‘It’s a no-brainer’: family farm saving thousands of pounds with E.ON Next solar and batteries

For Nigel and Andrew Garner at Wadlode House Farm, Cambridgeshire, keeping their crop of potatoes cool meant facing energy bills that were becoming harder to absorb. Their answer? Solar panels and battery storage from E.ON Next. 

The family says monthly bills that once reached £2,000 have fallen to around £300 to £400 in some months. Savings vary through the year due to usage and demand, but the Garners report savings of about 40% over the year, with the solar setup covering nearly all the cold store’s electricity running costs during summer. 

For the Garners, this is about more than cheaper electricity. It is about taking greater control of one of the farm’s essential running costs, turning energy from a pressure on the business into something that works in its favour. 

The farm’s cold stores house potatoes at around 8°C until June or July, so refrigeration and ventilation are essential to keep them fresh. E.ON Next designed the system around how the farm works, combining 64 solar panels and battery storage in 2025 to meet the cold store’s energy needs, including overnight. 

For Nigel, the difference was clear: “It’s a no-brainer. We’re now paying hundreds instead of thousands, and I would totally recommend it to other farmers.” 

With rising input costs putting pressure on margins, the Garners wanted greater control over what they spend. As Andrew puts it: “We don’t control the price of what we produce, which can be quite frustrating, especially with rising input costs. The only costs we can control are what we use.” 

The savings gave the family confidence to return to E.ON Next for a second installation in 2026, adding 80 solar panels and battery storage on another farm building. 

“It’s really challenging because our margins are getting smaller, weather is becoming a problem. We’re just trying to mitigate that,” says Andrew. “It’s taken a massive worry off our shoulders about increasing energy prices We’re more confident about storing crops longer going forward.” 

Adrian Ellington, B2B solutions delivery manager for E.ON Next comments: “The main benefit that the farm has experienced is a huge reduction in their bills and revenue coming from the solar export -when they're not using energy, they're exporting that and getting an extra revenue stream. “ 

Adrian continues: “At E.ON Next, we really want to help our customers manage their energy.  We want to support small businesses as they're a sector that has not really been helped a great deal to date. We’re trying to help them understand how they can save money and manage their energy use.” 

For more on the installation and the farm’s experience, read the full story in Farmers Weekly.