224 Housing Market
Solar Panels - are they worth it? Investing in your home for renewable energy by Helen Say Solar panels as an alternate source of energy To help hit “Net Zero by 2050”, the UK Government announced a gas boiler ban in 2019. By 2025 no new houses can have one and by 2035, the UK will phase out their installation altogether. This caused a stir in the energy industry (this was before the current turmoil of world events putting pressure on energy prices) and many are looking for alternate energy to heat their homes. One option is solar energy. Money Saving Expert says installing solar panels on an average home costs around £5K, and the impact on energy bills depends on various aspects of your home. Energy Saving Trust estimates a typical household with a 3.5 kilowattpeak system can save between £170 - £440 per year on energy bills. You can be paid for solar energy you “export” to the national energy grid with the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) scheme.
Is the UK weather beneficial for solar energy? Despite the UK’s grey and gloomy reputation, it has enough sunlight to power solar panels and gets the same level of solar energy as areas in France/Spain. It's about daylight, not hours of sunshine or temperature. Solar panels use light to produce electricity, not heat. Though they obviously produce more power in a sunny day, they still produce a considerable amount of energy when it’s cloudy. Wind and snow aren’t necessarily bad. Wind can be a cooling mechanism for domestic solar panels and make them more efficient. A light flurry of snow will melt with the panel’s residue heat, although heavy snowfall will need to be brushed away as it’ll prevent the panel working to its full potential. If you’re considering switching to renewable energy, solar panels are worth further investigation. Find out more about the SEG scheme from the www.gov.uk website, and Energy Savings Trust has a comprehensive guide for solar energy via: energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/solar-panels Helen Say is a freelance copywriter/blogger.
