{"id":1678,"date":"2026-02-03T11:24:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T11:24:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/?p=1678"},"modified":"2026-02-03T11:24:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T11:24:29","slug":"solar-panels-are-they-worth-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/2026\/02\/03\/solar-panels-are-they-worth-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Panels – are they worth it?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This blog post has been written by Nik Hunt, Loughborough University’s Environmental Manager.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As Loughborough University\u2019s Environmental Manager for 14 years it may surprise many to learn that I only installed solar panels on my home 12 months ago.\u00a0 Through this blog I explain the concerns I had, which many may have shared, which delayed this choice, what finally convinced me, and how I feel 12 months on, sharing some of the performance figures from my installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why didn\u2019t I install solar panels earlier?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My career started at Loughborough University over 28 years ago and I only got interested in Environmental Management in my late 30\u2019s so in fairness I was still learning a lot in my early 40\u2019s.  Of course, costs were a major consideration as was the possibility I may move house, yet here I still am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costs.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So, let\u2019s talk costs as the main consideration.  When it comes to big expenditures, a house and car are probably the biggest, a wedding may be in there too (so I am led to believe).  Extensions or additions to a house probably come next and solar panels are no different although the costs are not, perhaps, as bad as they use to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to web sources the cost of a solar panel installation has decreased by anywhere from 73%1<\/sup> to 90%2<\/sup> over the last 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK Government data3<\/sup> for UK installations doesn\u2019t show such a great reduction but an 18% inflation adjusted reduction for the average price of a 4-10kW installation nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first experience of the likely costs was a discussion with a previous colleague who had solar panels installed over 10 years ago at a cost of around \u00a320K.  My first enquiry for a quote though wasn\u2019t until 2022 where the system, including a battery, would have cost around \u00a315K, which still seemed a lot.  Then of course the war in Ukraine came along and the cost of both Gas and Electricity dramatically increased, and I started to think about it again.  A random encounter with a Renewable Energy Consultant, through my work supporting the Civic Universities Partnership, then occurred in 2024.  He was doing a dissertation on why people were not taking advantage of solar panel installation schemes, and this then led to a conversation as to why I hadn\u2019t taken the plunge and an offer from him to design and provide a quote for a system through a local supplier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process of designing a solar system isn\u2019t that difficult, with the right tools, in fact at least one of the companies I sought a comparative quote from did it all remotely using google earth with a few questions by phone\/email to determine the potential roof space, orientation and pitch.  I would however recommend working with a company who come and visit before your sign anything and will explain more on that later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Different system options.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the big cost differences with a solar installation is whether to have a battery or not.  On my first quote the battery was more than 50% of the system installation cost yet when I took the plunge my battery (2 x 4kWh) cost around 25% of the total installation.  Of course the benefits of a battery will depend on how you plan to use your system, how much you are at home, your usage, time you are at home etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The advantages of a battery<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I think we all know that the demand for electricity varies throughout the day and many of us will know that as a result many electricity retailers offer packages that vary the price to reflect these demand variations.  A battery allows a household to manage and take advantage of these price variations, filling the battery with solar generation (free) or from the grid during low cost electricity periods (cheaper overnight) and then taking advantage of this by using the stored energy and\/or solar generation during the day when energy costs are higher.  Exporting solar generation and stored energy during higher value periods also has the potential, of course, to maximise your income potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Key factors in the solar generation potential of your roof space.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

OK so everyone will immediately think south facing is the best, and yes on the whole this is correct, but there are other factors that can effect solar generation.  I\u2019m lucky in that I have a south facing roof but I lose out on late afternoon sun because of my chimney.  A house with a west facing roof will benefit from the afternoon and evening sun at a time when demand and costs can be at their highest. Solar4good<\/a> offers a good explanation of the differences as a result of orientation and pitch.  Not all installations have to be on one side of your roof, I\u2019ve seen installations that have multiple panels orientated in different directions which enables generation throughout the day.   Obstacles which cast a shadow can be a problem depending on how your system is configured, as mentioned I have a chimney which casts a shadow over 4 of my panels and so it was recommended I fit Tigo Optimisers (other brands are available) which prevents my system from not operating at optimal levels when some panels are shaded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course one of the big factors in the solar generation potential of your roof space is the number of panels which can be accommodated.  The panels themselves are actually not that expensive, mine were only about 30% of the overall cost (around \u00a3200 each), meaning that a big part of the cost is the inverter, battery, labour and scaffolding costs. Logic therefore would suggest, IMHO, that you install as many as you can whilst the scaffolding and labour is on site.  Here lies another reason for insisting on a site visit.  The panels themselves are not mounted directly on the roof, they are mounted on a rack.  The rack is mounted by removing tiles and attaching the rack to the roof trusses, so the positioning of the roof trusses in relation to the edge of the roof can impact on the positioning and hence number of solar panels.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My choices.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I decided, despite being single with no children, to go for as many panels as would fit on my roof and a fairly large battery. I did this for two reasons. Firstly the number crunching I did suggested the payback period would not be effected by the additional (\u00a31K) outlay but that the system income over its lifespan would be increased be \u00a312K.  Secondly my house is large enough for the average family and therefore maximising the solar potential seemed logical for when I do eventually sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My installation therefore included:  14 x 435W panels with a 6.09 kWp theoretical peak output (under optimal conditions), 4 Tigo panel optimisers, 6kW inverter and a 8.29kWh capacity battery pack.  This system cost approximately \u00a39K<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In garage installation of inverter…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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..and batteries.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now by this point I suspect you\u2019re all dying to know how it has performed\u2026 well here are some figures for you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n