Contractors installed a number of solar panels to the roof of Exmouth RNLI boathouse on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 June. This addition to the building on Queens Drive has increased the number of ways Exmouth RNLI are working with renewable sources to keep running costs to a minimum.

The 22 photovoltaic cell panels are capable of generating a total of four kilo watts when working at full capacity. They will generate power to contribute to the national grid which the charity will benefit from in the way of reduced energy bill tariffs, therefore saving money.

Coxswain Tim Mock describes the other environmentally-friendly designs of the building;

‘We have geothermal heating, drawing natural energy from the Earth’s core using the boreholes made during the building’s construction. All the lighting in the building is operated by proximity sensors for the minimum amount of time needed, so no lights are left on unnecessarily. The wood used is sustainable cedar and the window glass is highly energy-efficient. We also harvest a large quantity of rain water from our specially designed roof, which is used to wash the boats with.’

‘I think we’re more or less there in terms of using as much renewable energy as we can to save money for the charity that saves lives at sea.’