The Ampfield Pavilion and Recreation Ground are owned by the Parish Council and are available for hire. 

Contact Karen Cramoysan, Clerk to the Council, clerk@ampfield.org.uk for details.

Ampfield Pavilion is now being powered by a new solar panel and battery system. The solar panels are mounted on the South facing roof of the pavilion which has clear sun all day. There is a battery system that stores excess electricity produced during the day for use overnight and on days when there is less sun. The battery system with a gateway also provides backup power. This means that the pavilion can be used as a resilience hub in the event of widespread power outage. As the pavilion is heated with Calor Gas, it means that electricity from the batteries will power the boiler for an extended period of time during such a power outage. There is also a hot water diverter which diverts excess electricity once the battery is fully charged to the immersion heater to heat hot water.

Once the battery is fully charged and the immersion heater has heated the hot water then excess electricity is exported to the power network. This is paid at a rate which is lower than is paid for electricity provided to the pavilion, but nevertheless creates an income from the excess electricity.

The system evolved from the original proposal because SSE Power Networks restricted the maximum amount that could be exported to 3.68kW. This would have meant that for almost all the time in summer and for some of the time in winter, quite a lot of the excess electricity could not be exported and no income received for it. Fortunately, when the pavilion was first built, the then parish councillors had the foresight to install a three phase electricity supply to the meter box, even though the pavilion was only powered by single phase electricity. The system evolved from a single phase system to a three phase system, meaning that a maximum of 11.04kW can be exported, which will substantially increase the income received.

The system has been in operation for a month, during which there were some interruptions when it first went live whilst the pavilion electrics were tested, the hot water diverter has only been operating for the last ten days or so and we are not yet getting paid for the electricity we export. The system has so far produced 1052 kWh of electricity. A small amount of electricity has been imported from the grid, although it has now been found to be to power an item that had been left switched on overnight. There has been a saving of almost £200 in the first month. The hot water diverter has produced a saving of £3 in the short time it has been in use. No Calor Gas has been used at all to heat hot water since the diverter has been operating. Half of the electricity produced has been exported which will result in an income once the supplier has registered all the paperwork. Overall, for the period from mid February to mid March, it would appear to be a very successful result.

The system is largely funded with a Climate Change grant from Test Valley Borough Council and with developer contributions from housing developments. Ampfield Parish Council has then topped up these contributions. KR Electrics of North Baddesley carried out the installation.

The app associated with the system tells us that we have saved 490kg of CO2 being emitted in the short time that the system has been in operation. As well as the sustainability, the system will also provide a very good resilience hub.