Learn about the latest solar panels grants and feed in tariffs currently available to help you complete a rewarding solar installation.
General questions about solar panels
What is the science behind solar panel technology?
In a nutshell when solar radiation/solar energy enters the earth's atmosphere, it does so as a short-wave. When these short-waves hit something, be it a person, building or solar panels, then the short wave converts to long-wave. This process expels energy and this energy produces heat or electric depending on the technology you install.
Do I need planning permission?
No. From 6 April 2008 planning permission will not be required for solar panels, unless you live in a listed building. Even then most councils will allow installations in most cases.
Can solar panels be added to flat roofs?
Yes, on an 'A' frame to angle the panels at 20 and 50 degrees from horizontal.
How long does solar technology last?
Solar panel technology has been around for a century now. Solar heating panels including evacuated tubes have a longevity of around 30 years. PV solar panels last much longer, but PV solar panels installed in the 60's is still working.
Can solar panels add value to my property?
Yes, your homes value will increase in todays climate of high energy pricing.
A recent survey by MORI found people are willing to pay up to £10,000 more for a home built to high energy efficiency standards and estate agents have been raising the value of properties with solar panels compared to those without.
Solar installations will get cheaper with time, won't they?
Although we have seen prices fall recently, unfortunately the longer term indicators are that prices will rise.
As the Financial Times future's article clearly points out, the increasing cost of energy, resources, materials and manufacturing is happening globally. It's probable that solar panels can't be cheaper than they are now because future made panels and installations will always consist of inputs such as energy + materials that will cost far more tommorow than they do today.
Why solar, not wind?
Installing a domestic-scale wind turbine for most homes in the UK is unsuitable because of:
1. Planning restrictions
2. Unreliable urban wind speeds and poor outputs.
3. Structural issues with attaching a wind turbine to a home.
Wind power is great on a large-scale basis or around coastal areas and wind swept hills, but your average common-a-garden urban locations mean performance and efficiency will be low. You need a large sized turbine to make a dent in the average homes energy bill. This has been confirmed by government testing. Urban locations simply don't have high enough wind speeds with vibration problems that could lead to structural property damage occuring when high speeds are reached.
"The output of domestic scale wind turbine on a pitched roof house in a large city such as Manchester as an example would be less than 150kWh a year; which is 2% of the energy consumption of an average house."
Solar heating panels installations
The basics
Solar heating panels can be catergorised as:
- Glazed flat solar panels.
- Evacuated solar tubes.
Usually a flat panels salesmen will say his system performs best and solar tubes salesmen will say the same. Independent testing has concluded that evacuated tubes perform best in the UK climate and flat panels closely second.
A third type of solar panel called Solartwin use unglazed plastic and rubber panels. This type was one of the lowest performing of the technologies tested.
Why install a new hot water tank?
People now see solar panels as an investment into your home and energy future.
Imagine converting your car to LPG, then running it on semi-flat tyres. Your old tank is very in-efficient and probably scaled up with limescale. In order to maximise the efficiency of your solar panel system, a modern super efficient tank is installed as part of the installation to bring your heating system up to modern efficiency standards. Ultimately saving you money in the long term.
What solar grants or incentives are available for solar heating?
The government have created the RHI (Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme) which will pay property owners to generate heat from technology such as solar panels and heat pumps an average of 8.5p per Kw produced for a guaranteed 18 year period. This brings down the payback period and helps the government achieve its CO2 emissions targets, which our government has signed up to. A win win situation.
This scheme's rewards will go down every 3 years, so it's better to install sooner, rather than later.
Will solar panels replace my energy bills fully?
No, you won't be able to totally replace your current energy supply, but you could get close with a realistic budget and the implementation of different solar panel technology combinations.
We don't use much hot water, how can this help us?
At the moment the water in your hot water tank has to stay above 60 deg C (to prevent legionella), which means your current heating method is constantly firing up to keep your water above 60 deg C. Your boiler or emmersion heater will still be keeping your tank heated up, so yes, solar will still benefit your heating bills.
Save 70% on your energy bill, how?
There are many reasons for installing solar-powered hot water heating systems into your home; increasingly, people are making the decision to install sustainable energy for cold, hard economic reasons.
A solar hot water system should reduce your water heating bills by about 70%, with the system paying for itself in 5 to 10 years, depending on your household's water consumption.
During the spring, summer and early autumn months, The Solar Company system should generate all if not nearly all your hot water requirements. Even in the coldest winter months, it should generate around 50% of your requirements, meaning that your existing boiler merely has to top up' the temperature of the water to the required level, rather than heating it from almost freezing!
