Solar Panels for Homes

Solar panels are one of the best ways to upgrade and future-proof your home.

If recent history has taught us anything, it’s that we cannot take anything for granted, including energy. Solar power provides constant, consistent energy for your home during daylight hours.

As long as it’s light outside, you’re generating energy. You don’t need direct sunlight or a hot day. As long as there’s some form of daylight, you’re generating clean, renewable energy.

Save Money on Energy Bills

On-grid solar power for your home can lower energy bills.

You don’t need us to tell you how challenging the energy market has been recently. You can step outside that market by generating your own renewable energy.

On-grid solar power can generate all the electricity you need during the day. Use batteries to store energy and you can power your home during dark hours too.

All while retaining your grid connection just in case you need more.

Generating your own electricity will have obvious benefits. You pay less for electricity. If you switch your heating to electricity too, you could further reduce the amount you have to pay in energy costs.

Then there’s the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). The ability to sell excess energy back to the grid for a small return. Sunstore recommend switching over to Octopus Flux plan as this offers the best export rates for energy.

Energy Security

Energy security has become a primary concern at a national level and for homeowners. The lack of competitive energy tariffs, the threat of shortages and energy rationing have all brought energy to the centre of our thinking.

Solar panels for homes can help with that. You’re guaranteed renewable energy during the day so you’ll know it’s always there.

If you add batteries to your solar power system, you’ll have energy at night too.

Finally, as you’re still connected to the grid, you’ll always have mains power as a backup should you need more energy for any reason.

Renewable Energy

Everyone is now aware of sustainability and the need to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Climate change is real and our lifestyles are the main reason it’s happening.

Generating your own clean, renewable energy helps you play a part in lowering our carbon footprint and living much more sustainably.

We can all play our part to reaching net zero and solar panels are a simple but significant way we can all contribute.

On-grid Solar Power with Battery Storage

Want to increase money saving, energy security and sustainability? Add a battery storage system to your solar panels.

On-grid solar power with battery storage is the ultimate in self-sufficiency. The solar panels connect to batteries and keep them charged. Those batteries power your home day and night and reduce your dependence on grid energy.

While more expensive to install, a system like this pays for itself in no time. All while delivering renewable power and significant savings on your energy bills.

Grid Connection for Backup

Even though we’re aiming for total self-sufficiency, we want the reassurance of grid power in case we need it.

On-grid solar power delivers just that. Renewable energy for most days, with optional batteries for evenings and nighttime and a grid connection just in case you need it.

Having your home renovated? Having a large party? Working on a home project that needs more energy? No problem!

Your batteries can supply whatever you have stored and you can draw power from the grid for anything else.

How Many Solar Panels Do You Need?

How many solar panels do you need to power a home? Much depends on the size of the home and how much power you use.

Sunstore Solar sells on-grid solar power systems from 1kW up to 10kW.

• A 1kW system could power a garage or shed with a light and a power tool or two.
• A 5kW system could power a small family home with modest energy needs.
• A 10kW system could generate enough power for a large family home or small commercial premises.

To ascertain how many solar panels you need, first you need to know how much energy you use on an average day. There are online calculators for that, or our team can help.

Once you have a figure, round it up so it includes a safe margin for when you use more. Select the closest system to that figure and divide it by the wattage of the solar panel.

For example, some of our 6kW on-grid solar kits can include 16x 385w solar panels – 16 x 385 = 6,160w.

If you need help with this part, the Sunstore Solar team will be happy to help.

Average Cost of Solar Power Systems for Homes

The average cost of solar power systems for homes depends on a couple of factors:

• How much power you need to generate
• Whether you require battery storage or not
• The size and complexity of the roof it’s being installed on

As an average:

• A 5.3kW on-grid solar kit with no batteries currently costs £5,156.19
• A 5.3kW on-grid solar kit with batteries currently costs £9,217.61
• A 10.3kW on-grid solar kit with no batteries currently costs £9,534.45
• A 10.3kW on-grid solar kit with batteries currently costs £18,213.44

Prices vary depending on the type of batteries and panels, but those are averages current as of April 2023. Check the corresponding page for up-to-date pricing.

On-grid solar power systems for homes do require a significant investment but if you consider how much the average energy bill is right now, you could recoup the money fairly quickly.

Plus, some councils and organisations have incentives and grants that may help offset some of the costs.

Consider the 5.3kW solar kit with batteries currently costs £9,217.61 and could power a small family home.

According to Uswitch ‘The average electricity bill in the UK as of 1 October 2022 is £987.16 per year (without factoring in the annual electricity standing charge).’

We have seen fluctuation since then but use that as an average.

That would mean your 5kW solar power system could pay for itself in 10 years on average. As it has an operating life of at least 25 years, it’s a worthy investment!

If you switch from using gas to electricity, you could save even more. Uswitch averages gas at £1,239.60 per year. Which means if you switched from gas completely to electricity, your system could pay for itself even faster!

All while lowering your environmental impact, providing energy security and helping contribute to net zero.

Solar Power for Homes FAQs