Under the sun

Solar panels are cheaper than you might think, easier to install and – even in Scotland – surprisingly effective

Even in Scotland solar panels could save homeowners a lot of money and cut their home’s CO2 emissions.

Domestic solar panels should save you money and cut your home’s CO2 emissions. They’re not for everyone but are they right for your home?

Solar panels are relatively inexpensive and straightforward to install, compared to many other types of renewable energy technology.

They are usually fitted to a pitched roof but they can be mounted on a wall, a frame on the ground or a flat roof.

Although they work on cloudy days, the panels need a sunny position to be most effective – somewhere south-facing that gets sun most of the day is ideal.

There are two types of solar panel but the ones that generate electricity, called solar photovoltaics or solar PV, are most popular. Visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/renewable-energy/electricity/solarpanels to see how they work.

An average 4kWp domestic solar PV system costs around £5,000-£8,000 to install, according to the Energy Saving Trust, but it could earn you money through the government’s Feed-In Tariffs scheme. Providing your system qualifies, the scheme pays you for the electricity you generate and use and also for any surplus electricity you supply to the national grid.

The other type of solar panels, solar thermal panels, are used to heat water. The Energy Saving Trust says a typical system will cost around £3,000-£5,000, but the savings made are likely to be moderate.

As well as the solar panels, you’ll need a boiler or immersion heater to give you additional hot water and sometimes to make the water heated by the panels hotter, especially in winter. You may also have to change your boiler and hot water cylinder to ones that are compatible with the panels.

If you want, but can’t afford, solar panels, you might want to consider a rent-a-roof scheme, where solar PV panels are supplied and fitted free of charge in return for you leasing your home’s roof to the supplier for up to 25 years. You get the electricity generated by the panels free of charge (or at a reduced rate) but you have to give the Feed-In Tariffs income to the supplier. Rent-a-roof schemes aren’t as prevalent as they once were and not every home will qualify but they can be a good solution.

The solution to rising energy costs could be right above your head.