There are many myths and misunderstandings surrounding this technology. I hear them almost every day and they range from "they only last 10 years" to "you'll never get your money back".
The truth is, most panels are guaranteed to produce up to 98% of their rated energy in 10 years time. A good quality panel should last up to 25 years, maybe longer.
You will certainly make your money back and gain a healthy return on your investment. The cost of manufacturing solar equipment has fallen sharply and in turn, so has the cost of installation. The press made a big headline about feed in tariffs (FiT) dropping, but in reality this is far outweighed by the lower purchase and install costs.
Another comment I hear often is that the panels are "ugly". This can be true, different panels suit different properties. Always ask to see images of the panels your installer is planning to use. In our opinion and experience, newer developments suit the black panel type, whilst older roofs look better with the standard type of panel. It really is up to the sales person to guide you in the right direction and if they don't, they are failing in their job so send them away.
Pushy sales reps: Don't you just hate them, I know I do, which is why we dont employ them. If you experience a pushy hard sell solar installer at your door, don't let them in. Make them stand on your doorstep, or better still, send them packing.
How much can I earn? The most important question. It obviously depends on how many panels you have, the make and model, the inverter, the slope, and direction of your roof. Say you have a south facing roof (the best direction) and the slope is 35 degrees with 6 x 200 watt panels. Lets pressume that your system generates 1000 kilowatts per quarter: Every three months your electricity supplier will ask you to provide a reading from your generation meter. This meter is installed along with your panels and measures the amount of electricity generated by them.
The current feed in tariff (FiT) is 0.1544p per kilowatt so we multiply that number by the amount of kilowatts generated
0.1544 x 1000 = £154.40
Now we work out how much we have sold to your supplier. Remember, domestic property resell rate is usually set at 50% of the total generated, whether you use all or none of it. So, we take 50% of our generated total (500 kilowatts) and multiply that by the current sell back rate (0.045p per kilowatt)
0.045 x 500 = £22.50
So, Your earnings at this point are £176.90
We now need to work out how much you have saved off your electricity bill becuase you have used your own electricity instead of buying it from your supplier. An average cost of domestic electricity is 0.15p per kilowatt hour so we multiply that figure by the 1000 kilowatts your panels produced.
0.15 x 1000 = £150.00
Now we see the real value of those panels. Your total return on your investment for the last three months would have been:
£154.40 + £22.50 + £150.00 = £326.90. Tax free. Another point worth remembering is that the Feed in Tariff is index linked and guaranteed for the next 25 years.
Obvioulsy these figures depend on many factors, the bigest one being the amount of panels you have. For more information, advice or help, contact us in the usual way.
