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.