Find a Solar Panel Installer you can trust near you.

Solar PV panels work by converting sunlight into electricity. They’re made up of photovoltaic cells, which take in the sun’s rays and turn it into direct current (DC) electricity. The current is then channelled into an inverter, which converts it to alternating current (AC).

Once converted to AC, the electricity is ready to use. It’s fed through a meter and into your property’s consumer unit, and is automatically used to power appliances and heating systems. Your system will automatically switch between your solar electricity supply and the national grid, and export any solar electricity you don’t use to the national grid.

1. After the installer’s measured up, given you an estimated output and recommended some systems for you, they’ll arrange date to come to your home to install the solar thermal panels. They’ll also let you know if any scaffolding will be required.
2. Next, they will start to fit the panels, or collectors, to your roof. Stainless steel brackets will be provided with the system and they will remove your roof tiles or slates to attach the brackets to the rafters. They’ll then replace the tiles and add waterproof flashing to ensure you don’t get any roof leaks, and add the frame.
3. If you’ve chosen evacuated tube solar thermal panels, the installer will bolt the heat transfer unit to the top of the frame but not install the tubes until nearer the end. This is because the tubes start to transfer heat to the exchanger immediately, and when everything is unconnected this could damage the unit.
4. If you don’t need a new boiler with your installation, a new dual coil water cylinder, pump and system control system will be fitted. It’s best in a loft or upper floor of your home.
5. A new thermal store or hot water tank that will store the heat provided by the solar system is much larger than a standard tank but it may fit in the spot of your old one. The installer will ensure that it’s connected to the mains cold water, your other heating source (such as a gas boiler or biomass boiler), immersion heater, temperature sensors and the solar collectors themselves.
6. Next they will install the pumping station, usually near the water tank. The expansion tank will be installed on the solar thermal loop, which is usually nearby. Its job is to prevent pressure changes that could damage the system.
7. You’ll get a heat generation meter which must be MCS-certified if you want to take advantage of the RHI, and any control equipment that comes with the system will be installed.
8. The installers will then bring the system to pressure by pumping the heat transfer liquid into the system up to a pressure of around 2 bar.
9. Finally, your MCS-registered installer will register your solar thermal system so you can apply for RHI payments of up to £525 per year.
So that’s the process of installing solar thermal panels. Remember – it's always best to use a professional to install any kind of renewable technology.

How Many Solar Panels And Batteries Do I Need?

Are you presently considering adding a solar system to your home? With several homeowners in the UK using solar now, many more are realizing the numerous benefits they stand to derive by getting one. Therefore, if you’re thinking about adding the system to your home but do not know where to start, you’ve come to the right place.

Here, we’ll help you calculate the number of solar panels and batteries you’ll need to power your home. Starting from the panels, you can begin by taken into account everything that makes use of power in your home to get a good idea of how many you’ll need.

• Firstly, you’ll have to determine the number of watts you use. Simply go through your utility bill for kilowatt-hours (kWh). This varies amongst homes and being able to identify your daily average energy usage will assist you in getting your solar needs.

• Secondly, you have to determine the peak sunlight hours - having in mind that the solar panels only work when under direct sunlight. Once determined, you can then multiply the figure in hours by your home’s hourly energy usage and divide by your selected solar panel’s wattage.

Generally for a 1500 square foot house, you might need around 15 to 18 solar panels to cover the house’s electricity.

Meanwhile for batteries, there are also some factors to be considered to determine the number of batteries you’ll need for your house. These factors include your home’s power or electricity usage, the period of time in which the battery will be used as well as the battery’ specifications. Once done, you’ll be able to calculate the number of batteries required by your home.

Whether solar panel batteries are worth it depends on how much you’re at home and how big your solar panel system is. If you’re at home most of the day and your solar panels only generate enough electricity for you to use while for that day, then a battery probably isn’t worth investing in. However, if you have a large system that generates more than you can use or you’re out most of the day, then solar panel batteries are definitely worth it.

A solar battery storage system works by storing the electricity that your solar panels generated until you need to use it. That’s why they’re great for people that are out all day – your solar panels generate electricity all day whilst the sun’s out, but no one’s home so you’re using minimal energy except for things like your fridge and any appliances on standby. Most of the electricity charges your solar panel battery. Then, when you get home, your battery will discharge, and you’ll use all the solar electricity that your panels generated during the day.