What solar panels CAN do?
50% of all the domestic solar collectors installed in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway were to supply solar space heating systems, while in Sweden and Canada it was more. These countries have a similar climate to the UK.
Solar keeps an abundent supply of hot water in your hot water tank, thus extending the life span of your boiler because for most of the year, your boiler will not be used at all.
From March - September, solar will do most of your water heating needs, and then half that in the winter.
How much conventional energy will it produce?
Independently tested, our solar delivered 900 - 1400 kWh (3.6 GJ) of clean green energy (depending on geographical location) as solar hot water a year in UK. It saves far more bought-in energy. Peak output is 1.6 kW, similar to an immersion heater.
(Performance varies per domestic household, depending on your micro climate and geographical location, but on average, an evacuated tube system will supply all your hot water needs from March - September, and most, but not all, in the winter months)
What temperatures can I expect from a solar hot water?
On sunny days possible temperatures of 75C can be achieved (45C hot enough for bathing), but this is dependent on your micro climate, geographical position within the UK and the type of solar panel system installed. On cloudy days this will still reduce the need to use your boiler, thus extending your boiler life.
Do I get hot water during the winter months?
Even during cloudy days in winter you can expect some gain, through diffused solar radiation which bathe's the earth even on cloudy days. This means some of the light penetrates and is scattered around. With dark and compact cloud formations, the solar panels will not work at all.
Although we do our best to keep prices reasonable, their are customers we spoke to 2 years ago who wished they had bought back then.
Is there any on-going maintenance needed?
The system is kept clean by weathering, just like velux windows. A periodic check every 3-4 years is recommended to check the PH level of the antifreeze solution, but other than that you can simply fit it and forget it.
Which is best for me, solar tubes or flat panels?
Some people prefer the aesthetics of flat solar panels, but solar tubes are more efficient. Saying that, the flat panels are the best efficient of all the flat panels on the UK market today. With both systems being of excellent quality, this is the main reason we promote both flat panels and solar tubes, so you can choose on aesthetics reasons.
Did you know: From March to October every year, my oil guzzling boiler is left dormant, brilliant!
PV solar panels installations
What solar grants or incentives are available for pv solar?
The government have created the FIT's (Feed In Tariffs Scheme) which will pay property owners to generate their own electricity from this technology. The payment is currently of 21 pence per Kwh produced for a guaranteed 25 year period. This brings down the payback period and helps the government achieve its CO2 emissions targets, which our government has signed up to. A win win situation.
This scheme's rewards will go down every 3 years, so it's better to install sooner, rather than later.
Will PV solar produce all my electric needs?
In most cases, no, but this depends on your energy consumption rate and the size of system installed. Large sized systems might be able too.
How much energy can PV solar panels produce?
Each case is different, but a PV system installation would generate approximately 750kWh/year per kWp installed. So a typical 2 kWp system would generate around 1500 kWh per year. A hot water solar panel at Peak output is 1.6 kW, similar to an immersion heater, or 1,500 kWh and 2,000kWh annually.
What does on-grid mean?
When PV is producing electricity and you are not using it, then it will automatically feed the electricity out to the National Grid, were your will be credited for your contribution. With modern feed in tariffs scheme, you will get paid for the power you consume in your home and the power you export too. It has never been such a good time to install PV solar panels.
Does PV have to be installed on your roof?
No. PV can easily be installed on frames within your boundaries, or out buildings with suitable roofing.
Is there any ongoing maintenance needed?
No, Just like velux windows, they are kept clean by weathering. Simply fit and forget. Ask our MCS solar installers for details.
Free solar panels offers, what the catch?
The easy way to answer this, is what is the company offering the free solar panels gaining? The answer in short is your feed in tariff reward. They will be using your roof to take your grant off you. This is the equivalent of taking your chicken lunch off you and throwing you the wish bone to chew on. You will wish you had installed them yourself.
Yes you will get small savings off your electricity bill, but you will loose out on the thousands of pounds government grant.
The golden age of cheap energy is over. An investment in solar panels is an investment in your energy future.
Solar panels quotes
Solar panels including installation quotes are as easy as 1, 2, 3.
Simply click on our 'Get a quote' button and arrange a FREE home survey and consultation appointment which should last around 1 hour. Appointments with questions and answers sessions may take longer.
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Expert & Author - Stuart Lovatt
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