Better Homes Yorkshire is working with selected regional partners to install FREE solar panels in eligible homes**. Currently solar panels are available in certain areas of Wakefield and Leeds only.
Solar panels are a clean and efficient way of generating energy for your home.
Installing solar panels can help reduce your energy bills as power is converted directly from the sun, preventing you from having to buy all your electricity from the National Grid.
Most homes are suitable for solar panels and energy can be generated even on cloudy days.
Solar panels can be installed quickly without much intrusion to your home.
**Currently free solar panels are only available in Leeds and Wakefield. Subject to a survey on your home.
How do solar panels work?
Solar panels are made out of photovoltaic cells (which is why they are also known as PV panels) that convert the sun’s energy into electricity.
Solar panels generate a direct current of electricity. This is then passed through an inverter to convert it into an alternating current, which can then be funnelled into the National Grid or used by the home or business the solar panels are attached to.
What are some of the advantages of solar power?
Solar panels give you guaranteed power when the sun is shining – providing a consistent, stable form of generation throughout the day.
After they’ve been installed, solar panels need little to no maintenance – just occasional cleaning to keep them clear of dirt and debris.
Solar panels don’t create any noise pollution while generating electricity. This means that installations aren’t intrusive – whether they’re in crowded urban locations or quiet rural ones.
Solar panels are very safe. They’re mostly made from silicon sheets, and there’s no danger of the photovoltaic cells leaking or emitting any toxins or fumes.
Do solar panels work on cloudy days?
Solar panels react to the visible light spectrum. This means, if it’s light enough to see, there’s enough light for solar panels to start generating electricity. But the stronger the sunlight, the better.
How do I know if my home is suitable for solar panels?
Most homes are suitable for solar panels. To get the maximum performance, solar panels need to face south, however, they will still generate even if they’re not facing south, it just won’t be as much.
However, you will need to own the roof (so no ground floor flats with a first floor flat above), and the roof will need to be free from any shading. The roof will also need to be structurally sound and there will need to be sufficient capacity within the National Grid in your home’s location to connect back to the grid, but we will assess these aspects on our survey of your home.
What will the work involve?
The work will typically take three days:
Day one will be erecting the scaffold to access your roof.
Day two will consist of installing the solar panels on the roof, fixing the inverter (generally in your loft space) and then running a cable from the inverter down to your consumer unit so that any power generated can be used within your home. We will also install a generation meter next to your consumer unit so you can see how much electricity your solar panels have generated.
On the final day, we will commission the system and remove the scaffold, leaving your home tidy so that you can enjoy the benefits of free electricity generated from your new solar panels.
For more information on solar panels, click here to visit our improvements page.
