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Solar Panel Installation: If you're looking at generating electricity or reducing your hot water bills with a solar power installation on your UK home, what must you look for to get the best from it? It is definitely a good time to be looking into solar power installations with Government financed schemes, like the Smart Export Guarantee providing ways of making money from your system.

The phrase Solar Photovoltaic (solar PV) applies to the production of electricity through the capture of energy from the sun. You may not feel that there's sufficient sunlight in the UK to effectively accomplish this, yet good results can be attained via solar PV. If you are able to properly site a solar panel installation on your house, you can drastically reduce your electricity bills, and through the SEG scheme, even get cash payments from your energy provider for the electricity that you have not used.

The Green Homes Grant is a recently introduced scheme to help homeowners save energy and reduce their carbon footprint, and can be used to offset the cost of a solar powered installation. Through this scheme, which the Government introduced in the summer of 2020, if you're thinking about energy saving improvements to your property, you can make an application for up to £10,000 in grants. Couple this scheme with the Smart Export Guarantee scheme and you can realise why this is the right time to seriously think about installing solar panels on your UK property.

By using energy from the sun's rays, solar thermal installations will enable you to lower your heating and hot water bills. The usage of gas or electricity that's necessary to bring your water up to a suitable temperature can be lowered even with the decreased amount of sunlight during the winter in the UK. As the season get warmer you will realise that your energy bills lower even further, and summer can see all your hot water demands being met by a solar thermal system.

If you put in a solar powered heating or hot water system to your house in the UK, you're entitled to sign up for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme. Following its preliminary introduction in the business marketplace some years earlier, the Renewable Heat Incentive was brought in for use in households in 2014. The scheme, which provides a 7 year support package, is supported by a government guarantee for homeowners switching over to renewables. If your property in the UK qualifies to be a part of the Renewable Heat Incentive, you will get a cash payout each quarter over the seven year period.

You should consider the following aspects if you think that you're now ready to install solar panels on your house in the UK:

1. Will solar panels affect my house value? - Solar panels have been known to both negatively and positively impact on house prices. It really is a tough decision to make, yet in the majority of situations the installation of solar panels boosts the market value of your home, as more people in general are becoming environmentally concerned about their impact on our planet.
2. Does your roof have a south or south-west facing direction? - This helps maximise the effectiveness of the solar PV by absorbing the largest amount of sunlight possible.
3. Is planning permission needed for your area or home? - In the vast majority of situations you will not need to have planning permission on your UK home for solar panels on your roof. Your local planning office can offer advice on planning permission if your property reside in a conservation area, have a flat roof or have a listed building.
4. Is your home's roof impacted by high buildings or tall trees which throw shade over it? - Any amount of shade on the solar panels is going to greatly reduce their working capability and may even render them largely ineffective.

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint - Solar thermal systems and solar PV both supply, renewable green energy. You will be able to prevent up to 2 tonnes of damaging carbon emissions every year through the installation of a thermal hot water system and solar PV on your UK home.

Extra Income - With the SEG, any extra power produced by a solar panel installation can be sold back to your energy provider. The Smart Export Guarantee scheme offers three monthly payments straight into your bank account, or can be credited towards your utility bills. The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a Government endorsed, contract between the homeowner and the electricity provider. By providing short term contracts within the SEG (Smart Export Guarantee), it provides consumers the right to switch providers and tariffs for cheaper deals at the conclusion of their contractual obligations.

Bill Reduction - The largest source of free energy that we can take advantage of is of course, the sun. Would it not be a good idea to make the most of it? Once you have invested in your solar panels you will find that your power bills will be less expensive. In the UK area, a standard sized solar PV installation can save a household as much as £370, at the time of writing (2020), a year on their electricity bill.

Maintenance - There is very little maintenance required for solar panels in the UK. The panels need only annual cleaning and will probably last for a minimum of 25 years. If your system has batteries attached for storage, these will have to be upgraded every ten years or so, but because technology is constantly improving, efficiency and battery life is getting better each year.

No Noise Pollution - There is no sound with solar installations. Wind generators which make electrical power can create noise which a lot of people find irritating or intrusive. The fact that thermal and solar PV systems in the UK don't have any moving components during operation, there's no noise made by the equipment.

It's good practice to obtain a minimum of 3 quotations from different solar energy installers in the UK, and don't omit to ask friends, neighbours and family members who have had solar panels installed for their feedback too. When you are obtaining a price quote always ask about currently available schemes and grants which could offset costs and make the solar installation more attractive.

The surveyor should also be able to provide a way to see recent solar panel installations on similar properties for you to look at; either via a web page or through a catalogue. A professional and reputable solar panel installer in the UK will have a photographic portfolio to display the work they do on all kinds of homes and properties.

There are several professional associations, bodies and organisations that are specific to the green energy industry. These specialized trade bodies offer guidance, technological updates and training on all things relating to the sustainable energy arena. When picking your solar panel installer in the UK, look for membership of at least one of the following trade organisations in the green and sustainable energy marketplace.

