Why Solar?

• Solar pays for itself
• Reduce your electricity bill dramatically
• Save more every year
• Maximise a sleeping asset
• Increase your home's value
• Reduce your carbon footprint
• It's easy

• Solar pays for itself

  A solar electric (PV) system for a home could cost between £10,000 and £20,000 - depending on its size, quality etc.  Because that is quite an investment, take up has traditionally been slow.

  The government, however, has been keen to encourage the uptake of renewable energy like solar because - amongst other things - it helps to reduce the country's 'carbon footprint'.  So in April 2010, they introduced 'Feed-in tariff' subsidies for solar, and for a homeowner the idea was to enable an annual tax free return of 5-8% on a solar installation over a 25 year period.  This is a pretty attractive financial return.  And there are other options - Free Solar and SolarShare - made possible by the 'FITs' if you don't want to pay an upfront sum or you worry perhaps that you might move house before you break even.   

  Just recently, government has announced a consultation on a cut of 50% to the solar subsidy coming in to effect from 12th December 2011.   The actual subsidy level is likely to be known at some point in January.  HomeSun is advising customers that there is no security of the tariff between 12th December and confirmation of the subsidy, and this risk needs to be taken into account before any solar purchase.

• Reduce your electricity bill dramatically

  When you begin to generate your own solar power, your electricity bill will drop. How much will depend on a range of factors including the size of your system, your geographic location, and how and when you use electricity (including putting washing machines on timers so that they work during the day when your electricity is free). If you are a ‘medium user’ (3300 kWh/yr), with a 2.5kWp PV system, you could cut your bill by a third*.

• Save more every year

  Savings are likely to increase over time. The average energy bill for a typical home more than doubled over the past 5 years**. With solar PV, you'll be protected from some of this increase by being partly self-sufficient.

• Maximise a sleeping asset

  If your roof is south facing then it could be making you money!

• Increase your home's value

  35% of Energy Saving Trust's 2009 survey said they would be willing to pay more for a home where some of their energy supply came from renewable resources; almost half said would like to know if their home is suitable for renewable.

• Reduce your carbon footprint

  Solar power is a 'clean' energy resource and it's not going anywhere. An average solar PV system will replace 'dirty' fuel sources and save around 20% of a home's carbon footprint per year (around 1000kg CO₂).

• It's easy

  Home improvements can be a pain to live through. Solar PV isn't like that. It usually only takes a day to install, and this mostly happens outside on the roof. Even the power supply is only broken for a few minutes whilst the new connections are made.

*  Energy Saving Trust’s working assumption is that 50% of the solar energy produced by a home is used in the home

• USwitch 2009