Buying solar panels for home installation needs a careful assessment of your household needs and sunlight radiation levels in your area. The direction your roof faces and the tilt angle of your roof also determines your panels’ efficiency rates.
2. Guide to Buying
Solar Panels
Are Solar Panels For
You?
Ideal PV System
Size
Permits and
Inspection
Future Costs
Conclusion Installing solar panels on your home is a fantastic
renewable energy option. It guarantees you at least
20 years of free energy devoid of energy bills, reduces
your carbon footprint, and earns you money through
the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) scheme.
Previous Next
3. And with the government’s Green Deal program, tax
incentives, and various grants on offer, it is a feasible
and affordable opportunity to make your home
energy-efficient. Buying solar panels requires a little bit
of research and some fairly basic technical know-how
which you can quickly bring yourself up to speed on.
Previous
Guide to Buying
Solar Panels
Are Solar Panels For
You?
Ideal PV System
Size
Permits and
Inspection
Future Costs
Conclusion
Next
4. If you are renting a house for a short or medium-term
period then installing a PV system is probably not for
you. If your house has a North facing roof then it won’t
get much sunlight and solar panels may not generate
enough electricity to be a viable project. A south-facing
roof is perfect for optimal output while a roof
facing south-east or south-west is okay too as it will
lose only about 15% of its efficiency.
Next
Guide to Buying
Solar Panels
Are Solar Panels
For You?
Ideal PV System
Size
Permits and
Inspection
Future Costs
Conclusion
Previous
5. Your home’s suitability depends on the tilt angle of
your roof and where you live. Most homes in the UK
have a tilt angle of 30-45 degrees. The strength and
age of your roof matters and ideally, there should be
no shade from trees or other buildings.
Previous
Guide to Buying
Solar Panels
Are Solar Panels
For You?
Ideal PV System
Size
Permits and
Inspection
Future Costs
Conclusion
Next
6. The two most important factors to consider when
determining the size of solar system ideal for you are
the amount of electricity used in your home and the
size of your roof. It is recommended that you only
install a system if it generates 100% or more of your
normal consumption.
Next
Guide to Buying
Solar Panels
Are Solar Panels For
You?
Ideal PV System
Size
Permits and
Inspection
Future Costs
Conclusion
Previous
7. The size and strength of your roof determines whether
it can hold the panels as they are heavy. As a guide,
it will cost you between £6,000 and £9,000 to install a
4kWp solar system.
Previous
Guide to Buying
Solar Panels
Are Solar Panels For
You?
Ideal PV System
Size
Permits and
Inspection
Future Costs
Conclusion
Next
8. To qualify for incentives such as FIT, you will need to
use equipment and installers certified by MCS. A
qualified project manager has to inspect the
installation before commissioning.
Next
Guide to Buying
Solar Panels
Are Solar Panels For
You?
Ideal PV System
Size
Permits and
Inspection
Future Costs
Conclusion
Previous
9. You may also require planning permission for your PV
system depending on your area. Some areas which
have to obtain planning permission even for domestic
solar systems include world heritage sites,
conservation areas, and listed buildings.
Previous
Guide to Buying
Solar Panels
Are Solar Panels For
You?
Ideal PV System
Size
Permits and
Inspection
Future Costs
Conclusion
Next
10. In determining How Much Does a Solar Panel Cost, it is
noteworthy that the government, agencies, and
manufacturers predict a lowering of prices. This is
because there has been a global fall in module and
component prices.
Next
Guide to Buying
Solar Panels
Are Solar Panels For
You?
Ideal PV System
Size
Permits and
Inspection
Future Costs
Conclusion
Previous
11. Additionally, there has been a rise in new
technologies most of which are still under research
that promise to be cheaper to produce and more
energy-efficient compared to the solar panels
currently in the market.
Previous
Guide to Buying
Solar Panels
Are Solar Panels For
You?
Ideal PV System
Size
Permits and
Inspection
Future Costs
Conclusion
Next
12. Installing a complete solar PV system is the hard part,
and once that is taken care of you can enjoy free
energy for periods lasting up to and even beyond 25
years.
Next
Guide to Buying
Solar Panels
Are Solar Panels For
You?
Ideal PV System
Size
Permits and
Inspection
Future Costs
Conclusion
Previous
13. The maintenance costs are low though the inverter
may need two or three replacements over that
period.
Previous
Guide to Buying
Solar Panels
Are Solar Panels For
You?
Ideal PV System
Size
Permits and
Inspection
Future Costs
Conclusion
Next
