The Benefits of Solar Electricity
Cut your carbon footprint - Solar electricity is green, renewables energy and doesn't release any harmful carbon dioxide or other pollutants. A typical home PV system could save around 1200 kg of carbon dioxide per year - that's around 30 tonnes over its lifetime.
Get paid for the electricity you generate.
Earn a tax free income of around 10% with the new government Feed in tariff (Fit) for PV systems.
Get paid up to 44.3 p per Kwh your PV system generates
Cut your electricity bills - Sunlight is free, so once you've paid for the initial installation your electricity costs will be greatly reduced. A typical home PV system can produce around 40% of the electricity a household uses in a year.
Sell electricity back to the Grid - If your system is producing more electricity than you need, or when you can't use it, someone else can use it - and you could make a bit of money. The Fit pays 41.3 p per kWh of electricty you generate, whether you use it or not. When you are not using it you are paid an additional 3p per kWh that is sold back to the grid.
Store electricity for a cloudy day - If your home isn't connected to the national grid you can store excess electricity in batteries to use when you need it.
Is solar electricity suitable for my home?
To tell if solar electricity is right for you, there are a few key questions to consider:
Do you have a sunny place to put it? You'll need a roof or wall that faces within 90 degrees of south, and isn't overshadowed by trees or buildings. If the surface is in shadow for parts of the day, your system will generate less energy.
Is your roof strong enough? Solar panels are not light and the roof must be strong enough to take their weight, especially if the panel is placed on top of existing tiles. If in doubt, ask a construction expert or an installer.
Do you need planning permission? In England and Scotland, you don't need planning permission for most home solar electricity systems, as long as they're below a certain size - but you should check with your local planning officer if your home is a listed building, or is in a conservation area or World Heritage Site.
Costs, Savings and Maintenance
Costs for installing a solar electricity system vary a lot - an average system costs between £8,000 and £14,000, depending on its size and type.
In general the more electricity the system can generate, the more it costs but the more it could save.
Solar tiles cost more than conventional panels panels built into a roof are more expensive than those that sit on top but, if you need major roof repairs, PV tiles can offset the cost of roof tiles.
Savings can be considerable - almost 1 tonne of CO2 a year, and around £200 off your electricity bill*. A 2 kWp system could provide around 40% of a household's yearly electricity needs.
Maintenance is generally small - you'll need to keep the panels relatively clean and make sure trees don't begin to overshadow them.
Funding
Find a grant to help with the costs of installing renewable and low carbon technologies visit the DECC -funded Low Carbon Buildings Programme.
Selling Your Own Electricity
Earn a tax free income from the new Government Fit !
* Assumes a 2kWp system with 50% on site consumption with excess exported to the grid on a typical export tariff.