Good Energy customer David Humphrey lives in London and has been producing homegrown energy since April when he had a solar PV array - rated at 2.96kW - installed on the roof of his home.

The main catalyst for David to go solar came from his experiences with an inefficient and expensive gas boiler. An energy consultant advised him to invest in an Air Source Heat Pump, which he did through our Generate Your Own website. David then thought he’d look into making his own electricity too, which led to getting 16 solar PV panels installed on his roof. The PV installation cost £14,800, and David receives the standard Feed-in Tariff rate of 41.3p per kWh for all the energy he generates. Assuming that 50% of the electricity generated will be exported, David is paid an additional 3p.

In just under 6 months David’s panels have generated almost 2000 units of electricity, earning him a tax-free income of over £800 so far. “The financial incentive of the feed-in tariff makes the investment a real no-brainer given the rates of return on just about any alternative investment,” David says. But this was always second in his mind to the environmental benefits. Going solar and producing your own electricity is “the right thing to do in today’s world,” says David. And solar PV is certainly a great way of generating electricity: “On a sunny day we generate at a rate of about 2.5 to 2.7 kW,” says David. “Even in the rain they are generating at 160 to 180 watts. Most people think the sun has to be shining – but as long as it is bright, there are enough photons buzzing around to get the panels excited!”

David’s house is south-facing, and so the solar panels are visible to anyone walking past the front of his house. They have created a bit of a stir, with many of David’s neighbours also expressing an interest in microgeneration. Fantastic news – the more people who follow David’s example and produce their own homegrown energy the faster the UK can get to 100% renewable.