Let the sun cut your energy bill while you save the planet

Everywhere you turn at the moment, there is a message about renewable energy and how we can all do our bit for the environment, and our pockets, by making more use of it.

One of the most popular renewable or alternative energy sources is solar power. Unlike coal and oil, the sun is not expected to exhaust its power for centuries to come.

Investing in solar power is a good way to cut your personal ‘carbon footprint’ while cutting your energy bill and, with solar energy systems becoming cheaper all the time, it makes more and more sense to consider.

But don’t you need lots of sun to make solar power work properly? The answer is no, because it’s the amount of daylight that determines how much power is generated by a solar panel. In hot countries with cloudless skies and long days, it can provide a huge amount of energy but even in cloudy Britain, it can help provide plenty of hot water in our homes.

If the temperature of a solar panel increases by 20°C, they can produce around 90% of the energy they would at room temperature. So on a clear but cold day in London, solar panels could produce more energy than on a hot and sunny day in Spain.

The power of daylight can be used in two ways – to produce electricity or to heat water. Solar power is the most popular form of renewable energy in use in homes in the UK. It’s not difficult to see why such a system can provide a home with around a third of the hot water it needs over a year. Just think of the massive savings that could produce!

With solar power getting cheaper, cutting your fuel bills, while helping protect the environment, it’s a winning proposition all round.

Find out how you could start saving with solar panels for hot water heating - click here.