Solar PV Case Study
Location: Loughton, Essex
Description: PV array retrofitted onto home through a desire to reduce carbon footprint and save the environment, also fitted to reduce electricity bills and generate income from the Feed in Tariff yielded from system.
Scope of project:
This project involved the design and install of a solar photo voltaic system on a south facing roof in Loughton, Essex. RGE Services Ltd has successfully designed and installed the solar PV system. In our design and inspection process we established the system to be a 3.6kW system. This was an ideal fit in terms of the roof space available on the house and would also allow our consumer the benefit of a higher rate in the feed in tariff. We then received 4 quotes from our approved suppliers for our installation kit. BP Solar were able to provide us with a coherent quotation and a well tailored system for the designs.
The install is a retrofit system which is comprised of 20 180W Mono-crystalline panels. When electricity use in the building is less than that being produced, the excess is exported back to the grid via a separate meter. This contributes to a further financial benefit to the consumer who also benefits from a reduction in electricity bills. This system incorporates a Bluetooth device which helps provide detailed information on operation and performance; this is presented to the homeowner who can monitor his system.
The system cost was £19440 without any grants received and its expected payback time is just over 15 years, after which our customer will continue to receive approximately £1281 as a total benefit per year for the remainder of the 25 year contract. This calculates to an overall profit (once the system has paid back its cost) of approximately £11, 529 over 25 years*.This includes the added bonus of lower electricity bills for the present as well as for the future as once the 25 year contract expires; our customer will continue to profit from lower electricity bills as the lifespan of the system is on average 40 years.
The owner of the property has invested in the system out of his sense of environmental and social responsibility; he is passionate about creating awareness on the impact that businesses, goods, and services are having on our environment:
“It is our goal to make others aware that by reducing our carbon footprint we can reduce our reliance upon fossil fuels therefore we can generate our own clean green electricity…
What people need to also understand is that as an added benefit you are rewarded for being green as this is, undoubtedly, a very viable business opportunity with lucrative financial benefits for the domestic market and for companies”.
*This estimate has been calculated using the Standard Assessment procedure (SAP) Cash back Calculator and presupposes that 50% of the electricity is used with the other 50% exported back to the grid. The estimate also presupposes 14.0p to be the usual retail cost of electricity.
