'My first year's earnings from solar panels'

This week an early adopter of solar panels, who has recently passed his one-year anniversary of having PV panels on his home, emailed in with some feedback and results of the install. When Steve totalled up the amount of electricty his panels generated, and subsequently the feed-in-tariff payments he recieved for doing so, there were some interesting and unexpected findings.

In his email, Steve wrote:

"Solar power 1 year on: - Highest day 519kwh, lowest day 104kwh, average 283kwh per day, estimated production by installer 3049kwh, actual achieved 3399kwh, over production 350kwh.

The best bit though is income: - £1623 from Feed in Tariff, saved electricity = £543, exported back to grid = £271 - total income = £2437 - time to recoup investment estimated now to be 5 years 3 months, if electricity prices remain the same! (don't tell the Government!). Total estimated income for the 25 years approx £60925, again if electricity and FIT prices remain the same."

This is a perfect reminder as to just how good solar panels are and why the Government introduced cuts to the feed-in-tariff as it stood. Realistically, there is now only a week left to organise quotes from accredited companies that are still able to install in time for the August 1st deadline, so that you may recieve the 21p tariff for 25 years and not the 16p tariff for only 20 years.