Benefits
of Solar PV
Installing
Solar PV on your property has the following benefits:
•
Reduces your energy bills for 25 years
•
Reduces your carbon footprint
• Gives
you a great return on your investment through the Government’s cash-back incentive
•
Generates extra income through exporting electricity
•
Protects you against future electricity price increases for the foreseeable future
•
Increases the value of your home
Solar PV for my Home
The
majority of UK homes are suitable for a Solar PV installation. All you need is an un-shaded roof space that faces within
90 degrees of south. To check your home is suitable we offer a site survey, free of charge to all of our customers. During
the survey we take measurements, check the roof structure and inspect the electrics to ensure everything is suitable for
your Solar PV installation.
There are several ways a Solar PV system can be installed on your home. The options
available include:
•
On-roof
•
In-Roof
•
Solar tiles
•
Flat-roof mounted
•
Ground mounted
How do the panels get installed?
The installation of a Solar PV system is usually quick and trouble free, with minimal disruption to your home.
How
does the electricity spread through the home?
Solar panels produce a type of electricity known as DC or ‘direct
current’. However we can’t use this type of electricity directly in our homes and instead use AC or ‘alternating
current’. To convert the electricity into the required form an additional device called an inverter is used.
The inverter constantly monitors the electricity imported from the national grid, and then modifies the DC produced by the
solar panels to match the usable electricity perfectly. A single AC wire will run directly to your consumer unit (fuse
box) onto a single MCB (miniature circuit breaker). The location of the inverter and wire runs will be determined during
a free site survey of your property.
How can I use my Solar PV electricity?
Once converted into AC electricity
by the inverter, the electricity generated by the Solar PV system is automatically used to power the lights and electrical
appliances in your home. Any excess is automatically sold straight back to your supplier via the national grid; you don’t
need to do anything.
How do clouds affect generation?
Solar PV operates on light from the sun, rather than
heat. This means that whenever there is light available, the system will be generating electricity; even if the day seems
cool and overcast. Although the system will therefore produce electricity all year round, its output will fluctuate seasonally,
with the most electricity being produced in the bright summer months when there is a greater amount of direct sunlight available.
How do I know if a Solar PV system is suitable for my home?
Solar PV panels are suitable for both urban and
rural locations and are adaptable to almost any building which has sufficient exposure to light. Typically, solar PV panels
are mounted on a pitched roof; however they can also be mounted on a flat roof or on the ground.
How much will I
get paid for my Solar PV electricity?
Over the course of a year, a solar photovoltaic system will save you money
by reducing your electricity bill. As well as saving you money your system can also earn you money; for typical sized domestic
systems under 4kWp you can earn at least 41.3p for every unit of electricity generated by your system. This rate may change
and is an example only.
How do I get paid?
The process of getting paid via the Feed-in Tariff is
very simple. All you need to do is inform your electricity supplier that you’re installing a PV system and they will
send you some forms which we will help you fill out.
How long does it take to repay the embedded carbon?
The
time period for a photovoltaic cell to generate enough electricity to pay back the carbon (energy) required to make it is
generally shorter than the economic payback, and is nearly always under four years.
How do I inform the national
grid?
The national grid is informed of your system via the distribution network officer, whom we will contact on
your behalf.
How do I get the system installed?
If you are interested in installing Solar PV, you can contact
one of our friendly sales advisers who will be glad to speak with you and help you find the right system for you and your
home.
Top Reasons For Installing Solar PV on Your Property:
1.
Using Solar PV to Lower Your Energy Bills:
The average cost for electricity is currently about 13p/kWh
and this has increased by roughly 7% each year for over a decade. It is estimated that a medium use household will
use approximately 3300kWh/year of electricity. A typical 1.8kWp domestic Solar PV System can provide over
45% of this demand. Not only are you saving money by not having to use as much energy from the grid, but most
utility companies now pay you for generating your own green energy. They do this because they have renewable energy targets
to achieve.
2. Using Solar PV to Protect Against Future Electricity Price Increases:
Electricity prices have risen by approximately 7% every year for over a decade. The demand for electricity has also grown
substantially over the past few years. The residential sector is largely responsible for this increase. Solar PV systems
can be designed so that a household’s electricity demand is wholly or partly met. This can eliminate or reduce your
dependency on grid supplied electric.
Once your Solar PV system is installed and paid for- the electricity it generates
is produced at a constant cost. On an average system electricity is produced at approximately 18p/kWh.* Although this
is slightly more expensive than the cost from the grid- this price is guaranteed for the life of your system. So in
30 years time electricity will still be costing you 18p/kWh. If the current average price for electricity (13p/kWh) continues
to increase at 7% a year, your green Solar PV electricity will be cheaper in less than 5 years time!
That is assuming it only increases by 7%- what will happen if it rises at a faster rate?
3.
Using Solar PV to Increase the Value of Your Home:
In the U.S. the National Appraisal Institute’s Appraisal
Journal from 1999 stated that the value of your home increases by approximately £10 for every £0.50 reduction
in annual utility bills.
Based on this an average 1.8kWp Solar PV system could increase the value of your
house by over £4,000. However, no official studies have been carried out in the UK to show how Solar PV affects the
value of your house.
4. Using Solar PV as an Investment:
Currently you can get a
better rate of return by investing your savings into a Solar PV system rather than putting it in a bank account or an ISA,
speak to our solar experts to find out more about this. The return rate on your solar PV installation will potentially
increase yearly if the price of electricity rises. For more information on the returns you could recieve, call us today.
5. Using Solar PV to be Green:
An average 1.8kWp Solar PV system can reduce your household
carbon emissions by over 900kgCO2/yr. Once your Solar PV system has been installed and is up and running, producing
electricity from Solar PV does not emit any harmful emissions. Solar PV is made from a Plentiful Resource: Most Solar
PV panels are made of silicon which comes from sand and plenty of this resource is available.
6.
Solar PV Technology is reliable and requires no maintenance:
Solar PV has been proven to be a reliable technology.
Most solar panel manufacturers give between 20-25 year cell warranty for their products. A Solar PV system has no
moving parts therefore very little maintenance is required. This coupled alongside the long expected life-time of a system
means that once installed that’s practically everything sorted for at least 25 years.
PV System Options
We can help
you discover the different types of Solar PV Systems suitable for your building. We are happy to help and support you throughout
your project whatever stage it may be at or however big it is.