FAQs

We estimate that an average system takes roughly seven to twelve years to pay for itself, after which it will make money for its owner for the remainder of its life. In simple terms, if you were to spend £10,000 on a system today, you would receive roughly 9% of your investment back per annum. Please use the 'get an instant estimate' box on the right to see the specific payback period for your home and chosen system.

Solar panels and solar tiles generate electricity using the energy from the sun. The panels produce energy from daylight, not direct sunlight, so they still produce energy on cloudy or overcast days. An inverter converts the electricity from direct to alternating current, for use in the home. The electrical energy produced is either used directly in the home, or when the system is producing more power than is needed it is exported to the grid. At night, power is imported from the grid in the normal way.

Solar roof systems fall under permitted development rights so you do not need planning permission, although if you live in an area of 'outstanding natural beauty' or in a listed building you should contact your local council.

Usually any dust or dirt washes off the panels when it rains, if the panels are installed on a roof of at least 15 degrees. In extreme cases dust may cause a power reduction of about 10%.

Kilowatt peak refers to the value of power generated by a solar tile or panel system under full solar radiation (under set Standard Test Conditions). Solar radiation of 1,000 watts per square meter is used to define standard conditions. In the UK, one kilowatt peak of solar will generate roughly 850 kilowatt hours (kwh) per year.

We are not a public company so hence do not have any public reports, other than those listed on Companies House.

We do not sell the separate components of a system to home owners, only to MCS qualified installers

It's a financial incentive backed by the Government and paid by your energy company to generate your own clean electricity. An average three-bedroom home will earn around £900 a year by generating its own solar electricity - and that's on top of the likely reduction of £140 from the household electricity bill. You can earn a fixed income for every kilowatt hour of electricity you generate and use in your property. And you can also earn an additional fixed income for every kilowatt hour of electricity you generate and sell back to the grid. The income is guaranteed for 25 years (for solar pv systems) and index-linked. When you need to use electricity at night (when it is dark you won't be able to generate enough electricity from solar technology), you can still buy your electricity from your utility company, but you will need to use much less than usual. If you want to make the most of solar technology - and to save even more on your electricity bills - try to become as energy efficient as you can; for example, run electrical appliances like your washing machine and dishwasher during the day. If you invest in solar energy now, you will be guaranteeing that income for the next 25 years. Ofgem will administer the feed-in tariff scheme and energy suppliers will be responsible for payments to their customers.