Solar panels are an established, accessible way to transform your property, reducing the cost of energy bills and fitting solar PV panels to your roof to capture the natural solar radiation from the sun.

Alongside the ongoing savings, switching to solar power reduces your carbon footprint, offers independence from the electrical grid, and having a solar battery ensures you have stored energy on demand.

As an approved installer of solar PV system panels, we’re often asked about the fitting process, how much it costs, and which properties are best suited to a solar energy system.

Let’s run through a series of frequently asked questions to provide you with up-to-date, independent advice to help you make informed decisions about which types of solar systems are right for your home.

What – Exactly – Is a Home Solar PV System?

The first point to clarify is that PV stands for photovoltaic. This phrase refers to non-mechanical solar cells that convert the sun’s energy into electrical power. During the electricity generation process, PV cells mounted within panels and fixed to your roof within a racking system convert solar radiation into direct current or DC electricity.

An inverter, which forms part of the solar PV system, then inverts that energy into alternating current or AC power, which you can use to run any appliance within your home, power your lights or even supply the electricity required for an electric vehicle charging station.

Other types of solar panels are better suited to larger properties such as commercial power plants, and although there are various photovoltaic installation options and mounting system configurations to pick from, almost all residential solar PV cells work in this way.

What Are the Cost Savings of Switching Your Home to Free Solar Power?

Aside from the initial solar panel installation cost, a photovoltaic system provides free, clean and eco-friendly electricity. The inverter and other system components, such as thermostats, require a minimal amount of electrical energy to function, but most homeowners find that the electricity produced through their solar panels reduces their utility bills by 50% to 70%.

Of course, there are variables based on the number of photovoltaic modules you have fitted, the solar panel efficiency of your system, and whether you have a solar battery storage solution installed alongside your solar panels.

Choosing a battery system is ideal if your solar energy supply is greater than you need within your household. Batteries can store that surplus electricity until it is required, making green solar power available around the clock, even overnight.

Homeowners with an efficient and high-performance photovoltaic system can also sell that extra energy back to the energy companies or utility grid through the Smart Export Guarantee system.

How Long Does it Take a Set of Solar PV Panels to Pay for Themselves?

The cost of installing a set of solar PV panels will depend on the number of photovoltaic modules you install, the type of monitoring system you have in place, whether you opt for a battery storage device, and the complexity of the installation process.

As a rough guide, a property with a 4kW solar PV system will usually find that the reduction in electricity bills fully compensates for the initial investment within ten years, with an average saving of £729 per year.

Should your system produce excess renewable energy, and you decide to sell this back through the Smart Export Guarantee we mentioned, your savings will increase, on average, to £767 a year and fully repay the cost of your solar array within nine years.

Larger homes with more efficient solar electricity systems may recoup the original cost much faster, and savings will be more significant for properties with extensive electricity usage – often due to having more occupants in the home or having all-electric appliances.

What Is the Process of Installing a Set of Solar Panels?

While ground-mounted systems are sometimes an alternative, the vast majority of homeowners have their solar photovoltaic panels mounted on their roofs. If you have a south-facing roof, the electricity generated is likely to be optimal, with the most exposure to direct sunlight during the day.

We’ll normally need to erect scaffolding to be able to access your roof easily, although this may depend on the type of PV system you choose and whether there is an alternative safe access point.

In most cases, installing solar panels takes just one day, provided you have had an initial roof survey conducted, and there is no preparatory or repair work to complete. The process itself involves:

• • Fixing brackets that your solar PV modules will slot into.
  • Clamping the configured solar panels onto the brackets.
  • Connecting your solar panels with your own electricity system.
  • Fitting the inverter that converts DC power into AC electricity.
  • Installing other components, such as your solar battery system.

Before your installation is complete, we will test and check each aspect of your solar power system and verify that it is working as expected and you are comfortable with the controls.

What Difference Does a Solar PV System Array Make to My Carbon Footprint?

Fitting a set of photovoltaic cells to your home with a roof-mounted solar array can reduce your carbon footprint by a tonne or more of carbon per year – making a difference to the sustainability and eco-friendliness of your property.

Homeowners are increasingly finding that a solar electricity system also adds value to their properties. In some areas, buyers pay up to 25% more for homes with a modern, efficient solar panel system, with premiums based on properties that also have good energy efficiency ratings.

It is common to look at additional energy saving measures such as improved insulation and glazing when having a set of solar panels fitted, which can conserve the energy your system produces and boost the amount of surplus power available within your battery.

How Much Maintenance Do Solar PV Systems Require?

Solar cells are built with advanced crystalline silicon technology and require little in the way of maintenance. The average annual maintenance cost is minimal, although we recommend periodic servicing and cleaning to ensure your solar panels remain working at their best.

Still have questions about installing solar panels and upgrading your home to renewable energy? Please contact the Pinnacle Works team at any time, and we’ll be happy to answer any queries you may have.