The Solar Trade Association - Working alongside Government agencies, industry and local authorities to make available the very best solutions in solar technologies, the STA (Solar Trade Association) functions at the cutting edge of technology. Well respected by the solar energy sector, the Solar Trade Association has a membership ranging from multi-national companies to small scale residential installers.

REA (Renewable Energy Association) - In the UK, the Renewable Energy Association is the primary trade body for technicians working in the clean technology and alternative energy sector. It has a commitment to creating a zero carbon economy by the provision of education and training to more than five hundred member companies, and using its powers to influence governmental policy towards renewable energy solutions.

MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) - Solar panel systems should be put in by a MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) certified engineer in the UK. The MCS offers a level of recognition in the solar energy sector, and is a mark of quality for any installation company, plus all its supplied solar generation equipment.

Solar Energy Pros and Cons

Folks in the UK are invariably on the lookout for ways to save money, and make their lives easier. Is solar energy anything that you may want to look into, or just a swindle? Solar energy can be applied to a few different uses including electricity, heating, cooking, and much more. Solar energy has both benefits and drawbacks and they should both be taken into consideration. The main advantage of solar power is that it is clean, and that you only need the sunshine to create heat or electricity. One thing that you simply don't need in any way is fossil fuels. The tools essential to produce the solar energy are solar collectors, or solar panels.

Conventional heating devices like electric heating are more expensive than solar energy in the long run. Depending on were you reside, if electricity isn't accessible to you, solar energy is a great assistance. Solar energy can provide electricity for anything you want to do whether it is for water heating, cooking, or electricity. If you want fresh water you could drink, solar energy can change salt water into fresh water. This works when the salt crystals stay in the bottom of a basin while the majority evaporates from the power of the solar energy. The water gets drinkable as soon as it condenses back into another basin.

The negatives haven't been disclosed just yet, and that is why you shouldn't just believe that solar energy fits your needs because it may not be. The biggest disadvantage is that you need plenty of solar panels to be able to utilize solar energy. Solar powered energy is cheap in theory, but these solar panels is usually expensive in addition to the maintenance costs associated with them. Although solar power is inexpensive, it may not be worth it to you, because with the cost of the panels, you may not save enough to pay for your investment.

Another disadvantage doesn't seem like much if you reside where the sun is always shining, but many places the sun isn't always out. Locations where there is a lot of cloudy, rainy weather, the collection of solar energy will not be as effective. Prior to deciding to start investing in solar panels, make sure that you have adequate sunlight throughout the entire year to make it worthwhile. In case you are blessed enough to live in a desert, you should not be concerned with having enough sunlight.

Depending on where you live, the days may be longer than various other places and this is another disadvantage to check out. Being able to access electrical power or hot water in the night might be a complication because of this. Saving the solar energy to be used in the future is an extremely practical thing to do whenever night comes along.

Solar Panel Cleaning UK

I'd imagine that the very last thing on your mind when you are thinking about installing solar PV panels in the UK, is exactly how you are going to get them cleaned. Even so, it is smart for you to consider exactly how you're going to keep them clean right from the beginning, as this can definitely have an impact on their performance. Whilst it will increase installation costs it is possible to purchase automatic cleaning systems for your solar panels, and it's better to have these put in concurrently with your solar panels.

You should not simply settle for the widely stated belief that the action of rain will keep your panels clean. When they've not been cleaned properly, most solar panels will suffer from a thin build-up of dirt and grease, although this might not be obvious when viewed from a distance. Now, if you're not installing an automatic cleaning system (which to be truthful, most folks in the UK don't), you will need to make plans for a routine cleaning schedule. Now, with the clever and innovative attachments which are currently available for pressure washers, carrying out your own panel cleaning is quite possibly achievable. Otherwise, you could find out if any UK window cleaners provide such a service, or contact a solar panel cleaning service. (Tags: Solar Panel Cleaning UK)

UK Solar Panel Tasks

Your chosen local UK solar panel installers will be able to assist you with numerous renewable energy services including things like solar PV panel installation, industrial solar panel installations UK, EV charging points UK, smart home technology, solar photovoltaic energy systems, shower heat recovery, the maintenance of solar panels UK, solar panel surveys, wind turbines, renewable heating solutions in the UK, alternative energy solutions, electric heating in the UK, solar panels for greenhouses, solar energy installations, solar energy grants, biomass boiler installation in the UK, the supply and installation of solar panel systems, roof solar panels UK, solar panels, solar panel repairs, 500 watt solar panels UK, smart grids & batteries, solar thermal installations, thermal solar panels UK, electric vehicle charging, solar water heating systems UK, the installation of solar panels UK, solar panel installation, renewable energy solutions, solar thermal energy solutions, solar panel accessories, solar system safety checks, photovoltaic solar panels UK, solar panel mounting, solar panel systems, and other solar related services in the UK. Listed are just an example of the duties that are handled by people specialising in solar panels. UK providers will be delighted to keep you abreast of their entire range of solar services.

Solar Panel Installer Services UK

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