Summary of this article: Although installing solar panels is already a smart investment that gives you energy independence, it can be extremely beneficial to design your system for how your home and energy consumption might look in the future, rather than the minimum it might need now. As well as reducing the risk of technical complications if you choose to extend it in the future, including more panels and a solar battery in your plans will provide you with a chance to benefit from export tariffs.
Although choosing to install solar panels is a smart decision in itself, what’s even smarter is to really think ahead when it comes to how your solar panel system is designed.
While it can be tempting to just think about the here and now, what will bring you the biggest gains is working out not just what you need now, but also what you might need in the future.
And, while working with experts such as the solar panel team at E.ON Next will help you achieve this, understanding what you might need to think about beforehand can help you appreciate why this is so important, and ensure you get the best solar panel system for your home and your needs.
Start by thinking about energy consumption
If your long-term goal is to gain a good level of energy independence from the National Grid, the main way you can achieve this is by having a clear picture on how much energy you use versus how much you can generate using solar panels.
This amount of energy you need and use is generally based on the size of your home and the number of inhabitants. The smart step at this stage of the process, however, is not to simply think about what you use today. It’s about considering your future and how that might look too. You can start by asking yourself the following questions in order to build a more accurate picture of how much energy you might need to generate.
- Even if you currently use traditional methods of sourcing other types of fuel, are you planning on adding additional electrification measures such as an EV charger, or upgrading from a boiler to a heat pump in the future?
- Will there be more people living in your home over the coming years?
- While you may currently be out of the house all day at the moment, might you or anyone in your home switch to a remote working role, therefore increasing the amount of energy you consume during the day at any point?
- Are you planning on growing your family, or could your home become multi-generational over time?
Understanding your energy consumption habits now and thinking about how this might change in five, 10 or even 15 years and beyond is the key to getting a true picture of the amount of solar panels you might need on your home. And, it’s this foresight that will be of greater value in the long-term when it comes to designing your solar panel system.
Allow a budget that helps future-proof your home
Installing solar panels is a long-term investment, which is why it pays to think ahead now, rather than finding yourself in a position where you need to extend your solar array in the future.
Instead of budgeting for the minimum amount of panels, (the experts at E.ON Next say an average three-bedroom semi-detached home can get by with a minimum of a 2kW system which takes up around 8sqm of roof space), it pays to extend this if possible. Why? Because much of the costs of a solar panel system are made up of the installation labour and scaffolding, so it normally pays to fit as many panels as possible in one go.
Ideally, you want to be thinking of the following equation: maximum investment = maximum long-term gain from your solar panels.
Adding panels later can be more expensive, technically complex and time-consuming than including them from the start – and might not even be allowed by your local grid operator if your neighbours have installed solar in the meantime – which is why it pays to pause and think ahead.
Include a solar battery to benefit fully from your solar gains
Worried adding more panels means you’ll generate energy you can’t use? You could be paid (via E.ON Next's Smart Export Guarantee) for the energy you export, helping the grid and your neighbours decarbonise. Or you could fit a battery to store more of your own energy.
It means that even if you do stretch your original solar panel budget, adding more solar panels now could help turn your investment into more than just energy. It could speed up your payback while you use less energy now, but ensure you still have the power you need if your consumption changes at any point in the future.
Of course, you don’t have to figure this out alone when you use a trusted expert such as E.ON Next. With years of valuable experience in specifying and installing solar panels, they will work with you to create a bespoke solar panel system that works just as well in the future as it does today.
And with a 25-year solar panel product warranty, you can be confident your system will still perform, even if your household’s needs grow.
