Generate Your Own Energy and Earn Money With Solar Panels
Are you thinking about buying a new home and looking for ways to cut the cost of your energy expenses?
Renewable energy is becoming a focus for many homebuyers across Yorkshire and the rest of the UK, with innovative technologies advancing year-on-year – and it couldn’t come at a better time, as energy rate increases continue to affect household bills and concerns grow in the wake of the recent decision to remove the Winter Fuel Allowance.
Contrary to popular belief, solar panels don’t need direct sunlight to work and can still generate electricity even on cloudy days, which is helpful to know given the irregularity of British weather.
If you would like to become more energy independent, explore our Buyers Guide to Solar Savings and the benefits of generating your own energy when buying a brand new Mulgrave home fitted with solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.
Significant Energy Savings
The biggest saving comes from requiring less electricity from your energy supplier. Every unit (kWh) of self-generated power is one less unit of energy you have to buy from a supplier. At the current price cap rate (24.5p/kWh) that means you save 24.5p for each kWh of self-generated energy you use yourself.
You May Earn Money Back
Households can also make back some money by selling excess energy to the National Grid, thanks to a government-backed initiative called the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG).
The SEG scheme works by requiring energy suppliers with 150,000+ customers to provide tariffs to households across England, Scotland and Wales, which pay a set rate for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity you generate from solar panels, but don’t use yourself.
According to a Which analysis of widely available tariffs in April 2024, companies are paying fixed SEG rates between 1p/kWh and 20p/kWh – and up to 30.86p/kWh during peak hours with Octopus Energy’s Intelligent Flux tariff.
The amount you earn you through the SEG will depend on the type of technology and the size of your system – but it could be as much as £642 per year according to Energy Saving Trust data. The best part? This doesn’t even include the savings you’ll see off your energy bill.
How PV Solar Panels Work
A PV solar system changes sunlight into electricity and is made up of layers of semi-conducting cells formed of silicon – sunlight is caught by these cells, creating a flow of DC electricity.
Household appliances run on AC, so an inverter converts the energy generated by the panels into usable AC electricity and this can then be used to directly power appliances throughout your home.
Weather Resistant
How solar panels operate in Yorkshire is exactly the same as anywhere else and you don’t have to live in an area with wall-to-wall sunshine to generate solar energy – solar panels work even through cloud coverage. The more sunshine, however, the more energy you’ll generate.
Low Maintenance
Once installed, PV solar panels require very minimal upholding. They’re positioned at an angle which allows rain to run off freely, washing away debris, and, with an occasional clean, they can last for 25+ years with little loss in efficiency.
Browse our brand-new 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom homes in Burniston, Scarborough fitted with PV solar panels and talk to our sales advisors for more information about renewable energy savings, as well as our range of offers on selected plots.
