PV solar panels are now financially viable.
Solar panels today
PV export tariffs.
PV solar panels today generate with an export tariff and offer a permanent solution to living in the 21st-century.
The Smart Export Guarantee pays PV-owners for their surplus power. Outside of the box approach to energy.
The numbers speak for themselves.
Export tariff hot pick. 🙂
Today's best 'Export Tariff' is Octopus Energy.
Currently, they guarantee of 5.5p per kWh for every unit you export. Outgoing Agile matches your half-hourly prices with day-ahead wholesale rates.
Alternatively, combine a 4 kW PV system with battery storage, and earnings of 436.00 GBP per year become possible. That's over 50% more.
The good, bad & ugly.*
| Name | Price/kWh | |
|---|---|---|
| Social Energy | Export | 5.6p |
| Octopus Energy | Outgoing Fixed | 5.5p |
| E.On | Fix & Export Exclusive V1 | 5.5p |
| Bulb | Export Payments | 5.38p |
| OVO | OVO SEG Tariff | 4.0p |
| ScottishPower | Smart Export Variable | 4.0p |
| SSE | Smart Export Tariff | 3.5p |
| EDF | Export & Earn | 3.5p |
| Npower | Fix & Export V1 | 3.0p |
| Centrica/British Gas | Export and Earn Flex | 1.5p |
| Green Network Energy | SEG Tariff | 1.0p |
| Utility Warehouse | UW Smart Export Guarantee | 0.5p |
| Shell Energy | SEG Tariff | 0.0001p |
*Rates starting 1st January 2020.
"Remuneration for your excess power maximises the return on investment over a three-decades lifespan."
Let's do the math.
A typical house using the national average of 3800 kWh per year and PV solar panels generating 3500 kWh per year.
Price of electricity per kWh is 0.12 pence.
The Energy Saving Trust quotes an average saving of 125.00 per year for a typical home; they also quote 0.145 pence per kWh.
125.00 divided by 0.145 = 862 kWh used in the home from the generated solar PV system or a saving of 23% of the 3,800 kWh.
If you use 3,800 kWh per year, you use on average 10.41 kWh per day, so it's only possible to save 10.41 kWh per day.
3 KW solar PV generating on south facing roof 3000 kWh per year.
The unit price of electric per kW, 0.13 pence.
Ordinary PV savings without Battery storage according to the Energy saving trust (EST) is 125.00.
The EST quote 0.145 price per kW so 125 divided by 0.145 is 862 kWh per year.
Battery Storage savings over 300 days @ 5KW (size of battery bank) 1500 kWh @ 0.13p =195.00.
Export tariff payment: 3000 kWh @ 4.3 p =129.00.
Export payments 3000/2 x 4.86p =72.90.
The total savings for year 1 =125.00 +195.00 +129.00 +72.90 = 521.00 GBP.
(Excludes savings from PV-heating at approx 200 GBP).
Minimum operational lifespan = 25 years.
TOTAL: 25 years x 521 = 13,025 GBP, excluding hot water and EV-charging.
Geographical variables apply.
Return on investment?
Smart Export Guarantee tariff rates on its starting day on1st January 2020.
A minimum tax-free return on investment of around 7% with higher rate tariffs. 11-14% when used with battery storage and charging an EV.
Get a quoteWho, when, why?
There are currently approx 900,000 domestic PV adoptions that grew significantly since 2009 with 2 million installations projected by 2024 in the UK alone.
This growth in adoption is down to the rising costs of traditional energy, lower costs in PV products and improved technology.
A new dawn beckons with export tariffs and electric vehicle adoption.
Exciting time ahead.
Grants or other incentives for solar panels?
Generating income and independence from the sun is the incentive.
Historically, grants and incentives in the UK began with the Blue Skies solar grant for solar heating back in 2004.
The Blue Skies grant scheme ended in 2008, to make way for an early feed-in tariff scheme.
The feed-in tariff incentivised the earliest PV solar industry up to 2016. Today, selling power using the Smart Export Guarantee is the incentive for homeowners adopt solar panels.
Will PV produce all my electricity needs?
In most cases, no. However, it can do a substantial portion.
Each case varies depending on your consumption rate, geographical location, roof orientation and the size of the system installed.
Installers can predict output with high-precision nowadays.
What about surplus power?
When you're generating at a surplus, you can automatically redirect to battery storage, hot water heating, or charge an electric car.
After that, it will automatically feed into the National Grid, and you'll get financially rewarded for your contributions via the 'Export Tariff'.
If I don't have suitable a roof?
PV-arrays can also be ground-mounted to allow those without roof space to benefit too. We see this today with a growing number of solar farms.
How much will a PV system cost?
Our Get a Quote service will provide you with tailored options to suit any budget.
We promote energy independence.
"PV-powered people."
Stuart Lovatt
Founder of Power My Home.
