So, your neighbour has solar. The sight of the sleek black photovoltaic panels soaking up the sun is probably making you jealous. But jealousy is only an emotion, you want to understand why your neighbour has taken this course of action and what is the cost benefit analysis of keeping up with the Joneses.
Saving Money on Bills
The most practical reason to install solar panels is that it is, from a purely economic standpoint, a sound investment. Without this, the other reasons to have them installed would be far harder to justify. But of course, what constitutes a sound investment can vary by personal circumstances. If you have savings or lots of equity in your property it makes a huge amount of sense to install solar and start saving on your bills, even if the payback period may be a decade or more, though most often is is considerably less than this. If things are a little tighter, more thought needs to go into the decision, but there are still many government support schemes out there and it’s always the case that if you can do it, the dividends down the years will make it worth your while.
Your stage in life may also impact your decision. If you’re an older person, on paper it might not seem worth it if there is a good chance you will not live to see out the expected payback period of your solar system, however many older individuals still opt for solar as it increases the value of their property thus increasing the benefits for children and grandchildren – both in terms of their economic position and leaving behind a greener future for them more generally.
As well as the government grants and subsidies there are also some of the best value tariffs for exporting electricity back to the grid available at the moment, like Octopus outgoing and Octopus flux, which is particularly good if you are going for a battery as well, read about them on our blog.
Environment and Sustainability
While the economic cost/benefit analysis may be the first consideration, it is important not to be cynical about the real benefits solar can bring to the environment. You only need to open any news media to see the concerns about global warming and its impact on the environment and ecosystems and it’s important to recognise that by installing solar you are doing your part to help avert a climate catastrophe.
You are also helping to keep Britain on its feet in terms of its energy independence in a time of increasing insecurity in the global energy market. Every solar system installed helps secure energy security for Britain which is a big reason the government has such generous subsidy and loan schemes in operation for both domestic and commercial solar energy. Installing solar has a better rate of return than any government bond.
DNO Considerations
One of the more technical aspects in regards to solar installation is DNO (District Network Operator) capacity. A DNO can only support a limited amount of solar installations before an upgrade to their hardware is needed. This doesn’t normally present a problem: if you’re seeing increasing numbers of solar panels appearing in the neighbourhood it could be that the DNO has good capacity in your area so applications are given out easily, or that a limited capacity is being used up by those installations. It’s wise to simply ask the question to the DNO as it isn’t expensive and it can be difficult to know where you stand in this regard without making an application.
Find Out if You Could Benefit
To embrace solar for your own property, why not call one of our local experts today on 0118 951 4490 or email info@spiritenergy.co.uk. Our quotes are free and no obligation, so there is nothing to lose by sending an email or picking up the phone. We’d love to understand the particular parameters of your situation and offer advice on how best to proceed in your solar journey. We’d also love you to use our solar calculator to find out how much you could save on your bills.
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- Source: https://blog.spiritenergy.co.uk/homeowner/why-is-my-neighbour-getting-solar
