See If Solar Could Make Sense For Your Home

How solar panels work

Panels on your roof convert daylight into direct current, and an inverter converts that into the electricity your home uses. Anything you don't use is either stored in a battery, if you have one, or exported back to the grid.

Solar panels and battery storage

A battery lets you use more of what you generate rather than exporting it. It adds to the upfront cost and suits some households far better than others — typically those at home in the evening, or on a tariff that rewards shifting usage.

Potential electricity savings

Solar can reduce what you buy from the grid, but the amount varies enormously between homes. Anyone promising a guaranteed saving before assessing your roof, your usage and your tariff is not giving you a reliable figure. A proper installer will model it from your own consumption data.

What affects solar installation costs

Two homes on the same street can be quoted very differently. The variables below are the usual reasons.

• System size in kWp and the number of panels
• Panel and inverter specification
• Whether battery storage is included, and its capacity
• Roof pitch, height, covering and scaffolding requirements
• Electrical work, including any consumer-unit upgrades
• Bird protection, optimisers and monitoring extras

Roof suitability

South-facing roofs generally perform best in the UK, but east–west arrays are extremely common and work well. Shading from chimneys, trees and neighbouring buildings matters more than most people expect, as does the condition and remaining life of the roof covering itself.