DEAL - Durham Energy Association Limited

Your only cost is a £1 membership fee to join the cooperative. This gives you a stake in the cooperative and a vote. Installation, equipment, maintenance, insurance, monitoring, and replacement of major components are all covered through the cooperative’s funding model.

At the end of the 20 year agreement, ownership of the installed panels, batteries and associated equipment transfers to your organisation free of charge.

What defines a rural area for the purposes of DEAL?

We use the official DEFRA Rural-Urban Classification to determine whether a site is considered rural or serving a rural community. DEAL also follows current funding parameters, though future phases aim to include more urban community buildings where possible. Find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/rural-urban-classification

What constitutes a community building?

Community buildings include village halls, community centres, sports facilities, heritage venues, and charitable organisations such as Citizens Advice and Durham County Carers - any space operated for community benefit rather than private commercial gain.

Our building is leased - do we need permission from the leaseholder?

Yes. Before feasibility work begins, we help confirm building ownership and ensure any landlord or leaseholder permissions are secured. This is a standard requirement for installing renewable energy equipment.

Our tenancy agreement is less than 15 years - can we still join the scheme?

Potentially, yes. Shorter leases can still be viable if the building has high energy use or strong generation potential, meaning the payback period (to DEAL) is shorter. As a guide, systems rarely pay back in under 10 years. We will assess this during feasibility.

To prioritise community buildings, a prioritisation table was created to automatically rank and sort the buildings based on four main criteria:

• The time on list
• The legal title
• What planning is required, and
• The community emergency/resilience status.

Please note that the ranking may change depending on each building’s readiness, but you will be kept updated of any changes.

Yes. The feasibility study will highlight any structural or electrical issues that may affect installation. We can direct you to potential grant funding for repair work, in collaboration with Durham Community Action, and in some cases, we can coordinate installation alongside planned building upgrades (e.g., roof works).

What happens if our roof needs urgent repairs?

If urgent roof repairs are needed before installation, these will need to be completed first. If repairs arise later during the 20-year agreement, the cooperative will work with you to coordinate temporary removal and reinstatement of equipment if required.

How do you calculate how much equipment we need?

We use a bespoke modelling tool that considers your building’s energy consumption, roof orientation, shading, available space and projected usage patterns. This allows us to size the system to maximise financial and carbon savings.

Is it possible to install just a battery without solar panels?

Not under the current DEAL scheme. Batteries work best when paired with onsite solar generation, which improves payback and ensures consistently low-cost electricity. You can, however, add batteries to an existing PV system. In these cases, legal transfer
documents would be required.

What is an island mode battery?

An island mode (or backup) battery can power key circuits in your building during a power cut. This allows essential services, such as lighting, communications, or heating, to continue operating even when the grid is down.

We are a designated warm hub for power outages - do we need additional batteries?

Possibly. If your building must remain operational during outages, we can design the system with additional battery capacity or specify island mode capability. This will be assessed during your feasibility study.

What happens if our electricity demand increases? Can the kit be expanded?

Yes, systems can be expanded. Additional panels, batteries, EV charge points or other technologies can be integrated later if the cooperative and site agree that the upgrade is technically feasible.

Can we add other technologies such as Air Source Heat Pumps, EV chargers or infrared heating panels?

Yes. While DEAL doesn’t currently offer these on the scheme, technologies such as air source heat pumps, EV chargers and infrared heating panels can be integrated into your wider building energy plan. We can provide guidance on sequencing and any electrical upgrades required.

Will electricity costs or tariffs remain the same throughout the agreement?

Yes. The DEAL tariff is fixed for the 20-year period. If grant funding reduces borrowing needs, tariffs may decrease over time through a cooperative approved sliding scale. Any electricity you still import from the grid will remain on your own supplier’s tariff.

What typical annual energy savings can we expect?

Your annual savings will vary depending on your building’s size, energy use and the size of the solar and battery system installed. Larger generators within the cooperative can also help offset costs for smaller halls. Calculations from our first 15 buildings suggest that buildings can save between £250 to over £4000 per annum.

How self-sufficient will our building become?

The level of self-sufficiency will vary depending on the size of the building, how much energy is used, and the design of the system. A typical building could generate around 40–70% of its own electricity, depending on consumption patterns, battery capacity and weather conditions. This means the building will still draw some electricity from the grid at times, so the building will need to maintain an electricity supplier account.

What is the expected carbon reduction for our building?

Most buildings achieve a 20–60% reduction in carbon emissions through onsite generation and reduced grid imports. The cooperative model also allows larger producers to offset carbon for smaller, less suitable buildings.

The cooperative is responsible for all equipment maintenance, servicing, and repairs for 20 years. Your only duty is to inform the cooperative of any issues and ensure safe access to the system when required.

Your building insurance should be notified of the installation, but equipment itself is insured by the cooperative for the full 20 year term. This includes panels, inverters, batteries and other components. Annual maintenance and system checks are also included.

Yes. Lithium ion batteries used in community energy projects are designed with multiple safety features, including internal monitoring systems and automatic shut-off functions. They are installed following best practice guidelines, which recommend outdoor placement where possible, or indoor installation with fire-resistant housing, ventilation, and detection systems. All installations involve a fire safety assessment and ongoing monitoring to ensure the system remains safe throughout its lifetime.

Find out more safe battery installation here.

Will we receive notifications or reports on how much energy we use?

Yes. You will receive monthly performance updates from the cooperative. An online portal or app allows you to view real time generation, battery status, and consumption.

Are monthly reports issued? Can members check their own usage on an app?

Monthly reports are provided, and members can access usage data via the monitoring app included with the system. This helps you track savings and manage energy use more effectively.

If a building is sold or its use changes, the cooperative will work with your committee to agree the best option. Usually this means transferring the system to the new building operator or relocating the equipment to another community building within the cooperative so that assets remain in community ownership.

If DEAL were dissolved, the equipment would remain as community assets. A steering group (or the cooperative board) would decide how to redistribute the systems in line with the cooperative’s rules. Typically, equipment is either transferred to the host buildings or to another community energy group with similar aims. In all cases, assets must continue to benefit the community rather than be used for private gain.