Solar Panels - increasing price of energy make them more worthwhile?

countryhouse39

We are lucky enough to live in an old house in the Scottish countryside (5bed, 3 reception) and as with many rural properties we aren't on the gas network. The people before us installed a GSHP for the heating and hot water, but they didn't install much in the way of insulation (out house is mostly pre 1900) so we have spent the last few years upgrading the insulation, and we installed some double glazing, but our electricity bills are still high as we use about 18-19000kwh a year...
With both of us WFH and 3 children I don't think we can reduce this much - so as you can imagine the recent massive hikes in energy prices are painful for us. We have been thinking of installing PV panels, maybe solar thermal too, but the possible savings didn't make it seem worth the outlay, however I am thinking that with the rise in energy prices that it will be worth it after all? Is anyone else in a similar situation? is it worth reconsidering so our bills go down? Can anyone advise on the best combination? we have roof space, sadly our south facing roof is also street facing and therefore unlikely to get planning permission for panels (conservation area) but we have a long west facing roof that is unobstructed. Any advise gratefully received. 

matelodave

Bear in mind that you tend to heat your house in the winter and use most of your leccy when the sun doesn't shine and the days are short even when it does. Even worse, in the winter the sun tends to be very low and any shadows can really affect the output, so look at how shadows from trees, other buildings and even telegraph poles fall on your roof from even quite a long way away.

You really do need to do your homework to see whether the outlay on panels (especially if you have to borrow the money) gives you a reasonable payback period.

phillw

Solar thermal only seems worthwhile if you install it all yourself.

That is the problem with fitting cost saving measures, the installers want it all for themselves.

Rodders53

I think your energy use of 18-19 MWh per annum in Scotland are pretty reasonable for a 5 bed, 3 reception home.
Here is Bedfordshire we use about the same with oil heating and electricity totalled up, but just the two of us and it's a fairly modern home.

https://www.thegreenage.co.uk/how-much-energy-does-my-home-use/ see figure 7 as a high user you should be nearer to 22.6 MWh per annum in total. 
Say 18.6MWh less 4.6 'normal electric' = 12MWh heating cf 18MWh for gas.  Is that an average COP of 1.5?
Your heat pump is obviously working OK if not brilliantly, perhaps?  But you may need to drill down to how much heat it produces for the electric input in more detail?

Matelodave may have some tricks to ensure your heat pump is not doing silly things (like a COP 1 immersion boost heater cutting in too often).

Ectophile

If you've got any money, you'd be better off spending it on insulation.  Insulate the walls, the roof, the windows, and the kids (so they don't complain how cold the house is).

[Deleted User]

Ectophile said:

If you've got any money, you'd be better off spending it on insulation.  Insulate the walls, the roof, the windows, and the kids (so they don't complain how cold the house is).

Whilst I completely agree with you, insulation increases efficiency, and fights climate change, but....If bet if everyone, through insulation, and other measures, reduced their energy consumption by half... They would end up paying exactly the same (or more), as the unit cost would increase to compensate suppliers losses.

QrizB

DeletedUser said:

Ectophile said:

If you've got any money, you'd be better off spending it on insulation.  Insulate the walls, the roof, the windows, and the kids (so they don't complain how cold the house is).

Whilst I completely agree with you, insulation increases efficiency, and fights climate change, but....If bet if everyone, through insulation, and other measures, reduced their energy consumption by half... They would end up paying exactly the same (or more), as the unit cost would increase to compensate suppliers losses.

That sounds very unlikely. You could just as well argue that reducing energy use to one-half would decrease fule use and prices would plummet, like they did last spring when they couldn't give oil away and gas was a penny a kWh.

phillw

DeletedUser said:
 as the unit cost would increase to compensate suppliers losses.

Maybe back when gas was plentiful, not now.

ItsComingRome

QrizB said:

DeletedUser said:

Ectophile said:

If you've got any money, you'd be better off spending it on insulation.  Insulate the walls, the roof, the windows, and the kids (so they don't complain how cold the house is).

Whilst I completely agree with you, insulation increases efficiency, and fights climate change, but....If bet if everyone, through insulation, and other measures, reduced their energy consumption by half... They would end up paying exactly the same (or more), as the unit cost would increase to compensate suppliers losses.

That sounds very unlikely. You could just as well argue that reducing energy use to one-half would decrease fule use and prices would plummet, like they did last spring when they couldn't give oil away and gas was a penny a kWh.

Because there was an oversupply due to an unexpected event.

People gradually using less will just allow them to increase their prices gradually to compensate, as we've seen for the last 20+ years.

[Deleted User]

QrizB said:

That sounds very unlikely. You could just as well argue that reducing energy use to one-half would decrease fule use and prices would plummet, like they did last spring when they couldn't give oil away and gas was a penny a kWh.

Thats one short term event.

My logic is born out by whats been happening for a long time. We are constantly told by OFGEM, that we are all using LESS energy year on year. (Look at their 'typical figures' for the last 10 years). Yet there has been a long upward trend in prices. (54% increase since 2010).

QrizB

DeletedUser said:

My logic is born out by whats been happening for a long time. We are constantly told by OFGEM, that we are all using LESS energy year on year. (Look at their 'typical figures' for the last 10 years). Yet there has been a long upward trend in prices. (54% increase since 2010).

<citation required>

Where exactly is your evidence of "a long upward trend in prices"?