Solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels are fitted to your roof and generate electricity for your home. Solar PV systems must be integrated with your existing electrical installation, so installers need be registered electricians with an accredited body such as the NICEIC. We are NICEIC registered electricians and qualified to undertake PV installations.
How does it work?
Each PV cell is made from one or two layers of semiconducting material, usually silicon. When light shines on the cell it creates an electric field across the layers to produce electricity for your home. The stronger the sunshine, the more electricity is produced. The electricity generated will be for the use of the household with any surplus exported back to the national grid.
The benefits of Solar PV
There are many benefits to installing Solar PV panels, including:
- A strong financial incentive designed to generate a healthy return on your installation costs via:
- Reduced energy bills
- An indexed linked tariff paid for ALL electricity generated on site
- An export tariff, which is a payment made for surplus electricity exported back to the grid
- Assisting the UK meet its EU target of 15% of energy from renewables by 2020.
- Cutting your carbon footprint as Solar PV does not release any harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) or other pollutants.
Is my property suitable?
We would need to carry out a site survey to give you accurate facts and figures on the suitability of your property (see below). As a guide however the following criteria applies:
- South facing roofs are ideal, but even North facing installations can give reasonable returns.
- The panels need a good deal of exposure to sunlight, so roofs that meet the criteria in terms of orientation and pitch but are obstructed by trees or high surrounding buildings are unlikely to be suitable.
In terms of installation size, you are only limited by roof space and/or budget, as the larger the installation the better the financial returns (click here for more info).
Solar PV products
PV cells come in a variety of types and styles, the most common being the archetypal flat solar panel that fits over the tiles on your roof, but you can also get grey "solar tiles" that fix on like roof tiles and transparent cells that you can use on conservatories and glass.
The efficiency and performance of the cell will vary according to the technology used by the manufacturer. There are four main types of PV cell technology: ‘Thin film’, Polycrystalline, Monocrystalline and ‘Hybrid’ (which is a combination of Thin Film silicone and Monocrystalline). Different types offer different benefits and one may be more suited to your circumstances than another.
We can advise you on the different products available and most suited to your circumstances/ budget once we have carried a site specific survey.
Integrating your existing system
The energy from a Solar PV installation needs to connect to your existing electrical installation, usually somewhere in the vicinity of your electricity meter and/or existing fuse board. Costs are kept down if you have a modern fuse board with spare capacity for a new circuit. It is always possible to connect to your existing arrangement, whatever its condition, but some safety upgrades may be required.
Our surveyors are all qualified electricians and will advise you at the point of our initial survey. Our surveyor will also give you a proposed cable route to bring the power down from your solar installation to the point of connection.
Site Survey
We will carry out a site survey to assess the suitability of your property/roof. The information we gather will allow us to give you vital facts and figures on your home and, if suitable, the investment returns of Solar PV, in the form of:
- A SAP (the Government’s Standard Assessment Procedure) calculation which is an estimate of the amount of energy you can expect to harness in a year.
- A Payback Calculation – this will give you some idea of the income you can generate through the Feed In Tariff and Export Tariff, plus energy bill savings, which you can set against the initial cost of installation. Click here for more on indicative investment returns.
Quote
Once we have gathered all the necessary information we will provide you with a pack containing: a SAP calculation, Payback calculation and a quote with recommendations for the most suitable solar product.
