How Saltburn Golf Club Cut Energy Costs with 31.6KW Solar
Saltburn Golf Club approached ALPS Electrical with a clear objective: reduce their escalating electricity costs. Like many sports clubs and leisure facilities across the North East, the club had seen their energy bills rise sharply, putting pressure on finances that could otherwise be invested in course maintenance, clubhouse improvements and member services. Solar panels offered an obvious solution, but the club needed a reliable installer with commercial experience who could navigate the complexities of a large-scale installation on a busy operational building.
The Challenge
Commercial installations present different challenges to domestic projects. Saltburn Golf Club operates seven days a week, so the installation had to be planned around the club's schedule with minimal disruption to members and visitors. The club is governed by a committee, so the decision-making process involved multiple stakeholders who all needed to understand the financial case, planning implications and practical impact of the installation. This required clear communication, detailed documentation and patience throughout a consultation process that spanned several months.
The club roof presented excellent conditions for solar: a large, unobstructed south-facing area with structural capacity to support a substantial array. However, the height of the building and the need to maintain access for members throughout the installation required careful logistics planning.
The System
After detailed energy analysis and roof assessment, we designed a 31.6KW system comprising 56 JA Solar panels connected to a 30KW Solis commercial inverter. This system was sized to offset the majority of the club's daytime electricity consumption, including kitchen facilities, bar refrigeration, lighting throughout the clubhouse and workshop, and heating system controls.
- Panels: 56 x JA Solar (generating 31.6KW total)
- Inverter: Solis 30KW commercial string inverter
- Annual generation: Approximately 28,000 kWh
- Estimated annual saving: £7,000-8,500 depending on electricity prices
The Installation
The installation was completed over five working days. Our team of four installers worked systematically across the roof, fitting the mounting rail system on day one, installing and connecting the 56 panels over days two and three, completing all electrical connections and inverter commissioning on day four, and carrying out final testing, documentation and customer handover on day five.
Throughout the installation, the club remained fully operational. We coordinated our scaffolding and delivery schedules to avoid busy periods and ensured that all materials and equipment were stored safely away from member access routes. The only disruption was a brief electricity shutdown of approximately two hours during the final grid connection.
Results and Savings
Since commissioning, the system has performed in line with our projections. The club's electricity bills have reduced by approximately 45% in the first year of operation, with the highest savings during the summer months when solar generation peaks and the club has its highest visitor numbers. The monitoring system shows that the club self-consumes approximately 75% of the solar generation directly, with the remaining 25% exported to the grid under the Smart Export Guarantee.
Based on current performance, the projected payback period is approximately 4-5 years, after which the club will benefit from effectively free electricity for the remaining 20+ years of the system's lifespan.
Lessons for Other Sports Clubs
Sports clubs, leisure centres and golf clubs are ideal candidates for commercial solar because they have large roof areas, high daytime electricity consumption, and community-focused governance structures that appreciate long-term investments in sustainability. The key lessons from the Saltburn Golf Club project are to engage the committee early with clear financial projections, plan the installation timeline to avoid peak usage periods, ensure the installer has commercial experience and can handle the scale, and consider battery storage as a future addition to capture evening generation.
Get a Commercial Solar Assessment
If your sports club, leisure facility or commercial building could benefit from solar panels, contact ALPS Electrical for a free commercial energy assessment. We will analyse your electricity consumption, design an appropriately sized system and provide a clear financial case that you can present to your committee or board.