Solar panels: you’ve likely heard of them, perhaps due to their well-documented environmental merits or simply word of mouth. Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels — as they are otherwise known — basically work by turning sunlight into electricity you can use to power your home or workplace.
In 2023, the UK saw in excess of 183,000 solar PV installations — over a third more than the 2022 figure. According to the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), the trend has largely been driven by British homeowners’ desire to rein in their energy bills.
Are you hoping to do the same? You could easily be heartened to learn that, in a recent Halifax survey of UK homeowners who had opted for solar panels, 84% reported their monthly energy bills subsequently dropping. So, how exactly do these panels slash energy expenses?
The science of how solar panels work
You have probably often walked past homes where solar panels are installed in a row on the roof, but these panels can also be affixed on an outbuilding or in a garden. Basically, one key objective when installing solar panels is to place them in such a way that they will often be exposed to sunlight.
When the sun does shine on a solar panel, individual PV cells in it will become energised and produce an electrical charge. This charge will create a direct current (DC) of electricity that is subsequently taken by an inverter and converted into alternating current (AC) electricity.
The last of those steps is crucial, as many household appliances can only use AC — rather than DC — energy. However, households and businesses don’t necessarily have to use solar power as soon as it is generated, as some solar PV setups come with a battery capable of storing excess energy for later.
How much money can you save in practice?
Of course, sunlight is free. So, once your solar panels have been fully installed and are up and running, they can regularly generate electricity at no financial cost to you. Still, exactly how much you save on your energy bills will depend on a multitude of factors.
Obviously, the higher the number of panels you have, the higher the amount of energy they will be able to produce. Nonetheless, even if you are not able to purchase as many solar panels as you would have wanted (e.g. due to financial or space limitations), other variables will remain at play.
For example, if you are left with relatively few solar panels, you could make the most of them by trying not to leave them in overly shaded areas.
You should also keep in mind where exactly you live in the UK. Down south, there tend to be more hours of sunlight compared to what people get up north.
So, it can be an especially good idea to get solar panels in Cambridge, Ipswich, Colchester or any other southern settlements where companies are happy to install solar panels for customers.
We hope you enjoyed this blog and learnt a few things about how solar panels can cut your energy costs.
