Solar PV panel installation services

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As the price of energy has rocketed, and the price of solar panels has come down, generating solar power and using it yourself gives a far bigger saving now than it used to.

Under the smart export guarantee (SEG) scheme which launched in January 2020, households in Great Britain get paid for solar energy they 'export'. This is electricity you generate, but don't use yourself, which is then pumped back into the national energy grid, it's worth doing the numbers for yourself as the SEG scheme can work out well for some.

First and foremost, you can use the electricity your panels generate, and so reduce your bills. Savings depend on system size, electricity use, whether you're at home during the day to use the energy you're producing and other factors.

But based on Energy Saving Trust estimates, a typical household with a 3.5 kilowatt-peak system can knock between £195 and £480/year off bills at the current Energy Price Guarantee rates.

The smart export guarantee (SEG) scheme works by requiring energy suppliers with 150,000+ customers to offer 'tariffs' to households, which pay a set rate for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity you generate from solar panels, but DON'T use yourself.

Crucially, the amount you get back depends on the company and ranges from just 1p per kWh to 15p per kWh

The Energy Saving Trust estimates a typical household based roughly in the middle of the country could make between £90 and £130/year based on a rate of 5p per kWh (though of course, the better the rate, the more you'll make).

While you currently pay roughly 34p per kilowatt hour for electricity on a standard tariff under the Price Guarantee, you'll get paid a lot less than this for the energy you don't use yourself and export back to the grid. So try to shift as much of your electricity use to when you are generating it as possible (in other words, in daylight hours), as unless you have a solar battery, you're unable to store it to use later.

While it means you'll be exporting less so will get paid less, overall you will be a lot better off as you won't be paying for as much pricey energy.

You generally won't need planning permission. In England and Wales, the Government's Planning Portal says that panels are likely to be considered as 'permitted development' – meaning you don't usually need to apply for planning permission. The big exceptions are if your property has a flat roof, is listed or is in a conservation area. In these cases, you might need to get approval from your council's building control team, so check with your local authority.

If you have solar panels, don't think this locks you in to your energy provider - you can still switch your supplier.

Your energy provider doesn't need to be the same as the supplier that pays you for your solar-generated energy, so you're free to switch. Though, with some providers, for example Octopus, you can get better export rates if it also supplies your energy.

It's just as simple to switch your supplier for the export tariff, and as rates vary wildly between firms, make sure you're always getting the best rate possible