Retrofit | Solar panels

Solar panels are made of a thin layer of semi-conducting material sandwiched between a sheet of glass and a polymer resin. When exposed to daylight, the semi-conducting material becomes 'energised' and this produces electricity.

Top 10 tips for solar panels

1: Generating energy from solar panels will reduce your carbon footprint.

2: You don't need a south facing roof: east and west are about 80% as good.

3: Shifting your energy use to daylight hours will save you more money

4: You’ll need less grid electricity and save more money if you use appliances one after the other, not all at once

5: Having PV facing in different directions can help spread your generation, making it easier to self-consume.

6: Getting a smart meter can earn you money when you export energy you can't use

7: Batteries will help you use more of your generated electricity and may become cost effective as battery prices fall.

8: Having your own energy generation will protect you from rising electricity prices

9: Some electric vehicle chargers can prioritise energy from solar PV

10: Be patient: solar PV will pay for itself but it takes time!

Solar PV has become 50% more efficient than eight years ago and now only one-third of the price! That is a six-fold improvement in price-performance so even with the lapsed Feed-In-Tarif (FIT), it makes sense to install it to generate free electricity.

Explore another retrofit measure: