Cut your energy bills and shrink your carbon footprint with a professionally installed solar PV system. We design and fit roof-mounted solar panels with optional battery storage — neat, safe and fully certified electrical work, backed by our workmanship guarantee.
Solar payback: what you actually need to know
A typical 4kW domestic solar system (10–12 panels) costs £7,000–9,000 installed. With UK daylight, you'll generate roughly 3,500–4,500 kWh per year (depending on your roof angle and shading). At current electricity prices (roughly 28p/kWh), that's £980–1,260 of free electricity per year — meaning payback in 6–9 years, then 15–20 years of nearly free power for the 25–30 year lifespan of the panels. That's a 7–8% annual return, better than savings accounts and with zero risk (no market volatility).
Does your roof suit solar?
South-facing roofs (ideally 30–40° pitch) are ideal, but east or west-facing works fine — it just generates less. North-facing roofs produce only 50–60% of optimum and usually aren't worth it. Shading from trees, chimneys or neighbouring buildings cuts generation significantly — we assess your roof with satellite imagery and a site visit to give you a realistic figure, not optimistic averages. A roof replacement due within 5 years? Better to do that first, since removing and reinstalling panels is expensive.
System breakdown and what goes where
Panels: Mounted on the roof, facing south. Modern panels are sleek and thin (not the bulky things from 15 years ago); aesthetically they look fine on most homes. Inverter: Converts DC power from panels to AC for your house. Usually wall-mounted in a garage or loft, whisper-quiet. Metering: Records what you generate and use so you (and we) can see the real numbers. Battery (optional): Stores daytime surplus for evening use — very worthwhile if you're home during the day and use power in the evening. A 5kWh battery adds £5,000–6,000 but can increase your self-use from 30% to 70%+.
Export revenue: the Smart Export Guarantee
Any solar you don't use yourself can be exported to the grid and you're paid for it. Most suppliers offer 15–25p/kWh, often 5–10p less than you pay to buy from them — so it's better to use the power yourself than sell it, but export revenue still helps offset the investment. A 4kW system exporting 50% of generation at 20p/kWh adds £350–400/year on top of self-use savings. Check your supplier's SEG rate before committing.
Grant funding and Government support
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme ended in 2023, but various grants exist depending on your circumstances (low income, new builds, etc.). We'll point you to the current schemes — sometimes you can claim back £2,000–3,000, which materially improves payback. Always worth asking.
Installation and your home
A typical installation takes 2–3 days: roof work (morning 1), electrical (days 1–2), testing and commissioning (morning 3). You'll be without power for a couple of hours. We handle scaffolding (if needed), connection to DNO (the grid operator), Building Regulations notification, and full certification. You get a monitoring app showing live generation, storage and savings — it's oddly addictive watching the numbers tick up on a sunny day.
The long view
Solar is a 25–30 year investment. Payback is 6–10 years, then you're earning free power for 15–25 years after that. Panels degrade about 0.5%/year (so a panel at year 25 produces roughly 88% of its new-panel output). Inverters last 15–20 years, so you may replace one in that time (£2,000–3,000). Batteries last 10–15 years depending on cycling. But even with a battery replacement at year 12, the overall economics are excellent — you'll save £15,000–20,000 over 25 years compared to buying from the grid. Plus you've reduced your carbon footprint by roughly 100 tonnes.
Next steps
We offer a free site assessment: we check your roof, run satellite imaging to confirm generation potential, and give you a fixed quote. There's no obligation — you'll get realistic numbers so you can decide whether solar makes sense for your home. Most people are surprised how quickly it pays for itself.