10no. 390W photovoltaic panels and 2no. 5.2kwh batteries were installed in November 2022, on the 4-bedroom detached home of a family of 2 adults and their teenage son. Whilst the main driving force for the family was to be more sustainable and less reliant on gas, the financial benefits of the short payback period and saving money on electricity bills quickly became evident.

Since the installation, and despite it being winter during this analysis, the system has already made large savings on the electric bill. By the middle of February 2023 the amount of daylight and the bright weather has led to several days of self-sufficiency where the electrical demand for the house has been largely met by the photovoltaic panels and the energy stored in the battery.

Looking back at their consumption of energy from the grid last year, approximately 240kwh was used whereas recently it is only 23kwh. The graph attached shows in blue the energy supplied from the battery, in yellow the energy supplied directly from the solar PVs, and in red where electricity has had to be imported from the grid.

The graph is dated 08/02/23 and whilst it was a relatively bright day, being early February, the daylight hours are relatively short. The electric bill from 20/03/23 to 19/04/23 for electricity used was £8.53 for the month after deducting the standing charge. A month later the bill had reduced to £2.71, compared to the bill during the months of May and June last year that was over £60 which is a massive saving especially given the rates have increased since then. It should be noted that the heating and hot water demand is satisfied by the existing gas boiler.

Now is the time to invest in solar PV systems so that you can also start generating free and clean energy for your home and save money on your bills.