Solar panels with battery
Getting solar panels and a battery is a great eco-friendly option for your home. Solar panels generate 100% renewable, clean and free electricity, while a battery stores the electricity that you don’t use so you can use it at a later time. By installing solar panels and a battery, you could reduce your electricity costs by over 50%.
Why should I get solar panels and a battery?
If you’ve got an unshaded roof - or any land that’s unshaded for that matter – solar panels are an excellent option. They generate free electricity from the sun that you can use throughout your home, reducing your reliance on the National Grid. But if you’re out for most of the day, you won’t get the opportunity to use this electricity, and it will just get sent to the grid. That’s where a battery comes in.
Install a solar battery at the same time as your solar panels and not only will you save on the installation costs, but you’ll increase the savings on your electricity bills too. When you’re out or not using electricity in the daytime, your solar panels will charge the battery. When you get home in the evening when the solar panels aren’t generating electricity from the sun, you can use the electricity that’s stored in the battery.
Even with a battery, there’s still an opportunity to earn money from the electricity you generate. The Feed-in Tariff Scheme (FITs) that paid you for every unit of electricity you generate has stopped, but was replaced by the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). With the SEG, your energy supplier must pay you a rate for every unit of electricity you export to the grid. So when your battery is full, you can earn some extra money by sending your unneeded electricity to the National Grid.
Things to consider before getting Solar panels with battery installed:
Getting a solar system for your home or property isn’t only a smart decision, but also a huge investment. It’s little surprise multiple home and property owners are eager to benefit from the 30% federal tax credit for new solar installations, however, it’s always advisable to do your due diligence before moving forward.
Solar energy is the most preferred and dominant source of clean energy which is inevitable in modern times as it instrumentally boosts sustainability both to the present as well as future generations. The solar energy is normally tapped via the use of photovoltaic (PV) solar systems. In order to improve energy efficiency in homes that makes use of solar systems, there are a range of factors that should be put into consideration.
- The location of your house and roof inclination. In order for solar panels to perform optimally, they require an area open to adequate solar radiation. Therefore, if you’re intending to install solar panels and battery in your home, you’ll have to observe that the sunlight distribution is adequate. Otherwise, you can consider making use of more powerful or extra systems to take care of the inefficiency in the solar radiation. What’s more? The installation surface should also be well inclined to improve a good angle of interaction between the system’s surface as well as the sun’s rays.
- The energy requirement of the home or property. If the owner wants to go off grid, solar energy is capable of meeting all the energy needs of a home. However, this can only be possible if powerful PV solar systems are properly configured to meet all the power demands of the property. A home or property owner can as well opt to use solar energy alongside the main grid’s supply.
Will getting solar panels and a battery save me money?
The upfront cost of installing solar panels and a battery is high, although it is reducing all the time. Expect to pay around £7,000-£10,000 for a solar panel and battery system. However, once the system is installed, you’ll immediately start saving on your energy bills – often above 50%. Once you’ve paid off the initial cost of the system, you could generate all your electricity for free, depending on your usage and size of your solar panel system and battery.
At the moment, it takes an average of 16 years to break even on your solar panel and battery system, but if you’re a heavy user of electricity the payback time could be even sooner. Make sure you get a range of quotes so you ensure you get the best price for an efficient and high quality system from a reputable MCS-registered installer.
How Much do Solar panels with battery cost?
Are you planning to fit new solar panels with battery in your home? If yes, then it’s little surprise if you’re also interested in finding out just how much the installation is going to cost. When it comes to the solar world, this is unarguably one of the most commonly asked questions. However, a short and accurate answer cannot be provided and this is mainly due to the fact that solar panel systems with batteries come in varying sizes which is the primary influencing factor that determines how much electricity that can be generated – and consequently, the price of the system. In other words, the larger the system, the higher the price as well as electricity that’ll be produced for use.
Generally, the average cost of the solar panel for a solar system size of 1kW should be between £1800 to £1850, 2kW is between £3600 to £3700, solar panel size of 3kW ranges between £5500 to £5600 and finally, 4kW is between £6000 to £6050. For instance, with these prices in mind, you can expect to incur within the range of £5520 to £6040 for a standard 3-bedroom house as the high electricity demands will need the installation of 3 to 4kW solar system size.
Meanwhile the installation cost of solar batteries is also dependent on a number of influencing factors like the size as well as the make of the battery. Generally, you can expect to spend within the range of £500 to £2000 to install your batteries depending on aforementioned factors. In the event whereby you’ll be retrofitting, you might also need to include an additional cost of £1000 for an inverter. However, it’s important to note that there are only quite a few hybrid systems which are able to combine a battery storage with an inverter.
If purchasing at the same time then you can expect to pay between £6,225 and £9,400.
What Affects the Cost of installing Solar panels with battery?
Just like any other home improvement project, the total cost of solar panels and batteries is influenced by multiple factors. In other words, if you want to determine the final price, you’re going to have to put down to get your upcoming project over the line, the answer you’re going to get will come down to a wide range of variables as well as factors. A lot will be determined by the size of the solar system your home or property requires (as these systems come in varying sizes), roof angle and roof type, age of the roof, structural issues, cost of licenses, tracking systems and many more. Ultimately, this means that when it comes to purchasing and installing solar panels and batteries, there’s nothing like a one size fits all approach.
- Roof angle and roof type. It’s crucial to get the right angle for the solar panels to enable a maximum exposure to the sun. This may not be a problem when the roof is angled, but the problem can arise when its flat. In such events, the installer will have to construct a scaffolding so as to angle the panels which will increase the total cost of your solar system. What’s more? Your roof type can also play a role as varying materials require different kinds of methods to hold the solar panels to the roof which will also add to your final cost.
- Roof age. When the roof is well past its glory days, it only makes sense to have it removed and replaced with a new one before you install the solar panels.
- Size of the solar system. When it comes to solar panels, it’s usually the bigger the size, the more the electricity generated. So, if your home or property uses a lot of electricity, then you’ll require a larger solar panel size which is expectedly costlier than smaller ones.