Frequenty asked questions
Is my house suitable?
Most houses in the UK are suitable for some form of Solar installation. A south facing un shaded roof is the best suited and will offer the highest returns however, contrary to popular opinion even East – West facing roofs can produce a worthwhile return on investment. Solar panels produce most energy when the sunlight is hitting the face of the panel directly.
There are three key points to take into consideration when designing a solar array. The way your roof faces, the pitch of your roof and how much shading your roof receives from trees or other structures during the year.
We prepare a detailed report with each quote dealing with these points. In this area the optimum pitch is 30 degrees while the optimum azimuth is due South.
Will Fitting Solar Panels affect my roof?
Fitting solar panels to your roof will not have a detrimental effect on your roof structure or it’s water tightness. Provided they are correctly installed of course.
Remember Solar panels do not have to go on your roof other options are available such as ground mounted panels which enable you to set the perfect azimuth and pitch for your area or why not incorporate them into a carport or pergola?
What is a Feed in Tariff (FIT)?
A Feed-in Tariff is the amount of money paid to you by the government to encourage homeowners to generate green electricity. For PV Systems up to 4kWhp installed April 2011- April 2012 it is 43.3p per Kilowatt Hour of electricity generated.
These payments are guaranteed by the government and last for a period of 25 years. They are index linked to RPI (Retail Price Index) therefore are inflation proof and In most cases the payments are tax free.
An average system pays a return on investment of 8-12%.
So I’m only paid for the electricity I export then?
When we install a solar system in your house we install a Generation meter. This measures how much energy your system is generating and this is what you are paid on. You also receive a small additional payment for the electricity you export currently 3p per kWh. Most electricity companies at the moment calculate this payment as 50% of the total generated. In the future they will install “Smart” Meters which can tell exactly how much electricity you have exported.
Most of us pay about 12p per kWh for the electricity we buy at the moment so the more of our own electricity we can use as we generate it the better for us.
Every unit we use: 43.3p + 12p = 55.3p
Every unit we export: 43.3p + 3p = 46.3p
If I install solar panels I won’t have any more electricity bills?
This is a misconception fueled by companies offering “Free” electricity. We require most of our energy when there is no solar energy available. So unfortunately you will continue to receive electricity bills.
However you will also receive payment for the electricity you have generated and as the rate for your electricity is almost four times what you have to pay in most cases the income from your panels should offset your bills. In other words you only need to produce approximately 30% of the energy you use to receive more money than you pay out.
Having been in the construction industry for over 25 years we are only too aware of the perception many people have of these types of scheme. We believe that the current “Feed in Tariff” scheme is a worthwhile investment for a number of reasons.