Solar batteries are also excellent for people with large solar panel systems that generate more than they use in the day. Any electricity that you don’t use during the day will charge the battery, so in the evening when the sun goes down, you’ll just use the excess electricity that’s stored in the battery.

To work out whether solar panel batteries are worth it for you, you’ll need to work out how much of your solar electricity you’re using already. If you’re at home and you’re able to run your appliances all while your solar panels are generating electricity, a battery might not be worth it. Also, if you’re receiving export payments from the Feed-in Tariff Scheme (FITs) or the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), you might want to look at the rate you’re getting paid. If it’s a good rate, it might be more cost-effective to continue exporting unused electricity to the grid. Speak to an MCS-registered installer that will be able to help you work this out.

Installing solar panels for your business operations can provide you with a number of impressive benefits. It is not only capable of helping you minimize your business’ environmental footprint but it can also go a long way to help you save money. Irrespective of your company’s size, whether big or small, it can still benefit immensely by making use of solar panels. If you’re currently planning to install solar panels in your business environment, then you’d probably want to know just how much it’ll cost to complete the project. In this post, we aim to give you a good insight into commercial solar panel pricing so as to help you make the best informed decisions possible . Let’s take a look!

In truth, there’s no single and accurate answer to this question as there are a number of factors that can influence the cost of commercial solar panels. These factors include the size of the roof, the amount of energy that’s generated as well as the number incorporated. To give you a general idea, the price of solar panels for commercial property is usually within the range of £16000 to £70000 for small to mid-sized companies. For a more accurate estimate, you’ll need to get in touch with a professional with your unique needs.

There is also a need to evaluate the cost of solar panels so as to determine whether or not they’re a feasible option for your business. In order to determine the amount of energy your company uses per month, simply take a closer look at your utility bill.  This should indicate just how much energy you use per month as well as how much the utility company charges per kW. In general, most small to medium sized companies will incorporate 30,000 to 50,000 kWh annually and you can expect the cost to differ based on your location and the size of your system. The rule of thumb with larger systems is to calculate using £1000 per kW, plus VAT as the yardstick.

If you’re looking to purchase and install a solar system for your home or property, then knowing the amount of energy a solar panel can produce can go a long way to help you determine just how much solar panels that’ll be needed to power your entire house. In this article, we’ll give you an idea of the amount of energy that can be generated by a solar panel to help you make informed decisions going ahead.

First and foremost, you should note that each and every solar panel is rated by how much direct current power they’re able to generate under standard testing conditions. The output of a solar panel is given in watts units (W) and it stands for the theoretical power generation of the panel under direct sunlight as well as temperature conditions. Generally, several domestic solar panels possesses power output ratings which ranges from 250 watts to 400 watts. And as you would have expected, the higher power ratings are preferable when compared to the lower power ratings. What’s more? The total wattage of your solar panels will greatly influence a major part of your overall solar system cost.

Assuming you’re able to get just about 5 hours of direct sunlight every day, you can determine the output of your solar panel in this way - 5 hours x 290 watts ( wattage example of a premium solar panel) = 1450 watts-hours or approximately 1.5 kilowatts per hour (kWh). hence, the individual solar panel output in your array should be able to generate about 500 to 550 kWh of energy every year. This is sufficient energy to power some small appliances without problems.

So, you’ve finally decided to go for solar? If yes, then you’d also probably find yourself trying to figure out exactly what solar battery size is needed to power your home or property. This is one of the most common questions when it comes to the solar system world and understandably so. In this article, we aim to give you an idea of the solar size you’d need to power your home or property before making a purchase decision. Let’s take a look!

The first thing to do if you find yourself asking this question is to identify the reason why you want to purchase the solar battery in the first place. For some individuals, they simply want to save some excess energy being fed back into the grid, while others just want protection from possible blackouts. There are also some environment-conscious home or property owners who makes this decision in order to create a carbon-neutral home. Another crucial factor to consider is your budget. A full solar storage system can be quite costly, although this is cheaper than a decade ago. Generally, the size of solar battery you’ll require depends on the following:

• How much energy you’re able to generate: The size of your solar array as well as its efficiency will influence the amount of power it’ll be able to supply to your home.
• Your daily energy usage needs: Daily energy usage can vary greatly between households depending on a number of factors. These factors include the number of occupants, geographical location, type of building, general household energy usage and more. Some may find that their solar system cover for most of their energy usage, while others find themselves still relying heavily on the grid.