British households are scrambling to install rooftop solar panels amid huge energy price rises, with installers saying demand has “exploded”.
Simon Dudson, managing director of Little Green Energy Company, which serves London and South East England, said: “These are crazy times. It is outstanding. We have had a 400-500% increase in business.”
The skyrocketing price of electricity means that a domestic solar panel system can now pay for itself in as little as seven years, and the way things are going, that could go down to five years. About a year ago, installers said the “payback period” was 15 years or more. Then there are the environmental benefits of solar panels.
But don’t expect to have a system installed by your first choice company this winter. The surge in demand, plus supply issues – about 90% of the panels are made in China – means some installers are warning customers of delays stretching 10 months or more.
Sussex Solar, like many installers across the UK, this week had a blunt message on its website. “We are very sorry, but due to an unprecedented interest in solar panels and heat pumps, we are currently unable to accept any new inquiries. We will reopen our contact page towards the end of August…”
Sussex Solar director Amanda Baxter adds: “It’s all the rage at the moment.”
The Solar Shed, based near King’s Lynn in Norfolk, had a similar message: “Thank you for coming this far. We are not currently taking any new enquiries. Apologies. The contact us page will reopen once we clear the backlog.”
Many reputable installers say they won’t start taking inquiries again until September – but could close again at any time.
“The supply chain is what’s holding us all back,” says Dudson. – The main issue half a year ago was the lack of qualified labour. Now there is the global shortage of stock. The panel manufacturers tell us that they changed as much in the first quarter of this year as they did for the whole of last year.”
So if you want any chance of getting panels on your roof, you need to act soon. Pay close attention to the companies’ websites, and also be aware that the prices of panels and batteries are on the rise after many years of decline.
How much will it cost?
As little as £6,000 and up to £20,000 for a large house. Read also : San diego library solar.
It all depends on the size of the system (measured in kilowatts), the battery (optional, and can double the price), the diverter (to feed power to the electric heater), and whether you choose to install an electric vehicle charger at the same time. “Premium” panels and batteries (like Tesla’s) cost more.
Is it worth it?
A 4kW system, suitable for an average home, should generate approximately 3,500 kWh (kilowatt hours) of electricity a year across much of England. On the same subject : Seeing both sides of light collection.
At the time of writing, the average 28p unit price of electricity per kWh means the 3,500 kWh produced is worth £980. So if you paid £7,000 for an installation, it will pay for itself in about seven years.
However, the unit price of 28p is expected to jump to 45p or more this winter. That would mean the value of electricity produced by a 4kW system would rise to £1,575 or more – suggesting solar panels can pay for themselves in as little as five years.
But electricity unit prices may fall back, while panel and installation costs are likely to rise, possibly steeply, so there are no guarantees.
Will it supply all my power? And heat my water?
Will it supply all my electricity? And heat my water?
The typical bungalow or detached house in the UK uses about 4100kWh a year, so panels producing 3500kWh a year will cover much of your consumption.
You’ll want to change your power usage habits to get the most out of your panels. That means running appliances like the dishwasher during the day, not at night.
A diverter can send excess energy generated by solar panels to an electric cartridge. Installers say this is now a better option than having separate solar panels. They cost around NOK 500.
Should I buy the battery?
A battery will store the solar energy produced – but not used – during the day and allow you to use it at night.
On a sunny day, many households will struggle to use half the electricity produced by the panels, so a battery sounds like a very good idea – except that they are expensive. Kevin Holland of Solar Shed says: “You can almost double the cost of the installation by choosing a battery.”
The batteries cost £5,000 and up – if you can find one. Installers say they are the hardest to find at the moment.
Can I sell excess electricity back to the central grid?
Can I sell surplus electricity back to the National Grid?
The “feed-in tariffs” that kick-started the UK’s domestic solar industry are long gone. They were extremely lucrative, initially paying households 43.3p for each unit of electricity. But the rate was subsequently cut, and then completely removed in 2019.
There is a rather less lucrative compensation scheme called the Smart Export Guarantee. The large electricity companies set their own SEG tariff – and most only pay a few kroner. At the time of writing, the best paying was Octopus Energy at 7.5p/kWh, with the second best at just 5p/kWh.
