In order to calculate the price of your solar panels and battery storage, we must first determine the number of solar panels and battery capacity that best suit your home. This is largely shaped by the amount of your household electricity consumption and the available space for solar panels.

To produce an approximate initial estimate, we have used Ofgem’s latest data on the average annual electricity consumption per household (as of August 2024) depending on the number of bedrooms in the house. Based on this, we recommend 6 panels (440 watt each) for 2 bedroom homes, 8 panels for 3 bedroom homes, 10 panels for 4 bedroom homes, and 12 panels for 5+ bedroom homes. This can of course change depending on your actual electricity consumption, especially if your home has any Electric Vehicle chargers, Heat Pumps, or a higher-than-average number of residents in your home. 

Based on the number of panels, we then calculate the associated price of equipment, labour, scaffolding, and cabling.

For anyone who expresses interest in battery storage, we include our most affordable option, the 9.12kWh Pylontech battery, which comes with a 10 year warranty and is sufficient for most homes as a starting point.

In addition to the number of solar panels and battery capacity, here are some examples of other factors that can influence the final price:

~ Additional scaffolding

~ Preferred battery brand and capacity (eg. Tesla Powerwall)

~ Bird netting for protecting solar panels

~ Solar immersion controller for heating up existing hot water cylinders

~ Location

~ Roof material

The Solar Lease includes installation, system monitoring and maintenance, plus replacement of any equipment during the plan term, for complete peace of mind.

The Solar Lease price will vary based on the specific design of your system. Offers are subject to application, status and hire agreement. Monthly payments are subject to an annual increase of 2.5%. You can end your plan at any time by paying the lump sum outlined in your contract. This will be required if you sell your property. Missing payments could have severe consequences and make obtaining credit more difficult.

Your energy savings are calculated based on four factors:

~ How much energy you could consume

~ How much energy you could generate from your solar panels

~ How much you could save in energy bills

~ How much you could earn from exporting surplus energy

To calculate how much energy you consume, we again referred to Ofgem’s latest data on the average annual electricity consumption per household (as of August 2024) to estimate how much energy your household consumes depending on the number of bedrooms in your home. Again, this can change depending on your actual electricity consumption, especially if your home has any Electric Vehicle chargers, Heat Pumps, or a higher-than-average number of residents in your home.

To calculate how much energy you generate from your solar panels, we used the MCS Irradiance Datasets (published in July 2013) to estimate how much average sun exposure your solar panels could have depending on location (Newcastle), panel pitch angle (30 degrees), panel orientation (30 degrees from south) and shading factor (0.9). Then we applied this to how much energy you’re expected to generate, based on the number of solar panels and the watt per panel (440w), to calculate your annual expected energy generation.

To calculate how much you could save in energy bills, we used this MCS Guidance Document (published in April 2022) to estimate how much of your generated energy you can use towards your own electricity consumption instead of paying from the grid. With a battery, you can save more on energy bills by storing and using as much of your solar-generated energy as possible. We then used Ofgem’s latest energy price cap (1 July to 30 September 2024) to calculate your potential savings in energy bills starting in year 1 (assuming you install by 2026).

To calculate how much you could save from exporting surplus energy, we then took any surplus energy that does not go towards your own electricity consumption, and applied the fixed export tariff with Octopus Flux (as of August 2024) to calculate your potential earnings from selling surplus energy back to the grid.

Your total savings in year 1 (which is a combination of savings in energy bills plus exporting surplus energy) will increase over time with the inflation of electricity tariffs as shown by the Government’s historical electricity data.

This data is based on latitudes and long-term regional averages recorded by meteorological agencies like the Met Office. The specific number of sunshine hours can vary slightly from year to year depending on precise location, weather patterns and orientation​ (Weather and Climate)​ (Met Office)​ (Met Office).

Adding solar panels to your property in the UK can increase its value by approximately 3% to 4% (with some experts saying 14%). Studies have shown that homes with solar panels can command a price premium, making them more attractive to eco-conscious buyers. (Checkatrade) (Solar Advice).

Using Hometree Finance data for installs in Nov/Dec 2023 we calculated our customers can save approximately 650 kg of CO2 per year with a typical 4.9kW solar panel system. This can be extrapolated to around 16 tonnes of carbon dioxide over 30 years, or the estimated maximum lifespan of a solar panel