Our country home relies on power of nature

YOU do not just need glorious clear blue skies to capture the energy of the sun. Solar panels also work on cold cloudy days.

The panels contain photovoltaic cells that are able to convert any daylight into electricity.

They are a long-term investment. Expect to spend at least £6,000 on a four kilowatt system that requires eight panels taking up 28 square metres of a roof, ideally facing south.

The panels should create enough electricity to cut your energy bills in half. There is also the bonus of the Government ‘feed-in tariff’ (FIT) where you are subsidised for the electricity generated and for unused solar power you feed back into the grid.

The generation tariff is currently 3.93p per kilowatt-hour for new installations while the export tariff is 5.03p per kilowatt-hour. Over a year this might result in £200 of subsidy payments. Suzanne and Brian Eveleigh rely heavily on the power of the sun and wind. Their delightful rural cottage in Devon is not even on the National Grid.

Wedding photographer Suzanne, 67, says: ‘We were forced to rely on natural power for our energy because of where we live – but it has turned out to be quite liberating knowing we are not held to ransom by profit-crazy energy companies.’

The couple have invested £8,000 in 12 solar panels. A further £1,000 has been spent on a couple of dozen batteries to store energy so it can be used during the night.

Wind turbines are usually only suitable for homes with large plots of land in exposed areas. But the Eveleighs had enough space in their garden for a £1,500 onekilowatt turbine provided by Futurenergy, set on a 20-foot-high pole.

As with solar panels, the Government offers a feed-in tariff for energy that is generated using the wind or exported into the National Grid.

COST: From £6,000 SAVE: £400 a year