Octopus also has a tariff where what customers are paid varies every half hour, according to day-ahead wholesale prices. Earlier this year, customers in London collected £1.29 for each device sent back online.
“We choose to give these best prices in the market on our tariffs because we know that our future energy system will have to include many small generators and homes with their own energy sources as well,” says a spokesperson for Octopus.
Is my home right for solar panels?
Is my home right for solar panels?
A south-facing roof, sloping at an angle of 30 degrees, is best. East and west facing panels will produce approximately 15% to 20% less electricity.
The good news is that advances in solar energy mean you need less roof space than 10 years ago to produce the same amount of electricity. You will generally need at least 20 square meters of usable roof space.
Solar panels do not require planning permission, but you need listed building approval to put solar panels on a listed building. If you live in a conservation area, you must also contact your local council before proceeding.
Do solar panels really pump out power in a heatwave?
In a heatwave, do solar panels really pump out the electricity?
Not really. What is important is the light intensity. Many experts say that the panels actually work better at a temperature of 23C to 25C. Scorching weather is good for solar thermal systems, but not for maximizing the performance of solar cells.
“If you compare a 4kW system in Madrid with one in London, on a clear day you’ll get more power from the one in London,” says Holland.
Can I get a grant?
Not at the moment. In 2013 the government’s Green Deal offered loans to help households buy solar panels, but it ended in 2015 and there is no funding available for solar panels now.
An alternative is to apply to your bank for a renovation loan. At HSBC, a £10,000 loan secured against your home will cost £183 a month over five years, with an APR of 3.9%.
Will the panels last?
The early adopters of solar panels generally report good news on this front, with the panels requiring little maintenance and new ones expected to last up to 40 years.
Their effectiveness diminishes over time – but only slowly. Batteries degrade faster and may need to be replaced after 10 years.
Aren’t they all just cowboys with double glasses?
Aren’t they all just double-glazing cowboys?
“There are still quite a few cowboys in the industry,” says Sussex Solar’s Baxter.
So how do you find a reputable installer?
So how do you find a reputable installer?
Ask around on your local WhatsApp forums on the street. Or try Which? Trusted traders.
Traditionally, you would expect to obtain three different quotes before proceeding. But as Holland at The Solar Shed says, “I’m just too busy for [that].”
The early adopter who now runs a solar business
The early adopter who now runs a solar business
Former Guardian economics journalist Ashley Seager has been so inspired by the performance of his home solar panels – installed 15 years ago – that he is now running his own solar business.
In 2007, Seager installed a 3kW peak system (about four meters by three metres) on the roof of his Victorian home in South London. It has produced around 2,700 kW hours (kWh) a year – enough for more than 80% of his annual electricity needs – and 15 years later it’s still running.
The panels are supposed to degrade at about 0.5% a year, but they don’t. I would estimate that they have not decreased by more than 0.25% a year, he says.
“The newer panels are now more efficient. A 3kW roof system now needs less roof space than we needed back in 2007. You can now get a 4kW system in the space needed for a 3kW system years ago.”
Seager spent £8,500 on his panels and they have more than repaid his investment. “Even before electricity prices went up, we were getting a 10% to 15% return per year on the roof panels.”
Seager took advantage of government “feed-in tariffs” paid to early adopters, which are no longer available. He now believes that the government was far too generous: “They set the tariff so high that it was a massive return on investment.”
But the falling costs and higher efficiency of the panels since 2007, combined with today’s sky-high electricity prices, mean that the financial equation for installing solar panels still holds true without government subsidies.
His company, Sun4net, focuses on installing panels on commercial rooftops. But, like everyone in the industry, he warns of the difficulties in obtaining supplies.
“We are busier than ever, but there continues a strong upward trend that we saw after Cop26 [UN Climate Change Conference in 2021]. The value of the projects has really gone through the roof, so to speak. But anyone in the domestic panel business who says they have a lot of inventory is not telling you the truth.”
He estimates that around 95% of all panels come from China. The government heavily subsidized its solar industry, which helped drive down prices but also drove manufacturers in Europe and North America to the wall.
