What Solar Actually Costs Round Here
Forget the “from £99 a month” adverts. That’s usually for a system so small it’s barely worth having.
For a proper installation that’ll make a difference to your bills:
A 3-bedroom semi typically needs £5,500-6,500 worth of kit. That’s 12-16 panels, decent inverter, all the mounting gear, and a day’s work to install it properly.
Bigger houses might need £7,000-8,500. Smaller places can get away with £4,500-5,500.
What pushes the price up? Complicated roofs mostly. If you’ve got a bungalow with a simple south-facing roof, it’s straightforward. Victorian terrace with three different roof levels and a massive chimney in the way? Takes longer, costs more.
We don’t do the “special price today only” rubbish. Quote’s valid for three months. No pressure.
The finance bit works like this: we’ve got agreements with a couple of companies who do 24-month interest-free. Approval takes about a day if your credit’s reasonable. Monthly payment works out less than most people save on their electric bill, so you’re actually better off from month one.
Does It Work When It’s Grim Outside?
This is what everyone asks first.
Short answer: better than you’d think, not as good as Spain.
Your panels generate electricity whenever there’s daylight. Doesn’t need to be sunny. Obviously more sun = more electricity, but even on a cloudy Tuesday in January, you’ll get something.
I checked one of our installations yesterday – house in Hillsborough we did last spring. January’s been pretty miserable, but they still generated 180 units this month. That’s about £50 worth at current prices. Not amazing, but not nothing either.
Summer’s a different story. July last year, same house generated 580 units. Covered their entire electric bill that month and had surplus to export.
Over a full year, most of our 4kW installations generate 3,400-3,800 units. Depends on which way your roof faces and how much shade you get.
What You’ll Actually Save
This bit’s complicated because everyone uses electricity differently.
We installed a system for a couple in Crookes in 2019. Retired, home most days, electric bill was about £1,400 a year before solar. Now it’s £500-600. They generate about 3,600 units annually, use maybe half themselves, export the rest.
Compare that to a family in Ecclesall. Both work full-time, kids at school. Before solar, £1,800 yearly electric bills. Post-solar, about £900. They use less of what they generate because nobody’s home during peak production hours, but still saving £900 a year.
The export payment’s currently about 15p per unit. Not life-changing money, but if you’re exporting 1,500 units a year, that’s £225 in your pocket.
Property value’s harder to quantify. Estate agents reckon solar adds £2,000-4,000 to sale prices, but who knows what actually happens when push comes to shove.
The Installation Reality
We aim to get most jobs done in a day. Sometimes spills into day two if the roof’s awkward or the weather turns.
Process goes like this: I come out and have a look at your roof, check your fuse box, measure everything up. Takes about 45 minutes. If it looks doable, I’ll email you a quote that evening.
If you want to proceed, we book a date. Usually 2-3 weeks out at the moment. Installation team arrives about 8am, finishes by 4pm most days.
They’ll put scaffolding up if needed (usually is), run cables through your loft space, mount the panels, connect everything up, test it all works. Bit noisy while they’re drilling holes, but they’re professionals and know what they’re doing.
We handle all the paperwork – network connection, building control notification if needed, warranty registrations. You get login details to monitor your system online.
Most people are quite chuffed when they see their first sunny day’s generation figures.
Maintenance and Problems
Panels themselves need virtually nothing doing to them. Occasional wash with a hose if they’re getting grubby, visual check now and then to make sure nothing’s obviously broken.
Rain keeps them reasonably clean. Bird mess can be a problem if you live near a rookery or something, but usually washes off.
The inverter’s the bit that occasionally goes wrong. It’s basically a computer that converts the DC from your panels into AC for your house. Typical lifespan’s 10-12 years, though some last longer.
Replacement inverter costs £600-900 fitted. Not ideal, but it’s a known cost and happens predictably.
We’ve had very few actual failures. Couple of cases where pigeons got under panels and damaged cables. One where a tree fell on someone’s roof in a storm (insurance paid for repairs). Generally speaking, modern solar kit’s pretty reliable.
Grants and Government Schemes
There’s various government schemes floating about. ECO4’s the main one, but it’s means-tested and has a massive waiting list. Most of our customers don’t qualify or can’t be bothered with the bureaucracy.
We focus on making solar affordable through finance rather than chasing grants that might or might not happen sometime in the next 18 months.
The Smart Export Guarantee pays you for surplus electricity and applies to everyone. It’s not a grant, just fair payment for the energy you generate.
VAT’s 0% on residential solar installations, which helps keep costs down.
Common Worries
Planning permission: Needed for conservation areas and listed buildings. Most normal houses don’t need it. We’ll tell you either way after the survey.
Moving house: Solar generally makes houses easier to sell. Buyers like the idea of lower running costs. If you’ve got finance outstanding, it can usually transfer to the new owners or be settled at completion.
Roof damage: Our installers have been doing this for years. They know how to drill roof fixings properly. Never had a leak caused by our installation work, though obviously we’re insured just in case.
Technology changing: Solar panels haven’t changed dramatically in the last decade. They’ve got slightly more efficient but they’re not suddenly going to become obsolete. The basic physics isn’t changing.
Why We’re Different
We don’t employ salespeople. If you want solar, you contact us. If you don’t, that’s fine too.
All our installers are MCS certified and live locally. They’ve got reputations to maintain in their own community.
Fixed prices, no hidden extras. Quote includes everything – panels, inverter, mounting system, scaffolding if needed, electrical work, commissioning, paperwork.
We’ve been trading for six years now. Still here, still answering the phone when people have questions.
Most of our work comes from recommendations. Previous customers telling their neighbours, friends, family. That only happens if you do a decent job.
The Reality Check
Solar’s not for everyone. If your roof faces north or is heavily shaded, don’t bother. If you’re planning to move house in the next couple of years, probably not worth it. If your electricity bill’s only £500 a year, the payback period’s too long.
But for most people with reasonable roofs and normal electricity usage, it makes financial sense. Especially with interest-free finance meaning you can start saving money immediately rather than waiting until you’ve saved up thousands.
The technology works. We’ve got installations from 2018 still performing exactly as predicted. Your electricity bill will be lower. You’ll generate clean energy from your own roof.
Whether that’s worth five or six thousand pounds is up to you.
Want to know if solar makes sense for your house? Get in touch and we’ll come have a look.
GreenTech Renewables – Sheffield
