Save on Energy Bills with Plug-In Solar Panels
With plug-in solar panels soon to be available in stores, households could start saving over £100 a year on their energy bills. New regulations announced by the government will enable supermarkets and online platforms like Currys, B&Q, Amazon, and Lidl to sell plug-in solar panels from 27 August.
The Benefits of Plug-In Solar Panels
The panels, which have been described as a means to “slash families’ energy bills” by The Sun, could also trigger a “home energy revolution”, according to TechRadar. They are projected to reach the same level of popularity as ‘air fryers’.
What Are Plug-In Solar Panels?
A plug-in panel is a “smaller and less powerful” version of a rooftop solar panel, as reported by The Independent. But it offers renters, flat owners, and households without a suitable roof a cheaper way to generate some of their own electricity and help reduce their energy bills. These plug-in panels have gained popularity in Europe in recent years and can be plugged into wall sockets to generate electricity in outdoor spaces without the need for professional installation.
How Do Plug-In Solar Panels Work?
Typically, a plug-in panel is paired with a “clever micro inverter”, according to Octopus Energy, that can be installed in a sunny spot of your choosing with a cable that plugs straight into a typical socket at home. Similar to rooftop solar panels, they generate electricity from sunlight, which feeds directly into your home’s electrical circuit. Any switched-on appliance will automatically and instantly use this free solar-generated power, “before importing costly electricity from the National Grid”, as stated by MoneySavingExpert.
Savings from Plug-In Solar Panels
The price for such kits varies, but European prices range from £400 to £600 – plus possible extra costs for mounting, installing a new socket, or wiring checks. The government estimates that the panels could save households about £70 to £110 a year on energy bills, which implies an “average break-even point of about four to six years”, according to MoneySavingExpert.
Are Plug-In Solar Panels Worth it?
It’s important to note that plug-in panels work differently to rooftop versions as energy isn’t stored. It’s beneficial if “someone is generally at home during the day and able to use much of the electricity as it is generated”, as per The Independent. Several factors such as shading, location, electricity prices, and the angle and direction of the panels “could all affect the result”. Also, the panels are limited to a capacity of 800W, which could generate a maximum of about two kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity a day. Considering the average UK household uses around 7.4kWh of electricity a day, it is “unlikely to power your entire home”, says MoneySavingExpert.
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