Residential Solar Energy

Did you know that switching to solar power could reduce your energy bills, increase your property’s value and reduce your carbon emissions. With solar panel prices on the decline, there’s never been a better time to invest in solar panels for your home.

Solar photovoltaic panels have become significantly more affordable over the past decade, with prices dropping significantly as a growing number of UK homeowners switch from non-renewable sources of energy to solar.

In addition to reducing your home’s environmental impact and helping you become energy self-sufficient, installing solar panels can provide your home with a source of income through the government’s Feed-in Tariff scheme.

No matter where you are in the country, you can benefit from solar energy. In fact, it takes just nine years, on average, for a solar photovoltaic system installed in the UK to completely pay for itself and start generating free electricity.

Could your home or other residential property benefit from solar energy? Read on to learn more about the benefits of switching to solar energy, the cost of installing solar panels at home and the options available for your property.

Is solar energy right for your property?

Drive almost anywhere in the country and you’ll surely notice a growing number of homes with solar panels installed on their roofs. Over the last 10 years, many homes have switched, in part or in full, from non-renewable electricity to solar energy.

If your home has a large roof that receives daytime sunlight, either from the south or as the sun travels east-west across the sky, it may be able to produce its own energy using solar panels.

By installing solar panels, your home can generate electricity passively without any active involvement from you, allowing you to become energy self-sufficient and pay significantly less – or nothing at all – to your energy supplier.

Modern solar panels are designed and built to last for more than two decades. Since it takes around nine years for solar panels installed in the UK to pay for themselves through the Feed-in Tariff scheme, your home could soon generate free electricity.

We’ve assisted thousands of UK homeowners switch from non-renewable energy to solar power. Our experienced team can carry out an assessment of your property to determine its solar energy needs and plan a solar energy system.

What are the biggest benefits of using solar energy?

Spend less (or nothing at all) on your energy bill

For many people, solar energy was, until recently, an environmentally friendly but expensive luxury that only the wealthiest of homeowners could afford.

Luckily, recent reductions in solar cell prices mean that residential solar panels are no longer as costly as they once were. In fact, today, solar energy is often most cost-effective than other sources of electricity such as fossil fuels.

By installing solar panels at home, you can reduce your monthly energy spending by generating a large amount of your electricity from sunlight.

If your home has a large roof and receives consistent daytime sunlight, you may be able to install a large solar panel system that reduces your home’s ongoing energy costs to nothing at all.

In fact, you may be able to generate money from your solar panels by exporting any excess power that your system generates back onto the national grid via the Feed-in Tariff scheme.

This means that instead of costing you money, solar panels can save or even earn money for you. Better yet, these savings are immediate – as soon as a solar panel system is installed, it can start generating free, clean and renewable electricity.

Lower your home’s carbon dioxide emissions

How much carbon dioxide does your household produce? Since most homes depend on a third-party energy supplier to keep their lights on and appliances running, their energy often comes with a significant carbon impact attached.

Although there are some carbon emissions created during the process of building a solar panel, energy generated by solar panels produces no carbon, giving your home a source of completely emissions-free energy.

Compared to fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, solar energy is remarkably clean and pollution-free.

Coal, which is one of several fossil fuels that’s used to generate upwards of 75% of the UK’s energy, creates 938 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour of energy it produces.

That’s a worrying figure, particularly for people that live in coastal or low areas that are affected the most by climate change. Even natural gas, a fossil fuel that’s viewed as cleaner by many people, produces 548 grams of carbon per kilowatt hour.

Over the lifetime of a solar panel, it will produce just 72 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour of energy produced. These extremely low carbon emissions are due to the manufacturing process of solar panels – not a result of energy generation.

Increase your property’s value

In both the UK and abroad, solar panels are viewed by many prospective buyers as valuable assets that increase the value of your property.

Research from Australia’s Origin Energy found that 85% of people view solar panels as adding value to residential property. Renters also viewed solar panels as an asset that increased their interest in property, even at a higher rental rate.

A California-based study revealed that installing solar panels increased the average sale price of homes by $20,194 (approximately £13,000).

Because of the Feed-in Tariff scheme, solar panels in UK homes aren’t just a source of electricity – they’re also a valuable, money-earning asset. This can make them an additional selling point in the event that you ever decide to sell your property.

How much does it cost to install solar panels at home?

Until recently, solar panels were viewed – often correctly – as an expensive source of clean energy. However, reductions in the price of solar cells, as well as the Feed-in Tariff scheme, mean that residential solar panels are no longer a costly investment.

In fact, residential solar energy is more affordable than ever before. If your home is energy efficient and uses relatively little electricity, you may be able to install a solar panel system that provides a sufficient amount of electricity from just £5,000.

The cost of installing solar energy in your home depends on your home’s electricity needs, the amount of space available to install solar panels and other requirements such as the use of energy storage battery banks.

On average, it takes approximately nine years for a solar panel system to pay itself off through free energy generation. This means that after nine years, your home will have a source of free, eco-friendly, renewable energy.

Would you like to learn more about the cost of solar panels? Read our How Much Does Solar Energy Cost? guide or contact us to learn more about the cost of solar energy for your home.

Are solar panels suitable for your home?

Almost all UK homes can benefit from solar panels, although the efficiency of your solar energy system can vary based on the amount of sunlight your homes receives and the orientation of its roof.

Homes that meet the following criteria will typically experience the biggest benefits from solar energy:

• A large roof facing south or east-west that receives a significant amount of sunlight throughout the day.
• Sufficient roof and structural strength to support the additional load of a solar photovoltaic panel system.
• Few or no trees, hills, nearby buildings or other obstacles that block sunlight during the day.
• If located in a conservation area, roof space that faces away from roads and highways.

Your home can still benefit from solar energy if it’s located in an area that receives a significant amount of rainfall. Solar panels installed in cities with overcast weather still have an average payback period of just nine to 12 years.

Would you like to switch to solar energy?

Are you interested in reducing or eliminating your energy bills? Would you like to lower your home’s environmental impact and become carbon neutral? Would you like to benefit from the Feed-in Tariff scheme for renewable energy generation?

With solar panels more affordable than ever, now is a great time to switch over to solar energy and make your home energy self-sufficient.

Solar panels start producing energy as soon as they’re installed, making the process of switching from non-renewable energy to solar power one that offers immediate benefits for your home.

We offer high quality solar panels and solar water heating equipment for all types of residential property. Our team of solar energy experts and installers can assess your property and help you learn more about the ideal solar energy system.

Would you like to start saving on your energy bills and generate renewable, green energy? Contact us to learn more about the solar energy solutions available for your property and the benefits of switching to solar power.