MakeMyHouseGreen.com, which uses smart data to calculate savings made by green technology, today announced the result of a new study that analysed the money saving potential of solar panels across the UK. According to the findings, households can see a difference in yearly savings of over £300 depending on their location.
The study compared the money saving potential of an averaged sized house (2) with 12 south facing panels and a 3.55kWh battery.
Llewellyn Kinch, co-founder of MakeMyHouseGreen and UK energy auto-switching service Switchd, explains that MakeMyHouseGreen uses a range of factors to estimate the savings for a particular house. Some are dependent on the build of the house, the occupants and their energy usage, while some are location dependent.
“MakeMyHouseGreen considers geographical differences in average money saving potential by looking at detailed solar data and comprehensive tariff information. It’s no surprise that different parts of the UK see different amounts of sunshine, but it might not be as well known that they’re also charged differently for the same tariff.”
He adds: “That’s why the same house with the same usage and solar panel system can have different money savings depending on its location.”
According to the study, the top place for solar panels in the UK is Brighton, with yearly savings of £1254. Dorchester (£1252) was dubbed close runner up. The remaining top ten places for solar panels are: Portsmouth (£1246), Bournemouth (£1236), Plymouth (£1234), Canterbury (£1231), Southampton (£1226), Colchester (£1224), Southall (£1222), and Ipswich (£1219). Note that these savings are all set to increase as prices rise in October.
The least optimal location for solar panels was found to be Inverness, with yearly money savings of £949. But households shouldn’t let the estimated savings of their postcode area put them off solar, because these are still really significant savings, says Kinch.
He adds: “There are a lot of factors to consider other than geographical differences. Such as how much electricity a household uses and when, the pitch and orientation of their roof, and the size of their solar panel system. We consider all of these factors and more, free of charge.”
