Here in the UK, around 30% of the nation's carbon dioxide is produced in providing energy for domestic homes. For most of us, the single biggest thing we can do to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions from our home is to fit a solar PV system.

Chelsfield Solar has fitted several hundred solar PV systems across the SE of the UK. These systems can be fitted over the top of an existing roof, or they can be integrated within the roof covering when a roof is first built or is being replaced.

Due to the tremendous environmental benefits of Solar PV, the Government is running a grant scheme to help fund PV installations. To give you an idea, a standard 3-4 bed house can fit around a 2kWp system on their roof - although this does depend on the roof design.

We will help you apply for the grant applicable for your property. Once we have sent you our formal quotation for the specific system that you wish to install, and you have obtained written planning consent from your local council, you can apply for the government grant either online or by post. If you apply online you should receive an instant confirmation of the allocation. If you apply by paper post you should get a response after approx three to four weeks. Once the grant has been confirmed we can then arrange to install your Solar PV system. The grant offer for a domestic property is valid for four months for a retrofit system or 6 months for a new-build or extension project.

Typical Installation

Solar PV systems can be installed on pitched or flat unshaded roofs or ground mounted. Typically, the PV is secured on a southerly facing pitched roof aspect - East-West still work well albeit with a reduced output but northerly is not recommended. The PV is connected to an inverter, which converts electricity from DC to useable AC, and this is normally situated in the loft area or cupboard space. You will then have one cable from the inverter to the fuseboard area which is routed in the most inconspicuous way possible.

For further information and to initially ascertain whether your roof is suitable for solar PV please see our Is your roof suitable page.

Electrical

The electrical side of the installation is covered by Part P of the Building Regulations. Chelsfield Solar are NIC/EIC approved contractors which means we will arrange Building Control Part P approval on your behalf.

Structural

The structural side of Building Regulations (Part A) relates to the weight which is to be added to the roof in comparison to the weight of the roof covering. Following the site survey, we carry out a basic calculation of this ratio to check the system is within the guideline 25%. However, if you have any concerns you should contact the council building control department or an independent structural surveyor.

Selling your electricity

There are a number of electricity suppliers who will pay you for your PV generated electricity. These do change so please contact us for the most up to date information.

In addition to the payback by suppliers, domestic homeowners are now eligible to claim Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs). These will effectively double the amount of payback you will receive per year. For detailed information on ROCs visit Ofgem's website Ofgem (ROCs) or give us a call.

Remote locations

We produce our own range of stand-alone power units to provide clean, green solar electricity that you simply plug your mains appliances or extension lead into or you can have a light-only version.

Our units are primarily intended to provide electricity and lights where there is no mains supply available or where you require a mains back-up in the event of a power cut. These can also be used to take just one or two rooms off the national grid supply if you wanted to use a small amount of renewable electricity.

We install these units for the SE of the UK. Please see our Remote page for more information on this product.