Solar panels are changing the way we consume power, saving us money (eventually) and hopefully helping our planet be a little bit cooler in 20 years time. They used to be expensive to buy and install but the influx of cheaper chinese panels on the market and more installers have brought down the price. You are looking at nearly 20 years before you break even with the current grants and electricity buy back schemes in the UK, but it looks like a good idea considering the current energy crisis.
If you are planning to stay put in your house for that long it might be a good idea to get those panels installed. If you are going to be moving house in a couple of years, you will be passing on the benefits of solar panels to the next owner. Either way, to install a 4kw system covering around 25m2 of your roof will set you back around £6000.
Not many electricians a few years back would have imagined they would be asked to do so much roofing work. Fitting solar panels to a pitch roof is a difficult job and requires a specialist team with the right equipment and not all electricians, especially those that work by themselves can do it because it is a two man job. The panels difficult to manage and require fixing in the correct position and angle.
Some electricians offer the service and some have even decided to exclusively fit solar panels independently or with a solar panel installation company. Expect to pay anything from £250 to £500 per day to hire a solar panel installer, and you will need two to do the job.
For an 16 panel system covering one side of your roof that is preferably south facing you are looking to achieve 4kw of power. The cost for a system like that can range from £6000 to £8000 depending on things like battery storage. There were generous grants available from the government that have recently been updated to be not so generous and instead target lower income households and allow the local councils decide how to distribute the apparent £4 billion worth of spending.
The new initiative called ECO4 scheme has yet to be understood by many but hopefully the benefits of solar panels are also continually supported by local government who pass on the grants to homeowners. People are most interested in the buy back schemes and if they are going to be as rewarding as they were in the past.