Now, as Europe wakes up to its overdependence on Russian gas, it realizes that it has an even greater dependence on China to supply solar panels.
“My goal is to be off-grid as much as possible in the summer”
‘My aim is to be off-grid as much as possible in the summer’
Norfolk homeowner Stephen Beardmore says he has just spent £14,500 on a complete solar system – including panels, battery, arrester and car charger.
He took the action not only because of the latest electricity prices, but because “for me it was always the right thing to do”.
Beardmore, who works for the Royal Air Force, says: “I’ve been thinking about it for the last two years. I have always been interested in technology and interested in renewable energy, long before Putin invaded Ukraine.”
Like many solar buyers, the biggest initial hurdle was finding a reputable supplier. “As soon as you start researching, you’re bombarded with ads on Instagram and Facebook. It felt like I was walking into a dubious car sales agency, says Beardmore.
Friends recommended the Solar Shed in nearby King’s Lynn. “My goal is to be off-grid as much as possible in the summer. I arranged a 16-panel, 405W-per-panel system, with an 11kW battery. And I put in a car charger at the same time, even though I don’t have an electric car yet. For me, it’s about a change in lifestyle and the way you use power.”
As part of his research, he calculated the household’s total electricity consumption before the panels were installed, which added up to 4,300 kWh during 2021.
“They’ve only been up for six weeks but I’m absolutely delighted with them. We have a smart meter and I’m already down to 80p a day for electricity.”
Most of the panels are on directly south-facing roofs, the rest on west-facing roofs.
The installation was carried out with limited disturbance. “I only had to take one day off. After the scaffolder came in, it only took two days.”
As for the aesthetics of the panels, he says, “I don’t notice them up there.”
The only problem so far is that the battery is yet to arrive, although he expects it to arrive soon.
Would he recommend it? “In today’s situation, if people don’t get the message about renewable energy now, they never will.”
Do solar panels decrease electricity bills?
By installing a solar system, homeowners can generate their own electricity and therefore buy less from the utility. This can significantly reduce your monthly expenses by avoiding the highest prices for electricity consumption, if not reducing your bill altogether.
How Much Do Solar Panels Reduce Your Bills? Typically, a solar system produces anywhere from 350-850 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month. The average home uses about 909 kWh of energy per month (according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration), so owning solar can save you up to 90% on your monthly utility bills.
Why do solar panels lower your electric bill?
One of the main reasons people use solar energy is to lower their electricity bills. The idea is: if your solar panels generate more electricity than your home uses, you wouldn’t need electricity from the grid – and that would mean you wouldn’t have an electricity bill!
Do solar panels really reduce electricity bills?
Going solar can reduce your electricity bill dramatically, to the point where it’s not a significant player in your monthly budget. Some lucky homeowners can even eliminate their utility bill.
What are 2 disadvantages to using solar energy?
Disadvantages of solar energy
- Cost. The initial cost of buying a solar system is quite high. …
- Weather dependent. Although solar energy can still be collected during cloudy and rainy days, the efficiency of the solar system decreases. …
- Storing solar energy is expensive. …
- Uses a lot of space. …
- Associated with pollution.
What happens if my solar panels produce more energy than I use?
If you produce more solar power than you use (which will be the case for many customers during the day, especially in the summer), your system will feed power out to the grid.
How long do solar panels last for?
Solar panels, also known as photovoltaic or PV panels, are designed to last more than 25 years. In fact, many solar panels installed as early as the 1980s are still operating at their expected capacity. Not only are solar panels remarkably reliable, solar panel lifespans have increased dramatically over the past 20 years.
Can solar panels cover all my electricity?
Generally speaking, a 3kw or 4kw solar panel will be able to produce enough energy to power a home containing a family of four or five people. A 2kw or 3kw array, on the other hand, will be able to supply enough energy to run a smaller home.
How many solar panels are needed to power a house? How many solar panels does an average house need? With a home of approximately 1,500 square feet, it is estimated that 15 to 18 solar panels will be needed.
Do you still need power if you have solar panels?
Solar panels need sunlight to generate free electricity for your home. You’d think a daylight outage wouldn’t affect solar customers, but that’s usually not the case. If you depend on your power grid, you lose power when all the rest of your customers do.
