grid (the feed-in compensation)
- Will realise additional financial benefits if the total amount of savings on the electricity bill (thanks to the solar power at 0 euros and the feed-in tariff) is higher than the agreed monthly amount
In order to guide landlords and tenants from Eeklo in such a PV project, Ecopower has produced a guide (in Flemish) and practical support documents on how to get started. You can find these resources on the Flemish page of this website.
✨ For non-Flemish speakers, you may want to use Google translate to read the guidelines directly on the Ecopower website in your own language. ✨