Welcome to GEM - Solar

Depending on usage and solar panel output installed, it’s possible to generate enough power to save nearly all of your usage requirements and even earn by selling energy back to your utility supplier – for short periods providing sunlight is available. Savings will vary each month based on seasons. Overall, it’s possible to save up to 70% but there is no guarantee, bills will still be sent!

While your bills will be reduced significantly depending on the sunlight available, the cost of the savings only really become positive once the solar system is paid off. Even when that’s complete, you may still receive an electric bill from your supplier during dark periods, as presence of the sun in the U.K. isn’t as reliable as we need it to be.

If you can afford them and they’re right for your home, solar panels are a good long-term investment. You can:

• Save money on bills – generating your own power means cutting hundreds off your energy bills each year
• Make extra £££ – sell any excess power back and you’ll be helping green up the energy grid as you go
• Help tackle climate change – solar is a renewable source of energy that doesn’t produce greenhouse gases
• Get protection from rising energy prices – as the wholesale cost of fossil fuels rise, renewable power is the way to go
• Make a long-term investment – solar panels can power your home for decades to come
• Add value to your home
• Enjoy easy maintenance – thankfully, solar panels only need to be cleaned occasionally to keep them super powerful

Not yet, but environmental concerns and expensive electric bills are driving renewed interest. As costs of solar panels and their control / storage systems come down, it’s only going to become a more common purchase – which benefits both the environment and homeowners pockets.

Another reason to install solar panels, is the potential to increase your homes value – a report by Solar Energy UK found that solar panels could increase the value of a typical home by up to £2,722. They could also make your home more attractive to future homeowners, because of the savings on energy costs.

Direct sunlight provides the best performance to solar panels for electricity generation, however the majority of U.K. weather is overcast or dull – reducing power generation efficiency noticeably. This is why homes still need a supply line from an ‘on demand’, round the clock power source.

They’re the dark rectangles you see on rooftops, and they turn sunlight into electricity. The most popular ones are photovoltaic solar panels (often called ‘PV’) and they’ll create energy even on grey, overcast days. So you don’t have to worry about a cloud in the sky.

Solar panels are around 95% silicone (including the most common monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin-film designs). This semiconductor material is perfect for the job because it’s cost-efficient, easy to use, and really durable.

The other 5% is usually made up of an anti-reflective glass coating, metal, wiring, and a plastic / polymer frame – to mount the panels on a roof or secure them to the ground.

Not necessarily. Amazingly enough, solar panels produce power on cloudy days too. Even if it’s snowing or hailing, your solar panels can still generate electricity, so long as there’s a bit of light. That said, solar panels will perform at their very best when it’s sunniest.

There are ways to make your solar panels more effective. You should install them on a south-facing roof ideally, where they’ll catch the most rays. (We wouldn’t recommend installing solar panels on a north-facing roof.) It’s also best to install them at a 30 to 40-degree angle.

A rough estimate is that a 1-bedroom house will need 6 panels and a 2.1 kWh system, a 3-bedroom house will need 10 panels and a 3.5 kWh system – and a 5-bedroom house will need 14 panels and a 4.9 kWh system.

You’ll discover more on this topic in our blog: home solar panels: how much sunlight does it take to power a home? And you can find out what size system your home will need with this handy solar energy calculator from The Energy Saving Trust.

Solar panels are a big investment, so it’s reassuring to know they last a long time. Most will give you a good 25 to 30 years of power. And you can get a generous 40 to 50 years with some of the latest models.

While dirty panels are less efficient, here in the UK, our weather provides regular washes with rain, to keep them clean enough for hassle free maintenance. You can manually wipe down with a sponge and water as necessary.

Reducing the demand to fossil fuel burning power stations is beneficial to the environment. For reduced logistics to mine and process the fuels from underground sources and their burning into the atmosphere to keep the air cleaner.