What happens if you run out of solar power?
if you have a grid-based solar system and the power goes out, you will completely lose your power supply. Even if it’s daytime and your solar panels are working, your grid solar system won’t be able to use that power or transfer it back to the grid.
Can you run out of energy with solar panels?
Recent power problems following severe storms have many homeowners asking themselves an important question: what happens to solar energy if the power goes out? The answer is simple. Solar energy will not act as a backup generator. Solar energy will go out just like other forms of energy do during a severe storm.
Can I fully power my home with solar panels?
Can I run my entire house on solar energy? With a modern solar energy system, including power storage, you can definitely run an entire house entirely on solar energy. Today’s high-efficiency solar panels and solar batteries make it cheaper than ever to run an entire home solely on solar energy.
How much solar would it take to power a house?
We estimate that a typical home needs between 20 and 24 solar panels to cover 100 percent of its electricity consumption. The actual formula to find out how many solar panels you need can be found by the system size divided by the production ratio, divided by panel watts.
What are the 3 types of solar energy?
Solar thermal (for heating) Concentrated solar energy (for electricity) Solar Photovoltaics (electricity)
What is solar energy in simple words?
The answer is simple: solar energy. Solar energy is simply the light and heat that comes from the sun. People can harness the sun’s energy in a few different ways: Photovoltaic cells, which convert sunlight into electricity. Solar heating technology, where heat from the sun is used to create hot water or steam.
Is solar energy cheap?
When it comes to the cost of energy from new power plants, onshore wind and solar are now the cheapest sources – they cost less than gas, geothermal, coal or nuclear. Solar energy in particular has become cheaper at a tremendous pace.
Is solar energy cheap or expensive? The report follows the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) conclusion in its World Energy Outlook 2020 that solar energy is now the cheapest electricity in history. The technology is cheaper than coal and gas in most large countries, the outlook shows.
Why is solar power so cheap?
Larger factories, the use of automation and more efficient production methods have provided economies of scale, lower labor costs and less material waste for the solar energy sector. The average cost of a solar panel fell by 90% from 2010 to 2020.
Why don’t we use solar energy more?
It all comes down to costs and infrastructure. Ultimately, the biggest obstacle to the development of renewable energy is the cost and logistical barriers. As the renewable energy infrastructure grows, we will see it decline in popularity and use.
Why is solar power cheap?
The story behind low costs Solar became cheap because of forces called learning curves and virtuous cycles, the article describes. Harnessing the sun’s power used to be so expensive that it was only used for satellites. In 1956, for example, the cost of one watt of solar energy was $1,825.
Is solar cheaper than electricity?
Although solar energy requires an initial investment to purchase and set up, people find that solar energy is much cheaper than electric power in the long run due to the increasing price of electricity.
What are the cheapest forms of energy?
And there’s some very good news for the planet: Solar and wind power, at the scale that a major utility would use them, is now the cheapest form of power. They are slightly cheaper than natural gas power plants and significantly cheaper than coal and nuclear power.
How much does it cost to produce 1 kWh of energy?
Individual projects in wind power regularly deliver electricity at $0.04 per kWh without financial support, while for power plants running on fossil fuels, the cost range is $0.04–0.14 per kWh (IRENA, 2018).
Is solar energy high cost?
The cost of renewable energy hit a record low in 2018. Solar and wind power are now among the least expensive renewable energy sources globally, and experts expect these costs to remain low for years to come.
Does solar energy cost a lot of money?
With installation, an average 5kW-sized system costs between $3 and $5 per watt, according to CSE, resulting in a range of $15,000 to $25,000. This cost is before any tax deductions and incentives. If you know your current energy consumption, you can calculate how much you will have to pay for solar panels.
Is solar cheaper than electricity?
Although solar energy requires an initial investment to purchase and set up, people find that solar energy is much cheaper than electric power in the long run due to the increasing price of electricity.
What are the 3 benefits of solar energy?
Advantages of residential solar energy
- Cost savings. Financial returns and lower monthly electricity bills are important incentives for using solar energy. …
- Increased housing value. …
- Solar energy works everywhere. …
- Environment.