Harness solar energy in your home
Solar energy is the most abundant form of free, renewable energy and can make a significant contribution to reducing your energy bills. Although strongest in the summer, solar energy is available throughout the year and does not require direct sunshine to be effective – it will provide energy to meet your needs even on cloudy days!
Solar systems are available in two main types:
- Solar Thermal systems which provide heating for your domestic hot water requirements
- Solar PV (Photo Voltaic) systems which utilise solar cells to generate electricity directly from sunlight
Feed-in tariffs
Feed-in tariffs are financial support measures introduced by the government on 1st April 2010 to increase the uptake of small-scale renewable generation (<5MWe). The mechanism provides renewable Solar PV generators with support payments of up to 41.3p per KWh of power generated and the payments are index linked and guarantedd for 25 years.
The benefits of feed-in tariffs
The feed-in tariff provides key benefits for anyone installing microgeneration technologies. These benefits include
- Guaranteed premium payment for all electricity produced.
- Onsite usage of generated electricity is free, therefore reducing the amount purchased from your electricity supplier.
The feed-in tariff is available from 1st April 2010 and the tariff levels that you can expect to receive are:
36.1 p/kWh
41.3 p/kWh
36.1 p/kWh
Solar Thermal
Solar water heating systems use the sun’s energy to heat fluid in solar panels on your roof which is then pumped through a special dual coil hot water tank to heat your domestic hot water supply. The solar system will heat the water even on a cloudy day and on average provides some 70% of your hot water needs over a year.
The second coil in the tank is connected to your existing boiler which provides any extra heat the water may require when sufficient energy from the sun is not available. Systems can be configured with conventional condensing boilers as well as combi-boiler systems.
A typical fully installed system will cost around £5,000 and we can provide grant funding and financing packages to help with the overall installation cost.
Solar PV
Solar PV systems use solar cells to generate electricity directly from sunlight and work best on a south facing roof. They are connected to your main electricity panel through a special metering system and the electricity generated will automatically be used in your property. Any surplus electricity you generate can be sold back to your electricity supplier.
In April 2010 the Government introduced a new feed-in tariff for renewable electricity generation which will significantly reduce the payback period for solar PV systems.
A typical fully installed 2KWp system will cost around £10,000 and finance packages are available to help with the overall installation cost. A 2KWp system will generate around 40% of the annual electricity requirements of a typical 3/4 bed home – now is a very good time to invest in Solar PV!
