Not sure whether to jump on the bandwagon to install solar panels for your home? Here are seven basic facts that can help you make your decision.
You don’t have to understand how solar panels work to use them anymore than you have to be an electrician to turn on a lamp. In a nutshell, your solar PV system consists of solar panels and an inverter. The panels generate DC electrical current and feed it through the inverter, which transforms it into AC current, exactly like the electricity you currently buy from your power supplier.
Solar panels generate electricity from light. While direct sunlight produces more electricity, they’ll generate electricity even on a cloudy day. And since the sun’s heat doesn’t matter to solar PV panels, your solar panels will generate just as much electricity on a sunny winter day as they do on a sunny summer day.
Most homes in the UK can generate about 50 percent of the electricity they use on an annual basis. That’s a savings of 50 percent on your current electricity bill. If you combine solar panels with other efficiency measures, such as A-rated appliances, insulation and low energy lights, you can save even more.
Your solar PV system is connected to the energy grid. That means it won’t store any energy your solar panels generate. If your system generates more electricity than your home is using at the moment, the excess will be exported to the grid and you’ll be paid for it. If you need more electricity than your solar panels are currently producing, you’ll be able to draw from the power outlets just as you do now. That means you’ll always have power when you need it, and if you make more than you need, you’ll be paid for it.
The government will pay you to generate electricity, even if you use it in your own home. The Feed-in Tariff Scheme pays people for every kWh of electricity your solar panels generate. As of 1 April, the rate will be 21p per kWh for all the electricity you generate with an additional 3p per kWh for all the electricity your system exports to the grid.
The solar panels you install today will pay back their carbon load within five years. Your solar PV system will generate 20 years or more of clean, green, carbon-free electricity.
Solar panels have no moving systems. Unlike wind turbines and gas generators, they make no noise and require very little maintenance. That keeps your cost of ownership low.
Learn more about the requirements for installing a solar PV system and the benefits of solar panels from a local solar PV installer who can evaluate your property and give you a better idea of how much you can save when you install solar panels.
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