NWM Online

You may have read elsewhere about Solar Photovoltaic Electricity generation and are wondering if you can believe all the sales hype?

Hopefully we can make it as simple as ABC for you. I had a 3.85 KW system fitted in May 2010 and can provide actual figures for our own installation, so you will get the unvarnished truth.

The site does not cover or provide support for Solar Thermal which only heats water but if the ' FITS' tariffs are extended in the future to cover those, then we may!

This web site is privately created, administered, owned and run. All the information posted by the owner is simply there to help others make their own decisions as to whether it's viable for them or not. There is also a discussion forum where you can ask questions without being the target of a sales campaign!

The Background

After being made redundant when the company I worked for went into administration nearly 2 years ago now, I decided that I really didn't want to work again and was looking for ways to supplement our pension incomes. I had been an Independent Financial Adviser and in the current climate was not prepared to take risks to get additional income, so given the absurdly poor interest rates available from banks and Building Societies, decided to look at other options.

Solar Photovoltaic generation looked a good option, but in the UK?

That really was the risk, given our climate, but after doing some research on the FIT scheme and the 25 year guaranteed rates available from April 2010 decided to take the plunge. 11 months on, I felt it was time to start publishing some actual figures in order to help others, who are undecided as to whether it is actually viable.

Below you will see a graph showing the actual Electricity savings we have made from electricity taken from the grid via our Dual fuel supplier, Eon, from 19th May 2010 to March 2011 (This will update at the end of the 12 month period and possibly beyond).

Now the installation isn't in the best position or orientation as it faces nearly due East, if it was facing due South the figures would be far higher, however I knew that at outset and the facts prove it was still worth doing financially.



So in cash terms what does the above actually mean?

Well our combined Electricity and Gas Direct Debit owing to the savings shown above had gone down from £110 a month to £60 per month which is a saving of £600 per year. That changed though in August 2011 when a new digital meter was installed and prices rose for both Gas and Electricity, but we still only pay £80 a month for both.

It doesn't end there though, as we have also received £2,214.86 in ' FITS' payments since installation which are Tax Free and equates to 14.76% of the original installation cost returned already.

The figures given don't show the maximum benefit of domestic Solar Photovoltaic (Pv) generation as we have not fully adopted the changes in lifestyle to achieve that (yet)

There are some things to take into consideration, like the orientation of your roof and where the ' Inverter' will go. But a qualified supplier will be able to sort all that out for you.

Update as of March 2012, we have now received a total of £2,303.66 in FITS 'Generation' and 'Export' payments from the electricity generated.

Payments shown above reflect the 2010/2011/2012 FIT Payments. New Installations from April 2012 will have Fits payments effectively halved if you read the news item: However, installation costs have also reduced substantially so the economics of it all, still work. for new customers.

However that isn't all bad news. Installation costs have fallen dramatically and it is now possible to buy a 4Kw system for around £8,499 inc Vat when our figures are based on an original installation cost of £15,000

How it all works:

Publisher Note: if a word is in blue then it's a link to another page. If you want more information on Solar Pv generation for your particular situation then we are happy to pass your information on to an expert if you contact us here:

Solar Pv FIT rates change on 1st April each year, however you are stuck with the 3 month payment cycle based on meter readings you submit.

If your 3 month cycle spans 1st April each year, then you need to take a generation meter reading on 31st March.

So, when you submit your FIT claim, you can supply a reading up to 31st March and from 1st April to the end of your quarterly cycle.

If you don't supply a split reading, then your provider will simply 'Average' the readings and you could lose out financially.

All PV installations with eligibility dates before 12 December 2011 will get the current tariffs (43.3p/kWh for up to 4kW installations in FIT Year 2 (2011-2012) and 45.4p/kWh for FIT Year 3 (2012 - 2013), with future years subject to adjustment under clause 3 of Part 1 of Schedule A as a result of changes in the Retail Price Index) for the 25 year tariff lifetime.

All PV installations with eligibility dates on or after 3 March 2012 will get the current tariffs for electricity generated up to 31 March 2012, and lower tariffs (21p/kWh for up to 4kW installations) for electricity generated after this date.