How does it work  

Daylight and sunlight is free– so having paid for your solar panel installation, you can sit back and reap the rewards of your installation. Creating energy for your own use, thereby paying less to your energy provider will already be saving you money, but we can now learn of the other ways you can benefit from your solar panel energy.

During the summer months, when the days are longer, more daylight creates more solar energy for you to harness. With an often lesser need for power during these longer lighter summer days and shorter nights, we often use less energy. You will often use less lighting in your home, and also fewer electrically powered items such as heating or televisions, as the majority of us enjoy outside activities when the days are lighter and warmer, taking advantage of the good weather. Even using a BBQ instead of your oven will see your energy needs reduce. Combine your lower power consumption with your solar panels creating an abundance of energy from the extended daylight hours, and you can easily see how this leads to a surplus.

The National Grid will buy your excess energy from you. Yes, you have read that right. The National Grid will pay you for the excess energy, so you could earn by selling something you do not need. With a home battery in place as part of your solar installation, you can store energy for when you may need to call on it, or you have the option to sell the excess on the UK’s energy market.

We can help you to trade your energy effortlessly and automatically with the Grid without you needing to lift a finger. When The National Grid need extra power, they take any extra power stored in the network of home batteries and pay 5p per KWH for the pleasure; earning you an income without you having to work for it.

Conversely, should The National Grid need additional storage, and you have capacity in your battery, the Grid will move its’ excess to store temporarily in your battery and you will be paid rent for them to do so. Again, this will be automatically handled without needing your intervention for each occurrence.

Home considerations for solar panels  

In general, the area, pitch, and facing angle of your roof could affect your solar panel system options. We can answer some basic questions for you here, and provide you with further details on request.

What area do I need for Solar panels?  

The larger the area, the more solar panels you can have fitted. So, when it comes to answering the questions of ‘how many solar panels can I have?’ the answer is usually ‘How big is your roofspace?’ A roof area between 10-20m2 will typically provide up to 45% of an average household’s electricity needs. For a standard 4kW size system, you would need approximately 28 square metres of clean roof space. We can work around skylights, roof vents and turrets, which may affect the installation costs, however it ensures that we make full use of the available roof space for your installation.

Roof Pitch  

The angle of the sun is around 50-60 degrees, meaning a perfect roof pitch is 30-40 degrees. This just happens to be the roof pitch for a typical UK house rooftop. Even if your roof pitch angle falls outside of this range, it is certainly still possible to generate electricity effectively with solar panels.

Facing  

A south facing roof is the most effective for a solar panel installation, as they tend to generate the most electricity from solar panels. This is because they will be seeing the sun at its most intense for the longest time-period. However, both east and west facing roofs are still suitable for a solar panel installation; they will still provide around 80-85% of the electricity generated in comparison to a full south-facing roof. East facing roofs will be exposed to sunlight in the morning, whilst the afternoon and evening will see a west facing roof take in more sunlight. North facing roofs are the least ideal, receiving the least amount of sunlight, however, it is certainly still possible to have them installed on a North facing roof and our advice and quotation will give you a realistic idea of the power and income savings you can make. Our experts will ensure that you have the information you need to make an informed decision on which system is suitable for you and your roof, whichever way it faces.

Will solar panels work if my roof is shaded?  

Shade can certainly be a restricting factor in a solar panel installation. Shaded areas diminish the amount of power that a solar panel can generate. If your roof has shadows cast over it for extended periods, it may be necessary for you to look at other options. While it may be as simple as removing what is creating the shade, such as tall trees, if shadows can’t be removed, it may also mean that certain parts of your roof will not be suitable for a solar panel. Our team will be able to provide you with possible solutions and alternatives and perform a shading analysis to ensure you have all the information needed to make your decision.

Why a solar power battery is a good idea  

When it comes to solar power, you will certainly want to make the most of a beautiful sunny day and all the daylight hours that create the solar power for your panels to soak up. A battery can be the answer to the common question ‘what happens to solar panels when the sun goes down?’. With no solar energy generated when it is dark outside, you will still need electrical power for your lighting and equipment during the evenings. Without a battery, you would need to switch to using power from The National Grid.

Having a battery installed in your home as part of your solar panel installation will change that for you. All the excess solar energy that your panels capture during the day will be stored in your battery. Any time your solar panels capture more energy than you use, your battery will step in and store it for you to use another time. You keep the energy you generate to use when you are not producing it, but do not forget that when The National Grid are short of energy they pay you for your excess energy and at times even store their excess energy in your spare battery capacity, paying for the privilege. A battery will therefore certainly extend your solar panel usage options.

What will your solar panel survey tell me?  

Given the many options on types of solar panel and battery sizes, our experts will assess and simplify this for you; we will carry out a detailed site survey and then report back to you.

You will have answers on the solar panel system options specifically for your home and rooftop. We will also advise you if you are likely to require local authority planning permission prior to fitting. We should mention, however, that a great many solar panel installations don’t require planning permission for solar panels.

Our experts will ask a few simple questions to assess your energy consumption and advise you on the right size and quantity of solar panels, as well as suitable battery size to ensure that you are not paying for one that is too big for your needs or conversely considering one that you will soon outgrow. We will advise you of the best system set up to ensure you get the best return for your investment.

Our experts are experienced in a wide variety of installations. We will ensure that you do not go too big or too small and that you have everything you need to know regarding your options. We will also give you expected cost for installation, with a quote that has been EPVS verified, so you can be sure that you have all the information you need to make an informed decision on solar energy for your home. Why not get in touch to find out more about the installation you could have for your home?