Solar could be answer to rising energy bills
Research by leading free solar installer A Shade Greener shows that solar could be the answer to rising energy bills.
Recent research shows that energy prices have double from 1990 to 2011 leaving consumers struggling to pay their energy bills. According to official figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change the average cost of a domestic electricity bill is now £533 and consumers are paying an average of 13.55 pence per kilowatt hour for their energy. The official DECC energy trends publication shows the real cost that consumers paid for their electricity during 2011.
A typical solar electric system has been shown to cut a households electric bill by 37% reducing the average UK bill by £197 based on 2011 DECC figures. The current availability of free solar, the drop in solar costs over the last 2 years and the governments upcoming Green Deal means that consumers have a range of options to use solar PV at home.
Energy costs are predicted to rise significantly over the next 25 years with a typical household electricity bill breaking the £1,000 mark before then.
Stewart Davies, Director of A Shade Greener urged, "Energy bills are only going to get more expensive and we need to be helping households that spend a large proportion of their household income on energy. Solar can help insulate those families against these inevitable price rises."
Stewart continued to demonstrate; "According to our figures a typical household could save nearly £5,000* on their energy bills over a typical 25 year solar pv system lifetime based on 2011 figures provided by DECC. Our customers are currently saving a combined 1.7 million pounds a year on their electricity bills."
*The nearly £5,000 figure is calculated by multiplying the annual £197 saving over 25 years, the agreement time of ASG's free systems. It does not however take into account future energy price rises or inflation which would greatly increase this figure.
It is the lowest income households that are getting hit hardest by rising domestic energy costs. It is only due schemes such as the forthcoming Green Deal and privately funded free solar that are allowing lower income households to be able to benefit.